Europe's future will be at stake when a new president is elected in Germany today, Wednesday, comments business paper Hospodářské noviny: "Merkel has reason to be nervous. Any complication would reaffirm the lack of cohesion in the coalition and weaken her position. There is much at stake. Only if the government camp is able to push through its candidate Christian Wulff in the first round will Merkel be able to relax and turn her attention to foreign policy and the single European currency once more. ... At a time when Europe needs resolute leaders to guide it out of the crisis, even a minor hiccup in Berlin would be a disconcerting signal. The rest of Europe is therefore following this presidential election closely." (30/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Germany
All available articles from » Jiří Sládek

A victory for the opposition's candidate, the civil rights campaigner Joachim Gauck, in the German presidential election would threaten Angela Merkel, Gavin Hewitt writes in his blog for the BBC: "If the unexpected happens, Angela Merkel's authority will be undermined. It would also mean that some Free Democrats - her coalition partners - had voted for Mr Gauck. She would not resign but, as Gerd Langguth, her biographer, said, 'it would be the beginning of the end for this government.' She is a shrewd, patient politician who plots her moves. She would not be hustled out of power. But there would be uncertainty as she re-structures her coalition. And there would be uncertainty in Germany at a time when, more than ever, it holds the key to resolving the crisis in Europe. A crisis that is not yet over." (30/06/2010)

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Should the opposition's candidate Joachim Gauck be elected president this would spell the end for Chancellor Angela Merkel and bring political change to Germany, according to an analysis by the news magazine Wprost: "Pastor Joachim Gauck - the symbol of Germany's coming to terms with the GDR dictatorship - is competing in the race for the office of president. The military tatoo in front of Schloss Bellevue [the official presidential residence in Berlin] to say farewell to Horst Köhler [the resigning president] feels like a funeral - despite the red carpet, the soldiers, the military band and everyone singing the national anthem. ... Köhler's sudden resignation has caused Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle serious difficulties. If the opposition's candidate - the highly regarded Joachim Gauck - becomes Köhler's successor this may bring a major upheaval on the political scene in Germany." (30/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Poland
All available articles from » Piotr Cywiński

The election of the federal president is just a matter of political calculation, the daily Der Standard writes, much to the annoyance of citizens. "In Germany as in Austria the gulf between politicians and the people has grown ever wider. More and more people are turning away from politics. It is widely believed that politicians spend all their energy fighting with one another, do not tell the truth and only have their eye on the next election. That applies to both countries. ... The ruling coalition of CDU/CSU and FDP in Berlin are wearing each other down. Nevertheless, they have managed to put together an austerity package, albeit no fundamental reforms. Because a victory for the red-green candidate Gauck would probably mark the end of Angela Merkel as chancellor, party discipline will prevail. The election in the Berlin Reichstag isn't even primarily about choosing a president. This will only strengthen people's disillusionment with politics - the feeling that those at the top will arrange things for themselves anyway." (30/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Germany, » Austria
All available articles from » Alexandra Föderl-Schmid

The US has uncovered eleven suspected Russian agents. However the daily The Irish Times doubts whether they are really spies: "To date little in the public accounts suggests that the penetration was any more serious than the outer circles of the political chattering class; the damage little more than gossip. The charges of 'conspiracy to act as unregistered agents of a foreign government' - rather than of spying - reflect as much. The legislation is more usually used to deal with unregistered lobbyists and more than one commentator has rightly asked if there is anything that the Russians learned that an analyst couldn't have picked up by trolling the internet? Smiley would hardly recognise it as spying." (30/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Russia, » U.S.

The conservative coalition parties in Slovakia have agreed on the composition of their government. The notable thing about the deal is that former prime minister and current leader of the Christian-liberal SDKU Mikuláš Dzurinda is to be foreign minister under Prime Minister Iveta Radičová of the same party. Yet within the party hierarchy she ranks lower than Dzurina. The conservative daily Lidové noviny comments: "Dzurinda is Radičová's boss within the party. The latter led the SDKU's election campaign but remains 'merely' its deputy chairman. And this won't change in the foreseeable future seeing as the results that Radičová achieved for the party are several percentage points below those of four years ago. So there is no chance that Radičová will run against Dzurinda for the party chairmanship in the next few months. ... On the other hand no one in Slovakia doubts that Dzrurinda is particularly well qualified for the post of foreign minister." (30/06/2010)

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All available articles from » Luboš Palata

Four years after Catalonia's Statute of Autonomy came into effect Spain's constitutional court has declared certain parts of it unconstitutional. The Catalan daily El Punt is indignant: "The will of the people of Catalonia is sovereign, and no court ruling that contradicts it can be regarded as an act of justice. The Spanish constitutional court has acted in a way that is legally questionable, juristically incompetent and politically unacceptable. ... We would do well to remember that this statute is a minimal consensus which originated in our country's parliament, was negotiated with Spain and passed by the [Spanish] parliament, corroborated by the will of the people in a referendum and even signed by the king. An impeccable democratic process that is being denigrated by the unjustifiable ruling of a court that lacks even a modicum of honour. Catalonia is a nation, no matter what an absurd court ruling claims." (30/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Social movements, » Federalism, » Separatism, » Spain

