During the mass protests in Greece against the austerity package heavy rioting broke out in Athens and other cities. Several buildings were set alight and the police used truncheons and tear gas against the demonstrators. The scenes of unrest show what awaits Greece if it comes to an uncontrolled bankruptcy, writes the left-liberal online paper To Vima: "What we saw on Sunday points to a very a dark future indeed, similar or worse than the situation in Argentina a decade ago. Even those who favour halting interest payments and insolvency have recognised the danger. ... Uncontrolled insolvency could lead to blind violence and chaos. For that reason bankruptcy must be avoided at all cost." (13/02/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Política financiera, » Movimientos sociales, » Disturbios, » Catástrofe, » Grecia, » Europa
Cobertura de debates » Grecia se estremece bajo la crisis, » Salidas a la crisis de endeudamiento

The austerity plan is only logical since Greece lived above its means for far too long, writes the liberal daily Dagens Nyheter and urges the Greeks to make a great effort: "Salaries have risen markedly since the introduction of the euro, while the amount of economic revenues channelled into social transfers has doubled in the course of a decade. The alternative to cutting public spending would by to use exports to work our way out of the crisis. But as the American professor Ricardo Hausmann has stressed, Greece doesn't produce 'machines, electronic devices or chemicals'. To balance the enormous deficit in the balance of payments the export basis must be made broader. This takes time. The Baltic countries were forced to undergo radical treatment to fight their crisis. Ireland is on the road to recovery after a crash landing. Greece cannot be an impossible case. But even with the support of the EU it will take many years of major effort on its part." (13/02/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Economía política, » Disturbios, » Grecia, » Irlanda
Cobertura de debates » Grecia se estremece bajo la crisis, » Salidas a la crisis de endeudamiento

The speculation about Greece exiting the Eurozone was an effective means of putting pressure on the country, the Christian-social daily Trouw writes with renewed optimism: "The open statements that a Greek exit wouldn't be a tragedy also showed that the Eurozone is slowly regaining its self-confidence. There is now the conviction that the euro would survive a Greek bankruptcy, and that Greece's failure wouldn't send Rome, Madrid and Lisbon into a downwards spiral. No one can give any guarantees, but clearly there is now greater confidence that the emergency measures at a national and European level as well as the Eurozone's new agreements will have an impact. Perhaps many also believe that the time of fear has gone on for too long. … Crises don't just pass, but it helps if we let the mood shift from one of pessimism to one of optimism." (13/02/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política financiera, » Grecia
Cobertura de debates » Grecia se estremece bajo la crisis, » Salidas a la crisis de endeudamiento

The violent protests in Greece are the payback for the rampant corruption in politics and should serve as a lesson for Italy, the liberal daily La Stampa warns: "We should pay close attention to events in Greece, because they can teach us a few things. The leaders of the two major parties agree with the technocratic prime minister that new sacrifices are inevitable. But the people have no more to give, since the sacrifice has been unevenly distributed. What we have here is a thoroughly corrupt political administration that puts all the burden on the weak, namely those who don't belong to the protected professional associations or the parties' clientele. For the MPs it's easier to increase the tax burden than to cross the interest groups. And worse still, the inability to scrap privileges is blocking any attempt to revive the economy." (13/02/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Política interior, » Disturbios, » Grecia
Todos los textos disponible de » Stefano Lepri
Cobertura de debates » Grecia se estremece bajo la crisis, » Salidas a la crisis de endeudamiento

The austerity dictate from Brussels will impoverish the Greeks, and that will ultimately work against the entire Eurozone, the tabloid Correio da Manhã warns: "What remains of the draconian austerity package for Greece is the image of violence on Syntagma Square in the heart of Athens. On the same day the German finance minister warned the Greeks that they could not continue being a bottomless pit. The troika is enforcing another dose of poverty with wage cuts and rising unemployment. Europe has allowed the Greek politicians to make a fool of it in recent years: they used the times of a cheap and easy euro to wrack up debts for the country beyond all limits. Now all Europe has to offer is frugality. And the rejection of this painful remedy is causing more poverty. If the EU doesn't start offering citizens a ray of hope it will very soon plunge into the abyss." (13/02/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Política financiera, » Disturbios, » Grecia, » Europa
Todos los textos disponible de » Armando Esteves Pereira
Cobertura de debates » Grecia se estremece bajo la crisis, » Salidas a la crisis de endeudamiento

