"Never again will we be able to watch the Eurovison like before", writes Lisbeth Koutchoumoff. "Up until now we always thought that we were dealing with a silly phone-in that came back every year as a filler for an otherwise dead TV night. Well actually no, it turns out. Even the Eurovision is getting complicated. In order to watch it from now on, you will need to prop open an atlas on your lap, a geo-political, geo-strategic, geo-historical, or geo-something atlas, anyway. All this because, this year anyway, it is the Serbian singer Marija Serifovic who won in Helsinski on Saturday night before 120 million TV viewers and because an analysis of the provenance of votes, as carried out by Jean-Marc Richard for TSR [French-speaking Swiss television], clearly points to unequivocal solidarity among Eastern Europeans. ... The North-Atlantic countries have been sent to the back of the pack, as if frozen out by a cold-war chill." (14/05/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, francés)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Ampliación de la UE, » Cultura cotidiana, » Europa, » Serbia
Todos los textos disponible de » Lisbeth Koutchoumoff

Ivaylo Dichev sees the results of the Eurovision Song Contest, in which Bulgaria came fifth, as political votes. "Those who were dismayed to see the break-up of Yugoslavia or the Soviet Union should take a look at Saturday's voting. ... By no means do I mean to imply that it was all down to national sympathies and that the whole thing wasn't interesting or objective, but somehow it was about more than music. You could even say Bulgaria no longer has any friends - at least there was no country that gave us its clear support. We weren't the first choice for Moldavia, Romania, Macedonia or Serbia. The Greeks put us first and Spain also gave us a relatively good score. But that was only to be expected because thousands of Bulgarian emigrants live there and they did as the Turks in Germany or the Netherlands [who voted for their home country]. ... It's surprising that Croatia gave its maximum points to Serbia, a country it fought a war with in the 1980s, and that Russia voted for Ukraine despite the serious ongoing conflicts between the two countries." (14/05/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, búlgaro)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Relaciones internacionales, » Música, » Escenarios, » Europa, » Bulgaria
Todos los textos disponible de » Ditschew Iwajlo

"This is the beginning of a new chapter for Serbia," Tommy Svensson quotes Serb singer Marija Serifovic following her Eurovision Song Contest victory, which sparked mass celebrations in her home country. Unlike many of the entries from other Eastern and Central European countries, Serifovic's song wasn't an ethnic or folklore-style song but more of a chanson; the singer performed in a black suit. The news of the victory in Helsinki even broke up the evening's parliamentary debate in Belgrade. According to Svensson, it's evidence of the country's orientation towards Europe. "I believe the Serbs, and in particular young Serbs, want to be part of Europe, both culturally and politically. The problem are those in power, who belong to the older generation, and the curse of nationalism. Serbia can choose isolation and preserve its national myths or look to the West and Europe. ... Of course, the song contest is only a competition, but I believe Marija Serifovic sensed that the Serbs have chosen this path." (14/05/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, sueco)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Ampliación de la UE, » Política interior, » Música, » Europa, » Serbia
Todos los textos disponible de » Tommy Svensson

The daily responds to the jubilation triggered off on the streets of Belgrade by the triumph of the Serbian Marija Serifovic. "The patriotic use of this Eurovision victory brings to mind what Spain's Franco Regime did in 1968 with that of [the singer] Massiel, or, more recently, the way the Ukranian president Viktor Yushchenko used this festival to show the world the 'benefits' of the 'Orange Revolution'. Discussions are being held in Old Europe on the necessity to change the voting system to avoid the systematic swapping of votes among neighbouring countries. These are nations which, despite their historical quarrels, show that they can lend one another a hand at least for the length of a competition. We can thus conclude that Eastern European countries have found in the Eurovision contest the best show-case for their will to conquer History." (14/05/2007)

» ir a la página de inicio (enlace externo, El Mundo)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Ampliación de la UE, » Cultura cotidiana, » Europa, » Serbia

The British daily says that music has become "irrelevant" in the contest. "Bloc voting was the order of the night as ex-Soviet countries traded maximum marks with each other and the Balkans states backed their neighbours. An island nation never stood a chance in such a situation. It was more stitched up than Labour's leadership election. We played by the rules, of course, with the public here voting for Turkey – a slightly eccentric choice perhaps but hardly a country located in our own back yard. Most of the others, frankly, cheated. It may be tempting just to walk away from this camp competition. But, on balance, it is better that the new European countries vote for each other rather than invade one another as was customary. So a new strategy is required. Only Ireland (once part of the UK) and Malta (a former colony) backed us. So the (evidently flexible) definition of Europe needs to be extended south to include the Commonwealth. Bring in Australia and New Zealand." (14/05/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, inglés)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Música, » Europa

