Despite protests from the US, the business paper Les Echos writes that the billion-euro fine against chip manufacturer Intel is warranted: "'A scandal!' cry the most populist American media. 'Now we must subsidise the European bureaucrats' whined Intel. Once again on the other side of the Atlantic, people are wailing that evil Europe is penalising a nice American Company. ... Far from expressing trite anti-Americanism, this heavy fine imposed by Brussels is justified by Intel's abuse of its dominant position. The chip king stopped at nothing to maintain its profits and smother those of its major competitor. It resorted to illegal measures. Despite its whining, Intel today - like Microsoft yesterday - cannot cry murder. Although unprecedented, the fine represents less than the company's quarterly earnings." (14/05/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Corporations, » Europe, » U.S.
All available articles from » David Barroux

The Frankfurter Allgemeing Zeitung comments on the reaction of computer chip manufacturer Intel to the one billion euro fine imposed by the European Commission: "Intel's reaction to the record fine declared by the EU Commission of more than one billion euros is consistent with its position. The company contests the Commission's finding that it abused its dominant market position, and maintains its innocence. ... Now it will have to be established in court whether the EU authorities carried out their investigation correctly. This is not about complicated political assessments of competition practices. What Intel is accused of clearly contravenes European competition law. What remains unclear is whether the evidence is sufficiently unambiguous. Intel's complaint that the fine is 'arbitrarily high' is to that extent a stratagem. The charge of arbitrariness is relative: on the one hand it can be levelled for every fine imposed by the Commission, ever since the body accorded itself a huge latitude of discretion. On the other hand these very rules would have allowed it to impose an even higher fine on Intel." (14/05/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Corporations, » Economic Policy, » Europe
All available articles from » Werner Mussler

The left-liberal daily La Repubblica doubts the huge fine will affect the Intel group much in the short run: "Having dealt with software giant Microsoft the EU Commission has now taken aim at Californian hardware giant Intel for distorting competition. The American computer chip producer is to pay the biggest fine Brussels has ever imposed for abusing its market position and violating competition laws. … However in view of the fact that it made more than 10 billion dollars in profit last year the US multinational is likely to have few problems paying the fine. Yet the blow was felt. Intel shares lost nine percent on the stock market yesterday. … The Brussels ruling is certainly not the first and probably won't be the last against Intel. The anti-trust authorities in Japan and South Korea have also accused the company of distorting competition." (14/05/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Corporations, » Europe, » U.S.
All available articles from » Andrea Bonanni

The fine for chip producer Intel shows that the EU Commission is equal to the challenge of dealing with global companies, the daily Der Standard writes: "The main thing is that the EU has established a reputation for not being too gentle on the major companies of this world. If it weren't for the Commission who would be able to meet the global giants eye to eye and deal with them with the appropriate instruments? The national competition authorities would be hopelessly out of their depth against Intel, Microsoft, the mobile phone operators and their cheeky roaming fees. Consumers profit from the fact that the EU Commission now commands respect as a guardian of competition. Perhaps this is a little preview of what the EU could achieve politically if national egoisms were finally thrust aside." (14/05/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Trade, » Corporations, » Europe, » U.S.
All available articles from » Michael Moravec

The EU has unblocked part of the funds that had been frozen due to allegations of corruption. The country will now receive 115 million euros for the construction of a motorway. The daily Sega writes that with the move the Commission has made it clear that it expects to be re-elected: "Each of the 27 member states' votes are important. It should now pose no problem for Barroso's cabinet to win over Bulgaria. ... If there is anything valuable at all about Bulgaria's EU membership, it's not the foreign money but the common rules. No matter how much European money now flows into the state, Bulgaria won't be able to alter its Mafiosi reputation because the money always falls into the same thieving hands. Brussels has failed in its attempt to bind these hands. It should accept this disgrace and not attack those who still want to believe in the authorities." (14/05/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Europe, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Svetoslav Tersiev

In view of the scandal over MPs expenses in which numerous British MPs are implicated, the left-liberal daily The Guardian demands the resignation of the Speaker of the House of Commons Michael Martin: "The indulgence of MPs' private interests is all the less tolerable because it has been coupled with a failure to stand up for the authority of parliament as an institution. ... Patience finally snapped on Monday, when the Speaker effectively surrendered his role as an impartial chair and rounded on two MPs for having the audacity to wash Commons linen in public. The institutional failings revealed by the expenses scandal unquestionably go far wider than any one individual. But to put these right the house must learn to open up. And the last few years provide ample evidence that this will require fresh leadership." (14/05/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » United Kingdom

