The daily does not expect a potential President Barack Obama to execute major changes in transatlantic politics: "After eight years of George W. Bush, who embodied all the negative stereotypes and prejudices regarding the US, everyone wants a new American president. But there will be fewer changes in the US's foreign policy than Europe hopes. ... The new president's top priority will understandably be reconciliation with the world, and above all with Europe. Disagreements between the two are bad for both [sides] from a global perspective. The respect the US once commanded has been replaced by anger, opposition and fear. If a candidate who wants to adhere to Bush's course wins, the transatlantic rift will only grow deeper." (05/06/2008)

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All available articles from » Sasa Vidmajer

"We Western Europeans wish for nothing more dearly than Barack Obama at the helm of the USA. But he would still be president of a very strong superpower, and that means problems no matter what," writes Josef Joffe, publisher of Die Zeit. "Obama is no saviour. America, Obama writes in [his book] 'The Audacity of Hope', must proceed 'unilaterally' against those 'who are preparing to attack American targets'. This has a Bush-like ring to it - or worse, because Obama would even go after Al-Qaida in Pakistan. ... But Obama's candidacy has two additional negative points. His party plays with the fire of protectionism against goods and people. That is why Asia and Latin America are so sceptical about the Democrats. Then there is Obama's idealism, which provides a pretty projection screen for Europeans, and his lofty human rights policy. ... Obama fits firmly into the Democratic tradition here. From McCain, the dyed-in-the-wool Republican, by contrast, we can expect practical politics, not ideals." (05/06/2008)

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All available articles from » Josef Joffe

"As things stand now, McCain is a better man for Europe," the Danish daily Berlingske Tidende writes. "[But] anyone who watches the orator Barack Obama gets the feeling this is a very special political figure, even though he is still an unknown quantity. ... Many possibilities are opening up now for Obama to concentrate on politics and on the causes he wants to commit to if he wins. We can only hope he will move towards the political centre. While President Bill Clinton rejuvenated the Democratic Party by moving it closer to the centre, there are signs that Barack Obama is more conventional. He has a hesitant stance on free global trade, an unclear foreign policy and a traditional policy of redistribution. But Obama could give us a pleasant surprise, for instance by swerving to the right, where the Americans are." (05/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Denmark, » Europe, » U.S.

Barack Obama's presidential candidacy prompts the Spanish daily to reflect on the differences between political cultures in Europea and America: "We always put yesterday before tomorrow and we love to fight the same battles and the same debates a thousand times over without coming to any result. The US, on the other hand [according to Immanuel Kant], is the 'country of the grandchildren'. ... While the [announced] changes in Spain are aimed at more or less preserving the status quo, the changes in the US are real and permanent. ... What a contrast to our country, where the political leaders - whether left-wing or right-wing, democratic or totalitarian, capable or incapable - cling on to their posts until they get thrown out, not because someone better is there to replace them but because of their own mistakes." (05/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Domestic Policy, » Public Culture, » Spain, » Europe, » U.S.

Luigi Offeddu comments on Wednesday's clashes in Brussels between police and protesting fishermen from Italy, Spain and France. "In the Rue de la Loi, the street of the law, the defenders of the law confronted ... fishermen from Italy and France. ... Hundreds of fishermen came to Brussels demanding a green light from the EU for domestic aid, tax relief and subsidies for boat fuel and a relaxation of fishing quotas. ... The EU has no short-term recipe, and makes concessions only ... on diesel prices; the rest must be solved by the individual countries. At home the fishermen have blocked harbours, occupied markets and obstructed supplies to agricultural centres. A new protest wave is descending on Brussels, uniting farmers and fishermen. Price rises have accomplished what Marx and Lenin were unable to do: workers and farmers from across Europe are uniting." (05/06/2008)

