Local elections will be held in Croatia on Sunday. According to the latest polls, in this centralist state the major cities of Zagreb and Split will re-elect their independent mayors. This is a clear sign that the big parties have failed, the liberal daily Jutarnji List writes in its weekend edition: "Naturally the voters, who stubbornly insist on voting for two demonstrably bad mayors, should not be blamed for this situation. ... It reveals that the Social Democrats (the SDP) have deep-rooted structural problems, having failed to produce any young politicians of stature. ... Fortunately for the SDP, the situation in the [conservative centre-right party] HDZ is far worse - and not just because its president Tomislav Karamarko is the most unpopular politician in Croatia. Instead of developing a comprehensive, consistent national policy he is hoping to win the election by exploiting nationalist sentiment and frustrations in the country." (11/05/2013)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Elecciones, » Europa del Este, » Croacia
Todos los textos disponible de » Davor Butković

Lithuania's president Dalia Grybauskaitė was awarded the Charlemagne Prize 2013 in the German city of Aachen on Thursday. The liberal daily expresses surprise at all the praise for Lithuania the occasion prompted: "An oasis and a lighthouse of progress, stability and northern prosperity in Europe - this is the picture of our paradise painted by the entire political elite of the EU, including the reserved Germans. ... One can understand why the politicians are telling this fairytale. The states leading the EU urgently need [in times of crisis] a new political mythology, a 'success story'. ... What is incomprehensible however is that virtually all the media sang the same tune. Hardly any mention was made of the other side of the medallion - the emigration, poverty, unemployment, public debt, shadow economy, growing social gaps, stagnation and provincialism. Or of the dark side of Grybauskaitė's biography and personality." (13/05/2013)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Política interior, » , » Lituania, » Europa del Este, » Países Bálticos
Todos los textos disponible de » Vytautas Bruveris

Advocates for Britain's leaving the EU are gaining ground in the UK. On Sunday, Education Secretary Michael Gove was the first cabinet member to say he would vote in favour of a so-called Brexit. The liberal business paper Financial Times does not approve of such developments: "This newspaper has always argued in favour of UK membership of the EU and we continue to believe that it is in the national interest. Our reasons go beyond a purely economic calculation of cost and benefit and have to do with Britain's place in the world. Membership gives influence over the biggest global market. It helps to keep the US relationship special, and amplifies Britain's sway in a world where economic power is shifting east. Turning inward and away from our nearest neighbours would be no way to win Mr Cameron's global race." (12/05/2013)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Relaciones internacionales, » Política interior, » Vecindad de la UE, » Gran Bretaña, » Europa

With his call last week for the introduction of a 120 kph speed limit on German motorways, the leader of the social democratic SPD Sigmar Gabriel annoyed candidate for chancellor Peer Steinbrück. This is because unfortunately when it comes to the joys of driving the otherwise so sensible Germans are collectively a little crazy, writes the daily Tages-Anzeiger: "Their uncontrolled speeding is the single irrationality - also in international comparisons - the Germans allow themselves. Here for once, passion triumphs over sound arguments. ... The speed lovers argue that the motorways are comparatively safe, pointing out that far more people die on country roads and urban roads. What nonsense! That's like playing Russian roulette with just one bullet because playing it with two is far too dangerous. But Sigmar Gabriel is powerless against the gas-pedal pumpers. Other issues were more important than speed limits in the German parliamentary elections, he explained less than 24 hours after launching his attack. It's a pity, really." (11/05/2013)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Elecciones, » Sociedad, » Alemania
Todos los textos disponible de » Nauer, David

In an interview published on Monday by the German paper Die Welt, the president of the Ifo Institute for Economic Research, Hans-Werner Sinn, urged Germany to adopt reforms to counteract its negative birthrate. The liberal Internet portal Marianne2 criticises the EU Commission for failing to send such demands to Berlin, whereas it demanded additional reform efforts from Paris when it gave France two more years to consolidate its budget: "Hans-Werner Sinn recommends radical measures for raising the birthrate: on the one hand significant tax breaks for German families, on the other double or even triple voting rights for parents during elections. These recommendations should inspire the EU Commission, which is so worried about budget deficits and structural reforms. And is it not a sign of affection to wish that the population of Germany - a country ruled by a woman chancellor - should grow and that inequalities between men and women be curtailed?" (09/05/2013)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Asuntos sociales, » Sociedad, » Alemania, » Francia, » Europa
Todos los textos disponible de » Laurence Dequay

