As Russia's biggest foreign investor Germany should push for constitutional reforms in the country, writes the conservative daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung following the German-Russian government consultations in Yekaterinburg: "The Russian agenda for improving the infrastructure and modernising the plants seems perfect for German companies. We hear time and again that lighthouses, high-profile projects with political backing, are lacking. In Russia symbols are important and the state plays an important role in the economy. But what determines success or failure in the long term is how good the products and services are. It is also important that to have the right general conditions for a free market system in Russia. Germany's political leadership should be pressing for this. And Russia's appeal as a market also depends on it." (16/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Trade, » Germany, » Russia
All available articles from » Gerald Hosp

The prospect of billions in business contracts is dispelling Germany's reservations about Russia, writes liberal-conservative daily Corriere della Sera on the summit in Yekaterinburg: "Angela Merkel has set aside her reservations about Russia. Perhaps partly because President Dmitry Medvedev's manners are pleasanter than those of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. But also thanks to the prospect of contracts Moscow holds out to Germany. ... After years of scepticism and caution Frau Merkel is now inclined to intensify relations with Moscow. The chancellor is bowing to the massive pressure coming from Germany's business community. The German government sees exports as the best way to boost the economy. Securing Russia's market will be Berlin's top priority." (16/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Economic Policy, » Germany, » Russia
All available articles from » Danilo Taino

Germany has an important role to play in Moscow's rapprochement with Europe, writes the left-liberal Süddeutsche Zeitung on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Yekaterinburg: "Merkel is well advised to project this new rapprochement as a deal based on mutuality. Accordingly an unremarkable pilot project is taking on high significance. On the edge of Russia's sphere of influence the Transnistria problem lies dormant, an almost forgotten conflict which divides Moldova and has left an anachronistic regime left over from the final phase of the Soviet Union under Russian military protection. ... The US is far away from Europe these days. So it's up to Germany to find a balance between the West and the East of Europe. ... Now Angela Merkel is taking on the role of chief nurse. She has the good fortune to be dealing with a Russian president who apparently is not abusing these relations to further his plans for power." (16/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » EU neighbourhood policy, » Germany, » Russia, » Europe
All available articles from » Stefan Kornelius

Another member of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government resigned on Wednesday as the result of a corruption scandal. The daily Der Standard deplores the course the country is taking: "It is increasingly difficult to describe the situation in Italy. After over 15 years during which Silvio Berlusconi has dominated the country like no one else all the journalistic superlatives have been exhausted. The disgust with conditions that hardly anyone outside Italy can understand has given way to amazement. Amazement at the extent to which the inability to reform, political frivolity, the stubborn refusal to accept reality and sheer criminal energy have ravaged this ancient cultural nation. ... There are protests, yes. Italian civil society is rising up in rebellion, yes. But only to promptly sit down again. This is the most threatening and depressing aspect of this lack of political mobilisation: There are no repercussions - for anyone, ever." (16/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Italy
All available articles from » Christoph Prantner

In the coming week the new Slovakian Prime Minister Iveta Radičová will meet her Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán in an attempt to ease the conflicts between the two EU neighbours. The liberal daily Sme doubts the meeting will be of any use: "It is about time Bratislava and Budapest returned to normal relations. ... But this will require a change of attitude on the part of Orbán and his associates. That's a vain hope, however, if the most recent statements by the Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi in the Berliner Zeitung are any indication. He still can't understand what Slovakia finds unacceptable about the Hungarian law on dual nationality. With a head of diplomacy who fails to understand that his country has no business concerning itself with the citizens of another country on that country's territory, it's safe to assume that all meetings will be just a waste of time." (16/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Minorities, » EU neighbourhood policy, » Hungary, » Slovakia
All available articles from » Peter Morvay

On July 10 hundreds of thousands took to the streets in Barcelona to protest the ruling of the Spanish Constitutional Court in Barcelona according to which parts of Catalan's Autonomy Statute are invalid. There are only two options for soothing the citizens' discontent, writes the Catalan daily El Periódico de Catalunya: "With respect to Catalonia the autonomous region system has outlived its usefulness. This is the most important conclusion to be drawn from the Constitutional Court's judgement. The problem this poses is not legal in nature, but political. The only way out of the trap in which Spain finds itself is a new political pact between Spain and Catalonia - the judgement has nullified that of 1978. From the Catalonian point of view there are two options: either a pact which redefines Catalonia's integration into Spain, based on a plurinational and federalist concept of the state, or the long and arduous path to independence." (16/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Social movements, » Federalism, » Separatism, » Spain
All available articles from » Antoni Segura

On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the introduction of Bulgaria's first democratic constitution since 1945, Liuben Obretenov, one of those responsible for its coming into force, complains in the daily Sega that the Bulgarians spend too much time regretting the past: "The idea of the communist state still dominates our minds. I remember a poster from the student protests in 1990 with the words: We want a government that can feed the people. Why should a government do that? It's not a soup kitchen. The role of the state is widely misunderstood. Its task is to distribute taxes in such a way that it guarantees social order and security for its citizens, as well as a foundation on which they may act as they see fit without harming others. At present the people in the north-east are suffering from floods. On television I see them demanding aid from the state. Why didn't they insure their property beforehand? Certainly, there are many problems that lie under the jurisdiction of the state and the municipalities, but often all that's needed is personal initiative. People have to learn to take control of their own destinies." (15/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Demographics, » History, » Remembrance culture, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Liuben Obretenov

