The advisory opinion on Kosovo handed down in The Hague could strenghten separatist movements in other regions, writes the left-liberal daily El País: "Even if the opinion of the highest UN court isn't binding it will have important consequences. These hold above all for Serbia, which asked the tribunal to examine the legality of the secession, as well as for Kosovo, for whom the path to the UN and recognition by other states now stands open. But the court's decision will presumably also bolster independence movements in other unstable regions, including the Serbian half of ethnically divided Bosnia in the former Yugoslavia." (23/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Social movements, » Federalism, » Separatism, » Serbia, » Kosovo, » Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Kosovo ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) does not give carte blanche for other autonomy movements in the world, writes the daily Tages-Anzeiger: "The report is surprising in its clarity but not unexpected. Unlike Serbia the UN judges are not closing their eyes to reality in Kosovo. They remember that the founding of the state took place only after tough negotiations under UN mediation. The Kosovo Albanians' move was by no means unilateral. And it was the result of brutal Serb repression policy in the 1990s which led to Nato intervention. The judges therefore consider the case of Kosovo unique. This is why the ICJ has not commented on the question of whether the Albanians have the right to secession. It wants to prevent other autonomy movements from using Kosovo as a model. … Belgrade should take this defeat as an opportunity to forget its stance towards Kosovo. This would also be in the interest of the Serb minority [in Kosovo]." (23/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » EU neighbourhood policy, » Global, » Serbia, » Kosovo
All available articles from » Enver Robelli

The Hague's decision is not a defeat but a reality check for Serbia, writes the daily Dnevnik: "Picking over each sentence and comma of the lengthy report giving the reasons for the decision will no doubt take months, as will the hunt for any morsels that could justify the Serb side's position, if only for reasons of domestic politics. But it will be nothing but a waste of time and money. Kosovo will never be Serbian, neither in the form of 'more autonomy and less state' nor in the form of a Hong Kong model. The problem originates in political waters. Because there is no longer any chance that the United Nations General Assembly or the UN Security Council will make some kind of declaration that changes Kosovo's status, Belgrade … no longer has any leeway for its goal of dismantling the state of Kosovo. All it can do is realign its relations with the country. The sooner Belgrade recognises this, the better." (23/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Serbia, » Kosovo
All available articles from » Zoran Senkovic

The decision taken in The Hague has set off a wave of disappointment in Serbia. The tabloid Aftonbladet writes that Serbia's joining the EU could settle the conflict with Kosovo: "Belgrade believes that Kosovo is not and never will be an independent state. Nevertheless the government has evoked the prospect of independence on the condition that the border be drawn near Mitrovica in the north - which in practice amounts to a division of Kosovo. Such a development would ... only lead to calls for more ethnic division and further borders, not least in  the Serbian enclave Republika Srpska in Bosnia. That is no solution. Hope must now be placed in Serbia's wish to join th EU. This may seem difficult to imagine at present, but it is the only way to get the country to the negotiating table. It holds out the prospect not only of a possible solution to the Kosovo problem but also of lasting peace in the entire Baltic Region." (23/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Europe, » Serbia, » Kosovo

The decision of the International Court of Justice in The Hague on the legality of Kosovo's independence gives Serbia a chance to put the past behind it, writes the business paper Hospodářské noviny: "Even if they officially maintain the opposite, Serbian politicians have been saying under their breath for years now that Kosovo is lost to Belgrade. ... The Serbians want to join the EU, and that should considerably temper their reaction to the judgement from The Hague. The Serbs have become a lot more pragmatic since the end of Milošević nationalism. Even right after the declaration of independence the majority was saying that Kosovo was far less interesting than the economic situation of one's own family and country. As of yesterday Serbian politicians now have an alibi: we did what we could. The judgement in The Hague must not be interpreted as a defeat for Belgrade, but as a chance to close one chapter and open another, more optimistic one." (23/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Separatism, » Europe, » Serbia, » Kosovo
All available articles from » Martin Ehl

