The constitutional court's decision to delay its ruling is just stalling for time, writes Askolds Rodins. Nonetheless, he believes Yushchenko has the best chances in this battle: "Both sides have announced that they will respect the decision of the constitutional court, no matter what. This gives the president the advantage. If it rules that the dissolution of the parliament is legitimate, new elections will follow automatically; if not, this means a return to the starting position. After all, even a president is allowed to make one mistake. On the other hand, the early presidential elections the opposition is calling for are out of the question - they can only take place if the president dies, is sentenced by law, steps down or is unable to fulfil his obligations for health reasons. None of these scenarios applies in Yushchenko's case." (12/04/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Ucrania
Todos los textos disponible de » Askolds Rodins

Once again, Ukraine's future will be decided on the streets, writes Egidijus Vareikis. He adds that once again the issue at stake is whether the country belongs to the West or the East. "Independent Ukraine is torn between the remnants of the former Russian empire and the prospect of European integration. At the same time it is fighting to develop its own identity. It's not surprising that we are keeping a close watch on events in Ukraine, because the country is a geopolitical factor that could decide the fate of European integration." (12/04/2007)

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Todos los textos disponible de » Egidijus Vareikis

"Yushchenko's decision to dissolve the parliament last week was his bravest since the days of the revolution," writes Johannes Voswinkel. He adds that this was Yushchenko's reaction to the widespread tactics of wooing MPs away from the Orange opposition. "And so politics in Ukraine continues to be a mixture between a soap opera and a crime series. The regional power groups of various holding companies in Donezk, Dnepropetrovsk and Kiev have dominated the country since it achieved independence in 1991, and over the course of time they have split into numerous factions. Their objective is financial gain; ideology is of marginal importance. The opposition between the pro-Western Yushchenko and the pro-Russian Yanukovich is being exaggerated and exploited by both sides to mobilise their supporters. The true lines of conflict run directly between the elite and the parties - the protagonists differ only in the degree of their enthusiasm for the West. But in the long term even this political battle which is being fought with questionable means could lead to the creation of a democratic system that balances the diverging interests in Ukraine." (12/04/2007)

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Todos los textos disponible de » Johannes Voswinkel

While in Ukraine's capital 10,000 supporters of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich have gathered to protest against President Viktor Yushchenko's dissolution of the parliament, former Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewsk and the Polish Vice President of the European parliament, Marek Siwiec, have initiated unofficial talks with the two opponents. In a guest commentary Anne Applebaum of the Washington Post writes that "Poland has an important role to fulfil in Ukraine - in particular by backing Ukraine's independence and acting as a counterweight to the position of more pro-Russian states like Germany and France. Warsaw could exert pressure on Brussels to strengthen its diplomatic ties with Kiev and make its decisions independently of its relations with Russia." (12/04/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Política interior, » Polonia, » Ucrania
Todos los textos disponible de » Anne Applebaum

"Never in human history has life been more predictable, safe and stable - at least for that large minority of the human race who live in the advanced capitalist countries of Western Europe, North America and East Asia", writes the economist and journalist Anatole Kaletsky. "Compared with the upheavals of the early 20th century, the challenges we face today - whether as families and individuals or as societies and nations - are almost laughably trivial. Have psychologists who tell us that accident witnesses need grief counselling forgotten about Holocaust survivors and PoWs in Burma ? ... Can politicians honestly speak of terrorism today in the same breath as the threat from Communists and Nazis to previous generations ? Anyone who makes such comparisons is insulting our intelligence, as well as our courageous forebears." (12/04/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Historia, » Global
Todos los textos disponible de » Anatole Kaletsky

Bulgarian-born author, Ilija Trojanov, who has lived in many different countries and is currently lecturing in Vienna, criticises the equation of the EU with Europe: "The EU has taken it upon itself to create a European identity. This is absurd. No one in their right mind would doubt that for example Ukraine is part of Europe's identity. The attempts to define European tradition as a Christian tradition are also humbug. To give just one example: the western part of Europe, namely Spain, was not only predominantly Islamic for 800 years, but was also unusually multicultural in a positive sense and was characterised by a religious tolerance we can only dream of today. In terms of its identity, Europe is much more diverse and complex than current political discussion allows." (12/04/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Religión, » Historia, » Ideología, » Europa
Todos los textos disponible de » Ilija Trojanov, » Sebastian Fasthuber

