Spain won the World Cup for the first time on Sunday. The conservative daily ABC would like to see the same kind of harmonious teamwork in politics as in the stadium: "Football is a team sport and the Spanish team worked together like a well-oiled machine with each piece doing the work it should do and even going that extra mile which tends to bring victory. And this is so unusual in today's Spain, where each piece does its own thing, that it's worth more than all the World Cup trophies in the world. That players from different teams and regions fit in so well with each other and fought in unison for the national colours has shown us that football has gone beyond a sport to become an example for civic coexistence." (12/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Social movements, » Sport, » Federalism, » Separatism, » Spain
All available articles from » José María Carrascal

For the third time in the history of the World Cup the Netherlands has lost the final. Despite the understandable disappointment this championship has done the country a world of good, writes the left-liberal daily De Volkskrant: "For a while the Dutch saw themselves as participators in the success of Oranje rather than the inhabitants of a divided country. The World Cup was an experience that united the Dutch. And they needed that experience. ... We needn't have any illusions about how long the cheerful mood will last. ... Yet it is undisputed that the last few weeks were marked by a rare sense of unity. ... There are few experiences the millions of Dutch all share with each other. But many years from now almost every Dutch citizen will still remember where and with whom they witnessed the spectacle and what they felt when the final whistle was blown. In the old days wars and occupations brought people together. Now a game of football can do the same." (12/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Sport, » Netherlands

With Spain, the Netherlands and Germany, three European teams have won medals at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. This is at least one thing the old continent can be happy about, the business paper Hospodářské noviny writes: "The spectre of decline is haunting Europe. The euro is in crisis. France and Germany, traditionally the political and economic motors of the Union, cannot agree on how to reform the financial sector or get the economy out of recession. Outside Europe's borders people are saying that Europe's best days are over, and that it is losing its political and economic clout on the global stage. Nevertheless the Europeans can still be proud that they play the best football. ... And football is the realm where the ideal of an open market free of internal borders is best exemplified. ... If Europe learns from football it can also sow the seeds of long-term optimism."  (12/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Sport, » Europe, » Global
All available articles from » Daniel Anýž

The World Cup has improved Africa's image, writes the daily Dagens Nyheter: "The image of Africa as a continent torn by war, chaos and poverty is no longer the only one. Certainly poverty is still widespread and in some regions the conflicts appear unsolvable. But many African countries are faring relatively well. ... Arduous reforms have got these countries back on the right track. Sustainable economic development seems possible in Africa too. And naturally the Africans themselves are capable of taking the helm and steering in the right direction. The World cup has shown how much can be achieved with strength of will." (12/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Sport, » Africa

Serbian President Boris Tadić on Sunday expressed his regret at a ceremony commemorating the Srebrenica massacre 15 years ago. The daily Die Presse nonetheless sees little progress as regards clarifying the massacre and points to the role of the Europeans and their failure to protect Srebrenica: "Pretty speeches but no action also characterised the European powers, which were guilty of gross negligence in 1995: Establishing a UN 'safe zone' in Srebrenica without ensuring adequate military cover and without the countries of origin being willing to use their soldiers as such in case of emergency was a contemptible deed. No one has ever really assumed responsibility for this, apart from the half-hearted resignation of Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok following a critical report on Dutch blue helmets - a month before the elections and after he had already announced his departure from politics anyway." (12/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Netherlands, » Europe, » Serbia, » Bosnien
All available articles from » Michael Prüller

Belgian's Flemish population celebrated their national holiday yesterday, the 11th of July. Jan Peumans, president of the Flemish parliament, used the occasion to call for a constitution for the Flemish. The daily De Standaard approves of the idea, comparing the Flemish struggle for autonomy with that of the Catalan population in Spain: "It may be that Flanders does not have to fight as hard against Brussels as the Catalans do against Madrid. Nevertheless here too things don't happen as a matter of course. If the political stalemate of the past years tells us anything, it's that the primarily Flemish sighs for more powers for the regional governments are not without controversy, and that these require much argumentation and struggle. ... The [Flemish constitution] is certainly a legitimate wish. It is good that what Flanders stands for should be put down in writing. ... Nevertheless one must not expect a miraculous strengthening of the Flemish identity from such a constitution. Far more important is that the text should also be implemented in Flanders." (12/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Belgium
All available articles from » Bart Dobbelaere

The Democratic Party of Japan has suffered a crushing defeat in the upper house parliamentary elections Sunday. It was unable to fulfil many of the promises it had made like tax cuts and more transparency in governance, the conservative daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung notes: "The great hope of Japanese politics which sent the 'eternal' liberal democratic ruling party packing in a spectacular coup less than a year ago has suffered a setback in the upper house elections. The reason for the debacle is the disappointment of voters at the lack of change in Japanese politics and at the clumsy manouvering of the new prime minister [Naoto Kan] . ... Thanks to its majority in the lower house [the Democrats] will stay in government but in the upper house which can block the lawmaking process they will be dependent on alliances. This means they will have to invest a lot of energy in fighting for power while it will be difficult to push through a coherent reform policy." (12/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Japan
All available articles from » Beat Wieser

