The German daily fears that the Irish No to the EU reform treaty will trigger a process of re-nationalisation in European politics: "When a nation like the Irish, who have benefited more than almost any other nation from the EU, reject the results of a year-long reform debate there can be only one conclusion: the EU is currently incapable of reorganising itself politically. ... Europe will see the re-nationalisation of its politics. ... It is already clear who the losers are: the small and medium-sized countries of the EU. ... Should the need arise, Germany and France together have the necessary clout to defend themselves against Russia's coercive tactics with oil and gas supplies or to influence the situation in the troubled Balkans. ... The Irish vote [has] also caused considerable damage to the EU in terms of its foreign policy. ... An EU in which just one tiny country can hinder large-scale reforms will not be perceived as a reliable partner or taken seriously. ... The Irish had every right to reject the Lisbon Treaty. ... But by the same token they must now answer the question of whether they think they have any future in the EU." (14/06/2008)

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All available articles from » Martin Winter

The Irish decision may well represent a chance for Europe, the newspaper writes: "The European Union is incapable of adapting its operating mode to the constant enlargement. But at the same time, the enlargement makes it ever more pressing for Europe to reform her institutions. ... What options are left open for Europeans? ... The Irish No shows that it is impossible to reform the European Union without doing away with the rule of uniformity. But [paradoxically] renouncing that would require a unanimous decision. There is only one way to break out of this vicious circle, and that is to create an avant-garde of priviledged states within the Union that are ready to accept the rules of the qualified majority in order to advance integration. ... This concept presupposes leaders who are convinced that European unity is necessary. If the Irish vote has helped to create this understanding, it was ultimately a chance for Europe." (15/06/2008)

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The Irish entrepreneur Declan Ganley, the driving force behind the No movement, comments on the Irish rejection of the Treaty of Lisbon: "If Europe is to succeed and if it is to have the powers it wants, it must be seen to be legitimate, and true political legitimacy in a democratic society can only come from voters who have been presented with a real choice. I truly believe that European voters want to make a positive choice, in favour of a new Europe, but they can only do that if they can hold the key decision makers to account. ... Most Europeans want to see our Union grow, prosper, and lead, and realise that for this to occur, further and deeper integration between member states is a necessity. Voters, in my view, will accept that. In return, however, they want to be given the chance to have a real input into the direction that a new, more powerful, and more credible Union takes." (16/06/2008)

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All available articles from » Declan Ganley

A unified political Europe is an impossibility, according to the daily Jornal de Notícias: "Europe is accustomed to blockades from minorities, and is once again in a crisis. All it takes is a country with one percent of the European population to reject the Reform Treaty, and no one knows what should become of this purely economic unity which, on top of everything else, is stuck in a crisis. The smallest of minorities can block the will of the majority of Europeans, and we call this a democracy? The truth is, on the contrary, that the Irish were the only ones allowed to vote. And democracy means the power of the people, no matter how few. The funny thing is that the European leaders did not prevent so few people from determining the future of all. Our times are determined by blockades and minorities. Political Europe does not exist, and never did. And the economic and social Europe is a failure." (14/06/2008)

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All available articles from » Paulo Baldaia

In an interview published by the Polish daily, Bronisław Geremek, former Polish Foreign Minister and currently MEP for the liberal Democratic Party, speaks out against referendums on the EU Reform Treaty: "To ask citizens whether they accept or reject a 450-page text on complex legal issues is nonsense. This is like asking them whether they accept the penal code. You cannot expect the average citizen to have an informed opinion on these matters. ... In the case of the Lisbon Treaty, a document which was drawn up by the elite, the principle of representative democracy should apply. That means that democratically elected politicians should make the decision about whether to accept it. ... The sociology of politics shows that the elites have often played a decisive role in the past. ... We have a representative system and this is why ratification by the parliaments appears to be the correct solution." (16/06/2008)

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All available articles from » Bronislaw Geremek

"The decision of the Irish must be respected, because they had their own motives for rejecting the Treaty. ... Every member state has the right to its own standpoint." (16/06/2008)

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"The Treaty of Lisbon is not dead, even though it has been rejected by the Irish. It is naive to think that every vote in the European Union has equal weight. The European Union is and will remain an elite project." (16/06/2008)

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"We joined the EU, hooray! We ratified the Lisbon Treaty, hooray! We are converting to the euro, triple hooray! Without analyses, without debates. There are no prizes for figuring out what the outcome of a referendum in our country would have been." (16/06/2008)

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All available articles from » Pavol Baboš

"With their referendum, the Irish have voted against a document that was meant to simplify the Union and render it more democratic, without harming its sovereignty. Now the solution must come from Ireland." (16/06/2008)

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All available articles from » Laura Cernahoschi

The Portuguese daily describes the new EU directive on the deportation of illegal immigrants, the so-called EU Returns Directive, as a draconian measure: "A directive that allows the detention of minors is not compatible with the EU concept. This directive should be rejected by all those who live and work in Portugal. As a country of emigrants - five million of our fellow countrymen are scattered all over the world - it is our duty to fight against such draconian measures. ... The new blood from the East, Africa and Brazil has strengthened our economy. ... In a country where at least five percent of the population was born in another country, ... we must say 'no' to this shameless directive and to all attempts to lay the blame for Europe's crisis on immigrants." (15/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Social Policy / Employment, » Migration, » Europe

