Prime minister designate Viktor Orbán is behaving "like a bull in a china shop" with his law on Hungarian citizenship for Hungarians in neighbouring countries, writes the leftist daily Právo: "Orbán has managed to catapult relations between Budapest and Bratislava right back to the 19th century. After all, the law applies to the citizens of a sovereign neighbouring state which stands on territory which once belonged to Hungary. ... In this manner Orbán is entering the fray of the Slovakian election campaign and playing right into the hands of Ján Slota's nationalists. The sad thing about it is that this is all happening at the expense of those affected by the law. No one has asked the Hungarians in southern Slovakia whether they're at all interested in having Hungarian citizenship." (27/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Domestic Policy, » Minorities, » EU neighbourhood policy, » Hungary, » Slovakia
All available articles from » Ivan Vilček

With its new citizenship law Hungary is claiming for itself the citizens of other countries, writes the left-liberal daily Süddeutsche Zeitung: "Central Europe has long been unstable both in emotional and in territorial terms. In such a context this move constitutes a veritable assault - regardless of whether those concerned are Hungarians through and through. But anyone who is willing to make political hay out of a trauma like the unfortunate redrawing of Europe's borders after World War I is paying tribute to a sort of cult of the dead. In the days of the EU and open borders Europe now has new models for conflict resolution. Disputes over territory and populations are a pure anachronism. One good way to thwart the malcontents would be to create a European citizenship alongside national ones. That would put an end to any such special rights and privileges." (26/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » History, » EU neighbourhood policy, » Hungary, » Slovakia

It is wrong to strip ethnic Hungarians of their Slovakian citizenship should they decide to accept Hungary's citizenship offer, writes the Slovakian business paper Hospodárske noviny with an eye to the parliament's decision in Bratislava: "Prime Minister Fico's law panders to the lowest sentiments of electors, very much in the manner of [leader of the Slovak National Party] Ján Slota: 'All Hungarians go back over the Danube'. That is no solution. ... Stripping the Hungarians of their Slovakian citizenship only plays into Hungary's hands. Orbán is blaming the Slovakian government for making expellees of the Hungarian minority. He will demand a special status or even autonomy for them on the basis that the Slovakian government is stripping them of their legal foothold in the country. ... Fico is not acting in the interests of Slovakia but only in those of his own party. That can no longer be called populism, it's treason." (27/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Domestic Policy, » Minorities, » EU neighbourhood policy, » Hungary, » Slovakia
All available articles from » Dag Daniš

The leftist daily Népszava suspects that the current tensions between Hungary and Slovakia are a diversionary tactic orchestrated by their respective governments: "It's a commonplace that the nationalists of one country can't get along without the nationalists of another despite the fact that they spend their time attacking each other. The escalation of tensions aids their bid to cast themselves as the only true guardians of their people and divert the public's attention from their problems and mistakes. The Slovakian government under Robert Fico wants to divert attention from its poor performance in negotiations with other EU countries when it came to Slovakia's contribution to the rescue package for Greece. ... For its part the new Hungarian government led by Viktor Orbán is playing the national card because it lacks a programme and can't fulfil its pompous promises." (27/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » EU neighbourhood policy, » Hungary, » Slovakia
All available articles from » Ferenc Kepecs

The flooding of the Oder and Vistua rivers in Poland has already inundated almost 20 municipalities and claimed 16 lives. Following the death of Polish President Lech Kaczyński this new emergency situation is altering Poland's political landscape ahead of the presidential elections in June, writes the conservative daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: "The contestants with the best prospects are Lech Kaczyński's brother Jarosław and the Speaker of Parliament Bronisław Komorowski, who has also been acting president since April 10. Although the reserve imposed on Komorowski in his capacity as president was seen as a burden at first, it is now giving him a distinct advantage.  Like former Chancellor Schröder during the flooding of the Elbe in 2002, Komorowski can make appearances as a caring father figure in the flooded areas, whereas a visit by Kaczyński would just be seen as bothersome. Nevertheless the sympathy points he can win in this way could be easily lost if the floods make it necessary to declare a state of emergency, as the elections would then have to be postponed. For that reason the government is doing everything it can to alleviate the plight of the flood victims and maintain Komorowski's lead." (27/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Poland
All available articles from » Stefan Dietrich