The Polish "April 10 Movement" - representing the next of kin of those killed in the plane crash in which former president Lech Kaczyński died - held a protest on Sunday calling for the establishment of an international commission to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash. The left-liberal daily Gazeta Wyborcza cautions people not to let their hopes run too high: "Of course one can repeat endlessly ... that the systematic causes of the plane crash are being looked into - meaning the whole chain of unfortunate circumstances, mistakes and events that led up to the accident. And of course that could involve pinpointing the responsibility of members of government belonging to the Civic Platform for the 36th Regiment [responsible for air safety of the Polish military] as well as for Lech Kaczyński and his staff. And it could establish the responsibility of the [secret service] BBN for the plane and flight preparations. We have the right to demand answers. Nevertheless months or even years from now ... no one will be found responsible for the crash." (12/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Poland
All available articles from » Miłada Jędrysik

The European Union's biggest problem is its lack of internal coordination and strategy, writes Nikos Konstantaras in the Sunday edition of the conservative paper Kathimerini: "The central mechanisms of the Union are at a loss as to how to proceed. The countries can't coordinate among themselves, many governments are weak and obliged to introduce policies oriented towards national political criteria rather than the common good. ... For Europe to emerge from the crisis it needs a vision and a strategy. It needs inspiring leaders who can convince their people - as well as all of Europe's 500 million inhabitants - that the concept of a United Europe will pay off and that it will improve their lives and prospects. ... Financial risks have led the members of the EU to adopt a common standpoint and develop support mechanisms for every country that finds itself in need. Weak politicians must now brace themselves and make historic strides in the direction of a united Europe. They have managed to prevent the EU from falling apart but it seems they still don't believe strength only comes with unity." (11/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Domestic Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Europe
All available articles from » Nikos Konstandaras

A year after Boyko Borisov's centre-right government took office, economist Emil Harsev gives its economic policy the thumbs-up commenting in the daily Sega: "With regards to the economy the government deserves high marks for its first year. Sooner or later everyone will recognise the success that will make this cabinet go down in history: Contrary to almost all other European governments, regardless of their political orientation, it did not raise taxes. Nothing is more important for Bulgaria than to remain the country with the lowest tax burden in the EU. ... This is a particularly difficult decision because the state needs to be disciplined and resist the pressure of its protégés - all those who are demanding its help, which means our tax money. ... If the government continues to keep taxes low and keep the state on a moderate course this will give it an invaluable competitive advantage which will benefit Bulgarian companies and the entire nation for decades to come." (11/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Economic Policy, » Tax Policy, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Emil Harsev

The US Nobel Prize winner for economics Paul Krugman has said in an interview with Spanish daily El País that he sees individual countries leaving the Eurozone as a viable option. The daily Kaleva can understand Krugman's point of view: "Greece's economic problems are just a symptom of the disease that is gnawing away at the political system. ... Mismanagement doesn't just disappear with a change of currency zone. Nor do the problems that result from poor labour productivity development and insufficient investment in infrastructure, research and product development. Its about political will. No social system can function if there is not enough political power behind it, which in turn is based on the general trust of its citizens. If the hoards of people who marched on the streets don't want to believe in the euro and consider other solutions better, Greece's economy drive will do it little good. ... The euro is not just a technical system. If the Greeks see life as easier without the euro within a democratic process, then they must be allowed to follow this course." (12/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Financial Markets, » Europe

The French stock exchange supervisory authority AMF has accused rating agencies of worsening the current crisis by not modifying their practices. The business paper Les Echos agrees: "What has happened since then? In truth, not much. The report published on Friday by the AMF shows that despite their failures in the Enron affair [bankruptcy of the US energy company], the subprime crisis [payment defaults in the US mortgage market] or the collapse of Lehman Brothers, rating agencies are still coming in for as much criticism as ever. The AMF is repeating a complaint often levelled at these private financial arbiters, namely that just like the markets they follow the herd. The French supervisory authority maintains that the procyclical attitude of the rating agencies has poured oil on the fire of Europe's national debt crises." (12/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Financial Markets, » Global
All available articles from » Nicolas Barré

After a week of fleeing the British police, suspected murderer Raoul Moat took his own life. The left-liberal Sunday newspaper The Observer sees it as an expression of the British public's hunger for sensational news that the TV cameras doggedly followed the hunt right to the end: "It's too pat to blame the news media. They are merely feeding the 'public interest' monster - a ravenous, impatient, rubbernecking creature. In a way, that seems almost too tidy. It seems to be this very part of us that feeds the 'death and glory' monster presumably lurking inside poor, deluded sods such as Moat, making all those fantasies about being the centre of attention, the big scary guy with the gun, come true. ... Whatever else was happening on Friday evening, we have to accept that, for a time, Moat's sickness met our sickness and we were locked together in a deathly embrace, broken only by adverts." (12/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Audiovisual Media, » United Kingdom
All available articles from » Barbara Ellen

France's parliament will decide on Tuesday whether to ban the burqa. The conservative daily The Irish Times is sceptical: "It is difficult to escape the conclusion that the legislation ... is largely a cynical attempt to pander to anti-Islamist, xenophobic sentiments also seen in other European capitals. In Belgium and Spain bills banning the wearing of face veils are awaiting senate approval. Switzerland last autumn passed a referendum banning the construction of minarets, while in Holland and Hungary there have been strong electoral gains by the far-right. Underlying the move, however, is also an important French philosophical assumption about the integration and assimilation of migrants. ... But integration can, and should, be a two-way process about both encouraging a commitment to and engagement by immigrants with their new home culture while, in return, embracing and respecting their cultural diversity." (12/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Migration, » Integration, » Minorities, » France, » Europe