The Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras will have to pull all the stops to persuade German Chancellor Angela Merkel to make concessions, according to the left-liberal daily Delo: "In Berlin they believe that far too many Greeks are still living in the past when they enjoyed the benefits of borrowed money. … France, which is pretty strapped for cash itself, will likely be more sympathetic to Samaras' request for more time. According to observers Germany will only comply with the request if it is coupled with additional terms and tougher controls. Angela Merkel faces elections next year, and far larger countries than Greece are already knocking on the door of the German taxpayer. Moreover many people [in Germany] are of the opinion that Greece should be the first country to be taught a lesson. … Samaras will have to prove that he is more capable than his predecessor of convincing the Greeks to say farewell to the past - no matter how much it hurts." (24/08/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Política financiera, » Economía política, » Alemania, » Francia, » Grecia
Todos los textos disponible de » Barbara Kramzar
Cobertura de debates » Greece puts the Eurozone to the test

Greece's crisis has allowed Germany to gain political control over Europe, the left-liberal online newspaper To Vima writes and fears that Berlin is now ready to sacrifice Athens: "Berlin has changed the European treaties to serve German interests. It has developed mechanisms that have replaced the governments in the countries that have been put under supervision. Berlin has also called into question the geopolitical balance of the post-war era in the West. … Greece was necessary for the construction of a German Europe, and if Greece hadn't existed they would have to have invented it. … But now Greece has done its part. … And the only role that it can perhaps play now is that of the scapegoat who is severely punished as an example to others, to make the others submit to Berlin's demands and even tougher supervision. For this reason things do not bode well for Prime Minister Samaras' visit to Berlin." (24/08/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Política financiera, » Alemania, » Grecia
Todos los textos disponible de » Giorgos Malouchos
Cobertura de debates » Grecia se estremece bajo la crisis

The British newspaper the Independent on Wednesday compared Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras with a beggar trudging around Europe asking for more money and time. The liberal daily Politis writes that the Greek only have themselves to blame for their country's battered reputation in Europe: "Such newspaper reports offend the dignity of all Greeks. … But the Greeks themselves have created this image Greece has in the West. They incorporated corruption into their everyday lives. A broken state and a sick society have prevented true values from becoming part of Greek behaviour. Now people pity this country, without feeling any genuine liking for it. Why is Samaras demanding more time when his own state is not even capable of collecting the VAT from a restaurant owner on the island of Hydra?" (23/08/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Política interior, » Economía política, » Ética, » Grecia, » Europa
Cobertura de debates » Greece puts the Eurozone to the test

Despite fierce international criticism the French government had illegal Roma settlements evacuated and hundreds of people deported to Romania at the start of August. Then on Wednesday it announced measures to give Roma from Bulgaria and Romania easier access to jobs. A placebo measure, the left-leaning daily die tageszeitung comments: "Of course job discrimination against Roma won't disappear. Now the governement in Paris can go on expelling undesirables and driving them out of makeshift camps with a somewhat better conscience. Only now, when it does so, it must offer them decent accommodation. That, however, remains wishful thinking because of the lack of housing. Just like the government's announcement that it wanted to take resolute action against the criminal exploitation of minors through begging, theft and prostitution. These proposals remain soberingly conventional. Even if it really wanted to, France couldn't find a satisfactory solution to this problem on its own." (24/08/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Derechos humanos, » Francia, » Europa
Todos los textos disponible de » Rudolf Balmer

The former Maltese prime minister Dom Mintoff, under whose rule the country achieved independence in 1964, died on Monday aged 96. His death prompts the social democratic web portal the Malta Star to reflect on Malta's position in Europe: "We should build on Mintoff's legacy especially now that we are the tiniest member state of the EU and we already run the grave risk of being overwhelmed by decisions and policies that do not necessarily take our reality and needs in consideration. We must get our act together to be vigorously engaged in all the stages of the policies and decision making processes in all the EU institutions with our feet firmly planted in the reality of Malta and Gozo, striving always to shape EU policies to have a positive impact on our people. As a young nation we are still vulnerable after centuries of a dependent culture as our country changed hands from one foreign owner to another. Only if we are present within the EU with the mindset of a mature sovereign state will we ensure that 1st May 2004 was a step forward and not a huge step back to the past." (23/08/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Ampliación de la UE, » Política de la UE, » Vecindad de la UE, » Malta