A conference attended by representatives of all the states bordering on the Baltic Sea is beginning in Turku, Finland. The daily Turun Sanomat stresses the need for cooperation between the Baltic region and Russia: "The Baltic region does not exist for Russia, the director of the Finnish Bank Pekka Sutela noted a year ago at the Turku forum. The other side of the coin was pointed out by director of the Baltic Centre Esco Antola. According to him none of the participants want to see Russia as part of the Baltic region. Among the littoral states there are countries whose attitude towards Russia is distorted by the burdens of the past. Their motivation for wanting to force Russia into the role of outsider is understandable. But two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union it is not very sensible. If the Baltic region is to become an economically and culturally thriving part of Europe that treats the environment with respect, cooperation with Russia is essential." (14/05/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Environmental Policy, » Europe, » Baltic States, » Northern Europe

The liberal daily Gazeta Wyborcza is deeply embarrassed by the appearance of former Polish president Lech Wałęsa at the congress of the anti-European party Libertas in Rome: "Lech Wałęsa is Poland's trademark throughout the world. He is our pride, and our shame. Everything he does reflects on us. And that includes what he does to earn his daily bread and how he goes about doing it. That is the fate of heroes. He is the symbol of peaceful change in Poland and all of Europe, and our ambassador in the world. And this ambassador has now given us cause for shame. ... He appears at events by the Eurosceptic party amid the symbols of nationalists and populists. And he takes money for doing it. Wałęsa must ask himself if he wants to be our symbol for freedom, or just a second-rate politician, and if he is not a star who can be rented out by all and sundry." (14/05/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU Policy, » EU Constitution, » Poland, » Ireland
All available articles from » Krystyna Naszkowska

One of the Spanish lists of candidates for the European elections is under examination to determine whether it should be banned owing to its closeness to terrorist organisation Eta. The conservative online paper Libertad Digital warns: "Time will tell whether the evidence is damning enough to justify a ban of the list. We should however have no doubt that Eta has every intention of retaining the political and financial means that its presence in the institutions has unfortunately secured it ever since the new political parties act came into effect. Several new Eta documents prove this. … However sources of the public prosecutor's office have revealed that Eta and its allies are acting in a way that makes it more and more difficult to ban their lists because they apply increasingly sophisticated and complex systems." (14/05/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Social movements, » Elections, » Spain, » Europe

The Romanian ex-justice minister Monica Macovei is running as a candidate for the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) in the European elections. During her term in office (2004-07) Macovei made her mark as a tough fighter of corruption. The Romania Libera newspaper comments: "The return of Monica Macovei to the Brussels legislature provokes fear above all among the members of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) [the post-communist ruling party], which has to be on permanent alert to contradict whatever the former justice minister says. They won't be able to rest on their laurels any more, for unlike them Macovei is not only well known in Brussels but also has plenty of influence. If Monica Macovei gets into parliament her parliamentary colleagues from the PSD will be obliged to explain in Brussels why the party is blocking justice and why it continues to support those who are accused of corruption. Monica Macovei is the only one who will resume the autopsy of the Romanian oligarchy system while the world watches." (14/05/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Romania
All available articles from » Sabina Fati

In a commentary for the daily Hospodářské Noviny former Czech president Václav Havel criticises the election of the new members of the UN Human Rights Council: "Some 20 countries competed for 18 free seats. This effectively ruled out the possibility of the most qualified human rights defenders being elected. … For instance Latin America, a region with blossoming democracies, made it possible for Cuba to run for membership again. The Asians promptly gave five countries their unconditional blessing for the five seats belonging to them, including China and Saudi Arabia. … In Eastern Europe Azerbaijan and Russia fought for their re-election, two countries with the most questionable human rights records. … Like the citizens of China, Cuba, Russia and Saudi Arabia I know what it is to live in a country where the state controls public discussion, oppresses the opposition and restricts freedom of speech. So it makes me twice as angry to see the Latin American and Asian democracies allowing the Council to lose even more credibility." (14/05/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Global
All available articles from » Václav Havel

