"Although the West regards them as twins, the two new member states live with their backs to each other," writes Norbert Mappes-Niediek. "Despite the great differences between the cities and landscape of these two countries, both nations are now looking to the EU. 'We always knew that we were part of Europe' said Romanian President Traian Basescu, 'even back in the 1950s under communist rule.' He adds that it is difficult for Romanians to accept 'that others decide whether we belong to Europe or not'. Bulgaria makes no such confident claims regarding a 'reunification of Europe' that was long overdue anyway. According to opinion pollster Rumjana Butscharowa, in Bulgaria 'it's taking time for people to get used to the idea of being part of Europe'. ... However, as far as their political systems are concerned there are striking similarities between these two very dissimilar countries: after the fall of communism in 1989 both countries went through a long-drawn-out post-communist phase before they finally decided to take a more liberal approach – virtually simultaneously – from 1997 on." (29/12/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Ampliación de la UE, » Rumania, » Bulgaria
Todos los textos disponible de » Norbert Mappes-Niediek

"These two nations are two more former Iron Curtain countries that have made progress in leaps and bounds since their former dictatorships were overthrown and are both experiencing booms", notes the daily. "Yet, they still have much to do. ... Both nations lack skilled workers, and infrastructure systems (especially in relation to ICT) lag quite far behind EU averages. Unfortunately, the EU is not the instant cure that many imagine it to be. Even before membership, laws have to be transposed and then countries have to meet all the entry criteria (we only have to think of our own deficit to know what that means). But the hardest comes next – using the EU to full advantage to obtain funding and grants, as well as to stimulate the economy in the hope of bringing countries up to the average European standard of living." (28/12/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Ampliación de la UE, » Rumania, » Bulgaria

According to Liisi Poll the accession of Romania and Bulgaria comes too soon as in both countries there are still serious shortcomings in many areas like the judiciary and the battle against corruption. "As the two newcomers are also the poorest EU members there will be heavy restrictions until they have fulfilled all the criteria. These transition periods are nothing new to the EU, and it's no great surprise that after all the years of negotiations the two countries got the go-ahead." However, Poll also points to some positive aspects of the two countries' accession: "With their Cyrillic script the Bulgarians are bringing a third alphabet to the EU, and the Romanians bring a new Romance language. Both countries give the EU access to the Black Sea – plus a market of over 30 million people, natural resources, rapidly growing economies and a considerable dose of enthusiasm for Europe – something which is dwindling in the so-called old EU member states". (28/12/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Ampliación de la UE, » Rumania, » Bulgaria
Todos los textos disponible de » Liisi Poll

Péter Kimpián visited the Hungarian-Romanian border region a few days before Romania becomes a member of the EU. He notes that poverty is still much more in evidence on the Romanian side of the border but that the country is nonetheless making rapid progress. "Thanks to a large number of foreign investments the Romanian currency gained 20 percent against the dollar this year. According to government statistics, salaries and wages went up by 11.4 percent in 2006, however, the average salary even in Romania's more prosperous regions is still only 340 euros before tax. In the run-up to the country's accession prices have gone up by around 20 percent. ... All the politicians are proudly proclaiming the date of Romania's accession at every opportunity. We're into the final countdown: people are constantly being reminded how many days remain before the EU accession. They're excited, but still a little doubtful. They wonder: will it really be that great to be a member of the EU?" (29/12/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Ampliación de la UE, » Rumania, » Bulgaria

"Bulgarians argue that, with or without restrictions, they would not arrive in droves", notes the journalist Alex Spillius. "Most people who wanted to work abroad have already done so, they say. Gaining permission to work in Britain has not been that difficult, while citizens from both countries have enjoyed visa-free access to 26 other European nations, but not Britain, for the past five years. Romanians inclined to migrate look west to their fellow Latin nations Italy, Spain and Portugal. ... The tabloid vision of gipsies rolling their caravans on to cross-Channel ferries, meanwhile, simply doesn't add up. More than a million gipsies became EU citizens in 2004: there has been no invasion. Even before European membership, the Bulgarian and Romanian economies were improving. Driving into central Sofia, more charming spots emerge. Bars and restaurants are full of patriotic young people who say they don't want to leave home, at least not for long." (28/12/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Ampliación de la UE, » Rumania, » Bulgaria
Todos los textos disponible de » Alex Spillius

