The Moscow correspondent for the Spanish daily ABC reports that one of the greatest challenges facing the new president is corruption in Russia: "Paradoxically, Putin continues to be very popular despite the fact that it was under his government that corruption took on its current alarming proportions. ... Medvedev has a counterweight which Putin did not have, but it remains to be seen whether he will let himself be manipulated like a puppet. One should not forget that according to the Russian constitution, it is the president who governs. Both in Russia and abroad people are concerned that this two-headed state could lead to the kind of struggle that existed between Boris Yeltsin and the Supreme Soviet in 1993." (07/05/2008)

» full article (external link, Spanish)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Russia
All available articles from » Rafael Mañueco

According to the Estonian newspaper, Dmitry Medvedev is in an easier position than Vladimir Putin was eight years ago because Russia is not in the chaotic state it was back in 2000. Nonetheless, the paper contends, he must find his own political course to resolve the country's pressing problems: "For the time being Russia has little to fear economically thanks to high oil and gas prices. But the problems could come later when its structural weaknesses become apparent. This would no doubt damage Medvedev's popularity. In addition to the country's domestic policy problems it also has foreign policy issues. The reactions in the West have generally been positive because Medvedev is seen as relatively liberal, but this raises the same question as in other areas: how much leeway will Medvedev have to adopt a more liberal course?" (07/05/2008)

» full article (external link, Estonian)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Domestic Policy, » Russia

Pavel Mása comments on Putin's plans as Russia's Prime Minister. "Putin's idea of an absolutely unified mechanism may well become reality. But for that to be the case, Medvedev must accept that power remains in Putin's hands, and that he himself will play more of a representative role. Things will not be that simple, however. The new president would lose authority if he were just to blindly follow Putin's orders. This would also reduce the importance of the office of president. And that cannot be in Putin's interests, because sooner or later he will certainly want to return to the Kremlin." (07/05/2008)

» full article (external link, Czech)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Russia
All available articles from » Pavel Máša

Russia plans to have tanks and nuclear missiles roll over Red Square for the first time since 1990 to mark the inauguration of its new president. Marcel de Haas, a Russia expert at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael, writes that this can be interpreted as a sign that Russia has returned to the international arena as a superpower. Nonetheless, he points out that despite the deterioration in relations between Russia and the West "economic, political and military cooperation with the West continues, and there is no talk, as some claim, of a new Cold War. ... To prevent Russia from becoming increasingly isolated and sealed off from the West, Moscow should be showered with proposals for intensifying political and military cooperation. ... Under no circumstances should the West ignore Russia either economically or politically - such conduct would only promote rigid policies. ... The Kremlin knows that a lack of unity - also regarding Medvedev - is the Achilles' heel in the West's policy towards Russia. Adopting a more consistent and united policy towards Moscow ... is the challenge the West now faces." (07/05/2008)

» full article (external link, Dutch)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Russia
All available articles from » Marcel de Haas

Jerzy Haszczyński comments: "It would be a good thing if what people said about Medvedev half a year ago actually turned out to be true. ... That he will adopt a milder external policy. That he will not threaten war - either cold or nuclear. That he will not treat Russia's immediate neighbours as if they were a temporarily liberated zone of influence, and that he will refrain from aggressive energy policy. ... Medvedev will certainly defend Russian interests. ... But that does not mean he has to treat the West and its organisations (especially NATO) like enemies. Because the West does not represent a threat to Russia; indeed it is much nearer to Russia than many civilisations on Russia's borders." (07/05/2008)

» full article (external link, Polish)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Domestic Policy, » Russia
All available articles from » Jerzy Haszczynski

The Guardian calls the announcement by Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander that a referendum on independence for Scotland will be held within the next 12 months the biggest blunder in British politics in recent times: "One thing is now certain - there will be a referendum on whether the British political state should cease to exist, probably in 2010. That, of course, is also the probable date for the next general election. That coincidence of dates underlines just what a gamble Labour in Scotland is taking. ... The referendum therefore offers the Scots a neat way of escaping a Tory government - leave the union. ... And if Labour is deprived of its Scottish contingent it seems unlikely that the party will form a majority in the rest of the UK for years to come." (07/05/2008)

