The agreement reached by Germany's ruling conservative-liberal coalition to prolong running times of nuclear power plants is a revolution, writes the conservative daily Lidové noviny: "It is a revolution against the conviction that we, the citizens and voters, can have it all at once - clean, secure electricity that's cheap as well. It is a revolution against the tendency of one generation of politicians to cling to what a former generation said it would do. It is a revolution against a nuclear phase-out law pushed through eight years ago by the Social Democrat-Green Party government. Nevertheless what looks like a revolution is in fact just a return to reason. The government hasn't prolonged the running times of the nuclear power plants for its own pleasure, or to show its predecessors that it needn't hold to their regulations. Rather it is acting out of the conviction that fears of rising prices for alternative energy are greater than those of nuclear power. Whether that is really the case will be shown by the strength of protests." (07/09/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Energy, » Germany
All available articles from » Zbyněk Petráček

With its postponement of its nuclear power phase-out Germany is following the example of the US, writes the left-liberal daily El País: "The measure .... is a significant turning point in the history of nuclear energy in Europe. Berlin has played a decisive role in forming public anti-nuclear opinion, pointing the way for other countries, particularly the Spanish government. Berlin is now converging with the new pro-nuclear stance on the other side of the Atlantic where Barack Obama, a consistent defender of renewable energies, is promoting the construction of new nuclear plants after a building freeze that lasted 30 years. The reason is that it is vital for our planet to reduce the CO2 emissions produced by fossil fuels. And reducing the use of these fuels substantially requires putting a huge effort into renewable energies while at the same time sustaining or even increasing the production of nuclear power." (07/09/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Environmental Policy, » Energy, » Social movements, » Economic Policy, » Germany, » Spain, » U.S.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel calls the decision to extend Germany's nuclear phase-out an energy revolution. But the left-liberal daily Frankfurter Rundschau considers the decision unwise and economically regressive: "After all, the renewable energies are not just a pastime for eco-optimists. They are a crucial economic and growth factor. ... Merkel should never have approved an extension to the nuclear phase-put which demands so little, practically nothing, from the nuclear industry. She should never have said yes to such gigantic profit margins without demanding anything worth mentioning in return. She is violating society's highly developed sense of justice. A sense of justice that manifests itself in very different ways: in the protests against the gigantic Stuttgart 21 train station project, in approval of Sarrazin's description of the failure of integration, in the resistance to a standardised school system and, as we will see, in outrage at the prospect of even more nuclear waste and the unresolved question of where it ends up." (07/09/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Environmental Policy, » Energy, » Social movements, » Germany
All available articles from » Brigitte Fehrle

A referendum on direct balloting to elect the Moldovan president has failed as a result of low voter turnout. The referendum was meant to end a protracted state crisis, as the country's parliament has so far failed to decide clearly in favour of one presidential candidate. Tudor Darie warns in the blog Voxpublica that the present situation could lead to a return of the communists: "The constitutional crisis continues, and the Moldovan Communist Party is overjoyed. The [governing Alliance for European integration] AIE has had a cold shower. And we who voted them in have received a resounding slap in the face from their leadership. ... If the [communist head of state until 2009] Voronin and his henchmen return to power, I will leave the Republic of Moldova. ... But all is not lost. The communists have won a stage victory, but not the race. If the AIE can settle the conflict in its top ranks ... and start a process of reconsideration, it will win. But if it keeps underestimating its communist opponents it will soon wake up in the opposition." (07/09/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » Domestic Policy, » EU neighbourhood policy, » Elections, » Romania, » Republic of Moldova
All available articles from » Tudor Darie

After the collapse of coalition talks in Belgium on Friday there is once more talk of dividing the country. This would be tragic, the liberal daily NRC Handelsblad writes, pointing out that the Flemish nationalists and the Walloon Socialists were actually very close to an agreement: "Flanders in particular has focused in recent years on saying goodbye to Belgium, which would remain a loose confederation of states. Politics at a national level seemed to it more and more like baggage from the past. The future was seen to lie in its own section of the country. ... But the appointment of two high-ranking mediators points to a continuation of the talks. These two parties must achieve a consensus: the historical agreement that was almost reached must not be thrown away. The end of Belgium, a constant threat, is not yet nigh - at least not if the main protagonists come to their senses and make another effort." (07/09/2010)

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

In Mozambique, ten people have died since last Wednesday in riots which broke out as a result of rising food prices. But food will continue to become more expensive and more scarce, the liberal daily The Irish Times warns: "Increasing wealth and populations in the developing world, not least in the vast markets of India and China, are fuelling the surge in demand for meat and proteins. The FAO estimates that by 2050, while the world's population (one in six of whom is currently undernourished) will have increased by half, demand for food will be up by 70 per cent. The critical agricultural development issue is how to meet this challenge. Ireland's focus, expressed in the 2008 Hunger Taskforce Report, rightly emphasises the sustainable intensification of agriculture, particularly in Africa. Instead of relying on traditional food aid, that means investment in small-scale farm production and diversification, particularly helping women who are the main producers; in making markets and infrastructure such as irrigation function; and in publicly-funded research into crop productivity." (07/09/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Demographics, » Agriculture, » Science / Research, » Africa, » Asia, » Global

Commenting on Basque underground organisation Eta's announcement of a ceasefire, political scientist Rogelio Alonso takes issue with the BBC's coverage of the affair: "Those responsible at the public institution may find the opinion of Hannah Arendt instructive, who said that 'to describe the concentration camps without anger was not to be objective, but to condone them'. To treat Eta like anything but a terrorist organisation, interpreting its messages without subjecting them to rigorous analysis and without explaining their context and their strategy is not objective or correct coverage of a phenomenon of political violence that is taking place in a democratic European society. For this reason probably the only Eta message that would deserve the kind of coverage this has received in recent days would be its unequivocal announcement that the terrorist organisation will disappear for good." (07/09/2010)