For the editorialist Pascal Martin, Romania has been unfairly stigmatised on the eve of its EU accession. "Paradoxically, Romania has given rise on our shores to considerably more fears and fantasies than Bulgaria has: fears of being invaded by throngs of beggars, armies of illegal workers and looters. ... According to the Commission's latest evaluations, Bucharest has proved itself better than Sofia at meeting EU demands. It is in Bulgaria that crime is strongest... Should we, despite all this, be afraid of Romania? No, but we should remain vigilant. ... The Union would do well to consider the spirit of the populations that it welcomes. In Romania, politics has little credit. In this former communist country it is thus necessary to continue convincing that democracy is constructed with the help of each and all." (29/12/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Ampliación de la UE, » Rumania, » Bulgaria
Todos los textos disponible de » Pascal Martin

On January 1st 2007 it will be five years since the euro was first introduced. German journalist Thomas Steinfeld sees the unpopularity of the European currency as the secret of its success: "The European currency lacks character in the same way the European bureaucracy does. Its advantage lies in its indifference to political divergences. The euro does not conjure up associations with the dark figures of Italy's shadow economy, the regional obstinacy of French winegrowers or the international success of German engineering. All the European coins are the same on the side with the number on it. They are neutral to political differences. The euro is impervious to such things. This is the great advantage of the new currency for the sake of which we sacrificed the historical, social and sentimental symbolism of the franc, the German mark, the guilder, the schilling and the lira. The neutrality of the euro is therefore of the same nature as that of European legal norm: it has to be devoid of sentimental value and anti-intellectual, otherwise it wouldn't work." (29/12/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política financiera, » Comercio, » Consumidor, » Impuestos, » Europa
Todos los textos disponible de » Thomas Steinfeld

Bruno Fasani, priest and columnist of the daily, returns to the case of Piergiorgio Welby, deceased on December 20th after a doctor agreed to un-plug the life-support system that had been keeping him alive for years. Commenting on the Catholic Church's refusal to allow him a religious funeral, he notes that, "in the current Christmas atmosphere, believers are asking for an explanation. They are inwardly torn between two opposing sentiments: fidelity to the Church and its indications on the one hand and pity for a man on the other". For Fasani, all of this "stems from a fundamental equivocation, namely the notion that the Gospels form a clement mother figure while the Church is merely a step-mother. ... However, the fact that everyone wants to give their opinion on big moral issues has more to do with the arbitrary and sanctimonious appropriation of power than with being faithful to Jesus Christ. The emergence of a religious individualism, a made-to-measure faith, is indeed a consequence of this attitude and is diminishing the sense of belonging in Church along with the notion of obedience." (29/12/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Religión, » Salud / Medicina, » Ideología, » Italia

Latvia has been an EU member for almost three years now. Author Bens Latkovskis reflects on whether Latvians have really taken the much cited European values to heart. "We are not as European as we like to think. Many people believe that the Americans and Russians have more in common in their way of thinking than they do with Western Europeans, and after the long years under Soviet rule the Latvian mentality changed, too. Despite all the talk about transatlantic solidarity and common values there is a wider gap between the European and the American mentality than you would think at first. In Latvia, one repeatedly hears things said that make it clear that at some point we will have to decide which way we want to go: that of America or that of Europe." (29/12/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Letonia
Todos los textos disponible de » Bens Latkovskis

The Czech Social Democrat Frantisek Bublan, former Prime minister, describes the founding of the Czech civil rights movement Charter 77 thirty years ago as "a shining light in the times of totalitarianism". "It would be naïve to believe that the founding document of the Charter and the appeals that followed changed the regime back then. It was more about trying to wake people up and show the regime that there were people who didn't want to act like obedient sheep. ... What remained was the experience that it is possible to swim against the current, to triumph against indolence and the herd instinct and sometimes even against public opinion... The members of the Charter77 movement wanted change, but they were not seeking political posts for themselves. This is what distinguishes them from today's politicians who claim they want to change things but what they really want is power." (29/12/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Movimientos sociales, » Historia, » La República Checa