According to the estimates of the Dutch Planning Office (CPB) the budget deficit for next year will be 2.7 percent and therefore lower than the previous estimate of 2.9 percent. Several parties are now calling for the tough austerity policy to be relaxed. But such a reaction would be inappropriate, the liberal daily NRC Handelsblad warns: "The previous government in particular wanted not just to save the banks with a higher budget deficit and higher public debt, but also boost the economy. Unfortunately the CPB has published other figures, too: unemployment rate will rise to 6 percent in 2013, that's 515,000 people out of work. … A stringent fiscal policy shouldn't be pursued just because 'Europe' calls for it. It is necessary above all to ensure that the costs of the healthcare system and an ageing society can be paid in the future and to secure a strong position for the Netherlands on the financial markets. A balanced budget is still a long way off. So there is no cause to believe we can relax now just because of a slight improvement in the prognosis." (24/08/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política financiera, » Mercado laboral, » Economía, » Holanda

At their meeting on Thursday in Berlin German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande called on the UN Security Council to finally adopt the 'necessary resolutions' in view of the humanitarian situation in Syria. Nothing but empty phrases, Domenico Quirico, an expert on international relations, writes indignantly in the liberal daily La Stampa, noting that the West is guilty of standing by impassively as it did in 1936 with the Spanish Civil War: "Back then there was Franco on one side, whose powerful and ruthless army was shamelessly supplied with weapons by its allies, the fascist regimes of Germany and Italy. Today it is Bashar al-Assad who is determined to destroy the Syria of the rebels - with fighter jets, helicopters, weapons and tanks shamelessly delivered by Russia and China. On the other side back then were the Spanish Republicans. … The Western democracies didn't help them. And today - apart from empty talk - they won't help the Free Syrian Army. … With its cowardliness, dressed up as strategic caution, the West is pushing the Syrian rebels further into the clutches of Islamic fanaticism with each day that passes … So the fight will take on a different form that we really won't like: terrorism.  And the rebels won't forget that we didn't do anything to help them." (24/08/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Relaciones internacionales, » Crisis / Guerras, » Historia, » España, » Siria
Todos los textos disponible de » Domenico Quirico
Cobertura de debates » Civil war raging in Syria

The 44th anniversary of the invasion of reformist Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops in 1968 has had little resonance among the public or in the press even though there is no shortage of myths that need clearing up, comments political scientist Bohumil Doležal in the weekly paper Reflex: "For starters, the 'occupation' did not begin on August 21. In reality Czechoslovakia gradually started becoming a Russian colony right after the war. It is a singularity of history that we - unlike Poland and Hungary - actually contributed to this development ourselves. ... It was Czechs who laid the basis for an inhumane, totalitarian state in 1945 - 1948. It was Czechs who instigated the February Coup [the communist takeover] in 1948. It was Czechs who were responsible for the police terror of the 1950s. ... Not all Czechs, of course, and there was considerable help from the Russians. ... What to make of all that? In August [1968, during the rebellion against the occupation] I had to a certain extent the best weeks of my life. Many people demonstrated solidarity, wisdom and courage. There was a potential for good will which however couldn't be maintained in the long run. Nevertheless, the events of those days deserve a decent requiem once a year." (24/08/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Historia, » Cultura conmemorativa, » La República Checa, » Rusia
Todos los textos disponible de » Bohumil Doležal

The Irish government should follow the example of the French prime minister and finally do something to counter the steady rise in petrol prices, the left-liberal daily Irish Examiner urges: "Unless the Coalition acts swiftly to ease this heavy burden on motorists, the system will automatically go on treating the car as an extravagance and therefore petrol and diesel will go on being taxed at the highest rate. Arguably, there is a powerful case for Taoiseach Enda Kenny to emulate the example set by his counterpart in France, Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, who yesterday vowed to introduce a temporary cut in fuel taxes in a bid to drive down the prices that drivers are paying at the pumps and which will continue to soar. Given the dire state of Ireland's finances, the financial pressures on the Coalition are obvious but Mr Kenny has scope to give motorists some measure of reprieve by freezing at its present level the additional amount the Government would take in when prices go up again." (23/08/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Energía, » Consumidor, » Irlanda

Belgian transport companies have called on the government to lower fuel taxes in view of rising fuel prices. But that's the last thing the state should do, writes the liberal daily De Standaard: "Our energy consumption is among the highest in the world, our ecological footprint one of the biggest. A state that needlessly subsidises energy prices signals that this is not such a bad thing. Aside from that, energy prices will continue to rise in the coming years and decades. A state that prevents us from feeling the repercussions of that also prevents us from changing our ways in time. We must learn to move more economically. With more economical cars, by using the public transport, by bike. And we must above all learn to move less, and to shuttle fewer goods to and fro. The price of fuel can help us to learn this. The state must not spend money to prevent sensible behaviour." (24/08/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Energía, » Bélgica
Todos los textos disponible de » Guy Tegenbos