Paul de Hen, the weekly's Brussels correspondent, explains that, on April 11th, the EU launched a new initiative of cooperation with the countries of the Black Sea, a territory that brushes up against the EU since the accession of Romania and Bulgaria. "The region is crawling with suspended conflicts. ... In Moldova, there is the separatist region of Transnistria. In Georgia, two regions want to be separated. Armenian is s keeping its border with Turkey closed and has territorial disagreement with Azerbaijan. In Ukraine, the pro-western party, which wishes to join the EU, has been stuck for years in a struggle for permanent power with the pro-Russian party. ... The EU cannot turn its back on problems that are so close. Black Sea territory is also of economic interest, because they have raw materials and are transit zones for petrol and natural gas." (12/04/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Ampliación de la UE, » Sudeste de Europa
Todos los textos disponible de » Paul de Hen

"The bombings perpetrated on Tuesday in Casablanca and yesterday [April 11th] in Algeria show that the Al-Qaeda organisation is very active in North Africa", considers the daily. "This escalation of terrorism is particularly worrying for Spain. This is not only because of geographic proximity, but above all because of the fact that the Salafist groups operating in these countries have ramifications here. The link between the 2004 bombings in Madrid and the 2003 Casablanca bombings is no mere coincidence. There are many North Africans sitting as suspects in the docks of the trial of the March 11th terrorist attacks and it is in this same nebulous assortment of radical groups that we should seek networks operating in Spanish towns, recruiting youths who are ready to go and immolate themselves in Iraq. ... Police cooperation between Spain and its southern neighbours is fundamental, as are policies that help development in societies that are lagging behind and where youths are stimulated by Islamist fundamentalism." (12/04/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de seguridad / Crisis / Guerras, » España, » África del Norte

Daniel Bax welcomes that fact that several Muslim associations in Germany have united to form a coordination council, although he notes that the council is still far from representing all Muslims living in Germany - "just as trade unions don't represent all workers and churches don't represent all Christians". Nonetheless, says Bax: "When [the Muslims] speak out with 'one voice' in future, it will be regarding important issues such as who is to teach the Islamic religion to their children in future and who will represent 'the Muslims' on the broadcasting council. Under Germany's canon law, German politics requires a Muslim representative body for dealing with all these issues. Now it has one. That the new coordination council represents the more conservative Muslims was virtually inevitable and isn't such a tragedy. After all we're talking about those Muslims for whom the religious education of their children is important. And isn't it better if these children receive their religious education at state schools rather than in Koran courses which are not subject to any kind of control? (12/04/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Religión, » Integración, » Ideología, » Alemania
Todos los textos disponible de » Daniel Bax

The next elections for the National Assembly for Wales will take place on May third. The daily comments. "Wales has been left to play the role of the overlooked younger brother in the current crop of celtic elections. While Scotland's flirtation with nationalism is causing excitement and Northern Ireland's vote for powersharing was properly historic, the Welsh election campaign has been almost completely ignored in England and has proved to be of limited interest even to voters allowed to take part in it. ... The third election since devolution a decade ago has so far been a sedate and well-mannered affair - which is not to say that it may not have a dramatic conclusion. ... Challenged by geography, and the strength of economic and cultural ties to England, Wales has not found a united political identity. But there is a degree of pride in the assembly, even if voters are turned off by wrangling between parties, which would increase in the wake of an uncertain election result." (12/04/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Gran Bretaña

Alexandre Defossez, an assistant at the Institute for European Law Studies (IEJE) of the University of Liège, regrets the lack of European commitment among the candidates of the French presidential election. "The analysis of the propositions of the different candidates in the Presidential elections campaign reveals the reality of rampant Euroscepticism. France should therefore seriously consider its European commitment, otherwise no solution will be found. In the face of the rise in power of emerging countries like India, China and Brazil, France's European partners may well adopt radical economic solutions to face up to tomorrow's challenges. Paradoxically, France's 'No' vote [against the European Constitution], which was notably intended to the real or alleged liberalism of the European Union, may in fact push it even further in that direction for lack of a credible well-argued alternative." (11/04/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Constitución de la UE, » Francia, » Europa
Todos los textos disponible de » Alexandre Defossez

Chairs wrenched free, fights among fans and clashes with the police are a common sight at Romanian football stadiums - despite the new, stricter security measures and regulations aimed at combating violence in sport. Last week fans of the national team "Steaua" hit a cameraman and destroyed his camera. Ovidiu Nahoi comments: "The violence has its roots in society. There is violence in Romanian football because Romania is crazy. Romania is a country where the winners are people who talk and act violently... The stadiums embrace violence. They create the opportunity and even incite acts of aggression and they allow the perpetrators to act violently with almost no fear of reprisal... Romanian football offers no solutions to violence because the managers of the teams themselves represent and use violence." (12/04/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Deportes, » Rumania
Todos los textos disponible de » Ovidiu Nahoi

