When live terrorists are exchanged for dead soldiers then Hezbollah is clearly on the winning side, writes the daily Tagesanzeiger: "Under pressure from the soldiers' families, the public and the weight of its own failure, the Israeli government of Ehud Olmert agreed to the exchange. It will gain little for itself from the deal, however. For it is all too obvious that the other side, which is able to welcome even a common criminal as a hero, is the main beneficiary. ...The Olmert government ... will not be able to score any political mileage beyond today. Indeed, it must ask itself why it does not agree to the same kind of deal with Hamas prisoners in order to obtain the release of the [Israeli soldier] Gilad Shalit. Hamas may even be tempted to exact an higher price, because both sides are operating in a market where prisoners are not the subject of legal proceedings but simply commodities to be exchanged." (16/07/2008)

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All available articles from » Claudia Kühner

"The terrorist organisation Hezbollah yesterday scored a major propaganda victory by exchanging the bodies of two Israeli soldiers for one of its bloodiest leaders", the Spanish daily La Razón lamented following the exchange of prisoners between Israel and Lebanon. "This propaganda victory is not good news, either for peace in the Middle East or for the sufferings of Lebanon, or indeed for the Spanish troops stationed there." (17/07/2008)

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The Italian daily La Repubblica sees a positive side to the deal between Israel and Hezbollah: "The rejoicing of Hezbollah is justified; it was with them and not with the government in Lebanon that the exchange of prisoners was negotiated. On the one hand this is a bad sign because it highlights the weakness of the state, but on the other it is a good sign because it indicates willingness to conduct dialogue. This diplomatic turn of events defuses the threat of a new civil war and brings Syria back into play. Nicolas Sarkozy can congratulate himself on having achieved this. ... Even the West's government headquarters, which insist on calling the Shi'ites terrorists, have expressed relief at the inclusion of Hezbollah in the government. ... This is a step toward stabilisation that even Israel, which is ... paying a high price, welcomes." (17/07/2008)

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All available articles from » Gad Lerner

The daily The Independent hopes that the exchange of prisoners between Israel and Lebanon means a new beginning for the region: "The macabre exchange that took place yesterday on the border between Israel and Lebanon is being widely presented as the final chapter in the ill-fated war of two years ago. And in many ways it is. Some might also see in yesterday's solemn ceremony a symmetry that was not inappropriate. The prisoner exchange looked as unbalanced as the war itself, which cost the lives of 157 Israelis and more than 1,200 Lebanese. ...Yet crude body counts are deceptive. Israel has always set an exceptionally high value on its captured citizens, which is a reason why Israeli prisoners are so prized as bargaining chips by its adversaries. ... Yesterday's prisoner exchange not only ends a lamentable chapter, but could – we hope – mark the beginning of something new and better." (17/07/2008)

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Shortly before his visit to Ireland EU Council President Nicolas Sarkozy has caused irritation among the Irish with his remark that they should hold a second vote on the Lisbon treaty. The peace activist Roger Cole predicts a second No vote. "The reason is that the issues of Irish independence, the militarisation of the EU and the commitment to Irish neutrality were central to the No vote. The Irish Times and the [market research institution] TSN mrbi polls carried out in the week before the vote ... showed safeguarding Irish neutrality and keeping Ireland's power and identity were the main reasons for the result. ... [Nicolas Sarkozy] seeks to massively accelerate the process of the militarisation of the EU and to establish a 60,000-strong EU army; ...The Irish people ... have shown to the world a rare glimpse of sanity and reality by voting No to Sarkozy and his treaty." (17/07/2008)

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The Portuguese daily Diário de Notícias voices support for the governor of Portugal's central bank, Vítor Constâncio, who in view of the global energy crisis has spoken out in favour of nuclear energy: "The subject of nuclear energy comes up again and again in Portugal. Yet at the same time people claim there is nothing more to be said on the issue. ... As if it were a taboo topic. But when someone like Vítor Constâncio, president of Portugal's central bank, raises the issue it is impossible to ignore him. And in view of daily increasing oil prices, all the alternatives should be considered, even though the majority supports renewable energies. ... The world is full of nuclear power plants ... and total security can only be achieved through international consensus. Taboos are always pointless." (17/07/2008)

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Malta saw a 16-percent rise in illegal immigration last year. The daily Times of Malta therefore welcomes an initiative of the French EU Council Presidency to conclude an European immigration pact. At the same time, though, it says the burden should be shared: "For Malta, the immigration pact represents an outstanding opportunity ... to ensure the incorporation of a formal commitment to some form of intra-EU burden-sharing mechanism. ... It would appear that the immigration pact being proposed by France contains little of substance to help alleviate Malta's growing plight. ... The crucial goal now is for Malta to insist on the insertion of a specific commitment to burden-sharing in the immigration pact. ... In its present form, from Malta's perspective, the immigration pact is barely worth the paper it is written on. Unless there are changes to it that give Malta some hope of equitable sharing of its burden with others in the EU, the government should refuse to be a party to it." (17/07/2008)

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France is likely to be facing a "hot autumn", the daily Le Monde warns. The trade unions feel ridiculed by the French president and may decide to make life difficult for him: "What social game is Nicolas Sarkozy playing? ... On 5 July his allies in the National Council of the UMP gave him a standing ovation when he declared: 'From now on if there's a strike in France no-one will notice'. That is tantamount to a slap in the face for the trade unions. The social climate remains sensitive. Although it is not certain whether the autumn will be as conflict-ridden as the trade unions are promising, they may find other ways of showing how fed up and mistrustful they are. ... For example they could resort to a new weapon: striking on social compromise. They could simply refuse to reach agreement and that would put more than a small spanner in the works of the reforms." (17/07/2008)

