Ireland should say No to the Treaty of Lisbon once more because the EU ignores the will of voters, writes Vincent Browne in the liberal Sunday Business Post: "One of the main reasons for opposing this Lisbon Treaty ... is that it is a con job. It was devised to get through the essence of the EU constitution, which was defeated by the people of France and the Netherlands. ... To get it through by the subterfuge of so disguising its nature that governments would be able to claim it did not need the ratification of their people. We are being asked to hurry up and get it right this time around, so that the prospect of the British people having a say is removed, since they certainly would say No. ... For the first time, via the Lisbon Treaty, the 'dogs-of-war' European armaments industry, has got its mitts on the EU via the European Defence Agency, and we should have none of it. Not just 'we, the people of Ireland' but 'we, the people of Europe'. We might owe it to the governments and parliaments of Europe to vote Yes this time, but there is a higher obligation to the people of Europe to vote No again." (21/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Constitution, » Ireland
All available articles from » Vincent Browne

Europe needs active reformers, writes the left-liberal daily Süddeutsche Zeitung with reference to the new Irish referendum: "The most important challenge facing Europe is its re-Europeanisation. For only if it can manage to convince the new member states that the European idea is about more than just the absence of war with a major redistribution of tax money in its own favour, and that only if the old European countries can be brought back to the path of integration, only then can the EU be big and at the same time strong. … Even if it comes years too late, the Treaty of Lisbon can still do what needs to be done in terms of rescue work. … However all this can only help if above all the big countries remember their European calling. But at the moment Berlin, Paris, Rome, Madrid and London are mainly preoccupied with themselves and fitting themselves into the European status quo. It's absurd: after ten years the reform of the EU is within touching distance, but Europe has lost its reformers." (22/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » EU Policy, » EU Constitution, » Germany, » France, » United Kingdom, » Spain, » Ireland, » Europe
All available articles from » Martin Winter

The left-liberal daily De Volkskrant is optimistic that the EU will find a way out of its crisis, writing that the Union hasn't worked badly even without the Treaty of Lisbon: "This new vote can put an end to the identity crisis into which the European Union sunk after the rejection of the Constitution by the French and the Dutch in 2005. For supporters of the Constitution this was a major catastrophe. But in practice it wasn't all that bad at all. It seems that the European Union functions pretty well even without 'Lisbon'. The EU has certainly not been idle in the past years, a fact that can be clearly seen in the climate package, one of the EU's most important law packages. Nevertheless it will be a good thing when the EU finally puts an end to the dragging debate over the reform of the Union. ... Let the Irish once more have their say on 'Lisbon'. But then let's call it quits. Whether it's a Yes or a No, the EU is certainly not hankering for another reform adventure." (22/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Constitution, » Ireland, » Europe

The Hungarian daily Népszabadság evaluates the relevance of the treaties of Nice and Lisbon for the policies of the European Union: "On the one hand since the European elections the EU must proceed according to the provisions of the current Treaty of Nice, on the other hand it is already being guided by the spirit of the Lisbon treaty, which will hopefully come into force soon. … Under the provisions of the Treaty of Nice the next EU executive [the Commission] should in future be smaller than it has been up to now. Notwithstanding: at the EU summit [of the European Council] in December the heads of government and state agreed that the principle 'one country, one commissioner' should be continued. But here too the fact remains that without the definitive ratification of the Lisbon treaty this, too, cannot be applied." (22/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Europe
All available articles from » Miklós Blahó

With regard to recent events in Tehran the left-leaning daily Information reviews the country's political culture and the role of political institutions such as the Guardian Council and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards: "We have now got to the point where we know that we don't know a thing: how strong or how weak the executive power is after its election victory, whether the president really did want to save his head at all costs, if he in fact did seek to hedge his bets against electoral imponderables, or if there will be a top-down putsch led by [Ali] Khamenei. ... Perhaps in that case what will emerge is a secular military dictatorship guided by modern spiritual arguments. We mustn't forget that Iranian society is highly educated, and that Shia Islam has a deeply rooted tradition of consensus." (22/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Middle East

