The business paper Hospodářské noviny writes that political calculation on the part of Moscow underlies the conflict between Russia and Belarus over unpaid gas bills: "Above all this conflict is about convincing the American and Western European public. Russia is trying to persuade Europe that even if it is turning off the gas tap, this is purely a trade conflict. ... Russia wants to show that the transit countries that are restricting the flow of gas to end users in Western Europe are unreliable, and that the Europeans would do better to ensure a direct supply [from Russia]. That argument will come in handy if the West begins to question the necessity of the Nord Stream and South Stream gas pipelines. ... The war with Georgia served Russia's PR purposes in the same way. Georgia was portrayed as an unstable country so that private investors would lose interest in financing the Nabucco pipeline which is supposed to pass right through Georgia." (23/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Energy, » Economic Policy, » Russia, » Europe, » Azerbaijan
All available articles from » Jan Macháček

The Belarusian President Lukashenko is acting like an offended dictator in the gas dispute with Moscow, writes Edvin Sugarev in his blog for the portal Svobodata: "Lukashenko has reacted in this way even though he is the leader of the last Russian satellite lying partially in civilised Europe, and even though his desire to embrace all things Russian has made him keen to unite with what has been the Mecca of all satellite states since 1917. He hasn't acted for ideological reasons, but out of a sense of honour, as contradictory as this term might sound in connection with his name. Unbelievable but true. He did it because his honour was piqued by the words of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who had demanded that Belarus repay the money it owes to Gazprom, insisting this time that it be paid in a hard currency, namely US dollars." (23/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Energy, » Russia, » Europe
All available articles from » Edvin Sugarev

In view of the gas conflict between Russia and Belarus Poland should renegotiate its gas contract with Russia, writes the conservative daily Polska: "By all odds the current problems with Russian gas deliveries in some EU countries - including Poland - have sealed the fate of the new and fortunately still unsigned gas contract between Poland and the Russian company Gazprom. After a decade of such manoeuvring the Russian company and the state behind it have once more proved themselves unreliable partners and gas suppliers. Let us not forget: since 2000 Russia has turned off the gas taps several times in succession - first to Ukraine then to Belarus. Each time the issue at stake was payments, but the results always played into a political game." (23/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Energy, » Economic Policy, » Poland
All available articles from » Wojciech Rogacin

The British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne presented his emergency budget on Tuesday. The daily The Irish Times sees the measures as harsh and unpopular: "In introducing his emergency budget yesterday, George Osborne said it was 'an unavoidable budget' but added 'it is tough but it is fair'. It is indisputably tough but whether or not it is fair will be hotly debated. ... Mr Osborne, prodded by his LibDem partners, has gone some way to ensure that his measures will not affect the less well-off unduly and essential services such as education and health are largely unaffected. It will be an unpopular budget but that is the plan. Savage measures to reduce the deficit may allow for tax cuts closer to the end of the five year fixed-term parliament." (23/06/2010)

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

After incumbent Prime Minister Robert Fico, the nominal election winner of the parliamentary elections in Slovakia, was unable to forge a coalition government, President Ivan Gašparovič has now confided the task to the conservative Iveta Radičová.The liberal daily Sme is incensed that it even occurred to Gašparovič to entrust Fico with forming a government in the first place: "Once more the familiar and embarrassing game of empowering politicians to form a government has been blemished by the president's appeal to customary practice. The president can only act on the basis of the constitution, and no article in the constitution gives him the right to empower those who have won the most votes to form a government. ... This unconstitutional game seems to be a national pastime of our presidents. ... A president who appoints a government other than that comprising the four [conservative] parties who have a majority in parliament deliberately violates the constitution." (23/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Slovakia
All available articles from » Marián Leško

