With an eye to the planned recounting of votes in Moldava, Elena Vijulie gives an ascerbic description of communism and electoral fraud in the daily Romania Libera: "The communist regimes are experts in blending truth with lies. ... The OSCE election observers were overwhelmed with an array of charts and tables on the basis of which they pronounced the election correct. The Dutch journalist with whom I went to the emergency unit at the hospital asked a 19-year-old youth if he'd spoken with a lawyer and if he'd been allowed to call his parents from the police station. Yes, he said in French. Yes - he went on in Romanian - but only after he'd been so badly beaten about the head that he suffered a concussion. ... In view of the pain suffered by this young man who was so badly beaten by the police in Chişinău, the East European EU member states have the duty to sign the final document of the Cold War: a ban and condemnation of communism in the entire civilised world. The East European states know the face of the devil. Now [the rest of Europe] must classify it as such, alongside fascism." (14/04/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU enlargement, » Europe, » Eastern Europe, » Western Europe, » Romania
All available articles from » Elena Vijulie

Giorgos Delastik see the protests against the communists' victory in the presidential elections as largely unsuccessful. "The attempt at a 'coloured' revolution in Moldova failed, at least in its first phase. This confirms once again the view that the model in which thousands of organised demonstrators, led by secret agents of the governments of former Soviet republics, try to overthrow [a government] in a putsch-like move … is experiencing a profound crisis. … The case of Moldova has the peculiarity that of all countries Romania is being portrayed as the organiser of the putsch attempt - a country which has been heavily dependent on the US ever since it became a Nato member and which is showing a particularly aggressive attitude by aligning itself with the extremist circles of the former US government of George [W.] Bush." (13/04/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Domestic Policy, » Eastern Europe
All available articles from » Giorgos Delastik

In the blog Achse des Guten [axis of good] Richard Wagner comments on statements by Romanian writer Mircea Cartarescu about the riots in Moldova: "Cartarescu also criticises the silence of the Romanian authorities, and above all of President Traian Basescu, reminding him of his public condemnation of communism. Cartarescu adds that he would like to believe the president is a patriot. He then goes on to accuse the Romanian public of not supporting the protests. ... The Republic of Moldova is not just any country, he says, it is Romanian, its population speaks Romanian, making Romania a sort of mother country. One can certainly find it regrettable, but the fact is that a majority of Moldovans see things differently, especially regarding the elections. It may be a source of embarrassment for Romanians that the Moldovans prefer the local communists to the big brothers from Romania, but people in Europe have provisionally accepted the election results. Writers - even those with nationalist sympathies - should do the same." (14/04/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Domestic Policy, » Europe, » Romania
All available articles from » Richard Wagner

Even if the situation calms down in the Republic of Moldova the worries will remain, the daily NRC Handelsblad writes, pointing out that the country is caught between Romania, and thus the EU, and Russia: "And even more troubling is that the conflict has already taken on international dimensions. Russia immediately took sides with [President] Vladimir Voronin. Foreign Minister [Sergey] Lavrov warned Romania and Nato not to implement a 'secret agenda' against Russia. This is typical language, but nonetheless Europe must now take it seriously. EU foreign policy coordinator Javier Solana already expressed 'concern' on Tuesday. But with his special action plan for Moldova Europe can do more to prevent further polarisation, namely by seeking forms of cooperation in Moscow that promote peace and calm without undermining Moldova's sovereignty." (14/04/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Russia, » Europe, » Eastern Europe

The US navy has freed US captain Richard Phillips from the hands of Somalian pirates. The left-leaning daily die tageszeitung criticises the West's approach to the pirate problem: "It's already clear who the losers are. It's the seamen from low-wage countries like the Philippines who already make up the majority of the 240 pirate hostages. Hardly anyone is trying to help them. Their governments lack the money, the know-how and often the political will to free them, and the West doesn't care about them either, unless they happen to be on board a European ship. This means they will be the victims of future pirate attacks. This is basically how the 24 navy ships patrolling the Somali coast are already operating. Instead of solving the core of the problem, namely the lack of a functioning government in Somalia, the armada is trying to protect each of its ships from the consequences of the anarchy. This is unrealistic and inhuman. For not only merchant shipping but an entire people are suffering from the consequences of Somalia's anarchy." (14/04/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Economic Policy, » Africa, » Europe, » U.S., » Global
All available articles from » Marc Engelhardt

