"As the European justice commissioner Franco Frattini announces that the Union will be receiving 20 million immigrants in the next two decades, French and British governments are proposing restrictive measures to limit the entrance and residency of foreign workers", notes the Spanish daily. "If up until now the introduction of a common policy on immigration matters has been an urgent task in Europe, it is now beginning to represent an indispensable antidote to counter the imagination of governments determined to hound foreign workers. Rather than establish a common policy that takes into account the common interests of host countries and countries of origin as well as the scrupulous respect of human rights and equality before the law, each of the member states tends to launch itself demagogically into initiatives that satisfy their national opinions." (14/09/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Migración, » Europa

For the Portuguese daily, the creation of a 'Blue Card' is ambitious and difficult to bring into use. "This measure is intended to be universal, i.e. applicable to all the member states. Following the example of the United States' Green Card, it will open up access to well-paid jobs. However, contrary to the United States, our union does not benefit from a central executive power that regulates economical life: the tax system, employment market, education systems and professional training. ... The will of some countries such as France or Great Britain to attract a certain type of high-ranking professional differs from other countries, such as Portugal, that have other needs. It is becoming increasingly clear that new EU policies clash with the 'community method', the famous policy of little steps and reinforced cooperation." (14/09/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Migración, » Europa

Werner Balsen welcomes Franco Frattini's Blue Card proposal in principle but maintains that it leaves many questions unanswered. "For instance it remains unclear how Frattini intends to reach a consensus on the Blue Card among 27 EU countries with different immigration policy interests... particularly as they're competing with each other to attract skilled workers from Asia and Africa. In this context an English- or French-speaking country is considerably more attractive for people from Africa than, for example, Finland. It's unfortunate that Frattini is focusing exclusively on middle and high qualified workers. After all, Spain's agricultural sector would collapse without workers from the Maghreb states on the other side of the Mediterranean. The Commissioner's initiative would be more plausible if he had tried to take this fact into account when drawing up his scheme." (14/09/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Migración, » Europa, » Global
Todos los textos disponible de » Werner Balsen

The newspaper takes a critical view of EU Justice Minister Franco Frattini's initiative aimed at facilitating the immigration of skilled workers to Europe and encouraging a positive attitude towards immigration: "The EU is a magnet for unskilled workers from poor countries. 85 percent of unskilled workers... come to the EU whereas only five percent go to the US. Conversely, the US gets 55 percent of the skilled workers and the EU only five percent... Certainly it's a good idea to open the borders for qualified workers, but we shouldn't repeat the mistakes that dogged our immigration policy well into the 1990s." (14/09/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Relaciones internacionales, » Política de la UE, » Dinamarca, » Europa, » Global

Pankaj Mishra is an Indian author who divides his time between London and India. He compares Europe's community to India's "many religions and languages, and inequalities of caste and class ... Aware that the potential for conflict between religious and ethnic communities was immense, India's founding fathers hoped to build a pluralist democracy. Much has happened since the bloody partition of India to taint their ideals. ... The scale of political-religious violence in India dwarfs anything suffered by western Europe in the postwar era. Yet India's unique liberal tradition, which respects minority identity and community belonging, remains central in the country's intellectual life. ... Postcolonial Indians are bewildered to see liberal politicians and intellectuals in Europe embrace a majoritarian nationalism, recoiling from what, by Indian standards, seems a very limited experience of social diversity and political extremism." (14/09/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Relaciones internacionales, » Ásia, » Europa
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Sonja Margolina responds to Richard Wagner's reflections on how Central Eastern Europe deals with the past and points out that the East and the West understand interpretation of the past differently: "Europe's teaching is that by confronting the past you can put it behind you. But it's deceptive because another truth belies it: history is politics projected into the past. This is why 'confronting the past' has exactly the opposite effect: it becomes an instrument of current politics. And this is also why in some countries of Central Eastern Europe, EU integration goes hand in hand with a strange and destructive policy. The Kaczynski brothers' approach is surprising enough, but the Baltic states have also come up with a few shockers." (14/09/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Historia, » Europa del Este
Todos los textos disponible de » Sonja Margolina

Bulgarian cultural scientist Ivaylo Ditchev reports on a new trend among businesspeople in his country. He notes that they're founding their own political parties to save on bribes. "It's cheaper to found your own party than 'sponsor' political representatives in the conventional way... But let's not deceive ourselves: local businessmen are elected for serious reasons. For one thing, the provinces hate the capital, where national politics is based. This is why the boom of the business parties is also a revolt of the periphery against the centre. At the same time it reflects a profound national crisis: Bulgaria is on the verge of splitting up into a feudal kingdom in which the separation of politics and business is obsolete." (14/09/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Bulgaria
Todos los textos disponible de » Ivaylo Ditchev

Bulgaria will hold its local elections on October 28. Alexander Andreew comments ironically on two new trends in the election campaign: "I can safely say without exaggerating that Latin-Americanisation and Afghanistanisation are the two predominant trends in Bulgarian politics in the run-up to the local elections. Latin-Americanisation is particularly evident in the number of (false) generals who are storming the political scene. Apparently, a large part of the electorate, who are also fans of Latin America in their non-political activities (TV series and the Balkan version of the Fiesta are very popular) are already convinced that only the whip and yoke can re-establish democratic order. The Afghanistanisation is a similar trend. Democratic representation by the established parties is being watered down and overlords with money, influence and an all-powerful image in local politics are making their mark." (14/09/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Bulgaria
Todos los textos disponible de » Alexander Andreew

