euro|topics - Peter Gaupp

Gaupp, Peter

4 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.

Neue Zürcher Zeitung - Switzerland | 14/04/2008

Zapatero starts his second term

Peter Gaupp examines the new Spanish cabinet, the most important change in which has been the appointment of a female defence minister, Carme Chacón. "The balance between the sexes in the government, which is a top priority for Spanish Prime Minister Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, has shifted in favour of women with this latest addition to the cabinet. Now there's parity even when you count in the prime minister - not just the team around him. Spain probably now has the most female government in the world, and equality of the sexes as a government goal is also embodied in the new ministry for equality. Naturally it's led by a woman, 31-year-old Bibiana Aído, who until now was active in regional politics in Andalusia, and is largely unknown in Madrid."

Neue Zürcher Zeitung - Switzerland | 04/03/2008

Is Spain heading for a two-party system ?

Even though Spain appears to be fixated on the contest between Conservatives and Socialists, smaller and, in some cases, regional parties also have a role to play in helping the larger ones achieve a majority. Peter Gaupp writes about a new party, the Unión Progreso y Democracia (UPD), of which MEP Rosa Díez and philosophy professor Fernando Savater are both members: "The party defines itself as 'national, constitutional, secular and progressive' and wants to revive the sprit of a new beginning which prevailed in the transitional period between Franco's dictatorship and democracy. The UPD rejects separatism and nationalism as voracious, undemocratic and non-conducive to coalition building. ... It remains unclear from which party the UPD will win more voters: both PSOE and the PP are studiously ignoring the troublemaker. But the group has managed to put up candidates all over Spain in the short time since it was founded. With its scarce resources, it is staging an original election campaign with spontaneous, open-air discussion forums."

Neue Zürcher Zeitung - Switzerland | 03/01/2007

Dialogue with Eta is over

Peter Gaupp reports from Madrid that it has been clear for months that Eta will not forego violence. "Zapatero was not blind to this possibility. This is evidenced in his not honouring the truce with Eta in kind... For the conservatives, who never wanted to support Zapatero's pacification project, this is no reason to gloat. Their charge that the socialist prime minister naively and irresponsibly engaged in political dialogue with terrorists, and was prepared to make concessions to an anti-constitutional group, was always exaggerated. That charge is completely refuted now that Eta with its perverse reasoning felt obliged, three years down the line, to try to force Zapatero to concede to their demands with another bomb attack and civilian deaths.. It seems, the Basque terrorists also misjudged the prime minister."

Neue Zürcher Zeitung - Switzerland | 10/03/2006

Opening the labour market to Eastern Europeans

"There are only around 35,000 Poles living in Spain, and owing to the great distance and the language barrier, even once the restrictions on free movement of workers are gone Spain isn't expecting a massive influx of immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe," comments Peter Gaupp after Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero announced that Spain is opening its borders to Eastern Europeans seeking work. "Madrid's main priority is intensifying bilateral trade relations. Neither in terms of the exchange of goods, which amounted to around three billion euros last year, nor in terms of investments can Spain be considered a serious competitor to Germany or France in Poland. This is to change, and in his talks with [his counterpart] Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, Zapatero played his trump card - his country's experience in putting EU funding to profitable use."

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