Amalia van Gent reports that a new history textbook brought out by the Greek Ministry of Education is causing a stir. The Orthodox Church has accused the initiators of the textbook, which was published by historian Maria Repousi and is intended for sixth graders, of embellishing the details of Greek-Turkish relations for reasons of political correctness and of undermining the role of the Orthodox Church. According to van Gent, this is intentional: "Maria Repousi and her group decided to ignore the legend of the 'secret school' in the new book, for example. According to the legend, which originated in the 19th century, the Greek language and culture only survived thanks to the efforts of Orthodox priests who resisted a ban imposed by the Ottoman Empire and secretly taught children in churches and monasteries. The picture by the famous painter Nicolaos Gyzis, showing a white-bearded Pope reading to a group of girls and boys by candlelight, has influenced generations of Greeks, but it has little to do with historical reality. The fact is Greek schools were not forbidden under the Ottoman Empire." (12/04/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Religión, » Historia, » Ideología, » Grecia, » Turquía
Todos los textos disponible de » Amalia van Gent

The columnist Manuel Martín Ferrand responds to the publication of a manifesto signed by over 3,500 Spanish intellectuals in which the Popular Party (PP, conservative, opposition) is harshly criticised. "Who, aged over fifty, did not sign one of the documents ... that were circulating during the Franco period ? What is new about the new signatories, the latest fad in matters of manifestos, is to direct these attacks against the opposition and not, according to the tradition of dissent, against power. ... [They] judge that to turn terrorism into the 'axis of the opposition' is inadmissible and, not to mention the fact that terrorism is the axis of government politics, they are attacking the PP, which they do not name, and are urging people to go and vote to support the PSOE [the Spanish socialist party]. ...We can see that something serious is happening in a democracy when the intellectuals don't have a voice or only use it to denounce the 'exaggeration and manipulation' of the main opposition party." (12/04/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » España
Todos los textos disponible de » Manuel Martín Ferrand

David Casa, Maltese politician in the Nationalist Party and MEP, praises EU funding of cultural projects. "Different programmes have been formulated to promote what make us Europeans, so that the subject is disseminated holistically. These programmes offer funding for projects that unite people and make them share their experiences and identity. Among these programmes, one finds Culture, Comenius, Youth and others. These programmes offer the opportunity for European citizens to share their identity not only between themselves but also, on certain occasions, even with third countries. ... It is not a matter of identifying and safeguarding every culture in isolation, but rather of revitalising them in order to avoid segregation and cultural entrenchment and prevent conflict. This is what the European Union is trying to do when funding these projects. It is becoming a vital means of maintaining peace and world unity." (12/04/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política Cultural, » Europa
Todos los textos disponible de » David Casa

Not only Berlin, but also several smaller cities and villages in central Europe were divided by a state border in the 20th century. Signed in 1920, the Treaty of Trianon meant that part of the city of Sátoraljaújhely, which today belongs to Hungary, passed into the hands of former Czechoslovakia [now Slovakia] and was renamed Slovenské Nové Mesto. "The mayor, Ján Kalinic, can't speak a word of Hungarian, but he can't wait until the border disappears because then the children of the city will at last be able to go to school unaccompanied and without their passports," János Irházi reports. "The border crossing point still makes you think of Berlin when the Wall was still there: the border runs down the middle of a street and can only be crossed by foot and during the day... Three Hungarian and two Slovakian villages cooperated in the modernisation and expansion of the canal system. The divided city has also made an attempt at trans-border disaster control. When Sátoraljaújhely was cut off from the outside world by snow Slovaks came to clear it away." (11/04/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Relaciones internacionales, » Ampliación de la UE, » Cultura cotidiana, » Historia, » Hungría, » Eslovaquia
Todos los textos disponible de » János Irházi

The Sicilian writer Alfio Caruso denounces the malfunctioning of Sicily and wonders if it can still claim to be part of Italy. "Sixty years of bad management of regional autonomy have forced the certitude that what applies to the rest of Italy does not apply to Sicily... . But this Sicily, where 7 out of 10 doctors are under police surveillance, where the president of the region is on the point of being condemned for conniving with the mafia, where the local administrative court in the region of Catania snubs common sense in order to protect its football team [by allowing its supporters to attend a match despite the death of a policeman on February 2nd], where every appeal to responsibility is treated as northern conspiracy ... . Is this Sicily still Italian?" (12/04/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Italia
Todos los textos disponible de » Alfio Caruso