Surveys show that the popularity of Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is on the wane in Spain. The conservative opposition is calling for new elections and the conservative daily ABC supports the demand: "The political architecture of a country in crisis - and not just an economic crisis - is based on the trust of its citizens. Therefore the time has come to summon the Spanish to the ballot, not for the sake of winning time or losing it in routine election campaigns nor to sow discord among the parties, but in order to commit voters at a time of sacrifice with honest programmes based on the truth. Only a democratic renewal at the ballot will give the new government - whichever party wins - the power that Rodríguez Zapatero currently lacks." (27/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Spain

According to media reports Russia is planning to invest around 400 billion dollars on armaments between 2011 and 2020. The country is falling back into its old pattern of behaviour, writes Edvin Sugarev in his blog for the portal Svobodata: "Europe is in a crisis. Oil prices are falling, new sources of natural gas are being discovered. On the long term Europe's gas pipelines - the most important geopolitical weapon of Putin's Russia - will be nothing more than useless scrap metal. What then, one may ask, is the most pressing concern of this remnant of the East Bloc? ... Is it the mental health of its alcoholic population, its primitive infrastructure, its prediluvian economy? Nothing of the sort. All we hear from Kremlin is the clang of arms and threats hissed through clenched teeth. That is Russia's answer to the crisis, that is how it presents itself to the world." (26/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Energy, » Infrastructure / Travel and Transport, » History, » Russia, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Edvin Sugarev

According to surveys the nationalist New-Flemish Alliance with its leading candidate Bart De Wever will win Belgium's parliamentary elections on June 13. But De Wever's role as favourite is perilous, writes the daily De Standaard. "The prospect of him not only becoming the leader of the largest Flemish party but also the strongest party in Belgium changes the whole dynamic of the election campaign. The danger of this becoming a Pyrrhic victory is the least of our problems. ... The question of what will happen after that victory is a strong reminder of the [prime minister up to now Yves] Leterme debacle. In the last days of the campaign De Wever is constantly being confronted with the question of what exactly he will do with his newly acquired position. The expectations he has aroused turn him into a new messiah. As an authority on the ancient Romans he knows what fate can await such children of God." (27/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Belgium
All available articles from » Bart Sturtewagen

At the beginning of May three people were killed during protests against the Greek austerity measures. With reference to these deaths and several bomb attacks Nikos Paraskevopoulos voices concern about the rise in violence in the leftist daily Eleftherotypia: "The deregulation of the welfare state has led to people dying at hospitals as a result of inadequate treatment, and the collapse of social cohesion is causing an overlapping of the fringes of society with organised crime which multiplies the cases of violence. ... Perhaps someone out there is asking whether there is leeway for the institutional acceptance of certain murders that don't negate the value of life. The answer can only be 'yes' if the death of one person saves the person who is in danger. ... These cases, which are the absolute exception, testify to respect rather than indifference towards life. The countless people who stood in awe before the burnt-out bank which was the site of the martyrdom of three people were confronted with this picture of the supposedly better murderous act, insidious and covered up by society. ... Violence promotes more violence, and killing too: this is a lesson history has taught us." (26/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Philosophy, » Social affairs, » Greece
All available articles from » Nikos Paraskevopoulos