» full article (external link, English)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » United Kingdom
All available articles from » Ewan Crawford

Romanian journalist Cosmina Tanasoiu writes on the EU membership of Romania and Bulgaria: "It was a Christmas gift made on the basis of several promises: that the reforms ... that had not been fulfilled (primarily judicial reform and anti-corruption measures) would be completed by the countries' governments in the years to come. The Union thought that hedge clauses allowing among other things for funding sanctions would suffice as a means of applying pressure. But the European heads of government are completely unprepared and incapable of dealing with the political game played in this part of Europe, where people acknowledge their obligations then turn around and distance themselves from them almost as a matter of course. In this part of Europe personal, clan and party interests come before the public welfare. The strongest means of applying pressure was the prospect of joining the EU." (07/05/2008)

» full article (external link, Romanian)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Enlargement / Neighbourhood Policy, » EU Policy, » Europe, » Romania, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Cosmina Tanasoiu

Talking to the Reuters news agency, a US diplomat mentioned the possibility of stationing the missile launch sites for the planned US missile defence shield in a country other than Poland should the current negotiations with Warsaw fail. Zdzisław Najder, a former director of the Polish editorial department of the US-funded radio station Radio Free Europe, criticises Washington's conduct in the negotiations. "It is not good when allies try to put pressure on each other through semi-official leaks to the media. ... If, however, nothing comes of the negotiations and the Americans withdraw their offer, I do not believe this would be such a great misfortune for Poland. Poland has earned the reputation of a state that fulfils its international obligations and alliance agreements to the utmost. So if it risks a breakdown in the talks with the Americans it also proves that it is capable of defending its own interests and at the same time maintaining optimal relations with its allies. The image of Poland as a country that knows where its interests lie and is capable of defending those interests strengthens the position of our country as NATO and the EU's visiting card in the East." (07/05/2008)

» full article (external link, Polish)
More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Poland, » U.S.
All available articles from » Zdzisław Najder

In reference to warnings of mass naturalisations by the right-wing conservative Swiss People's Party (SVP), Valérie de Granffenried recalls that comparatively few foreigners take on Swiss citizenship: "The SVP is insinuating with its initiative that there are many naturalisations in Switzerland. ... But what they keep quiet is that today 850,000 foreigners could take on Swiss citizenship, but do not. This shows that having Swiss citizenship is not always seen as a good thing. ... What stops people? Prior citizenship of an EU member state, a ban on dual citizenship in their country of origin or the difficulty of fulfilling the conditions. Some say they are just too 'lazy' to take the necessary steps, others want to avoid military service or can get along very well as foreigners in Switzerland, a country they can identify with perfectly without committing one hundred percent. ... What the SVP does not say is that the rate of naturalisation among the foreign population is extremely low compared to other countries." (06/05/2008)

» full article (external link, French)
More from the press review on the subject » Integration, » Switzerland
All available articles from » Valérie de Graffenried

Two well-known writers from Belgium and the Netherlands, Hugo Claus and J.J. Voskuil, recently put an end to their lives through assisted suicide. "Current laws in Belgium and the Netherlands grant individuals a broad right to self-determination. Nevertheless this right is not the determining factor," writes the Dutch newspaper Trouw. "In fact the question of whether the lives of these authors were ended according to rules prescribed by law is irrelevant, because they claimed the right to determine for themselves how to end their lives. .. The right to self-determination which has established a place for itself in legal systems since the 1970s is limited. That is a good thing, too, because it forces individuals and society to see assisted suicide as a tragic dilemma in each case. Such a death must never become a normal occurrence. This is why we must react with caution to Voskuil's use of 'dignity' as a criterion, because it quickly casts 'normal' dying as degrading, or lacking in dignity." (07/05/2008)