The Dutch army is to have its first Muslim imam. But the candidate for this post, Imam Ali Eddaoudi from Morocco, is a controversial figure owing to his criticism of Dutch military involvement in Afghanistan. In the left-liberal daily De Volkskrant politicians and pastors condemn the criticism voiced mainly by right-wing parties: "Let's not undermine freedom of expression. If citizens are denied the right to exercise certain functions on the basis of their views we move worryingly close to countries where there is no separation of powers. … We see the written word as an important asset in our democratic constitutional state. And within that state we have agreed that it applies to everyone, irrespective of their background, gender or religious beliefs. Ali Eddaoudi must not become the victim of politicians who don't know the true value of freedom of expression and only apply it selectively." (14/04/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Religion, » Netherlands

On the national holiday commemorating the victims of the Katyń Massacre in which several thousand Polish officers and civilians were shot, the liberal daily Gazeta Wyborcza criticises Russia's attitude to the massacre, which continues to be a bone of contention between the two countries: "The Russians say the Poles have a 'Katyń problem', but they're wrong because they're the ones with a problem. We believe people should express sympathy for the victims of this crime, and rehabilitate them, while the executioners must be condemned. But with its schizophrenic resistance Russia condemns the victims and defends the executioners. And this is about more than Katyń, it concerns the Stalinist crimes in general. The Russians never stop looking for one justification or another. By now we're used to seeing how the official [Russian] propaganda and judiciary approach the subject of the crimes of the Soviet NKWD [People´s commissariat for internal affairs] in 1940. The courts conceal evidence of Katyń, and refuse to rehabilitate the murdered ... Poles." (14/04/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » History, » Poland, » Russia
All available articles from » Wacław Radziwinowicz

The left-liberal daily Népszabadság comments on the recent political riots in Thailand: "It seems grotesque that the political division in Thailand is finding its expression in red and yellow shirts. … The 'reds' belong to the poorer half of society that mainly lives in rural areas. They support the billionaire populist Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed in 2006. The 'yellows' have mainly been recruited from the urban middle classes, the military and the monarchists. They are the privileged who are determined not to lose their prerogatives and social advantages. … The fears of the 'yellows' are understandable: If new elections are held Thaksin may well win and return to power." (14/04/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Domestic Policy, » Asia
All available articles from » Gábor Miklós

The daily El Paìs attacks French President Nicolas Sarkozy's plans to carry out a census on the ethnic background of citizens living in France: "What needs to be discussed is not the motivation of the French government - particularly as there can be no doubt that it is intended to fight marginalisation and xenophobia as two sides of the same coin - but the compatibility of the chosen instrument with the republican model. … The problem lies in the cost-benefit ratio. The benefit would be that the state would gain information on the basis of which [however] it cannot act. The cost would consist in creating an instrument that at best is useless and at worst could serve as a basis for discrimination." (13/04/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Migration, » Integration, » France

Last Sunday marked the 250th anniversary of the death of the German-British composer Georg Friedrich Handel. Historian Tristram Hunt seizes the occasion to comment in The Sunday Times on the Germans' contribution to British culture: "This seems the right moment to remember the signal contribution of German culture to British identity. An appreciation all too often obliterated today by our obsession with the Nazis. ... In the postwar world, such mass collaboration and cultural enthusiasm understandably tailed off. Yet what is more unfortunate is how a popular sense of the German 'Other' has intensified over the past two decades on the back of tabloid newspaper chauvinism ... and a school curriculum mesmerised by Hitler's rise to power. The Handel anniversary offers a welcome moment to counter such philistinism. Beyond renditions of the Messiah and The Water Music, there might even emerge some broader recognition that our modern idea of Britain is itself a German by-product." (14/04/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Music, » Germany, » United Kingdom
All available articles from » Tristram Hunt

Roberto Saviano, author of the book "Gomorra" about the Camorra organisation in Naples, describes in the left-liberal daily La Repubblica how Mafia clans have infiltrated the reconstruction process in the wake of the Abruzzo earthquake: "The curse of the earthquake lasts for far longer than the few seconds when the earth shakes. The people in Abruzzo fear they will become victims of boundless speculation passed off as aid. ... What is a tragedy for the population is an opportunity, a gold mine, a profit paradise for others. City planners, engineers, land surveyors and architects are marching into Abruzzo with what looks like a harmless instrument but which serves to veil the cement invasion: the assessment of damage suffered by the buildings. ... Whoever holds this card has the certainty of receiving highly-paid contracts alimented by a fantastic system. ... The danger of reconstruction consists in the inflationary rise in costs. As estimates rise, so does funding. The public call for tenders spawns sub-contracts, and this cement cycle attracts the avant-garde of sub-contractors in the building industry: the clans, the families of the Mafia, the Camorra and the N'dranghetta who have been present in Abruzzo since time immemorial." (14/04/2009)

