The Spanish paper La Vanguardia praises Europe's skill in negotiating with Moscow: "After several weeks of tension, Russia and the European Union have agreed on more meaningful relations and want to foster dialogue and good will in ironing out their differences on the conflict. ... The EU has made good use of its limited room for manoeuvring and scored a victory for diplomacy over violence. A small consolation which stands in contrast to the growing tensions between Russia and the US. Yesterday Washington broke off an agreement on nuclear cooperation when several Russian warships and fighter planes armed with nuclear warheads arrived in Venezuela – in answer to the presence of the ... US fleet in Georgia. It is time to call for a return to good relations between Washington and Moscow." (09/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » EU Policy, » Russia, » Europe, » U.S.

The daily La Repubblica ascribes the success of the negotiations with Moscow to the French EU presidency. "In the name of the EU it was able to convince Moscow to adhere, albeit belatedly, to all the points laid down in the agreement with Tiflis. ... It is clear that Europe must step in to fill the political void created by the mistakes of the Bush Administration and the paralysis arising from the US election campaign, in the Caucasus as well as in the Middle East. The EU can be proud of its new role but should also ask itself to what extent it owes this to the fortunate circumstance of acting under such a respected presidency as that of the French. From January on, when the Czech EU presidency begins, the Union is unlikely to wield the same negotiating power as it does now. This serves to once again underline how important it is that the Treaty of Lisbon, which foresees a permanent presidency, is adopted." (09/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » EU Policy, » EU Constitution, » France, » Russia, » Europe, » Georgian Republic
All available articles from » Andrea Bonanni

The Daily Telegraph mistrusts the mediation initiatives of EU Council President Nicolas Sarkozy: "We should also be concerned, moreover, that we are leaving a vital part of Britain's foreign (and energy security) policy to Mr Sarkozy; he may have many virtues but his foreign policy interests are not necessarily identical to our own. ... Who knows what Franco-Russian deals he may be contemplating? From the EU's perspective, these negotiations are less about Georgia and more about seeking to build credibility as an international power broker. ... There will be a temptation, after the inevitable European humiliation, to pass the buck to other supranational institutions such as the G8 and the United Nations. This would be a mistake. ... The world has returned to 19th Century-style great power struggles between nation states, uninhibited by international institutions. With a risk that Russian will impose its will on other neighbours such as Ukraine in the future, we cannot rely on impotent organisations to keep the peace. ... Instead, it requires politicians here and the United States to wake up to their own national interests and take a tough line against Russian expansionism, which will be discouraged not by soft power but by strength." (09/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » France, » United Kingdom, » Russia, » Europe

The conservative daily Rzeczpospolita has harsh words for the roadmap for resolving the Caucasus crisis announced by Nicolas Sarkozy and Dmitry Medvedev: "Let's see ... how the EU has solved the conflict in the Caucasus. ... As a reward for separating a sovereign state, the EU has deepened its economic ties with Russia. In case Russia fancies separating Crimea from Ukraine in a few months, that conflict could be resolved just as effectively. Medvedev would declare himself in agreement, abandon the posts at Odessa and Kherson and pull the tanks out of Ukraine. But not out of Crimea, of course, because someone has to defend the Russian minority there. The EU would agree to such a resolution and the world would become more stable. But it will be most stable of all once Europe has agreed to Moscow entirely rebuilding the former Soviet Union - politically and geographically." (09/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Russia, » Eastern Europe, » Georgian Republic
All available articles from » Marek Magierowski

According to the news magazine Focus millions of euros have been spent on controversial construction and advertising projects for the European parliament in Strasbourg: "The Parliament buildings in Strasbourg for example, in which the MEPs come together twelve times a year to vote on laws for around three days, cost 200 million euros a year. ... At the end of 2007 it was revealed that two adjoining buildings bought for 143 million euros are contaminated with asbestos. ... The agency Scholz & Friends received 26 million euros, for which sum the German advertisers are to increase the popularity of the European Parliament in the coming years. This is also the goal of a new 23-million-euro Europahaus that will go up in Vienna's posh 1st district by the end of 2008. ... As MEP Alexander Alvaro (FDP) puts it: 'We're simply spending too much money.'" (08/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » France
All available articles from » Stefan Borst, » Ottmar Berbalk

