German Chancellor at the time Helmut Kohl promised the East Germans blooming landscapes, but so far there hasn't been much evidence of this, writes business paper Hospodářské Noviny, predicting that Eastern Germany is doomed to the same fate as Southern Italy: "Meanwhile people are beginning to talk about the expiry of Solidarity Pact in 2019, until which time a further 250 billion euros are to flow into Eastern Germany's coffers. The statistics don't paint a very rosy picture of conditions in the eastern states. Unemployment is still twice as high there as in the west of the country. The development of Eastern Germany is also hindered by the massive exodus of young people in particular to the west, which creates a demographic problem for Eastern Germany. … Pessimistic voices say that the same fate awaits Eastern Germany as Southern Italy with its chronic economic problems."  (09/11/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » History, » Economic Policy, » Germany
All available articles from » Adam Černý

The euphoria over the fall of the Berlin Wall has been replaced by a sense of disappointment and doubt, the left-liberal daily De Volkskrant writes, but adds that the mood is improving: "Eastern German states are crawling out of the trough, trade has increased considerably. … This growth is gradually beginning to chip away at the 'Wall in people's heads'. What we are seeing in Germany can be observed all over Europe. The abolition of the border between Western and Eastern Europe has led not only to the dreamed-of harmony and cooperation, but the whole continent has also made indisputable and clear progress both politically and economically. Consequently there is every reason to celebrate the fall of the Wall 20 years ago today. The tearing down of this hated barrier at the heart of Europe is and remains a monumental event." (09/11/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » History, » Germany, » Europe

The peaceful self-determination that marked the revolution of 20 years ago remains a valuable legacy that must not be tossed to the wind, writes the left-liberal Frankfurter Rundschau. Rather, the paper comments, it must be harnessed to face the challenges of the present: "In the still freshly united Germany it was the great East-diagnostician Joachim Gauck who developed the concept of 'empowerment'. ... Gauck's appeal to self-empowerment, to striking out anew on the path to a better life, is by no means outmoded. All of the celebrations would be empty pomp if the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall were not also used to ask: how can we, 'the people', apply the uplifting experience of self-empowerment to shape our own conditions in the present day? ... The people in East Germany who rebelled in order to empower themselves could not guess that they stood the slimmest chance of success. They had more cause for resignation than anyone who leans back nowadays 'because you can't change things anyway'. We will waste the legacy of the peaceful overthrow of Eastern Europe if we don't use it for the challenges of the present." (09/11/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » History, » Germany
All available articles from » Stephan Hebel

The daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna reminds readers that the Wall would never have fallen without the Polish Solidarność freedom movement: "It's difficult to discuss the facts. And the fact is that the Berlin Wall came down spectacularly. But it wouldn't have happened if it hadn't been for Solidarność [the Solidarity trade union], the strikes at the Gdańsk Shipyard, [the Polish freedom fighter] Lech Wałęsa, the round table [at which the communists and the opposition negotiated the transfer of power in Poland] and the elections of 4 June 1989 [the first half-free elections in Poland]. Nowadays 9 November 1989 symbolises the fall of communism for the average Western European citizen. And today this belief is reaffirmed because German Chancellor [Angela] Merkel has organised lavish celebrations to be attended by all the major international figures except [US President] Barack Obama." (09/11/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Remembrance culture, » Poland, » Europe
All available articles from » Bartłomiej Niedziński

Germany's reunification was regarded with fear by many; the fear of seeing an old aggressor regain its strength. The daily Helsingin Sanomat explains why these fears have proven unfounded: "The political power in Germany has passed on to a new generation that has no personal memories of the Second World War. At the same time Western and Eastern Germany have made great efforts to create a new identity. Changes were unavoidable and they began with the red-green government of [former] German chancellor [Gerhard] Schröder. The first victim of these changes was the principle of neutrality. Germany started to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and stability … . As far as the EU is concerned [Angela] Merkel has shown she can deal pragmatically with crisis situations and will assume a leading role, as expected." (09/11/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » History, » Germany

The business paper Les Echos spotlights German economic policy over the last 20 years and identifies then as now unpleasant aspects for Europe: "Just as 1989 put an end to one world, twenty years later Berlin must answer the questions posed by its new status. Will its economic policy be first and foremost cooperative or egoistical? During the 1990s the Bundesbank imposed its conditions on Europe, with heavy consequences. A year ago in the midst of the crisis it took several weeks for Angela Merkel even to agree to discuss the topic with her neighbours. Today Berlin finally seems ready to stimulate its internal demand, but the agreement between the new coalition partners is still vague. What sort of Europe does Germany want? It hardly plays an active role and gives every impression of paying lip service but no longer believing. ... A related issue is how much priority our neighbours give to the Franco-German duo. The lack of concrete commitment is worrying." (09/11/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Domestic Policy, » Germany
All available articles from » Dominique Seux

Romanian president Traian Băsescu has proposed Liviu Negoiţă, mayor of Bucharest's Sector 3, as the new Romanian prime minister after the Romanian parliament rejected his first candidate for the post, Lucian Croitoru. The daily Cotidianul explains why Băsescu chose Negoiţă: "For lack of more solid and qualified names Traian Băsescu has nominated someone who in addition to the inevitable losses could also secure him certain advantages. With Negoiţă at his side Băsescu can hope to win votes in Bucharest, a city where he has pretty much lost all his voters. … At this point Traian Băsescu had the choice between being re-elected for another five years (he need only have proposed [Klaus] Johannis as candidate to achieve this) or a future mandate that secures him maximum power. … Faced with the choice between political survival and absolute power Traian Băsescu opted for the latter." (09/11/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Romania
All available articles from » Bogdan Teodorescu