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All available articles from » Michel Noblecourt

Joseph Stiglitz, professor of economics at New York's Columbia University, sees the current economic crisis as a sign that the neo-liberal concept has failed. "The world was not kind to neo-liberalism - that concoction of concepts based on the notion that markets can regulate themselves, distribute resources efficiently and serve the interests of the general public. ... After over a quarter of a century of competition between the developing countries it is now clear who the losers are: the countries that pursued a neo-liberal course failed to profit from growth. And if they did register growth, it was the elites who benefited disproportionately from that growth. ... Today a general imbalance between social and private yields is prevalent. If this imbalance goes unaddressed, the market system cannot function properly. The neo-liberal market fundamentalism was always a political doctrine conceived to serve certain interests. It was never supported by economic theory or by historical experience. If we learn this lesson now it would represent a shimmer of hope behind the dark clouds that are currently hanging over the global economy." (17/07/2008)

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"For some time now virtually the entire Balkan world has been engaged in a search for an illustrious identity and noble forefathers that would enable them to shed the labels 'Balkan' or 'Slavs', the Romania Libera newspaper writes, pointing out that the Romanian communist dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu also sought the nation's Dacian roots. "These misconceptions are particularly rife in the countries that made up the former Yugoslavia. The Slovenians claim to be mainly a mixture of Italian and Austrian (and therefore say 'ja' instead of 'da') ... and even the Bulgarians insist they are not Slavs but the descendants of a race that probably originated in Asia. ... Meanwhile, thanks to their dogged persistence the Bosnians have managed to convince everyone that there is a Bosnian language. Only the Serbs no longer know who they are. So it is hardly surprising that tiny Macedonia believes it needs to show the world that its people are different, too. ... They have named their pitiful, burnt-out airport after Alexander the Great. And because they want Alexander back no matter what the cost, the Macedonians have forgotten that they can lay claim to a much more convincing title of honour: that of the missionary brothers Cyril and Methodius, who created the Slavic alphabet and came from the region now known as Macedonia. The only problem is that the two saints were Slavs." (17/07/2008)

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All available articles from » Dan Alexe

The business paper Les Echos comments on the long-awaited merger between the French energy companies Gaz de France (GDF) and Suez: "The birth took a long time and right up to the very last moment the outcome was uncertain. But the labour pains will not have been in vain. The GDF-Suez consortium that has just been born is not a child that will first have to learn to walk; rather it is a fully-grown company on the global market - one which will wield influence in a strategic area from the word go. The shareholders who have watched the company's share capital rise by 65 percent since the fusion was announced are not the only ones to be delighted. At a time when energy prices are exploding, the merger between Suez and GDF will certainly not ... have a short-term positive impact on the monthly bills of its customers. ... Gas will be expensive, but at least there will be gas! As a giant in a world of giants, the GDF-Suez tandem will not only have a more stable pool of suppliers at its disposition, it will also be in a better negotiating position vis-à-vis titans like Gazprom. ... In the coming trial of strength between gas producers and middlemen, size is what counts. French customers ... will no doubt profit from this." (16/07/2008)

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Following the reduction in roaming prices for mobile phones the EU Commission has announced its intention to regulate the prices for text messages within Europe as well: "It is right that the EU Commission should be demanding consumer information and price transparency, but it cannot be the EU's job to regulate prices in the single market", the daily Sydsvenska Dagbladet believes. "Even if price reductions appear to be a positive step at first sight, this price regulation will be afflicted by the same problem as all attempts to regulate prices: prices are dictated not by politicians but by the market. It is the EU's job not to interfere in pricing policy. Otherwise it could set prices for taxis, hairdressers and so on. Such an intervention would smack of planned economy and would put paid to the interaction between investment, competition and innovation. So let's say 'yes' to rules of play for the single market and 'no thank you' to price regulation." (17/07/2008)

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The rising price of oil has put airlines particularly under pressure, the Spanish business newspaper Cinco Días writes, speculating about the medium-term prospects of the sector: "It is still too early to know who will win this trial of strength to which the market is adjusting. But it would be logical for an intensive consolidation process to take place that would leave room for three or four major airlines and for one or two budget operators, insofar as the oil prices return to a sensible level. Its position in the Latin American market must be the weapon [the Spanish airline] Iberia uses to keep its project alive and to emerge strengthened from the intensifying competition." (17/07/2008)

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The EU has threatened to reduce agricultural subsidies to Greece by 10 percent because Greece cannot prove that the money really benefits the farmers. The daily I Kathimerini criticises Greece's incorrect handling of subsidies: "We have got used to reading everyday that the EU is demanding that [Greece] pay fines for breaching EU regulations. Greece is paying a high price for the poor functioning of its state mechanisms, for corruption at all levels and for the incompetence of the various governments, which could never bring themselves to think about the political consequences. ... All governments knew about the problem with the subsidies but for many years they simply decided to pay the fines. ... They preferred to... keep in place a faulty system instead of having the courage to modernise it." (17/07/2008)

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The Republican US presidential candidate John McCain, who stresses his foreign policy experience in his campaign, lamented on US television channel CNN the cutbacks in Russia's oil supplies to "Czechoslovakia". However, only the Czech Republic is affected by this measure. The liberal daily Sme pokes fun at the candidate. "We should be relieved that McCain only confused the Czech Republic and Czechoslovakia and does not think the Austro-Hungarian empire still exists. ... But joking aside - McCain knows that in this part of Europe the US has allies it can rely on in a pinch. There is not much more an American president needs to know about this politically rather uninteresting region. And if Obama knows at least as much as McCain about Czechoslovakia, we have good reason to chuckle about them." (17/07/2008)

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All available articles from » Lukáš Fila