Abdullah Gül became the first Turkish president to visit Armenia when he attended a qualifying game for the football World Cup which will be held there in 2010. The two countries have no diplomatic relations with each other. The daily To Ethnos suspects the visit to be the result of US pressure on the Turkish president. "Gül certainly did not travel to Erevan to resolve the question of the Armenian genocide. ... From a historical point of view Armenia is the most pro-Russian country in the Caucasus. ... Only its relations with Moscow guarantee its survival. ... The Russian army is not only stationed at Armenian military bases but also along the country's border with Turkey. ... The American plan for the Caucasus envisages Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia subordinate to the influence and military supremacy of Turkey. ... As Washington failed to topple the pro-Russian Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan through a coup straight after his election to power at the end of February, it is now trying to tempt Armenia with Turkey." (08/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Russia, » Eastern Europe, » U.S., » Turkey
All available articles from » Giorgos Delastik

A trial against former public prosecutor Ludmila Brožová-Polednová who in a 1950s Stalinist show trial helped to send democrat Milada Horáková to the scaffold begins in the Czech Republic today. The conservative daily Lidové noviny expresses the hope that the court confirms the eight-year sentence handed down to the defendant by the court of first instance. "If Czech justice were not so slow Brožová-Polednová would be called to account for her part in hundreds of other trials between 1950 and 1964. There were no more death sentences, but people were sentenced to years in prison. ... Among the victims were Catholic priests, big farmers, politicians, and people who unsuccessfully tried to flee the republic or demonstrated against the communist currency reform. In 1954 Brožová-Polednová was prosecutor in a trial in which a farmer was sentenced to 20 years in prison for allegedly causing the spread of harmful potato beetles. ... We should show no mercy for this almost 87-year-old woman today and let her serve her sentence. Did she show any mercy to those whose lives she destroyed?" (09/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » History, » Czech Republic
All available articles from » Petr Zídek

Slovakia is in national mourning following a serious bus accident in Croatia which claimed the lives of 14 Slovakians. The liberal left-wing daily Pravda examines the reasons behind the growing number of accidents involving buses in Central and Eastern Europe: "Across Europe there has been great pressure on prices for fuel, energy, food and also travel lately. If you want to survive in the tourist industry you need to organise cheap trips to the coast. Central Eastern Europeans are most likely to opt for the cheapest offer available. The bus companies cut costs when it comes to modernising their vehicles, the number of drivers they employ - in other words, anywhere they can. ... There is no magic formula for avoiding accidents. The question is whether more stringent rules and regulations can help. What can be said for sure is that the cheapest offer is not always the best - certainly not when it comes to that most precious asset: life." (09/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Infrastructure / Travel and Transport, » Tourism, » Slovakia, » Eastern Europe
All available articles from » Pavol Baboš

Environmentalist Nicolas Hulot and union leader François Chérèque argue in the daily Le Monde that the EU must make social and environmental policy its main goal in order to overcome its institutional crisis: "At a time when energy, food, climate, finance and social crises are combining in dangerous ways and claiming an increasing number of victims, we need Europe more than ever. But Europe is going through its own crisis. ... Whatever one may think about the very heterogeneous reasons for the Irish No to the Treaty of Lisbon, it nevertheless once more underscores the EU's institutional deficit. ... As it is today, the EU inspires less and less desire to join it. ... This democratic objection must be heeded. ... We must give a democratic answer to the institutional crisis, and the key lies in an ambitious ecological and social policy. This must form the backbone and the motor for European unity. In other words, the EU should once more attach importance to ... the noblest values, namely solidarity between individuals, peoples and generations." (09/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Environmental Policy, » Europe
All available articles from » Françoise Chérèque, » Nicolas Hulot

Evelyn Hecht-Galinski, the daughter of the former chairman of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, recently voiced sharp criticism of Israel's current policies, whereupon Jewish publicist Henryk M. Broder accused her in an open letter of anti-Semitism. With an eye to the debate that ensued, Israeli historian and journalist Tom Segev explains public discourse on Zionism and anti-Semitism in Israel: "Anyone who hates Israel because so many Jews live there is an anti-Semite. This applies above all to neo-Nazi organisations and Holocaust deniers of all stripes. ... But it is possible to criticise Israel's politics, even argue against its existence as a Jewish state, without being an anti-Semite. And the opposite is also true: There are anti-Semites who support Israel and its official Zionist ideology. Zionism has produced its own interpretation of Jewish history according to which the Jews are not only a religious community, but also members of a nation that was banned from its territory 2,000 years ago. As such, they have no place among other peoples. ... Most Israelis see the Shoah as the confirmation of this Zionist prognosis. ... Israelis are great talkers. Until now they have not consolidated their identity as Jews, and have reached no agreement on the basic values of their society. Foreign observers have no end of difficulty with these debates. ... Anyone familiar with public discourse in Israel knows that Israelis are scathingly critical of each other, to an extent that few 'anti-Semites' abroad can match." (08/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » History, » Weltanschauung, » Israel
All available articles from » Tom Segev

