"A shield that fends off enemy missiles has long been the dream of the US military. Now this dream is causing real problems: Russia feels threatened and in Berlin, too, doubts are growing," Jeanne Rubner writes. Lieutenant General Henry Obering, head of the American Missile Defence Program's 'Missile Defense Agency', is currently trying to enlist support in Europe for the US's plans. "Talks are urgently needed because the US's plans to install a radar and missile system in Eastern Europe threaten to divide the continent... The missile defence shield is foreseen as a multi-phase system for intercepting missiles from 'rogue states'... The interceptor missiles, which form the centrepiece of the US's plans for Eastern Europe, are now the focus of discussion. If the plans go ahead, by 2011 a dozen such 'interceptors' [ground-launched interceptor missiles] could be stationed in Poland, along with a radar station that controls them in the Czech Republic. These facilities would expand the protective shield. Up to now there are stations in Alaska, Greenland and Great Britain." (14/03/2007)

» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » EU Policy, » Central Europe, » U.S., » Global
All available articles from » Jeanne Rubner

Péter Dunai warns that the dispute about the missile defence system threatens to divide Europe. "The projected missile system is once again exposing rifts within the European Community. There are even fears that it will trigger a new arms race. Moscow could decide to declare the INF Treaty, which eliminated all medium and short-range missiles and banned their production, null and void. Germany, which is dependent on Russian energy, is particularly sensitive about the issue: Gerhard Schröder would certainly have tried to avoid a conflict with Moscow at all costs, but even the Conservatives have yet to voice their support for the missile defence system. Critics fear that the Czech Republic and Poland could become the targets of terrorist attacks and are berating both countries for failing to consult their European allies before they began negotiations for the missile defence system with the US." (14/03/2007)

» full article (external link, Hungarian)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » EU Policy, » Central Europe, » U.S., » Global
All available articles from » Péter Dunai

The chronicler Daniel Vernet appeals for a re-think of dissuasion in order to adapt it to new threats and complete it with anti-missile defence. This is what the Americans have undertaken for some years now, provoking the scepticism of Europeans and the indignation of the Russians. Washington maintains that the anti-missile system is aimed against medium powers that are in possession of missiles and not against the major powers that are able to saturate and handicap it. But the deployment of this new system is a pretext for relaunching the arms race, contradicting all the declarations of the first year of the post-cold-war era. The only way to protect ourselves from this danger would be to internationalise anti-missile defence." (14/03/2007)

» full article (external link, French)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » EU Policy, » Central Europe, » U.S., » Global
All available articles from » Daniel Vernet

The Swiss daily's Germany correspondent Eric Gujer analyses how Germany sees its role in world politics: "German foreign policy is currently in a transitional phase. This begins with the way it sees itself. The Federal Republic of Germany used to perceive itself as a middle-size power in Europe. And it still sees itself in this role, although the general set-up has changed. The revision of the balance of power which was cemented in Potsdam in 1945 has led to a loss of importance for the Soviet Union, which has now shrunk to Russia, but also for France, while Germany is among the winners in the 'new world order'. It no longer draws its strength from its economic power alone, as it did during the Cold War. Together with a handful of other states it now possesses the necessary clout to shape international politics. Reunified Germany has grown into a major power, but it's still clinging to its conservative ideal of being a middle-size power." (14/03/2007)

» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Germany
All available articles from » Eric Gujer

In an interview with Gerhard Gnauck, Polish writer Andrzej Stasiuk explains how Poles feel about Russians and Germans: "I fear the Germans and the Russians; I despise them and I admire them. Perhaps it is the fate of the Poles to obsess about their own position within Europe and the world. Being a Pole means living in complete isolation. Being a Pole means being the last person east of the Rhine. Because for Poles, Germans are like well-constructed machines, like robots, while Russians are somewhat like animals. Our proximity to our southerly neighbours in Slovakia offers little consolation." (14/03/2007)

» to the homepage (external link, Die Welt)
More from the press review on the subject » Politics, » Germany, » Poland, » Russia
All available articles from » Andrzej Stasiuk

The economist Martin Wolf praises liberalism as the fundamental cement of Europe: "The great achievement of the EU is to establish the co-operative 'service state'. Such a state sees its purpose as serving its citizens, not dominating them, and as co-operating with other states, not dictating to them. The genius of the founders was to realise that a law-governed market economy was the means to this end. ... These were liberal ideas (in its traditional European sense, not its strange American one)... . The EU's great successes have been those of liberalism: the customs union; the competition policy; the single market; the abolition of exchange controls; and the creation of a single currency managed by an independent central bank. Nor is the market economy the only liberal idea embodied in the EU. So, too, is representative democracy. The EU has bound Europe together in incomparably the most successful effort at rules-governed co-operation among states ever." (14/03/2007)

» more information (external link, English)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Labour market / Services, » Philosophy, » Europe
All available articles from » Martin Wolf

In Poland the dispute about the construction of a motorway that passes right through the Rospuda valley, which belongs to the EU's Natura 2000 biotop conservation alliance, has triggered a wave of protest. Over 10,000 Poles have signed a petition against the motorway project and hundreds of environmental activists have set up camp at the section which is to become part of the "Via Baltica". The European Commission has threatened to take the case to the European Court if Poland goes ahead with the plans. Michal Olszewski is delighted to see that the protection of the environment has gained importance in Poland. "Regardless of which side EU politicians decide to take, the conflict has already had a positive effect. Its escalation has led to a general discussion about the state of Poland's natural environment... The Rospuda valley dispute raises the question of the price of development - a question that until now had never been officially discussed... The magic word 'progress' was enough to explain away all kinds of destruction. Now the time has come to change this." (12/03/2007)

» full article (external link, Polish)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Environmental Policy, » Infrastructure / Travel and Transport, » Poland