Spain's six-month EU presidency ends today. For the first time the EU has had two presidents, after the Treaty of Lisbon came into force. The conservative daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung analyses how the two function: "The temporary president Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has been wise enough to try not to make life unnecessarily difficult for the new permanent president Herman Van Rompuy. Always trying to present himself as a 'good European' he was an attentive host at home and otherwise let the Belgian go first. ... The Spanish experience in the new era is that whoever holds the rotating Council Presidency - if he doesn't happen to be in Berlin or Paris - only plays a geographical walk-on part. The really important things are prepared in Brussels. That was how it was with the first crucial operation to rescue Greece when Chancellor Merkel and French President Sarkozy held talks with the EU leadership and Zapatero wasn't even invited." (30/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Spain, » Europe
All available articles from » Leo Wieland

The prolonged phase of growth of the world's economies will come to an end with the global ecrisis, writes economist István Radó in the business daily Világgazdaság: "It is difficult for us to accept that the phase of continuing economic growth has come to an end. For this reason we are trying again and again to postpone that end. A prominent symptom of this is the state and private debt that for a certain time has financed a demand that was payable but in the long term only aggravates the problems. ... The debts are inevitably restricting the options: real income is dwindling, social tensions are mounting and more and more people have the feeling they are drifting to the edges of society. Most of us are worried about the question: What comes next? ... Everything indicates that ... the changes will encompass nearly every area of life. The structures that are characteristic of industrialised societies will dissolve and new socio-economic structures will replace them. We will grow up differently, learn and work and live differently. ... Only if we are capable of changing our perception of things will it be possible to maintain social peace." (30/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Economic Policy, » Hungary, » Global
All available articles from » István Radó

In Romania there have recently been discussions about whether the crisis-stricken country should be allowed to go bankrupt to avoid paying back its debts. The daily Jurnalul National is less than enthusiastic about the idea: "It's hard to imagine an EU member state deliberately declaring bankruptcy. Not only because this would damage the image of the club but also because it could have a domino effect. ... Taking such a step without exhausting all the possibilities for avoiding bankruptcy (which also means help from the EU) could lead to isolation both within the community and at an international level. Romania is not on the verge of bankruptcy, as some claim. However we are facing a period of relentless economising that will stretch far beyond 2010. But it would be much worse if we resorted to deliberately declaring the Romanian state insolvent." (30/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Corporations, » Economic Policy, » Financial Markets, » Banks, » Romania
All available articles from » Daniel Dăianu

While the US company Apple is posting record sales of the new iPhone the price of shares in mobile phone producer Nokia has dipped to its lowest level in twelve years. The daily Savon Sanomat expresses concern about the Finnish enterprise: "Nokia really has little time to come up with a 'big hit'. If Apple maintains a steady lead it will be hard if not impossible for Nokia to catch up. The statements of Nokia experts are remarkably superficial. The company has retired to its own little private room. Behind the scenes researchers and product developers are without doubt making a huge effort. But will it be enough? ... Nokia's collapse would be a severe blow for the Finns. It would mean the disappearance of thousands of jobs. So there really is cause to be concerned about the future of our crown jewel." (30/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Corporations, » Science / Research, » Economic Policy, » Finland

The Lativan anti-corruption authority has arrested almost the entire management of the state energy concern Latvenergo, including director Kārlis Miķelsons, on suspicion of money laundering and fraud with respect to public invitations to tender. The daily Latvijas Avīze accuses the managers of greed: "Even before the public prosecutor and the courts have investigated the cases, we can draw some conclusions - conclusions of a more philosophical nature. Numerous myths do the rounds in society about the relationship between money and power. There are basically two kinds. According to the first, wealthy politicians are desirable because they 'don't steal any more.' Others dispute this pointing out that eating increases one's appetite. ... Of course a poorly paid official can be tempted, but the present case invalidates this argument. Even a salary like Miķelsons', which many Latvian citizens think is fantastic, is no guarantee of honesty." (30/06/2010)

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All available articles from » Māris Antonevičs

The Mufti council in the southern Bulgarian city of Smolyan has said it will oppose the introduction of EU passports in Bulgaria and is calling on the parliament to allow exceptions for Muslim women. It says that the requirement for the hair and ears to be visible on biometric passport photos violates the Koran's prescription that women cover themselves. Everyone is equal before the law, the daily Novinar writes: "Did the Muslim council really not know anything about the new passports photos introduced three months ago, or was it just trying to draw attention to itself? All over Bulgaria we associate with families in which the women wear headscarves and we have no problem with this, for we live in a democracy. ... But the law applies to everyone. Should legislators decide to divide people in EU-member Bulgaria into groups of Muslims, Christians and others, that would be a different matter. Then the Mufti council could have no qualms about sending its letters of protest to the parliament." (29/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Domestic Policy, » Public Culture, » Religion, » Minorities, » Gender equality, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Velislava Panova

A growing number of Cypriots are refusing to do their compulsory military service. The left-liberal daily Phileleftheros is appalled and blames parents for the problem: "It hurts to hear that such a great percentage of youths in our half-occupied homeland are refusing to do service with the National Guard. To think that the young men are the descendants of many generations of young people for whom it was a special honour not only to take up the 'sacred arms' but also not to disgrace themselves and if need be sacrifice themselves for their country. ... It hurts even more to know that these youths are inventing all kinds of excuses nowadays ... to avoid military service. ... We, the grown-ups of society, have taught our children this egocentric behaviour, and now we should be ashamed of ourselves." (29/06/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Social affairs, » Cyprus
All available articles from » Feocharis Aristodimou