The Spanish business newspaper Cinco Días calls on Europe to learn from the US's acting regarding the mortgage banks Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: "The US authorities have once again breached the [basic tenets of] radical liberalism and intervened when faced with a serious problem. There are no doubts when it comes to choosing between a potential violation of the rules of the market and the probability of the economic collapse of the financial system. ... Europe must learn this lesson. Far from applying theoretical models ... the global economy should above all gear itself towards flexibility. ... The EU and the European Central Bank should take note of this. The [European] economy is in a worse state than the US economy, partly because it was infected by the latter. The EU's decision-makers in economic policy should use the opportunity provided by the Ecofin meeting this week to find a united, self-assured response to the first crisis since the introduction of the euro." (09/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » Financial Markets, » Europe, » U.S.

Le Quotidien comments on the financial situation in France shortly before Europe's finance ministers are scheduled to meet there. "Although France now holds the EU Council presidency, it is not in a position to give lessons [in financial matters] as things stand. ... For a long time proud of its status as a major power, France will now have to curtail its investments in development aid. Nevertheless one has to show understanding for the country. It seems finally to have understood that it must bring its own economic situation in order before investing in international cooperation. ... Of course France will not leave its own citizens in the lurch. But when you are broke, you have to balance your own budget first. France must set real priorities to engender new trust and confidence among the French. That will help the country onto its feet, which no longer having the means to shine on the international stage must now look to its own needs." (08/09/2008)

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

J. Bradford DeLonge, professor of economics at the University of California at Berkeley and former deputy chairman of the Federal Reserve, writes in his column about the connection between inflation and the activities of central banks: "If the main problem is a lack of global demand and the world's central banks raise the interest rates this can lead to a recession. If the main problem is inflation and the central banks do not raise the interest rates they can contribute to soaring prices and artificially inflated markets because of inflation expectations. ... The reaction of the European Central Bank was similar to that of the United States, although cautious. ... The inflation rate appears to be slowing. ... In short, the central banks on both sides of the Atlantic are dealing with a financial crisis, but they should not over-regulate. ... By increasing the liquidity of the central banks they prevent a further escalation in the wages-price spiral as a result of the financial crisis. ... Nonetheless, inflation has a harsh face and it is no wonder it is making the headlines." (09/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » Europe, » Global
All available articles from » James Bradford DeLonge

Starting this year the optional subject "The history of Communism" has been included in the curriculum at Romanian schools. The Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania has presented a textbook to be used in class. Cotidianul newspaper writes: "All the sensitive issues in Romania's recent past have been ignored. [Ex-president] Ion Iliescu explains the Mineriade [the bloody suppression of democratic protests] in 1990 with the words: 'Through the Minierade I learned how to build a state based on the rule of law.' ... Nor is there any mention of the activities of Vadim Tudor, poet to Ceauşescu, or of the odes of poet Adrian Păunescu or the pictures painted by Sabin Bălaşa. Since the book avoids certain issues for which there is clear historical evidence but which would have implicated the authors in a series of scandals involving prominent figures in current politics, the best name for the book would be 'Communism for Dummies'. That is what it is." (09/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Public Culture, » Romania
All available articles from » Razvan Mihai Vintelescu

The French government's plans to alter national number plates so that the origin of a car is no longer discernible have led to vehement protest. The Political weekly Nouvel Observateur sympathises with the protests: "Defence Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie has just presented the new law that is to enter force in January 2009. It foresees number plates which no longer automatically carry the number of the department the car comes from. The announcement alone was enough to trigger a storm of protest. The 'hands off my number plate' movement initiated by 200 MPs has weakened the project. The department number has simply become part of our cultural heritage and our mentality. It is as if the old slogan 'small is beautiful' were gaining new force. ... Banning the department numbers from number plates would only reinforce the anonymity which is already overwhelming our society. ... Today everyone knows that the [administrative] structure of France needs to be revised. It suffers from regions that are too small and overburdened departments that should really transfer their powers to the regions and the inter communal structures. But – as the affair with the number plates proves – this will not happen any time soon." (09/09/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Infrastructure / Travel and Transport, » Public Culture, » France
All available articles from » Jean-Marcel Bouguereau