"Germany could bring a major contribution to the re-launch of the European project by finally taking a long-term break from the excessively restrictive economic and social policies that have been followed for more than ten years in Germany", considers Guillaume Duval, editor in chief of the monthly 'Alternatives économiques', as this country is about to take over the rotating EU presidency on January 1st. "Since the beginning of the 1990s, Germany has indeed been inflicting such austerity on itself that is difficult to measure on this side of the Rhine. Throughout this period, the German economy has been, with remarkable constancy, a hindrance for Europe. It is high time for Germany's neighbours, and in particular French politicians, to confront Angela Merkel and her social-democratic allies with their European responsibilities ... ". (29/12/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Política interior, » Política financiera, » Impuestos, » Alemania

In 1984, Clément Marty, alias Bartabas, created Zingaro, the equestrian theatre troop that is currently presenting the show 'Battuta' in Aubervilliers, on the outskirts of Paris. In an interview conducted by Fabienne Pascaud, he explains his artistic approach. "Work with horses is something for the taciturn. ... Like the work of dancers and musicians. Like them, we have to practice for hours, often alone, in order to progress. This teaches the humility that actors do not always have. It is not surprising that I have more friends in dance and music. We have the same, almost ascetic, priestly approach to the trade. ... Grace cannot be attained without technique. And it only occurs when technique has been assimilated, overcome. Because grace is something profoundly human. Old dancers often reach grace, when their bodies are no longer so agile and they need to compensate by fully investing each of their gestures with their entire being." (23/12/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Escenarios, » Francia
Todos los textos disponible de » Clément Marty Bartabas, » Fabienne Pascaud

Milan Kundera is one of the most famous Czechs alive yet his countrymen know little about the author, former Czech dissident Tomas Vrba complains. "We don't even know what his voice sounds like." Vrba expresses his regret that Kundera seldom ventures out of his "exclusive seclusion" to make a public appearance and when he does he avoids speaking his native language. "Many Czechs don't understand what happened. Some are ashamed and others are offended. Since the 1960s, Kundera has been important to them not only as an author but also as a person who courageously spoke out on subjects that were painful for them and said the things they only thought. There can be no doubt that despite his difficult relationship with his home country Kundera has done a lot for the country, but not only for the Czechs. Back in the 1970s he defended Central Europe's right to its own cultural traditions, even though back then the West regarded Central Europe as part of the East." (29/12/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Literatura, » La República Checa, » Centroeuropa
Todos los textos disponible de » Tomas Vrba

The art critic Peter Aspden comments on the remarkable buoyancy of the British art scene. "Quite apart from the fun on offer, many of the world's most pressing debates are now played out on stages and in galleries, whether through the polemical plays of David Hare or the brash irreverence of contemporary artists competing for Britain's Turner Prize. There is the feeling that the arts matter again and that they can fill up some of that spare leisure time we were promised all those years ago, to entertaining and educational effect. ... It is no longer enough for a nation to define its prosperity in financial terms alone. Culture – the ability to attract it, buy and sell it and make it flourish – has become a key constituent of national well-being. ... Globalisation in the arts, as in economics, has generally been a force for good, with some important caveats." (29/12/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Artes gráficas, » Escenarios, » Gran Bretaña
Todos los textos disponible de » Peter Aspden

"There is no happy ending to the year between Greece and Macedonia. The crisis broke out last night [Thursday, December 28th], after our neighbouring country's council of ministers announced that they wish to rename the Petrovec airport 'Alexander the Great airport'", explains the daily. "Needless to say, this announcement aroused the wrath of the Greeks who are already prepared to demonstrate, as in 1993, in order to recall that Macedonia is Greek. ... The government has understood that this is a question of hostility on the part of our neighbours and it wasted no time in pointing out that '2,300 years later, History does not change and is not handed over'. A message that is for once loud and clear and that says a lot about those countries in search of roots that are so envious of Greece that they want to copy its past!" (29/12/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Ampliación de la UE, » Historia, » Grecia, » Sudeste de Europa