In an interview conducted by Véronique Soulé, Sophie Duchesne, a researcher for the CNRS (national centre of scientific research), considers that European identity is an extension of national identity. "Europe is particularly difficult for the French to accept because it implies a common policy built on the acknowledgment of different values and interests, beginning with national differences and including a different concept of political power. But this doesn't mean that I believe in an antagonism between French identity and European identity. On the contrary, identification with the nation opens the way to identification with Europe: the European Union is a remote political community, we aren't very likely to understand it, to feel that we are a part of it, if we haven't already experienced national political community, if we don't feel that we are citizens of our own country." (12/05/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, francés)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Migración, » Integración, » Francia, » Europa
Todos los textos disponible de » Sophie Duchesne, » Véronique Soulé

British prison psychiatrist and author Theodore Dalrymple says the situation of young people in the French suburbs reminds him of that in South Africa in the times of Apartheid. He posits the bold thesis that France's new president Nicolas Sarkozy could change this. "Paradoxically, it's Sarkozy who offers hope to the people living in the banlieues. Segolene Royal would only have given them more of the same medicine that hasn't worked for decades. Firstly, Sarkozy has a reputation for being a hardliner when it comes to combating crime. For some reason this is regarded by left-wing intellectuals as evidence of an authoritarian stance and hostility towards the poor. In fact, the opposite is the case: the simple truth about crime in any country is that the poor are more likely to suffer its consequences - not the rich - and that the number of victims even in the areas worst affected is much greater than the number of criminals... Therefore it's closer to the truth to say that crime is the cause of the continued poverty rather than a consequence of it. Sarkozy has a better grasp of this fundamental truth than any other French politician." (14/05/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, alemán)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Arquitectura / Ciudades, » Migración, » Integración, » Francia
Todos los textos disponible de » Theodore Dalrymple

The Hungarian writer Péter Esterházy sees great differences between Western Europe and the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe in terms of their historical development. In an interview with Krzysztof Maslon Esterházy explains that historical development has been much more linear in Western Europe. "In my opinion, interrupting history and starting again is a uniquely Central European phenomenon. We have no institutions which have existed in the same form for centuries on end. There's a pub in London that has enjoyed a royal privilege since the 18th century, which allows it to stay open seven minutes longer than other pubs - just long enough for a last round. This is a great thing. Thanks to a decision made by a monarch a few centuries ago, I can go home a quarter of an hour later... But what impact do the words of King Mathew Corvinus have on Hungarians, or the words of Stefan Batory on Poles? Does anything at all happen in Budapest or Warsaw that has a genuine connection with what happened there a few centuries ago? This is an important difference between the two parts of Europe. We carry within us unfinished tales we can't get rid of; stories we can't read to the end." (12/05/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, polaco)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Literatura, » Historia, » Hungría, » Europa
Todos los textos disponible de » Krzysztof Maslon, » Péter Esterházy

Last Friday Poland's constitutional court repealed most of what is known as the lustration law, which is aimed at uncovering cooperation with the former communist secret service. It also ruled that leftwing liberal EMP Bronislaw Geremek should not be dismissed from office. Jaroslaw Kurski comments on the move in the 'Gazeta Wyborcza', which opposed the law from the very beginning. "In the course of the trial it has become clear that the governing PiS party [Law and Justice Party] wanted to use secret service files to strengthen its rule. It even - unsuccessfully - tried to use them against the judges of the court. The court has taught the party a hard lesson in matters pertaining to the rule of law. It has demonstrated the difference between justice and revenge, between purging and retribution. This is a terrible defeat for the PiS. The judges have not only destroyed the showpiece project of the entire lustration-law camp, they have created a solid and inviolable constitutional foundation for the lustration law. The court resisted the considerable pressure exerted on it by the PiS and defended the rule of law in Poland. For this the judges deserve our respect and gratitude." (12/05/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, polaco)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Polonia
Todos los textos disponible de » Jarosław Kurski

Several hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in Rome on Saturday, May 12th, a day baptised with an English name, 'Family Day', by catholic organisations. They had called for a big gathering to defend family values and to oppose the Italian version of civil partnership proposed by the centre-left Italian government. The journalist and writer Eugenio Scalfari, founder of the daily, deplores the stronghold that the Church has on Italian society. "The Vatican and the Italian dioceses have turned the Church into a very powerful lobby. They called for the rally in Rome in order to demonstrate their political muscle... . I wouldn't want to use terms too strong, but May 12th was a blow that weakened Italian democracy. Not because a great number of people united to express their support of family values, but because these same people were manipulated by the right and the Church." (13/05/2007)

» ir a la página de inicio (enlace externo, La Repubblica)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Religión, » Ideología, » Italia
Todos los textos disponible de » Eugenio Scalfari

