According to the liberal daily La Vanguardia, the World Economic Forum in Davos has highlighted yet another international priority, namely "the need for cooperation in order to prevent a crisis of confidence due to national debt, which has grown exponentially as a result of the stimulus package, and which therefore could have dramatic economic and social ramifications. Given this situation, the European Union must first and foremost defuse the Greek bomb, because a suspension of payments by Greece would have serious consequences worldwide, but especially in Europe - and within Europe, most particularly in those countries already worst affected by the crisis". (01/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » Financial Markets, » Switzerland, » Global

The current economic crisis stems from a crisis in values, writes the (daily) Neue Zürcher Zeitung. It criticises short-term thinking, lack of clear lines of responsibility, neglect of consumer needs, and a disregard for political acceptance: "This year's favourite word in Davos is 'values.' ... But actually, free enterprise and society are based on common values. They cannot function if people do not share central moral convictions. Laws can neither force morality nor replace it to any great extent. A society in which everything were regulated would lack humanity and could not survive. That is why efforts to tackle the alleged and actual lack of decent behaviour by means of regulations are bound to fail, not to mention the fact that people have not suddenly become so much worse that they now have to be restrained.” (30/01/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Economic Policy, » Global
All available articles from » Gerhard Schwarz

The left-liberal daily Ta Nea expresses surprise at the central issue of the World Economic Forum in Davos: international cooperation: "Karl Schwab, who founded the Forum in 1971, said that the problems with the international competition system needed to be examined. It looked like the subject of competition was missing from the Forum agenda, even though it's the preferred subject of the thousands of politicians and entrepreneurs who convene in the Swiss village each year to regulate the global economic system. Does this mean that the dogma of 'every man for himself' is being given up in the attempt to set up 'global governance'?" (30/01/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Fiscal Policy, » Global
All available articles from » Roussos Vranas

Last Friday, speaking before a parliamentary committee, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair defended the 2003 Iraq war, for which he shared responsibility. But the daily Jyllands-Posten digs out the real motivations for the Iraq war: "There is no doubt that Blair was convinced that the goal was to remove Saddam Hussein. And it is well known that no weapons of mass destruction were found. It is also known that Saddam Hussein was a destabilising and dangerous factor in the region, and that he was both an opportunistic and cynical dictator, who oppressed the Iraqi people. Obviously, that's what Blair believed. He found it both morally correct and strategically wise to remove Saddam Hussein." (01/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » United Kingdom, » Iraq

The liberal Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has unexpectedly declared he will not run in the presidential elections of 2010. The liberal daily Gazeta Wyborcza sees this as a sign that the office of head of government will become more important: His decision "holds out the opportunity to bring the state structures in order and create a chancellor system. ... When Tusk, who was a fail-safe candidate for the office of president, opts among two possible offices for that of prime minister, this sends an important political signal: the office of prime minister is more important. Then Poland can be changed from the building in the Aleje Ujazdowskie [the seat of government] rather than from the presidential palace (even if the president can still do serious harm to the prime minister). This is the reality. But in the eyes of the voters and politicians the office of president has always represented the peak of a political career." (01/02/2010)

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

Germany's conservative governing party, the CDU, headed by Chancellor Angela Merkel, is stuck in a leadership crisis just like the left-wing opposition party, The Left (Die Linke), suggests the daily Aamulehti. This could end up benefitting the Social Democrats, who fell so low in the last election. "A faction of Merkel's own party is unhappy with her line, considering it too moderate, too middle of the road and too invisible. But Merkel's position shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Having grown up in East Germany, this politician does not fit into an ideological mould, but rather takes a pragmatic approach oriented towards consensus, preferring to work behind the scenes rather than in the limelight. ... The Left party is a collection of former communist and leftists from the SPD ... . In the last elections, The Left received almost 12 percent, bringing them within nibbling reach of SPD fans. ... The withdrawal of [The Left party head] Lafontaine, who previously had slammed the door on the SPD, may actually help bring about cooperation between the political parties and send some supporters of The Left party back to their home base." (01/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Germany

An informant has offered to provide the German government with the names of 1,500 alleged tax evaders in exchange for 2.5 million euros. This has sparked a political debate about whether the state should purchase information that has been gathered illegally. The Dutch Christian Democrats have fewer qualms in such a case, the blog De Dagelijkse Standaard writes: "The social democratic private-sphere haters from the SPD are in favour, of course. The governing CDU [Christian Democratic Party], meanwhile, is against it. The CDU does not fundamentally oppose this violation of the private sphere, however. It is simply concerned about the fact that the data is stolen. In the past this was not a problem, so even that is progress. The German Christian Democrats have gained some sense of decency. Certainly more than their Dutch brothers have." (01/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Tax Policy, » Germany, » Netherlands

The way the Europeans and Americans have come to the aid of Haiti after the earthquake is very commendable, writes João Marques de Almeida, a member of President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso's cabinet, writing in the business paper Diário Económico. He adds that Russia and China have been less praiseworthy in their performance: "The aid ... is testimony to the humaneness of the Europeans and Americans. When there have been tragedies of these dimensions in the past, like in Pakistan in 2006 or in Indonesia and Turkey before that, the US and Europe (often alone) were immediately there to help. The majority of financial aid comes from Western countries. Moreover the willingness, swiftness and mobilisation of European and American society show that we are not indifferent to such disasters. ... At a time when there is so much talk of the decline of the Western world, we can be proud of ourselves. And let no one say that there are strategic interests or valuable raw materials in Haiti. ... The world may be multipolar in many respects, ... but as far as humanitarian affairs are concerned it is still led by the Europeans and the US. Where are China and Russia when humanitarian disasters occur? Haiti has proven that in such cases all the world receives from Beijing and Moscow is indifference and aloofness." (01/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Social affairs, » Europe, » Latin Amerika, » U.S.
All available articles from » João Marques Almeida de