Slovenia's government wants to avoid having to request an international bailout programme by using privatisations and tax hikes to consolidate its budget. Among other measures the VAT is to go up from 20 to 22 percent as of July 1. Plans for a crisis tax have been shelved for the time being. What the country needs now is a credible reform package, the left-liberal daily Delo insists: "The European Commission expects a credible programme with precise deadlines and measures that don't just exist on paper but can be put into practice. The Slovenian government can no longer afford to make any more empty promises now that it's under Europe's scrutiny. … Among the areas where additional taxes can still be collected is the shadow economy, estimated to be worth almost ten billion euros. None of the reform programmes so far have indicated how we're supposed to tackle this problem or who will do it." (10/05/2013)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Economía política, » Impuestos, » Eslovenia, » Europa del Este
Todos los textos disponible de » Lidija Pavlovčič

An appeals court in Milan has upheld a verdict sentencing Italian ex-prime minister Silvio Berlusconi to four years in prison for tax fraud and banning him from holding official office for five years. All this won't bother Berlusconi because he continues to rule from behind the scenes, the left-liberal daily Der Standard comments: "The Cavaliere is focusing all his attention on the grand coalition he had strived for. He doesn't hold a government office, but he pulls the strings and can withdraw his trust for Prime Minister Enrico Letta if he sees fit to do so. Politically he has nothing to fear: with 33 percent, his centre-right alliance is the uncontested leader in the polls. For its part the riven Partito Democratico [Letta's party] must reckon with being punished in new elections. Berlusconi is forcing the government to make good on populist promises and using placards to hail the abolishment of the unpopular property tax. The fact that this hasn't been decided in parliament yet is one of those inconsequential matters that have never bothered the Cavaliere." (10/05/2013)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Impuestos, » Justicia, » Italia
Todos los textos disponible de » Gerhard Mumelter

EU Currency Commissioner Olli Rehn on Friday gave France two additional years to bring its budget deficit under the three percent limit prescribed by the EU Stability Pact. But that does not absolve France's President Francois Hollande of the obligation to cut spending, the satirical weekly le canard enchaîné comments: "Hollande's second year in office doesn't look like it's going to be a picnic. This reprieve does nothing to diminish the drastic obligation to get the state finances under control. After the heavy tax increases, public spending must now be lowered. And what's in store for pensioners and family allowances, to cite just two examples, will no doubt cause further grinding of teeth. Hollande has no choice but to start making cuts in the major items on the budget. Doing that swiftly and efficiently, and without exacerbating the worries and the discontent, is not going to be a piece of cake." (07/05/2013)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Política financiera, » Impuestos, » Francia, » Europa
Todos los textos disponible de » Erik Emptaz

Turkish groups in Switzerland are trying to prevent the erection of a monument for the victims of the Armenian genocide in Geneva. After several years in planning a new location next to the UN's offices in Geneva is now under discussion. The president of the Turkish Associations of the Suisse Romande, Celâl Bayar, has described this choice of site as a provocation. But Switzerland has a right to its monument, the liberal-conservative Neue Zürcher Zeitung argues: "Not just in Geneva, but also beyond the city's borders, Switzerland has repeatedly demonstrated solidarity with this shunned people who lacked a state for centuries on end. ... So in this sense the planned Armenian monument is entirely in keeping with Genevan and Swiss tradition. Since the history of the Armenians is also to a certain extent Swiss history, both Swiss politicians and the Armenians in Switzerland are entitled to depict the Armenian history as they see it, without first having to ask the Turkish government for permission. ... One would think the relations between Switzerland and Turkey would be able to bear such differences." (08/05/2013)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Relaciones internacionales, » Historia, » Cultura conmemorativa, » Suiza, » Europa del Este, » Turquía, » Armenia
Todos los textos disponible de » Markus Haefliger,

The Bulgarians go to the polls to elect a new parliament on Sunday. However the political parties in the country are deeply divided. The swift formation of a new government would not necessarily be a good thing for the country, the daily Dnevnik comments: "What most likely awaits us after May 12 is a stalemate, followed by long months of instability. That no doubt represents a risk, but it doesn't have to be detrimental. Bulgaria urgently needs a radical political change, and stability isn't necessarily the way to bring that about because it would only preserve the status quo. Instability, by contrast, creates freedom of action. ... After the elections, 'stability' will be the catchword of all the politicians who have got closest to gaining power. But this philosophy will prevent the new political order this country so badly needs from emerging. The Bulgarians must decide between change and stability. Both are not possible." (07/05/2013)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Elecciones, » Europa del Este, » Bulgaria
Todos los textos disponible de » Julia Ivancheva