The EU Commissioner for Internal Market and Services Michel Barnier wants to introduce a tax for banks to ensure they help cover some of the costs of the financial crisis. A tax is the wrong approach, the tabloid De Telegraaf writes: "It is indeed difficult to accept that the entire community bear the consequences of the crisis while the bankers are allowed to keep their bonuses. But it is questionable whether a bank tax is really the ideal means to bring banks under control. After all, what it really comes down to is an extra tax which the customers will be charged for and which won't directly lead to less risky behaviour. It would be more clever to design a system that forces banks to behave responsibly. High demands as regards their own assets must be at the core of this approach. Such intervention may be less spectacular than a bank tax, but the reform of our financial system is better served by objective discussion than by political sabre-rattling." (27/05/2010)

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

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on Wednesday presented its growth prognoses for 2010, predicting a growth rate of 3.2 percent for the US and 1.2 percent growth for EU member states. The left-liberal daily Der Standard lists the advantages enjoyed by the US economy: "There's no way of getting around the biggest economic power in the world, especially as it is equipped with the global key currency. The European Monetary Union, meanwhile, remains extremely vulnerable. On the one hand the US simply had good luck: the collapse in global trade caught the strong exporter Europe off-guard. ... And budget deficits, like personnel, can traditionally be reduced quicker in the US than in the European Union. This in turn has a positive effect on revenues. Certainly, Washington will also have to cut expenditures, but cost-cutting measures like those seen in Europe are not to be expected. Consequently the country that caused the crisis will be able to close this chapter faster than Europe. That may seem unjust, nevertheless it remains true that while America can once more pursue its dreams, Europe's wishes are bursting like soap bubbles." (27/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Economic Policy, » Financial Markets, » Europe, » U.S.
All available articles from » Andreas Schnauder

The Polish government has removed the introduction of the euro from its list of priorities as a result of the crisis in Greece. However the real reason is that Poland itself can't fulfil the euro criteria, writes the daily Gazeta Wyborcza: "The government itself realises it won't be able to fulfil the specifications of the European Commission, and limit the budget deficit to the required three percent of the GDP. This year it lies at around seven percent, and it's hardly realistic to expect that it can be brought down in just a year or two. Especially because apart from limiting expenditures the Tusk government isn't planning any serious reforms before the next parliamentary elections. ... It is easy to accuse the Greeks of living on credit. Now however the Polish government also has no intention of renouncing new loans. It's always more difficult to get your own deck in ship shape." (27/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Poland
All available articles from » Agata Nowakowska

Estonia has been eliminated in the preliminary round of the Eurovision Song Contest. The Internet portal Delfi suggests a change to the way the country's competitor is chosen: "The competing title should be chosen by a target group similar to the one that votes on the song during the competition. For example let's assume a large part of the audience hears the songs for the first time during the competition (let's be honest - how many people are going to hunt down and listen to the Serbian or Albanian songs before the competition?). But the people who choose the title that will represent Estonia have the time to hear the songs several times until some of them start to like them. ... I would leave the decision in the preliminary round in Estonia to a jury. Otherwise the audience will choose the competitor preferred by [the television station] Skyplus or [the magazine] Kroonika. If we want professional results we've got to leave the decision to the professionals: musicians and marketing experts. Then we can present ourselves in a professional way." (27/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Music, » Audiovisual Media, » Print media, » Estonia, » Europe

According to the Italian statistics office Istat, in 2009 7.8 percent of all Italians were unemployed. But at 25.4 percent youth unemployment was well above the European average of 19.8 percent. The austerity package adopted by the government on Tuesday will only aggravate the problem of young people who keep living with their parents, writes the liberal-conservative daily Corriere della Sera: "A rescue ring or an inhibition threshold? For young people in Italy the parental home fulfils both roles at the same time. In other countries the state helps out with grants, rent subsidies and loan guarantees. So young adults don't jump into the void when they leave their parents' home because they have a safety net that allows them to use their own flexibility. ... To enable young people to fly the nest and encourage them to embark on their own path in society our social system needs to support them with courage and optimism. ... Europe also fully understands this." (27/05/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Italy
All available articles from » Maurizio Ferrera