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The European Commission's progress report on Bulgaria is due to be published in July. "The risk of political destabilisation and stronger ties with Russia are factors that will prevent the EU Commission from adopting a harsher tone towards the country and freezing EU subsidies," the online newspaper Mediapool comments. "If Brussels were to strictly adhere to the criteria for EU membership in its report, it could put the government in Sofia in danger. Therefore the text will be carefully balanced because otherwise Bulgarian politicians would tell the nation Europe was responsible for the political destabilisation. Moreover, a blow [in the form of a strongly negative progress report] would destroy the political elite's final attempts at political mimicry and encourage greater loyalty towards Russia. ... In view of the great problems the EU is facing with Serbia and other countries in the West Balkans, it needs Sofia to maintain a semblance of perseverance with the pro-European course." (05/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Enlargement / Neighbourhood Policy, » EU Policy, » Russia, » Bulgaria

The parliament in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein has passed a cross-party call for a more open, more social, European Union. Bjarne Lønborg, chief editor of the newspaper of the state's Danish minority, demands that the EU close the gap between citizens and politicians. "The shortened treaty now circulating in the EU as a mini-constitution will hardly be able to bridge the gulf between the people of the EU and the decision-making apparatus in Brussels. It is therefore understandable that the parliament in Kiel should demand that the EU become more social and more transparent. But that is only part of the huge problem the EU faces. Decision-making processes must be given more democratic legitimacy, and the huge bureaucracy in Brussels must strive harder to explain to the citizens of the EU what is decided and when. It is indispensable for European cooperation that the EU rapidly become a citizens' project, and not the exclusive project of its politicians." (05/06/2008)

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All available articles from » Bjarne Lønborg

The Dutch Labour Party (PvdA) is currently going through its biggest crisis since the end of the Second World War. In an article entitled "Social Democrats menaced by the Left, the Right and themselves", the newspaper draws comparisons to other European social democratic parties. "Almost everywhere in Western Europe, the old social democratic or socialist parties are encountering difficulties, whether they are in power or not. ... The [German] SPD and the PvdA both had setbacks in recent elections, they are doing badly in opinion polls and face their competitors on the Left like a rabbit facing a snake. ... What they need is better leaders, as the party's policy-maker Jos de Beus said on television last Sunday. ... But things will probably get even more complicated for Western European social democracy, and for the PvdA. Perhaps the party must concentrate its efforts on heightening its profile, ... showing patience and helping the current coalition to success through sound policies." (05/06/2008)

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All available articles from » J.M. Bik

The president of Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, has announced that all homosexuals who do not leave the country voluntarily will be beheaded. The political weekly Elsevier appeals to the West to give an international demonstration of support for homosexuals. "Not all things arouse the same amount of anger and indignation in the West. The gross violation of homosexuals' rights, for instance, is not the kind of cause that the West wants to support, not because Western politicians are against homosexuals but simply because they consider this issue less important. Cultural differences are taken more into account here. It is seen as other nations' right, particularly Muslim nations, to regard homosexuals as inferior. ... If this is true, is Europe prepared to appeal to the UN Security Council? And is Europe prepared to give the president of Gambia an ultimatum? I fear that [Western politicians] will not do these things." (05/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Minorities, » Social movements, » Weltanschauung, » Africa, » Europe
All available articles from » Afshin Elian

Czech farmers are showing solidarity with their German colleagues who are fighting for higher milk prices. As of tomorrow they will cut deliveries to their neighbour Germany by 10 percent. The liberal daily talks of an "almost historic moment in Czech-German relations. ... But the Czech farmers' concern about events on the other side of the border is motivated at least partially by self-interest. They export around 17 percent of their milk to Germany each year. This means the price of milk in their own country is largely determined by the German market. It is currently at nine Czech crowns per litre. If the German protest is successful, the selling price of Czech milk would go up to eleven crowns per litre." (05/06/2008)

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All available articles from » Jaroslav Mašek

The French daily Les Echos comments on the economic crisis in Spain: "In economics all miracles come to an end and all models have their pitfalls. For too long, Spain was bolstered by the construction sector, which accounted for up to ten percent of the nation's wealth. ... Today the Spanish economy is revealing its weaknesses and proving those economists right who for years expressed concern. The cocktail of falling real estate prices and drying-up loans is particularly explosive for budgets because in Spain most mortgages are coupled to a variable interest rate. ... Dwindling growth and rising unemployment could ... soon put an end to generous public spending. [But] even if the situation deteriorates further we should keep things in perspective. A weak opposition and greater international clout should make it easier for Zapatero to steer the economy." (04/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Consumers, » Spain
All available articles from » Françoise Crouïgneau

