The victory of the conservative governing Alliance in Sweden's parliamentary elections has definitively broken the dominance of the Social Democrats, writes the liberal daily Göteborgs-Posten: "Fredrik Reinfeldt is the first conservative prime minister in modern times who has managed to be re-elected. That is a historic breakthrough. The Social Democrats will certainly form a government again at one point, but by then Sweden will be another country. Not less prone to solidarity, but with more civic freedoms, and founded upon low income tax and freedom of choice regarding the social system. The Social Democrats will no longer see Sweden as their domain. That is the most important consequence of this victory for the Alliance." (20/09/2010)

» full article (external link, Swedish)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Sweden

The entry of the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats in the Swedish parliament, or Riksdag, has to do with the lacking discussion over integration: "For too long all talk of integration - one of Sweden's most pressing problems - has been suppressed. For foreign observers it is astonishing that Sweden has so much political correctness that discussion of immigration does not belong to 'proper' debate. This has crippled discussion over how the goals of integration can best be furthered. And yet this subject hangs like a terrific burden over Sweden, as you can see when you visit the migrants' ghettos in Malmö, Gothenburg and the satellite towns around Stockholm. Integration is an unknown term there, the very places where a parallel society is emerging." (20/09/2010)

» full article (external link, Danish)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Migration, » Integration, » Elections, » Sweden

The arrival of the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats' in parliament is humiliating for the Social Democrats and could have repercussions all over Scandinavia, the left-liberal daily La Repubblica fears: "The centre-right party may have won, but the right-wing populists' advance could put a big damper on the dynamic and popular Prime Minister Reinfeldt's spirits. ... It is to be feared that Sweden, the strongest country economically, politically and militarily in the north of the European Union, could be crippled by this development. The fear of immigration and Islam and the right-wing movements are shattering political stability in legendary Scandinavia, too. ... A humiliating result above all for the Social Democrats, who with the help of politicians of the calibre of Olof Palme have governed and shaped modern Sweden in recent years." (20/09/2010)

» more information (external link, Italian)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Sweden
All available articles from » Andrea Tarquini

The Afghans have elected a new parliament. Despite numerous terrorist attacks these elections give cause for optimism, writes the left-liberal daily De Volkskrant: "Given the shortcomings of almost all Afghan institutions, the parliamentary elections can be described as a success, above all because an estimated 40 percent of those eligible to vote made their way to the polling stations despite the difficulties. This relatively high turnout ... is considered a clear rejection of the nihilistic alternative presented by the Taliban. What's more, the representatives of the people will derive self-assurance from their mandate. They already demonstrated this by rejecting certain dubious proposals by President Hamid Karzai for the ministerial posts. Democracy may not yet hold enough appeal for the Afghans, but we must hope that they will one day be able to associate democracy with tangible achievements. Perhaps these parliamentary elections have made some progress toward that end." (20/09/2010)

» full article (external link, Dutch)
More from the press review on the subject » Crises / War, » Domestic Policy, » Afghanistan

A three-day summit begins on Monday in New York to review the UN's Millennium Development Goals for fighting global poverty and hunger. In its leading article the business paper Les Echos stresses that although room for improvement exists there are good grounds for optimism: "One in two people in the developing world have no access to running water or toilets worthy of the name! Consequently the United Nations' detailed report attests to ambivalent results. ... Nevertheless you'd have to be blind not to see the signs of improvement. ... One indicator sums it up better than all the rest: the proportion of inhabitants in developing countries living below the existence minimum ... dropped from 46 percent to 27 percent between 1990 and 2005. ... The reason? ... Progress in China, Southern and Southeast Asia and Brazil. The economic miracle in these countries has not only created millionaires and a new global middle class, it has also rescued millions from the most destitute poverty." (20/09/2010)

» full article (external link, French)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Economic Policy, » Global
All available articles from » Dominique Seux