French President Nicolas Sarkozy will be the first head of state in the history of the French Republic to speak before both houses of parliament in Versailles Palace. The daily L'Est Républicain comments: "Since 1875 no president has addressed the parliamentarians in person. What [Charles] De Gaulle dreamed of Sarkozy is actually doing. Sarkozy the First will speak in all his majesty. No stranger to audiovisual sparring matches, this child of the television chose to lay on the Republican decorum with the Garde Républicaine and rolls of the drum. ... There's no point questioning the strategic importance of this appearance - it's major. Nicolas Sarkozy is losing no time. He is capitalising on his victory in the European elections and surfing on a 'second state of grace'. With this symbolic intervention he is once more dominating politics in France and paralysing the opposition." (22/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » France
All available articles from » Rémi Godeau

The daily Kaleva sees the Swedish parliament's decision to abolish compulsory military service in Sweden as a step towards Nato membership: "This is a landmark decision that has a direct impact on Sweden's defence doctrine and defence capacities and an indirect impact on neighbouring territories - above all Finland and the Baltic states. The decision will inevitably bring Sweden closer to Nato membership because the country's dwindling defence resources will only suffice to resolve small matters in times of crisis. The claim that in terms of security policy Sweden is becoming a vacuum that will be filled by Nato membership is not without justification. … Leading politicians in Finland and Sweden have … repeated on several occasions that in terms of security policy the two countries are very close and that neither of them would make a Nato decision behind the other's back. A decision on compulsory military service is no minor change in Sweden's security policy and its consequences must be analysed in detail in Finland." (22/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Domestic Policy, » Sweden

Of late the Romanian government has been able to issue so-called "urgency decrees" to alter laws that have not yet entered force. Revista 22 magazine criticises this: "A law is like a piece of clothing. The more often it is darned, the worse it looks and the more apparent the clumsiness of the tailor becomes. Like the majority of the nation Romanian politicians believe that the parliament is merely a decorative institution full of European instances, the main purpose of which is to do profitable and easy work as well as commit major collective follies … . Yet our ruler himself is often incompetent, morally unstable and driven by party interests. He is a botcher, not a luxury tailor. The only chance we have of getting half-way acceptable laws is for them to be passed by those who are supposed to pass them - i.e. the parliament - after intense, comprehensive and responsible discussion conducted in the public eye." (22/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Romania
All available articles from » Andrei Cornea

The daily Lietuvos Rytas bemoans the West's lack of a strategy regarding Belarus: "It's true that the last trade war between Belarus and Russia over milk has come to a temporary end and there's no sign of a new gas dispute at present. But analysts are unanimous in the view that relations between the two countries have been ruptured. The deterioration in relations between Russia and Belarus doesn't necessarily have to take on geo-political dimensions but it would not be a bad thing if Brussels, Vilnius and Washington at least worked out a strategy. However there's no sign of it, even if Lithuania is naturally fostering closer relations. … Is democratic change really the prerequisite for closer ties to the EU? This demand was not made of Azerbaijan, yet the country is still part of the EU-Eastern Partnership. For citizens of Belarus an EU visa costs 60 euros, and no one plans to change this even tough Lithuania has brought up the problem on several occasions." (22/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Economic Policy, » EU neighbourhood policy, » Lithuania, » Europe
All available articles from » Marius Laurinavičius

In a commentary for the liberal daily Mladá Fronta Dnes, Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer looks back on the EU Council presidency: "The last summit under Czech leadership which took place this weekend demonstrated that the European Union can be united on key issues. This is even more crucial in times of crisis, because in so doing it shows itself to be a capable global player in the eyes of its partners the US, Russia and China. ... Czech civil servants and experts deserve most of the credit for the summit's success. Now they deserve not only their summer holidays but above all warm thanks and recognition. The 6-month EU Council presidency was a major learning experience for everyone involved. In less than ten days a new stage will begin for us: after holding the presidency we will return to the bench as a normal EU member. We will retake our seat having gained important experience, and all the better prepared to defend our interests and draw the maximum benefit from the possibilities offered by EU membership." (22/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Czech Republic, » Europe
All available articles from » Jan Fischer