» full article (external link, Dutch)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Crime and Law, » Weltanschauung, » Netherlands, » Belgium

Andreas-Renatus Hartmann, responsible for foreign, security and defence policy in the EPP-ED Group (Christian Democrats) of the European Parliament, calls for a new direction in the EU's enlargement policy: "The most apt designation for the new project would be 'the European Commonwealth'. ... The European Commonwealth would have much in common with the EU, but a lower degree of integration regarding the transfer of sovereignty rights, the scope of its common policy areas and the influence of its common institutions. ... Nonetheless, the project could be attractive enough to make our neighbours want to be part of it. ... The time could come when even Russia feels attracted by the advantages of this new system. This would dispel the current rivalry between Moscow and EU countries in the same way that the creation of the European Economic Community dispelled the Franco-German rivalry 50 years ago. And later on, once the countries south of the Mediterranean have also joined the project, the European Commonwealth could move its headquarters to Istanbul, the geographical centre of the new political system which by that time would extend from the Arctic Circle to North Africa and from Reykjavik to Vladivostok." (07/05/2008)

» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Enlargement / Neighbourhood Policy, » Russia, » Europe, » Turkey
All available articles from » Andreas-Renatus Hartmann

Gianni Rusconi comments on the possible resumption of negotiations between the Internet portal Yahoo and Microsoft. "The new offer comes from Yahoo head Jerry Yang, who until now had played the role of the proud defender of Yahoo's independence. How to explain this new offer when Yang had blamed Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for the break-off in negotiations? Is this a tactic to relieve the pressure on himself, or an attempt to jack up the sales price?" Rusconi adds that Henning Kagermann, head of the German company SAP, had advised Ballmer to buy the Yahoo shares and come back to the negotiating table, arguing that "Yahoo is showing the first signs of weakness, and without a reliable integration plan for the two companies would never have made the offer of 46 billion dollars to Microsoft." (07/05/2008)

» full article (external link, Italian)
More from the press review on the subject » Online media, » Corporations, » Global
All available articles from » Gianni Rusconi

Unions and employers are negotiating a new framework agreement in Sweden. The judgements by the European Court of Justice on the bindingness of collective agreements for companies from other EU countries will also play a role in the negotiations. The newspaper comments: "Three representatives of the Left Party have announced that the judgements represent an attack on the union movement and wage agreements. They demand that the Social Democrats set conditions for signing the Treaty of Lisbon, and remove the corresponding chapter on labour agreements. ... Nevertheless, a new agreement between workers and employers should be free from political intervention. If the negotiations are now burdened by new political demands, the urgently needed reform of the labour market will be doomed to failure." (07/05/2008)

» full article (external link, Swedish)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Social Policy / Employment, » Labour market / Services, » Corporations, » Economic Policy, » Sweden, » Europe

"The future of the Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation OTE will be entirely German," writes Antonis Karakousis. "What the Germans could not get with bribes they have now achieved through privatisation. ... The state-owned Deutsche Telekom (the German state owns 34 percent of the company) will take over the management of OTE, and it seems that its privileged partner, the sinful Siemens enterprise, will be almost its exclusive supplier in Germany. ... The difference this time is that with OTE, the Germans are also buying up the entire Balkan region. As is well known, OTE is today a large corporation with a power basis throughout the entire Balkan Peninsula." (06/05/2008)

» full article (external link, Greek)
More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Labour market / Services, » Corporations, » Greece
All available articles from » Antonis Karakousis

The municipal authorities in Bucharest want to hold a referendum to decide which would be the best site for a statue of the former Romanian King Carol I on horseback. Ion Vianu comments: "It is questionable whether people's democracy should extend to aesthetic matters. ... To consult the people would be an option, but the decision should be made by competent persons, otherwise instead of architects and sculptors it will be bricklayers who carry out the will of the people who have the final say. This would be reminiscent of what happened at the beginning of communism when it was explained that medicine should be left to nurses who were familiar with Marxism-Leninism." (07/05/2008)