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All available articles from » Roberto Saviano

The weekly newspaper Valstieciu laikrastis analyses the proposal by the International Monetary Fund that the EU states in Eastern Europe speedily introduce the euro: "That is akin to inviting them to tear off their rags, don their Sunday clothes and smuggle themselves into the exclusive Western Club. According to the IMF this could be a real chance for the Eastern European states to avoid the debt trap. Certainly, it would not save them from the crisis, but it would at least help them to get back on their feet. It should be added that the IMF has more information on the economic situation of the EU newcomers than any other institution, because it has lent them over 74 billion euros until now and this amount will no doubt continue to rise. For that reason, although the IMF's proposal may seem audacious to the EU Commission, it deserves consideration. ... Let's not forget that the Vatican, San Marino and Monaco have also signed treaties on introducing the euro although they don't belong to the Eurozone, and that Andorra, Montenegro and Kosovo have introduced it without fulfilling the criteria." (14/04/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Financial Markets, » Lithuania, » Eastern Europe
All available articles from » Albinas Caplikas

US citizens take a relaxed view of potential bankruptcy at General Motors (GM), but not so the Germans, the daily Die Presse writes: "So now a bankrupt GM is no longer a taboo either. The flagship of the US economy filing for bankruptcy? Why not. There's no time for nostalgia. 76 percent oppose further state aid for the company. … However the Germans, as poets and profound thinkers, take a different, almost metaphysical view of the matter: they see Opel - which for 80 years has been a GM brand - as somehow independent of its moribund mother. And somewhat poetically they hope an oil sheikh will come and save the company from disaster. One dyed black, red and gold: Opel is so proud and systemic that the state has no option but to save it - even if it distorts the market in doing so and destroys more jobs than it saves in the long term. The pressure on Angela Merkel is mounting, and as the elections draw closer folly gains the upper hand." (14/04/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Economic Policy, » Germany, » U.S., » Global
All available articles from » Karl Gaulhofer

On assuming power Denmark's conservative government announced among other things that Danish culture should be more influenced by interaction with foreign culture. The Copenhagen daily Information writes: "The money that has flown into individual communities so far mainly goes to projects that encompass international cooperation. This is why the communities are wracking their brains for ideas that integrate foreign artists. … Danish painters are moving to Berlin, films are exported, books translated. But of course the state can do much more than promote this development just for the sake of making money. Mark Lorentzen of the Copenhagen Business School who is researching the experience industry says it is a fundamental problem that the ministry of culture sees culture as a way of making money." (14/04/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Cultural Policy, » Denmark
All available articles from » Kristen Bjørnkjær

Images showing the funerals of Italian earthquake victims have been broadcast on European television stations at all hours of the day. Just a few days prior to the quake, however, 200 illegal immigrants drowned off the coast of Lybia in an accident that was hardly covered in the media. The daily Libération comments: "An earthquake offers a television broadcaster the guarantee that the team's travel costs will be paid off by night after night of moving images. By contrast, those who drowned are simply drowned. There's no tension, no rescuers, no heroes. Clearly, however, that's not all there is to say. One additional factor is what you could call the social acceptance of the dead. The TV journalists assume we won't accept the Italians' death. They are Europeans like us and victims of a natural catastrophe. By contrast the stations assume we will have no problem accepting the death by drowning of illegal immigrants, on the principle that rich countries cannot shoulder the miseries of the entire world." (13/04/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Audiovisual Media, » Europe
All available articles from » Daniel Schneidermann

Newspapers must focus on quality if they want to survive the economic crisis, the daily Helsingin Sanomat writes: "The American press has long suffered from the fact that its pillar of success - advertising - has collapsed. The same phenomenon has spread to Central Europe's press, and since last autumn the economic downturn has led to a marked decrease in advertising in northern European countries. … For many years newspapers benefited from the fact that in a certain way they were protected in their market segment. The division of labour among radio, television and newspapers worked well and each was successful. The Internet and high-speed broadband connections have altered the competition among the knowledge media and are challenging all the participants. In this new world of communication which is still difficult to grasp only those who are able to renew their efforts and don't wait to see what the future brings to redefine their content can be successful." (13/04/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Print media, » Online media, » Europe, » U.S.