Unions and employers in Greece on Thursday agreed on a pay freeze for employees in the private sector. The left-liberal daily Eeftherotypia welcomes the move but cautions that unemployment is dangerously high: "People assume that yesterday's agreement will guarantee the 13th and 14th month. ... In view of the current political and economic circumstances the singing of this wage agreement is a positive development. Nevertheless the accord can do nothing to counteract workers' [pension] losses. And above all it cannot conceal the larger problem that is quickly taking on nightmare proportions: unemployment. According to official figures 600,000 people are now unemployed and their numbers are growing by the day. The government, the unions and the employers are faced with a time bomb that endangers the long-lasting peace on the job market and the very foundations of Greek society." (16/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Economic Policy, » Trade unions, » Greece

This week the EU finance ministers removed the last hurdles to Estonia's introduction of the euro in January 2011. The daily Etelä-Suomen Sanomat is delighted: "To the surprise of many, Estonia has streamlined its economy and brought down unemployment. ... As a result it has more reason to belong to the Eurozone than Greece for example. Finland has every reason to welcome Estonia to the Euro region. Our countries' economies will function together better when they have the same currency. It will also eliminate many risks, such as increased alcohol transport. If Estonia's currency weakened considerably the lorries would immediately leave Helsinki to freight alcohol back to Finland. Estonia's entry into the Eurozone will also bring Finland immediate work, because the coins will be minted in Suomen Rahapaja." (15/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » EU neighbourhood policy, » Estonia, » Finland, » Europe

On Thursday the Vatican adopted new guidelines for handling cases of paedophile priests and published them for the first time. They extend the statutory period of limitation from ten years after the victim reaches the age of consent to 20 years. The left-liberal daily Gazeta Wyborcza says this is not enough: "It's too little. The new procedures announced yesterday in the case of these most serious crimes were meant to be a gesture to the victims of sexual abuse. And they were to be proof that the Church is taking serious action on the series of sex scandals involving priests uncovered by the media. But the document lacks the 'zero tolerance' principle - contrary to the expectations of the organisations that are focusing on helping the victims of paedophile priests." (16/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Poland, » Global
All available articles from » Katarzyna Wiśniewska

The Swedish Transport Minister Åsa Torstensson has proposed that drunk drivers should be subject to an alcohol immobiliser instead of losing their licences. But the cost of installing the system, which allows drivers to use their cars again once a breathalyser test has determined they are sobre, can run up to 3,000 euros. The daily Dagens Nyheter is concerned that some citizens will be put at a disadvantage by the plan: "If Torstensson has her way some people will get off lightly. They'll pay a fine and then drive off as if nothing had happened. But others - primarily young drivers and those with low incomes - risk being excluded by the alcohol immobiliser. When you lose your driver's licence it's like a pillory, you really feel it. This stigmatisation is part and parcel of the punishment. There's nothing special about that. But it should be the same for everyone. Some people should not be able to buy their way out of punishment." (16/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Infrastructure / Travel and Transport, » Sweden

Counter to objections by traditionalists the Anglican Church in Britain continues to work towards authorising women to hold the office of bishop. The first female bishop is to be ordained in 2014. The conservative daily The Irish Times welcomes the initiative: "Meanwhile, fears raised during debates that the advent of women bishops would precipitate mass defections to the Catholic Church have receded with a growing view that such threats were never more than tactical, at least where some traditionalists were concerned. In the Church of Ireland, there has been little discussion to date on the issue of women bishops. However, the ordination of women to the priesthood is a regular occurrence and was first approved in 1990, four years before the Church of England. Almost unnoticed, women clergy continue to scale the clerical ladder. ... It is likely this gradual, natural rising to the top will continue." (16/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Demographics, » Gender equality, » United Kingdom, » Ireland

The surprising suicide of Romanian pop singer Mădălina Manole on her 43rd birthday has sparked a major debate in the media. But the media itself is partially responsible for her death, writes the daily Adevărul: "Mădălina Manole is a victim of the superficial world and false values propagated by the media, and especially by cheap TV shows. Like the monsters in old tales, such shows feed on beauty, sex and melodrama. The speed with which one can become a star in this world is matched only by the speed at which one can be marginalised, and relegated to a box for old toys. With her act Mădălina Manole has given this superficial menagerie ... an authentic drama, an insoluble riddle. ... To understand what she has done one must grasp how a television appearance can be a matter of life and death. This is a world of light and shadow where all that counts is what is visible, a world in which one may neither age, put on weight nor weep. Basically - let's tell it like it is - it is an impossible world." (16/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Music, » Public Culture, » Print media, » Romania
All available articles from » Emilian Isaila

Estonia's euro coins will show no more than an outline of the country. The daily Postimees is peeved: "We have to be honest and admit that we have no grand cultural personality have like Mozart or Dante with whom we can adorn our coins. But there are other options. For example the German motifs showing the federal eagle and Brandenburg Gate - which are known far beyond the country's borders - are a pleasure to look at. Money presents a free-of-charge opportunity to make our homeland better-known, because we'll have to replace our coins no matter what. The real question, then, is whether we are putting this opportunity to good use. All members of the Eurozone may choose their motifs according to their own tastes, and the euro coins circulate in all member countries. With Estonia that makes 17 countries, with a total population of 300 million." (16/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Public Culture, » Estonia
All available articles from » Hannes Rumm