Four months after declaring its independence, Kosovo has adopted a constitution. The Spanish newspaper La Razón comments on Spain's attitude to the new state: "Spain is undecided, and yet continues to have 600 soldiers stationed there. This can go on no longer. Even if the process is endorsed by the European powers and the USA, Spain should remain true to its position and refuse to give its support to the unilateral declaration of independence. And such a stance does not seem compatible with keeping our troops stationed in Kosovo to provide it with our support." (16/06/2008)

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In the Cypriot daily Politis, Anna Papasava of the Daedalos Institute of Geopolitics in Nicosia, Cyprus, comments on the strategic value of the planned Mediterranean Union. "No one can doubt that the Mediterranean is not just a sea, it is a synthesis of different worlds with important cultural and historical heritages. ... Alone the task of establishing cooperation between Europeans and Arabs, in particular, is a great challenge. ... The memories of the past with which the colonies of the East confront the colonisers of the West are still very much alive. Consequently, in order for such a union to function efficiently it is necessary to create a sense of trust and solidarity between Arabs and Europeans. ... Cyprus must (owing to its geo-strategic significance) assume a key role in this process." (16/06/2008)

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All available articles from » Anna Papasavva

"The strange football match between Turkey and Switzerland in the European Championships, in which the players slid around on a totally waterlogged pitch, is perhaps not a bad image for the relationship between the EU and Turkey," Dagens Nyheter writes, with Turkey's problems on its path to EU membership in mind. "Last week the constitutional court rescinded the law that allowed women who wear head scarves to study at university. This signals that in the attempt to establish secular control through the constitution there is a great risk that the court could also ban the Islamic ruling party, the AKP. Some countries - including Sweden - are fervent advocates of Turkish EU membership ... also in a bid to show the world that all the talk of a 'clash of civilisations' is false. On the other hand there are countries - like France - that miss no opportunity to promote an anti-Muslim stance." (16/06/2008)

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Yasmin Alibhai-Brown reports on an astonishing development in British politics. While the Labour Party is propagating authoritarian rule, she comments, the Conservatives are defending civil rights: "History will recall that when our liberties were at stake, when the guarantees of the Magna Carta were raided, then destroyed, in the name of those same guarantees, the Conservative leadership refused to play. Political lines and allegiances dissolve into each other as New Labour mutates into a fearful tyrant. ... The truth is that there are more visible and high-profile young black and Asians coming up in the Tory ranks than there are in New Labour today. ... The disintegration first of political ideology, moral vision, then established boundaries, and now fundamental doctrines governing state power, means we roam a free and fervid public space where, like in the blogosphere, anything goes." (16/06/2008)

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All available articles from » Yasmin Alibhai-Brown

Pope Benedict XVI has reintroduced receiving the "Host on the tongue". This means that in the Catholic Communion ceremony, the Host may no longer be placed in believers' hands. This is "more than symbolic" for the development of the Roman Catholic Church, writes Walter Pauli. "Of course, you can say 'So What?' Who really cares if Catholics receive the Host in their hand or, if they feel the need, pickle the thing or even deep fry it? But it is important for those who believe that a modern, multicultural democracy only has a future if society can give its diverse beliefs and religions as much room as possible. ... Benedict XVI is in the process of creating a Church that stands with its back to society, one that forces the world once more to its knees, to hear commands in Latin which must be obeyed even though they are not understood, simply because they come from the Pope - that is, from God. Fine, people are once more being asked to stick their tongues out at the authorities, and that on command. But the only comment they are allowed to make is 'Amen'." (16/06/2008)

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All available articles from » Walter Pauli

Maria Katsounaki comments on the attitude of Greek museum workers, which has provoked complaints from tourists: "'Quickly because we close'. With this statement pronounced in English with a heavy Greek accent and accompanied by the sound of a siren (!), visitors to the National Archeological Museum were escorted to the exit at 3 p.m. on International Museum Day. Afterwards the visitors' book was filled with complaints. ... What is going on in the otherwise so peaceful world of Greek museums? Strikes by archaeologists and guards, changing opening hours. ... The Association of Greek Archaeologists has called a three-day strike starting June 18 to protest the draft law presented by the Cultural Ministry for changing the new Archaeological Museum on the Acropolis into a public corporation. ... [However] the legal framework of the museums is one thing, their mentality another." (16/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Exhibitions / Museums, » Cultural Policy, » Greece
All available articles from » Maria Katsounaki

Former tennis champion Boris Becker has demanded that tennis players should be banned from moaning and groaning on court. Manuel António Pina comments: "Even tennis is now in a crisis. Boris Becker, the German brute and former world number one, is calling for a ban on the squeaks and moans that Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams make when they hit the ball, arguing that they sound overtly sexual. I started watching tennis because of Sharapova ... and I would be very sad if she had to play gagged and wearing a burqa in future. Next thing we know UEFA will ban players from hugging each other after scoring a goal. After the angry truck drivers ... all that was missing were the Riders of the Apocalypse for good morals." (14/06/2008)

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All available articles from » Manuel António Pina