A police officer killed a 22-year-old Roma in the French department of Loir-et-Cher on the weekend for unknown reasons. Demonstrators then sacked a police station during the subsequent unrest. The daily Libération sees French President Nicolas Sarkozy's idea, prompted by the rioting, of initiating a discussion of the problems caused by the Roma community as discriminating: "Which community in France has to present a 'travel booklet' to the police every three months? Which people encounter the worst difficulties in voting, sending their children to school or simply moving into the neighbourhood of their choice? The Roma, recognised as a 'travelling people' by the administration. But the presumption of innocence … is also required for Luigi Duquenet. … Must it be repeated that throughout their long and difficult history these 'travelling people' … have been discriminated against and served as a scapegoat for hatred and racism? This meeting to discuss their supposed 'delinquency' is dangerous and futile." (23/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Migration, » Integration, » Minorities, » France
All available articles from » François Sergent

The Polish Labour Minister Jolanta Fedak has presented a new draft of the pension reform. But the current proposal fails to take account of the possibility of reducing contributions to state pensions in order to invest in private pension schemes, writes the conservative daily Rzeczpospolita: "Among all the things the Poles will be allowed to do in future there's only one thing missing: sinking the contributions. Because if we are to assume responsibility for managing our own pension money in our old age (the ministry wants everyone to have the right to receive his or her pension in one go) then we can be responsible for investing the money ourselves that is now to be transferred from the general pension fund OFE into the social insurance fund ZUS. Adding this proposal to the labour ministry's project would make people assuming responsibility for their future pensions more credible." (23/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Poland
All available articles from » Aleksandra Fandrejewska

The German state of North Rhine-Westfalia has announced it plans to introduce anonymous application procedures for the state administration. Application forms without names or photographs are aimed at preventing immigrants from being at a disadvantage. An interesting experiment, writes the left-liberal Süddeutsche Zeitung: "In the Swedish city of Gothenburg for example, considerably more women and migrants were invited to interviews after anonymous applications were introduced. Clearly preselection is done differently when those in charge make their decisions solely on the basis of work-related facts. But that's where the problems start: A knowledge of Turkish or a secondary school education in Novosibirsk can constitute precisely such work-related facts on the basis of which someone is hired or not. For business such information is essential. ... There's no getting around the fact that once you get to the interview stage applicants can no longer be protected by anonymity. In Gothenburg that turned out to be the decisive hurdle: more women ended up getting jobs, but immigrants were no more successful than before." (23/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Migration, » Gender equality, » Germany

The signposts for roads and hiking trails in the Italian autonomous region of South Tyrol are almost all in German only. On Thursday the Italian minister for the regions called for all monolingual signposts in South Tyrol to be removed. But what Rome really wants to remove is not the signposts but South Tyrol's financial autonomy, which deprives Rome of tax revenues, the liberal daily La Stampa writes: "That the signpost issue has resurfaced during these hot days of July means that relations between the central state power and the autonomous region are in a particularly critical phase. And given the so-called 'historical' situation … thoughts automatically drift in the direction of budgetary issues and money. … An autonomy like the one in South Tyrol is not based on signposts … . It has much stronger foundations, and (perhaps) this is precisely what is causing the row." (23/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Minorities, » Italy
All available articles from » Sebastiano Vassalli

The French president's unpopularity is increasing as the Bettencourt affair unfolds. He should be more respectful regarding French sensibilities, the managing director of the leftist French weekly Le Nouvel Observateur Denis Olivennes writes in the liberal weekly Die Zeit: "Sarkozy wanted to break with all the pomp and distance that have monarchist traits. … But he was soon being accused of trivialising the importance of his office … . In this old Catholic country Nicolas Sarkozy broke with the hypocritical relationship France has with money. … This [Bettencourt] affair reveals the tacit understanding that exists between the milieus of the business world and the political Right and has brought the disastrous identification of the president with the rich to a climax. … Nicolas Sarkozy must now however solve a difficult equation: he must stick to his policy of so-called 'rupture' to be able to continue to offer the country movement instead of stagnation - but by no means too much of it or he risks offending people's sensibilities. At present he still hasn't found the right dosage." (22/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Public Culture, » France
All available articles from » Olivennes, Denis

