The Ukrainian presidential elections could turn the page on the Orange Revolution, writes the daily Die Presse: "According to the most recent 'Freedom House' index, Ukraine is the only post-Soviet country ... that is truly 'free'. ... However a potentially rich but in fact relatively poor country cannot live on democracy alone. In the past five years Yushchenko and his Orange camp have failed to go about restructuring the country. They haven't modernised the infrastructure, reformed the health and pension systems, put energy supply on a sound footing, created attractive conditions for foreign investors, fought corruption, created functional political structures using constitutionally approved means, and so on. Instead the president and the prime minister never stopped bickering, the parliament's work has been blocked and the members of parliament haven't stopped slapping each other in the face." (15/01/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Ukraine
All available articles from » Burkhard Bischof

Little has changed since the last presidential elections in Ukraine, the business paper Hospodářské Noviny writes: "In 2004 the euphoria over the victorious tandem Viktor Yushchenko and Yulia Tymoshenko lasted only a couple of months. Very soon it became apparent that a large part of the victorious camp was not in a position to change the rules in Ukraine. The seats in its parliament remained above all an instrument for procuring immunity and furthering one's own business interests. ... But it wouldn't be fair to list only the negative aspects. In comparison to 2004 the media inform freely about the candidates and people really do have a choice." (15/01/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Ukraine
All available articles from » Ondřej Soukup

Regardless of who wins the presidential elections Ukraine has to stabilise its domestic politics, writes the daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna: "It makes no difference if Victor Yanukovich or Yulia Tymoshenko wins. Because Viktor Yushchenko, the leader of the revolution that took place five years ago, will have no chance one way or the other. The crucial thing is that the new leadership should be voted into office without committing fraud, and ideally with the largest possible majority. And it should finally unite this state that has been torn apart by rivalling group interests. Without a stable leadership our neighbour will never rouse from its apathy." (15/01/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Ukraine
All available articles from » Andrzej Talaga

The outcome of the Ukrainian presidential elections depends to a large degree on the candidates' relations with Russia, the left-liberal daily La Repubblica believes: "The beautiful Yulia has lost the hearts of the people's. The government is in dispute on all points, from Nato membership to policy towards the EU. And on top of that it is being ensnared by the clever strategy of Russian Premier Vladimir Putin. He shrewdly denies Ms. Tymoshenko any kind of financial advantage while at the same time he misses no opportunity to effusively declare his personal support for her - with the result that Yulia Tymoshenko seems more pro-Russian to many than she really is to many, while others consider her incapable of negotiating with the powerful neighbour. ... The Ukrainians feel safer with [the pro-Russian] Yanukovich above all because he guarantees an end to the pressure from Moscow, which turns the gas tap on and off as it pleases." (15/01/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Ukraine, » Russia
All available articles from » Nicola Lombardozzi

International aid is already underway after the heavy earthquake on Haiti. But the rapid arrival of huge amounts of aid represents a danger in itself, the daily De Standaard warns: "Disasters that receive this kind of media coverage immediately trigger an outpour of solidarity which however soon dwindles to a just trickle. The generous donors want quick and visible results. This puts the helpers under enormous 'pressure to act', to spend as much money as possible, which not only distorts the local market but in most cases is not sustained. It takes time to deal with a crisis, a lot of time because the money must be used carefully and in close coordination with the recipients. … It is decisive that the development aid workers resist this pressure, because if a disaster like this is handled properly the country affected can emerge stronger from the crisis. So there's a glimmer of hope among all the ruins."  (15/01/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Latin Amerika, » Global
All available articles from » Evita Neefs

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is pressing for an enquiry into how leading politicians amassed considerable fortunes following the Velvet Revolution. The conservative opposition approves of the plan, but Fico's coalition partners, the People's Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) and the Slovak National Party (SNS) do not, writes the left-leaning daily Pravda. Above all the chairman of the HZDS and former prime minister "Vladimír Mečiar is opposed to the law before it's even been passed, likening it to state expropriation. But this is just the reaction Fico was hoping for. His property law is nothing more than an election tactic, a well thought out media ploy. Rather than crossing swords with the opposition with whom Fico has no need to fight, the law is an attack on Mečiar and [the head of the extreme right-wing nationalist SNS party Ján] Slota and their weaknesses - their dubious relationship to property and belongings. The prime minister needs to have it out with the HZDS and the SNS before the elections." (15/01/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Slovakia
All available articles from » Dag Daniš

All of the candidates for the new EU Commission under José Manuel Barroso are problematic, and so it is by no means certain that the Commission will get the green light at the end of January, writes the conservative daily Magyar Nemzet: "Of all the EU Commission candidates being heard by the European Parliament, the current Bulgarian former minister Rumiana Jeleva has been the most sharply criticised. ... According to the members of the socialist parliamentary group Jeleva is not only incompetent, her critics say she concealed her involvement in a case of corruption. ... And Maroš Ševčovič, the candidate delegated by the Slovakian Socialists, is accused of saying at a conference in Brussels on 19 January 2005 that the Roma were plundering the Slovakian welfare system. ... What will happen on January 26? Will Barroso's team get the thumbs down?" (14/01/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Europe
All available articles from » István Lovas