Carlo Galli describes in the left-liberal daily La Repubblica the balancing act between politics and morals to be performed in a modern democracy: "Has European liberal democracy really solved the millennial question of balancing morals and politics by privatising morals and juridifying politics? Not in the least. … In reality it's obvious that, in order to survive, liberal democracy denies both a total overlap between politics and morals and their total separation, both moralism and cynicism, and must foster a relationship between morals and politics. This relationship exists in the form of an analogy. It consists in a proximity or at least not a total contradiction between the way a politician treats those who are close to him (his morals) and the way he governs his fellow citizens and assumes responsibility towards them (his politics). The legitimation of a government's power consists therefore not only in winning elections but also in respecting at every opportunity and at all times that which is the ultimate goal of democracy, the democratic ethos: freedom of the individual, dignity of the citizens and human nature." (22/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Philosophy, » Europe, » Global
All available articles from » Carlo Galli

On July 1 new regulations liberalising Spain's energy market will take effect. But the liberal business paper Cinco Días writes that consumers are barely aware of this: "Only ten days before the new regulation is due to come into force a large sector of those affected are unaware of the impact the reform will have on their purses and of what they can do to adapt to these changes. It's clear that both the government and the energy suppliers could have made more of an effort to explain the repercussions. Clear proof of this is that last Friday the cabinet created a new office - financed by the energy suppliers - charged with informing customers about the changes that will come just a week and a half from now." (22/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Energy, » Consumers, » Economic Policy, » Spain

Last week's EU summit and the establishment of a new financial supervisory body has confirmed the maxim that every crisis can be a chance, the daily Dnevnik concludes: "Europe has proved - albeit with concessions and compromises - that it can steer its will in the right direction in order to tackle economic and political upheavals more effectively. … The Union has agreed to set up a new financial supervisory framework to help reform the financial markets and banks on the old continent. Many may see such an organ as an attempt at over-enthusiastic state intervention. But particularly in times of crisis the need for such an institution appears increasingly obvious." (22/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Europe

The daily I Kathimerini criticises politicians and journalists for their excessive praise of the newly opened Acropolis Museum in Athens: "Have we lost all sense of proportion? Are we exaggerating the value of a building so that we ourselves will seem the greatest, [although] we attend this inauguration only by coincidence and did nothing special to bring it about. ... If it's so important to inaugurate a museum that not all archaeologists and scientists agree is good and necessary, what to make of the Parthenon? With what words should we honour the Parthenon when in our lack of moderation we've already used up all the words fitting to describe it in other speeches of praise?" (21/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Exhibitions / Museums, » Greece
All available articles from » Pantelis Boukalas

The new communications technologies pose a challenge for the Iranian leadership, the conservative Spanish daily ABC writes: "The government of the ayatollahs is having to face the paradox that the Internet and the new channels of public information play a key role in the events that are taking place in a country they wanted to maintain isolated from the rest of the world. There's little point in expelling foreign journalists when every citizen has a mobile phone he can use to film and broadcast to a universal audience the repression that is being exercised on Tehran's streets." (22/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Social movements, » Elections, » Iran

Copenhagen's city council is considering placing a ban on driving in the city between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. in a bid to counter rising levels of crime involving gang wars and stabbings. The Copenhagen daily Berlingske Tidende rubbishes the measure as pure activism: "With a wave of the magic wand all freedom of movement is to be restricted. … It looks very poorly thought-out, to say the least, to believe that a ban on driving in certain areas will stop gang members from moving from one place to another. Together with the fact that it would be the task of the police to enforce a ban that allows citizens and tourists to drive around under certain conditions, the plan conveys the impression of a baroque bureaucratic construct that … is unfit for fighting the gang crime that has taken hold in the city for far too long now." (21/06/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Infrastructure / Travel and Transport, » Denmark