The Cypriot economy is struggling. It may now follow Greece's negative example, the daily Cyprus Mail warns: "Our tourist industry is tired, bedraggled and overpriced; our civil service over-staffed, over paid and inefficient; and our construction industry overstocked and riddled with debt. We have a communist president and a capitalist depression caused by banks and finance companies. We are a nation in debt with no visible way out. ... Drastic situations require drastic measures, but when will we wake up to the fact? Too late inevitably and then the muck will hit the fan and Cyprus will follow Greece in its downward spiral to impoverishment." (31/01/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Economic Policy, » Cyprus
All available articles from » Hermes Solomon

Estonia has long been debating about whether to build a nuclear power plant in order to ensure its independence in energy policy. The daily paper Postimees sees this as a necessary step: "At least given today's technology, a higher percentage of wind power would be too expensive for the taxpayer. This is because wind cannot be forced. But on the other hand, one can force the owners of large power plants to add renewable energy sources to their list, for example through the simultaneous production of heat and electricity using wood pellets. ... Estonia's politicians have decided that they must be able to cover their country's entire energy needs domestically, and that means we absolutely must have at least one or two large power plants. Wood pellets or wind just won't do the trick. We can still burn oil shale, but for environmental reasons a new coal power station is out of the question. That is why the most realistic solution, economically speaking, is to build our own nuclear power plant." (01/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Environmental Policy, » Energy, » Economic Policy, » Estonia
All available articles from » Andrus Karnau

Istanbul is European Capital of Culture 2010 along with the city of Essen in Germany's Ruhr area and Pécs. Writing for the daily Le Monde the Turkish Paris-based author Nedim Gürsel takes this as an opportunity to pay homage to his native city: "Istanbul is European Capital of Culture 2010. This may sound ... paradoxical for the capital of the Ottoman sultans and also the city of Pierre Loti, Istanbul's precentor. At the end of the 19th century Istanbul inspired so many European dreams of the Gateway to the Orient, or the 'Great Gateway', as it was called back then, that today it is difficult to imagine this city beyond the myth. Yet this megalopolis with some 15 million inhabitants, which sits between two continents and connects the two sides of the Bosphorus with each other and is constantly spreading and developing, has claimed its place among Europe's cities. ... I have visited almost every European capital and cannot imagine the future of a Europe that leaves Istanbul outside its borders." (30/01/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Cultural Policy, » Turkey
All available articles from » Nedim Gürsel

Manipulation and censorship are advancing on the Internet and endangering freedom in cyberspace, warns the business paper Il Sole 24 Ore: "We know only too well what we can do for the Internet: We can liberate it from those who are trying to get rich on the ideas of others, who try to kill off debate and who cannot tolerate differences of opinion. … If we don't manage to win the battle, if might makes right, this will not merely mean the defeat of a particular profession or a newspaper but rather the end of free debate and the free exchange of ideas. This would entail a populism in which governments of post-modern democracies and authoritarian regimes alike would learn to manipulate search engines to their own advantage, to ignore or censor microblogs and to extinguish public opinion. Ominous signs of such developments may already be observed in the US and in Europe, as well as in China and in Russia." (31/01/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Online media, » Global
All available articles from » Gianni Riotta

Journalist and former German MP Lale Akgün has called for a ban on full-body veils in Germany. The left-liberal Frankfurter Rundschau urges caution: "The headscarf ban for teachers was already wrong. Those who allow others to practice their religion in peace won't imperil the Republic by allowing them to wear a piece of fabric that covers their hair. Those who try to bend them to their will with bans provoke acts of defiance and attack the freedom of other religions as well. Muslims of all colours are made to feel how much fundamental rejection is bound up in the battle against the forms of expression of their culture and religion. ... Yet the great majority of Muslims reject the full-body veil. Those who don't acknowledge this could also accuse all Catholics of wanting to bring back the Latin mass, like the Pius brothers. It is therefore reassuring to see that the majority of politicians in office in Germany don't advocate the burqa ban. ... A ban on burqas in public places is out of the question because it only increases the isolation of these women."    (01/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Religion, » Integration, » Germany, » Europe
All available articles from » Monika Kappus

Ten US citizens have been arrested in Haiti, on suspicion of having attempted to bring children out of the country. Haiti must not be allowed to become a supermarket for criminals, writes the daily newspaper, Die Presse: "People keep on trying, on their own, to bring children across the border into the Dominican Republic, explaining that they have only good intentions. It is just this kind of naïveté that adds to the chaos in the country. Who is able to tell the difference between real rescue workers and criminals? No one can be sure whether children who are hustled out of the country actually do have relatives in their homeland who could care for them. These children are not registered anywhere, their departure is not noted in any office. That is where human traffickers fit right in. They are playing with the fate of Haitian orphans - and with the longings of childless foreigners." (01/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Migration, » Latin Amerika, » Global
All available articles from » Irene Zöch