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All available articles from » Rogelio Alonso

Renée Toft Simonsen criticises the limited supply of role models for girls in her blog for the left-leaning daily Information: "It's not a bad thing to want to be a princess, says Jette Kofoed, a lecturer at Aarhuser University. But it is important to make sure there is a broad range of role models, because with stereotypes we run the risk of limiting our children's possibilities. ... Dreams of being a princess are still thriving; just look at the Sex and the City series. ... I find it surprising that a modern woman would be willing to waste two hours of her precious time watching four women over 40 dressed up in Gucci and with Cinderella complexes, reduced to the state of shoe fetishists and hunting for princes. ... A trip to the toy shop suffices to show that other forces - namely big business - are at work when it comes to teaching gender roles and princess dreams. ... In my opinion there are many indications that we are moving in the wrong direction when it comes to gender roles. Drape your daughter over a chaise longue in a tulle dress to wait for Mr Big - and see where that gets her." (07/09/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Gender equality, » Denmark
All available articles from » Renée Toft Simonsen

Poland and Russia must revise their gas supply contract in order to avoid violating EU monopoly laws. This was the upshot of initial talks between Polish Minister for Economic Affairs Waldemar Pawlak and EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger on Monday. The Polish government is behaving inconsistently, the daily Polska concludes: "It is paradoxical that as recently as 2009 Polish politicians were trying to win the Union over as an ally for talks with Russia. The harsh conditions dictated by [Russian energy giant] Gazprom apparently could only be eased with the help of the EU. But now our Polish ministers travel to Brussels to convince the EU that the Russians aren't doing us an injustice, and that the whole deal is actually compatible with EU law. The European Commission has now decided it doesn't like what Warsaw didn't like some time ago." (07/09/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU Policy, » Energy, » Economic Policy, » Poland, » Russia
All available articles from » Andrzej Godlewski

A sculpture depicting Prince Svätopluk, reputed to have been the first Slovakian leader, should be removed from where it stands in the courtyard of Bratislava castle, according to the recommendation of an expert committee appointed by the Slovak parliamentary speaker. The former prime minister Robert Fico had the sculpture erected as a campaign move meant to stir up nationalism and anti-Hungarian sentiment. The liberal daily Sme welcomes the recommendation: "The only merit of the memorial to Svätopluk is that it serves as an example of all that can be abused in the struggle for power. It doesn't belong in the castle, but in a museum for the legacy of political propaganda. The expert committee should take a trip to Budapest where there is one park serves as a sort of showcase for funny, but also rather frightening, gigantic sculptures from the communist era. ... The most important characteristic of such artworks is that they served a political party with authoritarian traits as a means to exploit history for their own purposes. They show clearly that historical falsification was used to further political and propagandistic goals." (07/09/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fine Arts, » History, » Remembrance culture, » Slovakia
All available articles from » Peter Morvay

The left-liberal daily Népszabadság writes that with his ideas about Muslim immigrants, German Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin is articulating fears widely prevalent in Germany and Europe: "Not only is Sarrazin a master of provocation he is also very skilful at juggling half-truths and generalisations. ... Nevertheless the problem he addresses is real. Not just in Germany, but also throughout Europe fears abound of minorities whose birth rates are higher than those of the majority populations, and who do not always share the cultural values of their host country. Almost every country has its own minority, be they Turks, Arabs or Gypsies. And every country has or will have its own Sarrazin to torpedo the politically correct, open discourse. It is not a good strategy to suppress problems or sweep them under the carpet. We've got to look reality in the face." (07/09/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Migration, » Integration, » Minorities, » Germany
All available articles from » Edit Inotai

A fallen US soldier costs his homeland roughly 6.5 million euros, while a fallen Bulgarian costs his country less than half that amount. This is the conclusion reached by Jörn Klare in his book Was bin ich wert? Eine Preisermittlung (What am I worth? A report on prices) The daily 24 Chasa writes: "It could even be that the German author underestimates the reality with these sums running into the millions. Bulgarian insurers pay [the equivalent of] roughly 7,500 - 10,000 euros for a road death. Court damages awarded for murder cases are similar. If this is what we are worth then together with the Chinese, Malaysians and Vietnamese we belong to the legalised slaves of this world. People who work for a pittance and whose lives are worth less than the tires of a new car. Bulgaria's major problem isn't the so-called crisis, but the frighteningly low income level. As long as wages and pensions don't skyrocket we'll remain slaves." (06/09/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Demographics, » Social affairs, » Labour, » Asia, » U.S., » Bulgaria

The news programme on Italian private channel LA7, which is run by Telecom Italia, yesterday had a viewer rating of over 10 percent. Since the beginning of the month Enrico Mentana, former star presenter on the Berlusconi channels, has anchored the programme. This success shows that the time is ripe for major changes in Italy's media landscape, writes the liberal daily La Stampa: "LA7's new news programme has swept over the swamp of informational programmes with the force of a tornado. ... A sign that above all the younger, more demanding generation of viewers has long been yearning for this fresh breeze. ... Mentana's recipe for success puts the focus on politics. This seems paradoxical, but as soon as you switch to the news programmes of the main channels (RAI 1 and Canale 5) it's clear that politics, of all things, is missing here. ... Mentana has put politics right at the top of the news again. He has restored the former hierarchy ... and immediately scored a success in doing so." (07/09/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Audiovisual Media, » Italy
All available articles from » Massimiliano Panarari