Xavier Zeegers discusses the phenomenon surrounding the French film "Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis" (Welcome to the Sticks), which this year became France's most viewed film of all times. The comedy deals with a postal worker transferred from the south of France to the north: "A film that touches 20 million viewers and even beats 'Titanic' is no longer just a film, it is a social phenomenon. ... The most interesting thing [about the film] is the relationship between globalisation and identity. Nowadays many people try to set up identity niches for themselves ... because they are afraid that although globalisation brings people closer together technically, it also makes them indifferent, even interchangeable. ... As a result everything with an archaic feel to it, everything that stubbornly resists uniformity, is becoming increasingly popular. ... This room [the protagonist's post office] is a grain of sand in a cold machine, the little man's revenge against the all-dominant system." (04/06/2008)

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The Italian daily comments on the Art Basel art show. "If the art market is going mad at present, then for now the epicentre of that madness is the little city that lies on the border with France, Germany and Switzerland in the heart of old Europe. It is the centre of a global pilgrimage. Art Basel is the queen of art shows. ... It attracts 60,000 visitors over four days. The nouveau riches of globalisation are all there: Russians, as well as Chinese and Indians this time. It is thanks to them that art prices are soaring. To augment their prestige they pay immense sums for the big names they put on display at their residences. ... Only one of the works of Jeff Koons, the last Epigone of pop art and best-paid artist in the world, is on display. It consists of six basketballs in a glass showcase and costs the modest sum of 1.7 million dollars. Why? That remains a mystery. The secret rules of the art market are fashion, trends and financial manoeuvres." (05/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fine Arts, » Switzerland, » Global
All available articles from » Gregorio Botta

The renowned comedian Niels Hausgaard and 27 other Danes have filed a lawsuit against Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen for failing to hold a referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon. Three of the plaintiffs explain: "The Treaty of Lisbon encroaches so extensively and so indeterminately on the right to decision-making enshrined in the constitution that it is incompatible with our Basic Law. Our situation is similar to that in Germany, England and the Czech Republic. On the one hand the government has decided to ratify the Treaty of Lisbon, while on the other lawsuits challenging the lawfulness of this action are being filed. This is extraordinary, both because the politicians acted without authorisation and because the citizens have decided to call the politicians to account in a court of law rather than in a parliamentary election." (05/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Constitution, » Denmark

Orthodox priests in the Romanian city of Craiova have founded a union with the goal of demanding higher salaries. The daily criticises the move: "The official version is that the trade union will help poor priests and make the autocratic hierarchy more down-to-earth. Regardless of the real problems of servants of the Church, this comes across as a revolt. There were a few priests' associations during the inter-war period. Even the church elite were members of these organisations, but they were not trade unions. ... The times when servants of the Church were as obedient as lambs have come to an end. Perhaps a false understanding of democracy has gone to their heads. They have forgotten that the Church is a theocracy, not a democracy, because they are high priests of Christ and not trade union employees. ... But crazy, dissatisfied priests keep turning up. This is precisely why we need a patriarch who is strong and respected as head of the church." (05/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Social movements, » Romania
All available articles from » Florian Bichir

Arthur Grosjean argues that fun should not be forgotten during the Euro 2008 football championship: "Trix and Flix are the strange names given to the two Euro 2008 mascots. ... Critics were quick to rename them Flic and Fric: Cops and Cash. ... These days money and security are on everyone's lips. Is the UEFA championship just a huge money machine that will spit out billions? Will a wave of Hooligans descend on peaceful Switzerland? These questions are certainly justified, but there is more to the event than that. Because for football fans, the European Championship that starts on Saturday is first and foremost a cause for joy. It is pure bliss to watch games featuring some of the world's best players night after night. ... And the championship is an exceptional event for Geneva. ... We will have to wait at least another 50 years before it comes back to our canton. So let's enjoy the moment while it lasts." (04/06/2008)

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All available articles from » Arthur Grosjean