The Finnish parliament elected Mari Kiviniemi of the rural liberal Centre Party to succeed her party colleague Matti Vanhanen as prime minister on Tuesday. The daily Kaleva expects no major changes: "The new government's statement ... is only three pages long, but it puts forward many tasks for the remaining ten months in office. ... The elections in April could mean the government won't dare make the necessary spending cuts or other decisions that are unpleasant for voters. Within the government Prime Minister Kiviniemi and Finance Minister Jyrki Katainen (Centre Party) are fighting for the post of prime minister of the next government. Meanwhile the leader of the opposition [social democratic] SDP Jutta Urpilainen is trying by all means possible and with the backing of SDP parliamentary group leader Eero Heinäluoma to grab the post. On the other hand the new government is obliged to stick to the plan drawn up by Matti Vanhanen's government in spring 2007, so it will have its hands tied in many respects." (22/06/2010)

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

Five people have died in a bomb attack on a military bus in Istanbul. The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons organisation, which has close ties with the PKK, assumed responsibility for the deed. Although Turkey relaxed its policy towards Kurds a year ago this is not enough to meet the standards of a European democracy, the conservative daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: "Last October is regarded as a turning point in the democratic initiative [the plan for improving the situation of the Kurdish minority]. That was when 34 Turkish Kurds - eight former PKK members plus 26 residents of a refugee camp including four children - returned from Iraq to Turkey. … After a brief interrogation they were set free as promised. ... The triumphal return of the homecoming Kurds was regarded by opposition politicians as proof of the failure of the democratic initiative. ... Of those who returned all are now imprisoned, apart from the children. There will be no more returns for the time being. Turkey is still far from being a country to which Kurds can return freely and without fear." (23/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Minorities, » Turkey
All available articles from » Michael Martens

General Stanley McChrystal, commander of the US and Nato troops in Afghanistan, has been summoned to Washington after criticising US President Barack Obama. The daily The Times defends him: "General McChrystal ... has produced the first coherent Afghan military strategy. That has enabled Nato to put more effort into building alliances, and into encouraging good government. To withdraw him now would be to throw away hard-won gains at a crucial point. It would also be to dismiss the weight of his criticism. Many of his gripes are legitimate. President Obama took too long to decide on the surge. General Eikenberry was indeed covering his back from criticism. Mr Holbrooke [the US president's envoy to Afghanistan] has often behaved like a loose cannon. The White House is not at ease with the military. McChrystal was foolish, and rude, but he was right. President Obama should listen to the wake-up call from Kabul." (23/06/2010)

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

The new regionalism in Belgian Flanders is encouraging for the Spanish regions of Catalonia and the Basque country, writes Francesc-Marc Álvaro in the Catalan daily La Vanguardia: "More Flanders, less Belgium, more Europe. This is the formula Bart de Wever proposes for unblocking the institutional logjam in the state of Belgium. ... What is happening in Belgium is being observed with understandable interest in the different parts of Spain. As always in these cases, some commentators in Madrid have already warned that anyone who sees an analogy with Catalonia or the Basque country needs to go to an eye specialist. Without doubt Belgium and Spain have nothing in common from a historical or political point of view. Nor do the UK and Spain, or the former Czechoslovakia and Spain. ... But the fact that the Spanish case is just as unique and unrepeatable as those mentioned above (since no national problem is identical) doesn't prevent us from looking to this umpteenth attempt of the Belgians to find a way out of their predicament for something useful or inspiring." (23/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Social movements, » Federalism, » Separatism, » Spain, » Belgium
All available articles from » Francesc-Marc Álvaro

Cyprus is moving into its summer break and the calm is not an illusion, writes Şener Levent in the conservative daily Politis: "Is the climate now like that in 1963 and 1974 [when there were battles between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots]? No! Are there people violating the truce that has gone on for 36 years? No. Both sides have withdrawn to their own regions and are drowning in their own internal problems. But the Cyprus problem is no longer an internal problem but has become an external problem for both sides, even if the Turkish side calls the wall that divides the two sides the 'border' while the Greek side calls it a 'road block'. So peace reigns in this place where no one expects a solution in the near future. But it is not the calm before the storm. The summer is here. ... Don't expect a storm, my friend. Don't wait in vain. The smoke over the hills comes from meat skewers on grills." (22/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Cyprus
All available articles from » Şener Levent