In May of this year the US reversed its previous policy and joined the United Nations Human Rights Council. Esther Brimmer, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations, writes in a commentary for the daily Delo on the attitude of the US to fundamental human rights: "Together we must endeavour to free the Human Rights Council of political partisanship and cynicism, and let it fulfil its true role. The Council must become a balanced, credible and effective forum for the progress of human rights. For that reason the US undertakes to work together with its international partners in a spirit of openness and respect, and to give special attention to the subject of human rights in all those countries which arouse concern, including our own. We will raise our voice and defend people around the globe who suffer from oppression and abuse. We will actrively strive for the freedom of belief and defend individuals of all confessions. We will stand for the freedom of opinion and the press, and against racism, discrimination and all forms of violence as a consequence of ethnic hatred." (14/05/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Minorities, » Weltanschauung, » U.S., » Global
All available articles from » Esther Brimmer

On May 9, the day the Soviet Union used to celebrate its Victory Day, Estonian artist Kristina Norman set up a golden statue on the base where the Soviet monument that was removed two years ago in Tallinn once stood. The daily Eesti Päevaleht sees the immediate removal of the statue by the police as an overreaction: "Kristina Norman had no intention of setting up the statue there permanently, she just wanted to carry out a one-off action and attract the public's attention to her work. It should have occurred even to upright officers to interpret the action in this light, otherwise they would have to pounce on anything that turned up in a public space without permission from the city authorities: Why aren't caravans and picnic tables also [removed]? The legal justification for the conduct of the police was both inventive and ridiculous. … But it's also clear that in anticipation of problems on May 9 the police were under stress and feared a repetition of riots like those that broke out on 'bronze night' two years ago." (14/05/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fine Arts, » Remembrance culture, » Estonia
All available articles from » Sten Luiga

The publication of the public broadcasters' annual report has revealed that Dutch public broadcasters pay some of their TV stars salaries of up to 400,000 euros a year. The tabloid De Telegraaf takes a critical view of this: "The so-called socialist channel Vara is overdoing it by paying one of its most well-known faces, referred to as 'presenter 5' in the annual report, a good 400,000 euros. Why shouldn't people learn who it is? Taxpayers have the right to know what happens to their money. And even more importantly, there must be an end to all these people enriching themselves at other people's expense in [media hub] Hilversum. The money that the public broadcaster receives is intended for the programmes and not for filling up people's personal accounts. Vara chairwoman [Vera] Keur is once again churning out … the old excuse that she has to pay so much because that's what the commercial channels do. Yet she pays herself a good 200,000 a year, too." (14/05/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Audiovisual Media, » Netherlands

This week the French weekly paper Charlie Hebdo announced that its director, Philippe Val, had been appointed head of the French public broadcaster France Inter. The daily Libération voices concern for freedom of opinion in the French media: "It's an unusual story. The director of Charlie Hebdo, one of the most important French satirical newspapers, is given the prominent directorship of this state broadcaster. ... Of course the challenges he must face are related to the way he was nominated. Sarkozy's skill lies in the ambiguous nature of the move: smothering criticism by naming a respected personality free of overt political affiliations. ... In leaving his own vessel of hand-crafted satire to become captain of a public steamship, Philippe Val lends Charlie Hebdo's support to the old voice of France without even intending to." (13/05/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Print media, » Media policy, » Press freedom, » France
All available articles from » Laurent Joffrin

The liberal daily Mladá Fronta Dnes comments on the increasing number of complaints by Czech drivers that they had been subject to harassment during German police controls, and warns against replying in kind: "People are now saying we should venge ourselves and subject the Germans to harder and more frequent police controls here at home. But that would be the dumbest thing we could do. Let's let the Germans - and everyone else we've opened our borders to - drive in peace. Let's not control them just because the customs officers now wearing police uniforms haven't found anything more meaningful to do. It's just a disgrace to the German side if they want to poison people's moods needlessly with their behaviour. ... There's not a scrap of proof that criminality has risen on account of the open borders. ... There is a rationale for the police controls in Germany. It's just the way they're carried out - on Czechs among other people - that borders on harassment." (14/05/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Infrastructure / Travel and Transport, » EU neighbourhood policy, » Germany, » Czech Republic
All available articles from » Viliam Buchert