In the text Sacramentum Caritatis, an apostolic exhortation published on March 13th, Pope Benedict XVI urges Catholics to refuse laws that are "contrary to human nature": abortion, euthanasia, and homosexual union. "When the Church chooses to prohibit", is the title of an article written by Giusseppe Albergio, a professor who teaches History of the Church at the University of Bologna. "I have noticed that much of the behaviour censored by the Pope (for example the participation of divorcees from the sacraments) is still practiced by a majority of believers. I am reminded of Paul VI's encyclical Humanae Vitae. It is analogous in many ways and was totally rejected by the entire Catholic world. ... The exhortation has a general scope and does not focus directly on Italian problems. Nonetheless, especially after the discussions over these past weeks [around a law on homosexual union], we cannot ignore the part that directly concerns the legislators of the Catholic faith. This is an opportune reminder; it is even a bit of a tautology." (14/03/2007)

» to the homepage (external link, La Repubblica)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Religion, » Weltanschauung, » Italy

"The interpretations that will be given to last Saturday's local council elections [Malta, March 10th] will be as various as the political parties", comments the daily in its editorial. "There is no doubt that the Labour Party emerged as a clear winner in this contest. ... The Labour angle is that last Saturday voters turned out to signal that they wanted a change of government [currently conservative]. But this was Labour's reaction in 2002. It lost the general election the following year. That of the Nationalist Party is that the elections were local affairs and voters were showing their preference on a local level, a tribute to the voters who were mature enough to recognise the role of local councils within the democratic framework. ... The problem for each of them is that they know, in their heart of hearts, that neither of them is telling the whole truth. Last Saturday's result cannot be extrapolated to the national level; nor can it be totally divorced from it." (12/03/2007)

» full article (external link, English)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Malta

Peter Ehrström comments on an article titled "The Lost Youth of Europe" published in Newsweek. It describes the consequences of the retirement of the generation born in the 1940s. "If this reflects reality then we're facing a real generation crisis. The rapidly growing gap in Europe is not that between different social classes, races or the sexes but that between the old and the young... Meanwhile, in Belgium for example, only 30 percent of those older than 55 work, despite the fact that raising the pension age to 68 or even 70 is currently under discussion. No one can answer the question of how this is supposed to fit in with a job market that thirsts for young people and doesn't appreciate the experience of older workers." (14/03/2007)

» full article (external link, Swedish)
More from the press review on the subject » Demographics, » Labour market / Services, » Europe
All available articles from » Peter Ehrström

"On Thursday, March 15th, Vladimir Putin will pay his third visit to Athens since September 2005. It will be a big day.", states the Greek daily. "Serguei Stanichev, the Bulgarian Prime Minister, has already arrived in Athens and our Prime Minister, Costas Carmanomos is quivering with impatience. The three heads of State are at last to sign the agreement on the construction of the pipeline linking the Bulgarian port of Bourgas to the Greek Alexandroupolis. For Greece, this is a key project that will give it an important role in energy transportation. This pipeline will allow it to transport petrol from the Caspian Sea all the way to Eastern Europe. ... Putin's two previous visits ended up in failure just as the agreement was about to be signed. But this time the Greek Government will not let its opportunity slip away and will do everything to reassure the Russians [who doubted the economic sustainability of the project]. No more time is to be lost and building should commence as soon as 2008." (14/03/2007)

» to the homepage (external link, To Vima)
More from the press review on the subject » Energy Policy, » Trade, » Greece, » Russia, » Bulgaria

The European Commission decided yesterday to increase the minimum tax rates for diesel. According to Martin Weiss, the decision had nothing to do with environmental goals, but is rather a measure to stem the flow of lorries travelling from Germany to its neighbouring states, where the taxes and therefore the price of diesel is much lower. "Germans like high tax rates. But they also like powerful cars that generate lots of greenhouse emissions, as well as speed limitless travel on German motorways. Even high petrol prices won't put them off... But why should the wish of a single country to have higher taxes on diesel be forced on others? Germany loses around two billion euros a year to 'petrol tank tourism.' But that's Germany's problem. It shouldn't be passed on to other states - states in the east which are now facing the prospect of 'tank tourism' to Russia." (14/03/2007)

» full article (external link, Czech)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Environmental Policy, » Tax Policy, » Germany, » Europe
All available articles from » Martin Weiss

One year after the opening in Tallin of the Art Museum of Estonia, known as KUMU, the journalist Marille Vitureau analyses the reasons behind its success. "For the first time in the country's history, a museum has united in a single place a permanent collection of Estonian art dating from the 18th century to current times without bypassing artistic developments over the 50 years of Soviet rule." The Estonian general public appreciates having this privileged access to culture, notes the journalist. "In its first year of existence, KUMU received 200,000 visitors. This is an enormous success. The director Sirje Helme has confessed that she would have been able to balance her books with a hundred times fewer visitors." (14/03/2007)

» full article (external link, French)
More from the press review on the subject » Exhibitions / Museums, » History, » Estonia

Over the coming months, the Romanian government plans to implement a series of measures to attract emigrants back to the country. Marius Draghici advises emigrants to give such a step serious consideration before making their decision: "The politicians who have been ruining the country for the past 17 years, the oligarchies who have the economy and the power in their grip, the functionaries who have humiliated us, are all now presenting us with the bill... Don't come home! Romania is a long way from European standards. It is still poor and corrupt. I know how difficult it is for you. I know that you are far away from your children and families. Help your parents financially. Take your children and put them in schools in Europe. Save your money for your old age. Stay away - you've earned it... You should only come back when you're convinced that this country belongs to you, your children and your grandchildren, not a band of gangsters!" (14/03/2007)

» full article (external link, Romanian)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Migration, » Europe, » Romania