On October 3, Brazil elects a successor to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was first voted into office in 2002. During his term in office the country has become a significant player on the global stage, writes the conservative daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung: "Lula sees Brazil's enhanced clout as entitling it to a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. Without any regard for Western viewpoints he has made himself part of the Iranian plan for getting around sanctions in the nuclear dispute. In his own country he blocks the IAEA inspectors' access to nuclear facilities, waking memories of the times when Brazil worked towards building up its own nuclear arsenal. Brazil's submarines are to be propelled by nuclear power. Lula no longer sees his country as the US's backyard and is scorning Washington with his refusal to recognise the new president of Honduras and with his visits to his close friend Fidel Castro as well as other potentates." (19/09/2010)

» more information (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Domestic Policy, » Brazil
All available articles from » Oswald Iten

If the parliamentary elections were held now, 16 percent of Finnish workers would vote for the right-wing True Finns party, a recent survey carried out by the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper and the polling institute Suomen Gallup reveals. The reason behind the True Finns' growing popularity is the left parties' lack of a political programme, writes the daily Savon Sanomat: "Neither of the two traditional left-wing parties offers its voters a clear view of the world, which could help them to understand the major structural changes in society. The social democratic SDP talks of dreams and love, but in the large industrial communities a growing number of people are losing their jobs. The red-green world of the Left is not opening itself up to the workers. The True Finns, on the other hand, offer a simple view of the world. The EU and the liberal immigration policy are to blame for the structural changes, they say. [The leader of the True Finns and MEP] Timo Soini is a master of rhetoric and populism and knows that embittered people need a clear target for their hate." (20/09/2010)

» full article (external link, Finnish)
More from the press review on the subject » Weltanschauung, » Elections, » Finland

The Basque underground organisation Eta is weakened and may be dissolved in the medium term, some observers say. But the question of Basque nationalism is far from being resolved, notes Aurelio Arteta, a professor of political philosophy in the Basque country writing in the daily El País: "First of all let's look at a glaringly obvious fact which the naïve still ignore and the incautious chose to disdain: the end of terrorism won't be the end of the Basque problem. Perhaps Eta will cease to exist one of these days, which would be wonderful, but the challenge posed by Basque nationalism is more alive than ever. If anyone thinks that our conflict is that which Eta maintains with most of society, they're wrong. For the nationalist the true conflict lies in the lack of recognition for the existence of the Basque people and their right to self-determination. It is the conflict created by the nationalist Basque ideology, the very same conflict which gave birth to Eta 50 years ago, which the parties in question reignite each day and which will persist as long as this ethnic nationalism persists." (20/09/2010)

» full article (external link, Spanish)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Social movements, » Separatism, » Spain
All available articles from » Aurelio Arteta

The deportation of Eastern European Roma from France is not only a social and moral problem, but also a problem of semantics. In liberal democracy many terms have lost their value, writes Anikó Fázsy, chief editor of the literary magazine Nagyvilág, in the weekly supplement of conservative newspaper Magyar Nemzet: "The permanent flow of words from the media and their verbal aggression are making people insensitive and indifferent: in order to get people's attention they continually use bombastic language and exaggerations. Emotions are worked up by their fabrication of war-like circumstances. The language gets out of control as a result of the constant exaggerations. The goal is no longer to create understanding, but judgement. Phenomena are labelled for the sake of easy orientation. And analogies are drawn between phenomena which are in no way comparable. The world is truly difficult to understand. But it is a sign of mental laziness, if not malice, to explain reality with a single noun, a single adjective." (18/09/2010)

» more information (external link, Hungarian)
More from the press review on the subject » Integration, » Minorities, » France, » Europe
All available articles from » Anikó Fázsy