The Arab League on Sunday called on the UN to create a common peace force to put an end to the violent conflict between Syrian rebels and the regime. The left-liberal daily Der Standard finds the idea of such a joint mission completely illusory: "Syria won't agree and the UN Security Council will not be able to pass a corresponding resolution. Military intervention is out of the question for all parties: the groups fighting the regime are far too fragmented and untransparent. One could easily find oneself on the same side with Jihadists who have infiltrated the country from Iraq. Supplying weapons is problematic for the same reason. And it is also wishful thinking to believe the Arab Gulf States calling for an Arab Front against Syria have suddenly adopted the principles of democracy and a 'responsibility to protect'. All of that doesn't make the regime in Syria one whit better. But it shows that the opposite of evil is not necessarily good." (13/02/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de seguridad / Crisis / Guerras, » Oriente Próximo y Medio, » Siria
Todos los textos disponible de » Gudrun Harrer
Cobertura de debates » El mundo árabe lucha por la libertad

Tens of thousands of Internet activists demonstrated worldwide on Saturday against the controversial Anti-Counterfeit Trading Agreement Acta. The resistance to Acta has ushered in a new culture of protest, writes the daily Standart: "First of all, a strikingly large number of 12 to 15-year-olds took part in the demonstrations. They belong to a generation unfamiliar with a world without the Internet, one that mainly inhabits virtual space. They won't accept any interference with their Internet environment, be it from the state or business. For them, there is nothing more natural than downloading a film or song from the web, which is why the issues of copyrights or the theft of intellectual property are alien and incomprehensible to them. Secondly today's youths are increasingly connected through the social networks, and are barely influenced any more by classic media like newspapers, radio and television. The authors of Acta have lost the fight on the virtual battlefield, where information portals, platforms and blogs have called for a peaceful boycott against the US and the EU Commission." (12/02/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Medios de comunicación online, » Política de los medios de comunicación, » Libertad de prensa, » Global
Todos los textos disponible de » Ruslan Yordanov

In addition to demonstrations across the globe against the Anti-Counterfeit Trade Agreement Acta, politicians too are now beginning to express serious doubts about the accord, and the governments of several countries are delaying putting their signatures to it. The liberal daily Gazeta Wyborcza argues that it would be better to strengthen existing copyrights: "The Internet may have won against Acta. But the problem that this agreement was supposed to resolve remains. The ease and impunity with which films, books or music can be copied is destroying the business model on which the production of part of these cultural assets is based. We shouldn't pity the music companies and publishers who go bankrupt. They don't deserve it because of their often arrogant and impudent behaviour. … But the real problem remains: how can it be guaranteed that the creators receive fitting remuneration for their work? Copyright was invented as a solution to this question. Of course it's not perfect. But for a long time it fulfilled its purpose." (13/02/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Medios de comunicación online, » Europa
Todos los textos disponible de » Adam Leszczyński

The ruling coalition in Austria presented an austerity programme on Friday aimed at reducing public spending by 26 billion euros by 2016, in an attempt to prevent a further downgrading of the country's credit status by the rating agencies. The liberal-conservative daily Die Presse complains that the calculations are too vague and too optimistic about international developments: "For example the plan foresees at least half a billion in revenues from a financial transaction tax. But this tax will only be levied if all the countries of the EU agree to it. Then Switzerland is expected to declare all the assets from Austria in its banks, or tax them directly, or at any rate get a billion to Vienna one way or another. The Germans want the same. If they are successful Austria will be the next in line - at least that's what the Chancellor hopes. And there's another area where the paper is too thin and remains true to its own peculiar brand of humour: cuts in healthcare are mentioned in a few lines. … The rating agencies will no doubt be deeply moved." (12/02/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política, » Austria
Todos los textos disponible de » Rainer Nowak