On November 29 a referendum initiated by the conservative Swiss People's Party (SVP) will be held in Switzerland on whether to ban minarets. The daily Le Temps looks critically at the project: "For once the lawyers are practically unanimous: the new article in the constitution is incompatible with the religious freedom guaranteed by Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights. ... The [Swiss] constitution obliges the authorities to heed international law. And if the Swiss courts fail to pass judgement, the judges in Strasbourg [at the European Court of Human Rights] will do the job for them. The European court has the task of reminding European states that fundamental rights are not negotiable." (09/11/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Weltanschauung, » Switzerland, » Europe
All available articles from » Alex Dépraz

Childishness and intolerance are the main features of modern civilisation, writes essayist Ákos Szilágyi in the left-liberal daily Népszabadság: "This barbarisation represents a threat posed on the one hand by the fanatics, who lock themselves up in …marginalising aggressive-hysterical tribal identities, and on the other by the zombies who see the world as … an adventure park presented by the entertainment industry … and have their eyes greedily glued on the global screen to satiate their voracious hunger for images. … Both the fanatics and the zombies are the vile products of the mass cultures that feed on the breeding grounds of politics and the market. … The only enemy for fanatics and zombies alike is the autonomous 'adult' who is immune to all kinds of fanaticism and to the restriction and erosion of the mind. By his mere existence he contradicts the mindlessness and lifelessness, the dreariness and baseness of the mass-culture adventure park that produces the zombies and fanatics." (07/11/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Weltanschauung, » Global
All available articles from » Ákos Szilágyi

Just days after US commercial finance company CIT Group filed for bankruptcy Germany's Commerzbank has reported that it is having to boost its risk-management capital by several hundred millions of euros. The daily Süddeutsche Zeitung warns that a second wave of the crisis which spreads to industry and the service sector is imminent: "Clearly Commerzbank expects a profusion of insolvencies over the next few months. Other banks will follow its lead. By winter the credit crunch which some are still denying is likely to become fact. The consequences will be dramatic. Many medium-sized companies have been battling the crisis for a year now, and their capital resources have worn thin. … This year economic growth [in Germany] is expected to shrink by six percent. And the heavily indebted state no longer has the billions to rescue companies. The Germans have a long way to go before they emerge from the crisis, and the winter will be a hard one." (09/11/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Economic Policy, » Germany, » Global
All available articles from » Harald Freiberger

The Danish government has approved a financial package of almost 100 million euros to enhance the country's competitive edge in the globalised world, with part of the money going to Danish universities. The daily Berlingske Tidende writes: "On the very same day the parties leaned back and started boasting about strengthening Danish competitiveness, the OECD mercilessly made clear [in a study] just how backward Denmark is. In recent years our productivity - everything the average Dane produces on a yearly basis - has seen negative growth. One explanation for this is that many underqualified people got jobs during times of economic prosperity. Now however the OECD is showing an alarming correlation between this negative development and our educational system. Far too few graduates have received an adequate education, and post-grads take far too long to finish their studies." (09/11/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Economic Policy, » Denmark

The first school in Vienna has been closed due to swine flu. Psychologically this is a good thing, as it will motivate those who have until now hesitated to have their children vaccinated, writes the daily Die Presse: "Why vaccinate when not even most doctors - or even most health ministers - think it's necessary? Under such circumstances the vaccination sourpusses will never stop stressing that they don't belong to a risk group. But then again, logic doesn't have much place in an emotional topic like this. Just like with speculation over shares, here too above all psychology plays a determining role. In times of great uncertainty small impulses are enough to start a mass movement - be it from share packages in the economy or worried parents in the case of the swine flu. Without going on about conspiracy theories, it must be said that even a pharmaceutical industry strategist couldn't have come up with a better measure than this school closure." (09/11/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Health Policy, » Austria
All available articles from » Erich Kocina

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has plunged his country into a debate about the French identity and the question of how immigrants should be integrated into society. Writing for leftist daily Público sociology professor Antonio Izquierdo questions the validity of this debate: "[Sarkozy] asks the citizens to choose which values define the French identity. The purpose of this discussion is to define the content of the integration contract which immigrants have to sign. This is an implicit admission that the assimilation of foreigners has failed and the reason given for this is that they are not familiar with the fundamental symbols. The goal is to put a cultural lock on integration. The debate is a false path because there is no standardised French identity, nor is there a standardised identity among the immigrants. In reality the identities are diverse and they are not forced on people, but are chosen by them. What's more, values have an expiry date too." (09/11/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Migration, » Integration, » Minorities, » Social affairs, » France
All available articles from » Antonio Izquierdo

The crisis in the media is caused by journalists themselves, writes the daily I Kathimerini: "We ourselves are the ones who have put too much faith in our role as negotiators, and in the strength of the fourth power. We are the ones who strut like stars on television - and who have inherited the money and the attitudes of the stars. ... We are the ones who are spellbound by our own lifestyles and by neo-cynicism. We have imposed the mentality and the ethics of the new media on the old media . We have introduced the tyranny of infotainment into the traditionally serious newspapers. ... And the Internet? Yes, the digital network leaves no end of ruins and bodies in its wake. But the ethical and political disdain shown by the press started long ago." (08/11/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Audiovisual Media, » Print media, » Media policy, » Global
All available articles from » Nikos Xidakis