The Greek financial crisis is really putting the European Monetary Union and the European Central Bank (ECB) to the test, the liberal daily La Vanguardia comments: "What is going on in Greece at the moment is an acid test for the ECB and the euro. ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet has said that contemplating the possibility of Greece leaving the monetary union is absurd speculation and has also rejected the option of giving it special treatment. He wants strictly orthodox solutions: reforms and fiscal adjustments. But the case requires maximum attention. Greece can't be allowed to suspend payments because that could trigger a global crisis of confidence in the national debt of a sovereign state, which could have unforeseeable consequences for the entire system. Everything depends now on the plausibility of the adjustment plan presented by the Greek government for reducing the budget deficit in the coming years." (15/01/2010)

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

Russia and Belarus have been involved in an ongoing dispute over energy supplies and transit for the last three years, writes the Internet newspaper Cita Diena. Now however the issue is not only dividing the two states, but also the Russian leadership: "A month ago President Dmitry Medvedev promised Minsk cheaper oil supplies, but on Monday the Russian delegation once more brought things back to square one with unacceptable conditions for Belarus. In so doing it referred to the 'government leadership' - meaning Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Nothing like this has ever happened before, at least not in essential matters. The president says one thing and the head of government does another. Is this the first rip in the leadership fabric? ... Anyone on the other end of the oil pipeline should never entertain illusions. If Putin thinks he has to close the Druzhba pipeline to achieve his goals, he'll do just that - as he did three years ago." (15/01/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Energy, » Russia
All available articles from » Askolds Rodins

The Slovenian government has decided to raise the country's minimum wage. The daily Vecer advises people not to rejoice too soon: "Because the crisis is calming down. The government could have prevented many sad expressions on the faces of workers and their families, but it was playing for time on behalf of the employers. At least for now the latter have drawn the short straw. What they had to say went unheeded in the latest agreement between the government and the unions. ... Nevertheless Pergam union leader Dusan Rebolj warns that this could be sheer manoeuvring on the government's part, and that while raising the minimum wage it could at the same time lower all of the workers' other incomes. The real question is what the small print in this government present says. Or as a Slovenian proverb has it: beware of politicians that come bearing gifts." (15/01/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Social affairs, » Labour, » Slovenia
All available articles from » Vasja Jager

It's terrible to observe the damage the authorities and companies in Finland are doing to the Finnish language, Kustaa Hulkko writes in the blog of the magazine Suomen Kuvalehti, criticising the names of newly created institutions and administrative units: "I don't know how important it is that regional administrations rolled up their sleeves on 1 January 2010 and established 15 centres for industry, transport, and environmental policy all in one go, namely the - 'ELY-Keskusta'. The bureaucracy was reorganised. No doubt it was another little political game. It's unclear who stood to gain here. It's easier to comment that the names chosen are impossible. They're just terrible. It is indeed the case that breaking with the logic of the language also confuses thinking, and that society as a whole, all of us, are thus dumbed down. ... I propose that the law impose harsh penalties for the mutilation of the language. And every ELY-Keskusta should at least create a few permanent posts for language police." (15/01/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Public Culture, » Languages, » Finland

Pope Benedict XVI will visit the Great Synagogue of Rome on Sunday. The visit is drawing much attention in the wake of the Williamson affair and preparations for the canonisation of Pope Pius XII, writes the Catholic daily La Croix: "Will he announce that the World War II archives will be opened soon? Will he be bold enough to evoke Pius XII? What attitude will he adopt when he passes the tablet commemorating the 1,000 Roman Jews arrested and deported in 1943? Benedict XVI knows his words are eagerly awaited, and chances are good that he will stress the spiritual bonds between the people of the New Testament and the line of Abraham. The Pope's visit to the Roman synagogue has a wider significance. The state of Israel, isolated on the international stage, is well aware of what's at stake and seems to have played a hand in having the meeting come about, despite the Pius XII affair." (15/01/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Italy
All available articles from » Dominique Greiner

Ethnic minorities have better prospects of climbing the social ladder than members of the white working class, something which John Denham, a member of the Cabinet, portrays as a success for integration. Meanwhile The Daily Telegraph accuses the ruling Labour Party of having neglected its voter base: "Whereas ethnic minorities, especially those who have arrived relatively recently, tend to have high aspirations, stable homes and make great sacrifices to ensure the best education for their children, the same culture does not pervade white working-class families. Their children, particularly the boys, have for many years been out-performed at school by virtually every other social group, and the decline in heavy industrial jobs ... has compounded their disadvantages. These are the traditional supporters of Labour's heartland, the 'core vote' that Gordon Brown is desperate to retain, who feel badly let down by the Government and are turning to the BNP. It will rank as one of the greatest stains on his premiership that such extremists were able to gain an electoral foothold in our country." (15/01/2010)

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

At the beginning of the year singer Bono of Irish pop band U2 spoke out against music piracy in a commentary for the New York Times, explaining that it is indeed possible to control content on the Web. The Romanian blog Voxpublica examines his claims: "I've never heard of anyone vigorously demanding that USB flash drive producers or network operators start paying high fees in a bid to strengthen authors' rights. ... The only criminals are the consumers. What would happen if I stuck to the rules and didn't download music illegally? I would practically be sealing myself off from the rest of society, from my own generation. I wouldn't have anything to talk about with my friends ... . The world of the Internet and technology has changed the real world. Yet the latter insists that it must function according to old rules. And who suffers? The average consumer in the West and the dissidents in the East. Strange times lie ahead."        (15/01/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Music, » Publishing houses, » Online media, » Ireland, » Global, » Romania
All available articles from » Costi Rogozanu