Stavros Lygeros comments on the general elections that will be held in Greece this Sunday, September 16th. "The elections will be partly decided by the clash of two conflicting forces: The first is a centrifugal force – it originates from the crisis of Greece's two-party system and pushes disaffected voters toward the minor parties which will attract a great deal of the protest vote. The other is centripetal: It is rooted in concerns over a weak government and is pushing voters toward the big parties. ... A transition to a workable coalition government is highly unlikely. ND and PASOK have both presented voters with a dilemma. Riding on the more favorable opinion polls, the conservative leader has warned that unless a strong, single-party government is formed, he will call for fresh elections. For his part, the Socialist leader has called on left-wing and generally disenchanted voters to sweep right-wing ND, as it were, out of power." (14/09/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Grecia
Todos los textos disponible de » Stavros Lygeros

UK prime Minister Gordon Brown met with his predecessor Margaret Thatcher on Thursday, September 13th, for a private discussion.The weekly considers what the two have in common: "Superficially, he [Brown] and Lady Thatcher are oddly similar. Both are workaholics. Both emerged from ascetic low-church backgrounds with firm faith in good husbandry and industry, plus a Victorian notion of the deserving poor. Both are economic determinists. Beneath these superficial similarities, there are more similarities. Even if he uses different arguments to justify them, and absurd euphemisms to describe them, Mr Brown's economic policies are essentially Thatcherite. The overall tax burden has varied, and some wealth has been sneakily redistributed, but the fundamentals are the same: privatisation and a flexible labour market; lowish income tax (and high inequality); entrepreneurialism and property-ownership revered." (14/09/2007)

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

In an interview published by conservative Polish daily Rzeczpospolita, Poland's Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński accused the Polish media of conducting smear campaigns against him. He specifically targeted the left-wing liberal daily Gazeta Wyborcza. Jarosław Kurski counters fiercely: "Jarosław Kaczyński is portraying himself as a victim of the media. Nothing could be further from the truth... The prime minister is slandering and insulting us. This is the behaviour of someone who is afraid. For as long as the Gazeta and other free media continue to exist, the PiS will not control the minds of the Poles. The PiS can control the foreign ministry, the secret services, the state prosecution and the public media, but it can't control the Gazeta Wyborcza, a mouthpiece for independent public opinion and guardian of democratic values... The prime minister's attack against the Gazeta Wyborcza calls to mind Putin's Russia, where the free media is being gagged. We won't let this happen to us." (14/09/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Medios de comunicación impresos, » Polonia
Todos los textos disponible de » Jarosław Kurski

Daniel Ciobotea, the 56-year-old Metropolitan of Moldova and Bukovina, has been elected Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Gelu Trandafir approves of Ciobeta's efforts to promote dialogue with the churches of the West. "In a globalised world, the Romanian Orthodox Church will win respect by opening up rather than by isolating itself." Trandafir recalls the meetings between Ciobotea's predecessor Teoctist and Pope John Paul II. "The Romanian Orthodox has been revitalised by the dialogue it has conducted with the Western world over the past decades, and has gained self-confidence thanks to its spiritual wealth. The Romanian Church has continued this policy in spite of the disapproval of the Patriarch in Russia. The Church must play an active role beyond Romania's borders on the European continent." (14/09/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Religión, » Ideología, » Rumania
Todos los textos disponible de » Gelu Trandafir

Jacekas Komaras notes that relations between Germany and Poland have deteriorated considerably since the Kaczynskis' PiS party came to power. "The Kaczynski brothers' behaviour regarding Germany is driven by complexes of unclear origin. But it has to be said that Germany has profited from these complexes because they have weakened Poland's position within Europe. This is why Poland is continually being presented with new demands. Germany, for example, is demanding that Poland return works of art confiscated during the war, but has no intention of giving back Polish works of art currently in German museums. Why doesn't Germany make such demands of Russia, France or the Netherlands?" (14/09/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Relaciones internacionales, » Ampliación de la UE, » Exposiciones / Museos, » Política Cultural, » Alemania, » Polonia
Todos los textos disponible de » Jacekas Komaras

"The net is clearly facilitating the life of readers: who could complain about being able to access thousands and thousands of translated works from all over the world? Does this mean that that all is well in the best of all possible cyber worlds? Far from it. For one of the perverse effects of the new system is the risk that bad translations usurp good ones", regrets the literature critic Roger Pol-Droit. "We find a great number of 19th century texts on line, especially of classic authors. For example, to read a difficult seminal text such as Aristotle's 'Metaphysics' we can use the partial and sometimes bizarre French translation by Victor Cousin dating back to... 1938. ... Should we consequently be talking about progress or regression?" (14/09/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Literatura, » Medios de comunicación online, » Francia
Todos los textos disponible de » Roger Paul-Droit

"As the 25th anniversary of the invention of the CD is being celebrated, it appears that the irreversible process of its extinction has begun and its days are numbered", regrets Sergi Pàmies, who recently discovered a way of recycling CDs. "In numerous gardens, I have observed CDs hanging on trees and balconies from bits of fishing line, forming picturesque mobiles. ... Those who practice this decorative ritual say it is to dissuade birds from landing on trees and balconies. The rays of sunlight reflecting off the dangling CDs are as efficient as the scarecrows we used to draw when kids. A fine future thus lies ahead of hanging music. I only wonder which music is engraved on the reflection that most scares birds, Alejandro Sanz's, or David Bisbal's [Spanish singers]." (14/09/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Música, » Global
Todos los textos disponible de » Sergi Pàmies