» full article (external link, Romanian)
More from the press review on the subject » Architecture / Cities, » Cultural Policy, » Romania
All available articles from » Ion Vianu

The newspaper comments on a report by Whisky Magazine in which experts named a product of the Japanese Nikka brewery the world's best whisky: "In 1918 the young Masakatsu Taketsuru - the descendent of a family of sake producers - travelled from Japan to distant Scotland to learn how to distil whisky. The product of the distillery he later founded has now surpassed that of his former teachers. What is unfortunate is that the Scottish distillers did not learn how to make sake, which could have paved the way for a mutual learning experience. If they had, now that Japan has become market leader in the production of Scottish whisky, Scotland could have returned the compliment and produced the world's best sake." (07/05/2008)

» full article (external link, Spanish)
More from the press review on the subject » Public Culture, » Corporations, » United Kingdom, » Asia

Many Lithuanians have left the country to work in the UK and an increasing number of them are giving their children who are born abroad English names. Now the Lithuanian embassy in London has started an initiative to save Lithuanian first names. Kristina Sabaliauskaite thinks this is an unnecessary move: "The prettiest names of the day are written on large banners in the embassy. This is no doubt a way to attract the attention of parents who are giving their babies such foreign-sounding names as Shakira, Lee or Brittany - names which do not sound pleasant to Lithuanian ears. But you cannot forbid people from giving their children foreign names. And if it was not such a serious matter it would be funny." (07/05/2008)

» full article (external link, Lithunian)
More from the press review on the subject » Public Culture, » Cultural Policy, » Migration, » United Kingdom, » Lithuania
All available articles from » Kristina Sabaliauskaite

According to Enrico Franceschini the Internet will not supplant print media, but the latter must adapt to the new situation. He points to a recent British survey among 700 chief editors: "Optimism is prevalent both in the medium and long term. ... The future of newspapers looks rosier than generally depicted. ... This was the conclusion reached by the survey commissioned by the World Association of Newspapers and the World Editors Forum. The survey showed that "the print media need to be integrated into a multimedia format. At the same time those areas that are not covered by the Internet - commentaries, dossiers and in-depth coverage of individual issues - should be intensified and expanded." (07/05/2008)

» full article (external link, Italian)
More from the press review on the subject » Print media, » Online media, » United Kingdom, » Italy, » Global
All available articles from » Enrico Franceschini

"It lasts 30 seconds, cost 350,000 Euros and is aimed at attracting wealthy Western tourists to Prague." This is how Magdalena Nová describes a television commercial recently commissioned by the Czech capital. "For four months Prague will be presented as the capital of beautiful women, monuments and luxury restaurants. The super model Petra Němcová and Miss World, Taťána Kuchařová, clink their glasses of champagne with Prague Castle as a kitschy backdrop and Mozart's 'Kleine Nachtmusik' tinkling in the background. CNN will soon start screening the ad and Prague's senator for culture wants to put it on YouTube personally. ... Dozens of amateur videos showing a very different side of Prague - a Prague of wild parties, destroyed hotel rooms and streets full of drunk Brits - are already circulating on the site." (07/05/2008)

» full article (external link, Czech)
More from the press review on the subject » Tourism, » Czech Republic
All available articles from » Magdalena Nová

Arndt Festerling comments on developments in the cycling world: "In a very personal move verging on an anti-doping rampage, Pat McQuaid, head of the International Cycling Union (UCI), has named cyclist Ivan Basso as the union's future anti-doping goodwill ambassador. Or should I say anti-anti-doping rampage? Basso's qualifications for the job are considerable, considering he was barred himself on doping charges. ... What is in store for the UCI? Here's a suggestion: close it down! Or at least bring in another president." (07/05/2008)

» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » Sport, » Global
All available articles from » Arndt Festerling