Mobile phone giant Nokia's profits for the second quarter of this year are down around 33 percent compared to the same period last year. The daily Helsingin Sanomat expresses concern: "As a mobile phone company Nokia is going through the toughest test in its entire history. … Nokia's strength is its broad base of shareholders. But in a crisis that's a weakness because the CEO and firm management lack the support of strong shareholders. Nokia's Finnishness has long since been manifest in its management and its determination to keep the company firmly anchored in Finland. Therefore the matter of who becomes Nokia CEO is an important national issue. The future of Finnish IT capacities is also at stake. If an important company leaves the country its expert knowledge goes with it." (23/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Corporations, » Economic Policy, » Finland

Portugal's government on Thursday decided that supermarkets covering a surface of more than 2,000 square metres may open on Sundays. Up to now only small shops had been allowed to stay open. The business paper Diário Económico welcomes the decision: "The superstore became a symbol of the Cavaco Silva government. During his term in office at the end of the 1980s the first supermarkets were established and rapidly became a mecca for the middle class. The joke about families strolling through supermarkets on Sunday afternoons wearing their shellsuits and trainers originated back then. In the past years when particularly large stores were forbidden to stay open after 1 pm on Sundays the joke lost its meaning. Now this caricature could make a comeback. But joking apart, the decision makes sense. The Sunday opening of superstores has advantages for everyone. … On the other side of the barricade are the small businesses. Their argument that supermarkets are like eucalyptus trees that dry up everything around them doesn't make sense. Because even today the smaller shops don't use their advantage to open on Sundays." (23/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Corporations, » Consumers, » Portugal
All available articles from » Bruno Proença

Estonia is reguarly represented with its own pavillion at the Venice Biennale. The costs involved could be better spent on other projects, criticises the daily Eesti Päevaleht: "The bitter truth is that neither the Ministry of Culture nor the Cultural Fund pay artists salaries, but they do support any and every trip to exhibitions abroad. The Venice Biennale is probably the only project for which artists are paid directly, but the majority of artists will never take part in it, whether because of disinterest, the kind of art they do or other reasons. ... It's not right that the function of modern art should be reduced solely to its ability to be exhibited, while all other aspects are consciously and systematically blended out. The Centre for Contemporary Arts should also ask itself critical questions from time to time about what is being shown abroad and why. Probably not all too much would happen if Estonia stayed away from Venice now and then and invested the money at home instead." (23/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Exhibitions / Museums, » Fine Arts, » Public Culture, » Cultural Policy, » Italy, » Estonia
All available articles from » Margaret Tali

The recent EU progress report lists substantial lapses on the part of the Romanian judiciary. It's no wonder, writes author Mircea Cărtărescu in the daily Evenimentul Zilei, because the judiciary has never functioned since the end of the dictatorship in 1989: "From the very beginning certain individuals divided Romania among themselves through fraudulent privatisations. These people belonged to groups that already had access to a certain amount of money, as well as influence and the know-how required for the type of transactions you find in wild capitalism. Most of them were involved in domestic and foreign trade, which was under the control of the [secret service] Securitate. Within just a few years some of them made millions or even billions from just ten or twenty thousand dollars. ... The fact that the judiciary and other supervisory bodies ... were disempowered led to the paradoxical situation we have today: although we know we are the most corrupt state in Europe (corruption exists everywhere as an exception, here it's the system), we don't know of a single important corrupt person who has been tried and condemned." (23/07/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » History, » Economic Policy, » Europe, » Romania
All available articles from » Mircea Cărtărescu