Germany will not be able to lead the EU from the crisis without the help of the French and the British, writes the British historian and commentator Timothy Garton Ash in the weekly magazine Der Spiegel, comparing Europe with a car chauffeured by an unwilling German Chancellor Angela Merkel: "So far Germany is proving a reluctant, nervous and not very skilful driver. ... We may laugh at Sarko's antics in the front passenger seat ("Non, non, ma chérie! Tout droit, tout droit!'), but he's got the right idea. For David Cameron to consign Britain to the back seat - if not the dog boot - of the European car at this critical moment is folly beyond words. Earlier this week, Merkel again stressed how much Germany wants to see this fellow north European, free-market liberal country return to the heart of European affairs. ... It would be so short-sighted, so plain dumb, for Britain to abandon Germany to its own devices just when it finds itself playing such a decisive role in Europe - a role that it did not seek, for which it is ill-prepared and in which it needs all the help that it can get." (13/02/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Alemania, » Francia, » Gran Bretaña
Todos los textos disponible de » Timothy Garton Ash
Cobertura de debates » Salidas a la crisis de endeudamiento, » La velocidad de Europa

The French Minister of the Interior Claude Guéant stated publicly a week ago that "not all civilsations are equal", which triggered a wave of protest above all from the opposition Socialists. But Europeans have every right to judge other cultures, writes the philosopher Jean-François Mattéi in the conservative daily Le Figaro: "Reactions to the statement by Claude Guéant on the inequality of civilisations vary from the ridiculous to the grotesque and the plain silly. ... There is but one civilisation, just as there is but one humanity and one reason. And it so happens that it was European culture that came up with this idea of civilisation. It developed the idea of the universal so as to share it with those who as yet had no access to it. As a result one can very well make the distinction between civilised and savage or barbarian, because the progress of civilisation implies leaving primitive, degenerate forms of life behind one. It goes without saying that this distinction has always been made by the civilised, that is to say historically by Western civilisation. And it can't be blamed for doing so, because this it was this culture that discovered and theorised the idea of the universal before applying it to other peoples." (13/02/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Filosofía, » Ideología, » Sociedad, » Europa, » Global
Todos los textos disponible de » Jean-François Mattéi

Spain's conservative government passed a comprehensive labour market reform by decree on Friday, which went straight into effect on Saturday. This means Spain's labour laws are finally in conformity with Europe, the left-liberal business paper Cinco Días writes with relief: "The evolution of Spain's industrial laws has consisted of a slow, painfully slow transition from the paternalistic procedures of the Franco regime to a set of labour laws comparable with those of Europe. Spain's economy is integrated into the European economy and must compete with its equals here. Even if the evolution is not yet completed, the successive reforms constitute significant progress and the reform passed by the cabinet of Rajoy's government on Friday amounts to far-reaching changes in this direction. The reform affects all areas: education, accession to the job market, working relationships within companies and withdrawal from the job market. Taken as a whole, one can speak of a genuine revolution in Spain's industrial laws." (12/02/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Economía política, » Asuntos de trabajo, » España

The US singer Whitney Houston was found dead on Saturday in her Los Angeles hotel room. The diva with the very special voice influenced pop music as much as Michael Jackson did, writes the left-liberal daily The Guardian: "That ineffable girl-next-door vibe Whitney had is something that's more or less disappeared from the pop scene in the last 15 years. Child and teenage stars endure, sure, but not like her. She was pretty - enough to be a successful model - but she was also sweet. Her persona didn't seem like an act to shift more units, though it undoubtedly helped. ... Like Michael Jackson before her, Whitney Houston defined the pop landscape of her time and influenced it for years afterwards. Every time you hear Beyoncé drag out a single syllable over three or four beats, that's Whitney. And when Mariah Carey does her little hand movements to accompany a ridiculously high note, that's Whitney too. This was a talent that others can only imitate." (12/02/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Música, » América del Norte
Todos los textos disponible de » Bim Adewunmi

Slovenia's new conservative Prime Minister Janez Janša has abolished the country's ministry of culture, allocating its areas of competence to the country's Ministry of Education and Sport. In presenting his cabinet on Saturday Janša justified the move with the need for cuts but that won't be the result, writes the columnist Miha Jenko in the left-liberal daily Delo: "The question remains of what it is best for small Slovenia to do. The country must abide by global principles in culture as well as finance. Those working in the culture sector should decide the matter for themselves. Ultimately, however, only the coming years will show who is right: those in favour of abolishing the ministry or those who oppose the move. As an author dealing with budget and other financial matters, I can only say that combining the cultural portfolio with other areas will not bring any  financial savings to speak of." (13/02/2012)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Política Cultural, » Eslovenia
Todos los textos disponible de » Miha Jenko