According to media reports on Thursday, due to a drop in tax revenues Portugal will not be able to lower its budget deficit to the targeted 4.5 percent of gross domestic product for 2012 without making further spending cuts. This bad news was only to be expected, comments the liberal business daily Jornal de Negócios: "Everything depends on the troika, which is due to visit us next week. … There are three alternatives: additional austerity measures to achieve the target, raising the target deficit or opting for a combination of more austerity and flexibility to buy time. The IMF already stated in June that it would be willing to give us more leeway to reach the target deficit. … But persuading Brussels to go along with this could prove more difficult. How are the EU politicians to explain that they will give Portugal more time, but not Greece? Of course Portugal can argue that more time doesn't necessarily mean more money. … However on the basis of current developments we must be prepared for the worst - which effectively means the introduction of another dedicated tax." (24/08/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Política financiera, » Economía política, » Portugal
Todos los textos disponible de » Helena Garrido

The US will publish secret documents from its state archives on September 10 which are likely to reveal that the then US president Franklin D. Roosevelt knowingly denied that the Soviet secret police committed the Katyn massacre of Polish officers. The publication can play a key role in setting the story straight, the conservative daily Rzeczpospolita writes enthusiastically: "The history of lies about Katyn is almost as long as the history of the crime itself. ... It is particularly important to remember that not only Moscow spread these lies about the tragic death of the Polish officers, but also our allies, the UK and the US. ... The gesture by the US must be registered with great satisfaction. This is a step that should correct the errors of the past 70 years. Let's hope further states will follow in the Americans' footsteps. First and foremost Britain. Unfortunately we can't count on the Russian archives being opened any time soon." (24/08/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Relaciones internacionales, » Historia, » Cultura conmemorativa, » Polonia, » Rusia, » EE.UU.
Todos los textos disponible de » Piotr Zychowicz

The county of Gävleborg plans to be the first community in Sweden to introduce random alcohol tests among its 6,500 employees. The same upper limit of 0.2 promille would apply as for drivers. Anyone exceeding this limit would be subject to a wage deduction. That's going a step too far, writes the liberal daily Dagens Nyheter: "The control society has its price. It causes unrest and stress. ... Of course employers must step in and lend a helping hand to people with addiction problems. And the suspicion of an addiction problem can justify the corresponding tests. But to view all employees of a company as potential alcoholics is intolerable. ... The will to control may stem from the best intentions. But we don't surrender our civil rights when we go to work. In the long run, paternalism on the job won't create a good working climate or team spirit - just distrust and underhandedness." (24/08/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Salud, » Suecia

Activists belonging to the Ukrainian Femen movement sawed off a Catholic cross in Kiev on August 17 in protest at the verdict against Pussy Riot. Many criticise the action on the grounds that it contravenes all moral standards. The philosopher Nida Vasiliauskaitė takes a different view of the affair on the  web portal Delfi: "The Femen women chose this symbol because it was also a cross that got Pussy Riot arrested. Not a wooden cross, mind you, but the cross that rules over patriarchal Russia. I'm not sure if this action will be of any practical benefit. But if a miracle took place and sawing off a cross were enough to give the women their freedom, it would be immoral not to saw it off. Because such veneration for the cross would mean that human beings could be sacrificed for its sake - which is basically unchristian idolatry. Symbols are not sacrosanct, especially when they become prison walls and start to symbolise unacceptable events." (23/08/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Ideología, » Derechos humanos, » Justicia, » Ucrania, » Rusia
Todos los textos disponible de » Nida Vasiliauskaitė

An 81-year-old woman from the town of Borja in northern Spain attempted to restore an old fresco depicting Jesus and inadvertently disfigured it beyond recognition. The mayor of Borja is now considering taking legal steps against the elderly woman. In the conservative daily ABC, journalist Iñaki Ezekerra calls for her to be rewarded instead: "Can our judiciary have the temerity to punish this poor woman while in the very same country the thieves at the banks and in administration get off scot-free? … I think they should give Cecilia [the amateur restorer] a civil servant's salary like [ex-prime minister] Zapatero receives. We should go on pilgrimages to Borja to pray to the bungled Christ she has so generously presented us with. Doña Cecilia has humbly asked for forgiveness and will leave the restoration to expert restorers. Spain, too, could do with some restorers, but every time one tries to fix the country people start warning that they shouldn't 'cross any red lines'. In Spain protests are organised against restorers. And then we look at the pitiful results and say they're not so bad after all." (24/08/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Artes gráficas, » Delincuencia, » España
Todos los textos disponible de » Iñaki Ezekerra