After the catholic demonstration organised on Saturday, May 12th, in Rome and a big Muslim rally in Brussels last weekend, the editorialist Jurek Kuczkiewicz notes that "all over the world, religiousness is growing. ... We are only beginning to grasp this: Europe is no exception in the re-emergence of religiousness while European secularism, consisting in allowing the cohabitation of diverse philosophical and religious beliefs, has a long way to go. Those who believe will increasingly reaffirm their beliefs and their will to participate in public debate on value with no less legitimacy than non-believers. God is everywhere. And the most disconcerting discovery, especially for non-believers, is that we have to re-learn how to live with him again." (14/05/2007)

» informaciones adicionales (enlace externo, francés)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Religión, » Ideología, » Europa
Todos los textos disponible de » Jurek Kuczkiewicz

For Christoph Prantner the political crisis in Romania, precipitated among other things by the dismissal of Justice Minister Monica Macovei, highlights the weaknesses of the EU's enlargement policy as a whole. "Today there are obviously fewer legal instruments for combating the widespread corruption in Romania than there were before its accession to the EU. In Bulgaria Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, who is highly respected in the West, stands alone against a public administration infiltrated by mafiosi and former secret service agents. ... Even the positive export statistics - Austria is the largest foreign investor in Romania and Bulgaria and Germany is posting double-digit growth in exports - can't obscure the negative political impact the premature round of accessions has had, particularly as the Union has now been left with few possibilities for effective intervention. ... Faced with this unsatisfactory situation Brussels can only once more conclude that it makes no sense to name concrete dates for the accession of candidate countries because this only diminishes the motivation to push through reforms and dramatically reduces the Union's room for manoeuvre." (14/05/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, alemán)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Ampliación de la UE, » Política de la UE, » Rumania, » Bulgaria
Todos los textos disponible de » Christoph Prantner

Matt Withers, the Welsh weekly's poiltical correspondent, considers Gordon Brown who, having been Chancellor of the Exchequer throughout Blair's premiership, is now replacing him as head of the Labour Party, and soon, probably, as Prime Minister of the UK. "Brown's problem is that he can't claim to be new. He can't offer himself as a fresh face and a break with the past 10 years because, not only has he had an effective veto over every domestic policy Blair has pursued, he's also written the cheques for the foreign policy follies, whether he agreed with them or not. ... In many ways, Brown is the equivalent of a TV advert for soap powder boasting how new and improved it is, which is basically a tacit admission that their product wasn't very good before. But let's be fair and give him a chance, eh? After all, Mr Brown has had the best part of the last 13 years to decide what he was going to do once Mr Blair had decided finally to move on. A lot of time for thinking of The Big Ideas." (13/05/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, inglés)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Gran Bretaña
Todos los textos disponible de » Matt Withers

Andrés Ortega calls upon the international community to resolve the question of Kosovo's status with utmost prudence. "Given the impatience of Washington and London, Kosovo ... might swiftly become a new European State. But this could result in a new conflict, a division or a 'back hole' in Europe. NATO didn't go to war for this, but rather to avoid ethnic cleansing. The UN Security Council is going to start discussing a western proposition for resolving the question that is based on the idea of a 'supervised independence', supervised by the international community ... . If Russia doesn't use its veto (which seems impossible despite pressure on Moscow), the EU will present a united front and the problems will diminish. But if Russia does use its veto, an enormous problem might arise: Pristina could declare its unilateral independence and the Americans and British would rush to recognise this new State, dividing the EU." (14/05/2007)

» informaciones adicionales (enlace externo, español)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Relaciones internacionales, » Ampliación de la UE, » Rusia, » Europa, » Serbia
Todos los textos disponible de » Andrés Ortega

Northern Ireland is experiencing a phase of enormous optimism and progress, Arnold Bartetzky reports. He adds that there is a boom in construction in Belfast, where among other things a huge concert and conference centre, an ice hockey stadium, new company headquarters and apartment buildings are in planning for the docklands area on the River Lagan. "You can hardly claim this flourishing city will set new standards as far as architectural quality is concerned. The buildings that have been built so far are the usual potpourri of steel and glass blocks - sprinkled with natural stone facades, gables and oriels, round corners and domes with shopping mall-like courts and arcades... But what is unique is the belief in progress with which the city planning and the investors are being marketed. It's the kind of euphoria that seems more in keeping with the times of the launch of the Titanic than our anti-utopian days. ... Yet despite all the change, the old Belfast remains intact - a city of pig-headedness and hatred. Only in the centre and in certain privileged districts has the new prosperity been able to exert a therapeutic, civilising effect." (14/05/2007)

» ir a la página de inicio (enlace externo, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Arquitectura / Ciudades, » Gran Bretaña
Todos los textos disponible de » Arnold Bartetzky