According to a recent survey four out of five Danes are willing to employ people illegally. This is no cause for pessimism, the conservative daily Berlingske Tidende writes: "The acceptance of illegal employment is not as widespread as statistics would have us believe. ... We have no qualms about not paying tax for the school girl who earns a couple of hundred crowns with babysitting. And we don't have a problem with employing a friend to build the roof of the carport even though strictly speaking this should be registered with the tax authority. ... The nation's attitude to this unhealthy phenomenon is therefore altogether healthy. ... As the tax minister says, common sense and the Danish people's sense of proportion should dictate the limits for defining illegal work. ... As a counter move organised tax fraud and social benefits fraud should be prosecuted more effectively." (23/06/2010)

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

The death of Nobel Prize-winning author José Saramago has had a very different impact in Spain, where Saramago settled, than in his native Portugal. That says a lot about how the two countries view their cultural legacies, writes Daniel Oliveira in his blog Antes pelo Contrário for the weekly Expresso: "In Spain the polemical author is considered part of Spanish culture, like one of them. 'We Spanish weep over Saramago like one of our own because we've always felt his presence', wrote [Prime Minister] Zapatero to [the author's widow] Pilar del Rio. In Portugal Saramago was a marginal figure partially disowned by his homeland, although he was Portuguese, wrote in Portuguese and has been laid to rest on Portuguese soil. The difference between how Spain treats what it has - even if it's adopted - and how Portugal treats its culture can explain why the one is a land of culture and the other merely has many talented people ... who must choose between leaving the country or living on the edge of poverty." (22/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Literature, » EU neighbourhood policy, » Spain, » Portugal
All available articles from » Daniel Oliveira

As the number of anti-Semitic offences rises, the city of Amsterdam is considering disguising policemen as Jews in a move to catch offenders red-handed. It would make more sense to educate them on the issues involved, writes the daily NRC Handelsblad: "The Dutch-Moroccan youths are distancing themselves from the white establishment, and in the process they are becoming very successful at provocation. They are doubly offensive: to the Dutch and to the Jews. After all, anti-Semitism is (rightly) a taboo that hits directly at the guilt complex stemming from the days of occupation, when the country all but turned a blind eye to the deportation of its Jewish population. ... How can one inform young Dutch Moroccans about history, the faith and the culture of the Dutch Jews? One must tell them about the Holocaust and ethnic hatred, including the forlorn conflict in the Middle East. ... This calls for enormous efforts on the part of schools, the state and both communities." (23/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Minorities, » Netherlands

Italian writer Roberto Saviano lies on a stretcher in a morgue. The Italian men's magazine MAX says it is featuring this photomontage on the cover of its July issue in a show of support for the author of the mafia novel Gomorrah. But for the left-liberal daily La Repubblica the initiative distorts the personality of the author: "This perverse game doesn't help the people or writer Roberto Saviano in any way. On the contrary, it forces him into the cliché role of an icon. It only helps those who want to turn him into a commercial object. ... He is reduced to a projection surface. Saviano is being robbed bit by bit not only of his freedom, but also his humanity. ... A nasty joke ... that weakens the power of words for which Saviano has risked so much." (23/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Print media, » Italy
All available articles from » Benedetta Tobagi

The French national team was eliminated from the South Africa World Cup on Tuesday. The team has faced harsh criticism after several scandals during the tournament. In the eyes of the daily Le Temps the debacle is the result of a mixture of arrogance and mismanagement: "Neither the huge salaries nor the boasting nor the consumer society are the reasons for this sad spectacle that is making many French citizens and fans of the 'bleus' [the French national team] ashamed of the French team. ... With a little emotional distance the problem seems to be more the result of a major, multipolar and chaotic clash between an autistic and narcissistic trainer who is full of himself and loves to provoke and arrogant and vain players who have lost touch with reality, formed cliques and dug in their heels. Then there's the horde of French football functionaries ... who are secretly managing a huge pie, namely the profits of the glorious victories of 1998 and 2000." (23/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Sport, » France, » Switzerland
All available articles from » Ignace Jeannerat