Employees of the German bank Hypo Real Estate, which was bailed out last year with state guarantees of over 100 billion euros, are to receive bonus payments amounting to 25 million euros. Just last week the bank applied for additional state guarantees of 40 billion euros. The liberal Financial Times Deutschland sees the bonus payments nevertheless as the right decision. "After all, bonuses were written into the contracts of many of the 1,400 beneficiaries. Payment makes sense just to avoid lawsuits, especially bearing in mind that across the board the bonuses work out to the not exactly exorbitant sum of just 18,000 euros per employee. But even if this danger didn't exist, Hypo can simply not afford to let the best minds leave the bank. And here money is a major factor. After all, an opulent salary is pretty much the only thing that will keep someone at the unglamorous bank located in Munich's Unterschleißheim district. A good number of those working there are pretty much the dustmen of the financial system." (20/09/2010)

» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Banks, » Germany

Several studies by the management consulting firm Arthur D. Little show that Austria has fallen drastically behind in the  broadband Internet sector in comparison to other countries. While amendments to the Austrian telecommunication law in March 2009 created favourable conditions, financial support from the state is indispensable, writes the daily Die Presse: "We lack telecommunications networks that facilitate ultramodern communications technologies. This may be because Austria has put all its focus into mobile telephones, where it is undeniably a market leader. And let's not forget, with its legal reforms Austria has already created the regulations for upgrading broadband Internet which the EU now demands of all its member states. Nevertheless rules are not enough: nothing will happen without financial incentives from the government. Results in other states show that such support mechanisms would definitely make sense. And they could be tied to repayment clauses." (20/09/2010)

» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » Online media, » Austria
All available articles from » Hedwig Schneid

Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the UK came to an end on Sunday. The conservative daily Rzeczpospolita takes positive stock of the event: "Against all expectations this visit was not a fiasco, but on the contrary a success. Granted, the guest was received very cooly in Edinburgh on the first day. But then with each passing day the atmosphere around him improved, and people thronged to see him everywhere he went. The same tabloids that had had harsh words of criticism for him just a few days earlier soon started to show him their unbridled sympathy. Truly symbolic was the meeting with Archbishop Rowan Williams - the head of the Anglican Church. Instead of distance, the meeting was marked by mutual appreciation and a common prayer. ... But perhaps the British also understood as they listened to Benedict XVI that the conflicts of centuries ago no longer have any relevance." (20/09/2010)

» full article (external link, Polish)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Religion, » United Kingdom, » Vatican
All available articles from » Piotr Zychowicz

The long-term success of the Pope's visit to the UK must be measured by whether religion finds a place for itself in public life, writes the conservative paper The Daily Telegraph: "The Pope's visit to Britain has demonstrated the abiding strength of Christianity within this nation. Throughout his visit, thousands of people from across the country have come to watch the spiritual leader of the world's Catholics as he makes the first state visit by a Pontiff to these shores. Ultimately, the immediate reaction to the Pope's visit is not of primary importance: what matters is its impact in the long term. If it is remembered as a sideshow, an entertaining distraction for the dwindling number of believers, it will have failed in its purpose. Our hope is that it will act as a reminder that there is a space and a voice for religion in public life - and prompts those of all faiths to find the courage to push back the secularists, and proclaim their beliefs with pride." (20/09/2010)

» full article (external link, English)
More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » United Kingdom, » Vatican

Emulating a similar initiative in Estonia two years ago, Romania has organised a national action day for next Saturday when people all over the country are to help clear up the countless illegal rubbish dumps without pay. Horia Ghibutiu welcomes the initiative but says it reminds him of the voluntary work initiatives under the Ceauşescu regime: "In those dark times we were instilled with the idea that public spaces belonged to everyone, but no one in reality. Because of this mentality the country has turned into one big picnic area where no one has to pick up the rubbish. ... While the environmental authority tries to help us with initiatives like the 'big clear up', we throw our rubbish from our balconies into the gardens of the apartment blocks we live in. ... I'm interested to see what happens with the clear-up initiative, but it would be good if we tried to keep Romania clean on the other 364 days as well, if not for ourselves then at least for the tourists." (20/09/2010)

» full article (external link, Romanian)
More from the press review on the subject » Environmental Policy, » Social movements, » Tourism, » Social affairs, » Estonia, » Romania
All available articles from » Horia Ghibutiu