Bulgaria has signed the fiscal pact for greater budget discipline. But to adhere to the new budget rules and to benefit from them on the long term the EU's poorest country must first implement drastic reforms, writes the daily 24 Chasa: "In signing the fiscal pact, Bulgaria has committed itself to a sound budget policy. But what about the commitment to introducing pressing reforms? The pension reform should have been implemented three years ago, there hasn't even been a proper debate over the healthcare reform and the administrative reform has been limited to closing down a few offices and institutes. Without reforms the European fiscal pact won't make us one bit more prosperous or competitive. It could serve those in government as a good basis for distinguishing themselves as genuine reformers. But first they must be clear that that's what they really want." (31/01/2012)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, bułgarski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Europa, » Bułgaria
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Svetla Kostadinova
Aktualne debaty » Sposoby na wyjście z kryzysu zadłużenia

In fact there's no need for the fiscal compact, the liberal daily Lietuvos rytas affirms: "Our politicians never stop repeating that Lithuania will adhere to the fiscal pact because it's the right thing for the country to do. ... Certainly, it would be unreasonable to deny that it is important to prevent excessive indebtedness. But it is difficult to say if Lithuania really needs a new intergovernmental treaty to that end. And if the treaty is adhered to one should remember the slogan that 'the devil is in the detail'. Last week warnings even came from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of the Economy that some of the agreement's provisions could be disadvantageous to Lithuania. Moreover, the final  wording of the treaty isn't even known yet." (01/02/2012)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, litewski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Polityka finansowa, » Litwa
Aktualne debaty » Sposoby na wyjście z kryzysu zadłużenia

The No of Czech Prime Minister Petr Nečas to the EU fiscal compact is paradoxical according to the liberal daily Mladá fronta Dnes, because the government is pursuing essentially the same goals as the agreement: "The spirit and words of the fiscal compact speak against Nečas' decision. The agreement deprives no one of their sovereignty; it simply introduces automatic sanctions for major budget deficits. This is precisely what we want. ... But Nečas must take into account the strong eurosceptic wing of the Civic Democrats (ODS), whose king and spokesman is President Václav Klaus. He knows how to exploit his powers to the max. ... Nečas knows that the advantages of the pact outweigh the disadvantages, but it will be difficult to convince his party colleagues of this. He doesn't even want to try. But he must if he intends to act responsibly here." (01/02/2012)

» Dalsze informacje (Link zewnętrzny, czeski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Polityka finansowa, » Czechy, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Martin Komárek
Aktualne debaty » Sposoby na wyjście z kryzysu zadłużenia

The Hungarian government's decision to endorse the EU fiscal compact was a sensible one, writes the right-wing conservative daily Magyar Hírlap: "For the average citizen the results in Brussels are difficult to comprehend. Until now the problem for Hungary, or more precisely its government, was that the EU was concerning itself with the independence of the media and central bank and even interfering with matters regarding the democratic legal system. Now on top of everything else we're supposed to draw up our budget according to EU stipulations. But the government has made a good decision. It has considered the interests of investors, the markets and the EU, which means its well on its way to returning to the European fold. Or more precisely, not just the European fold but also the European Union's framework of rules." (01/02/2012)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, węgierski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Węgry, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Csaba Szajlai
Aktualne debaty » Sposoby na wyjście z kryzysu zadłużenia

The UN Security Council failed to reach agreement on Tuesday evening over a resolution on an end to violence in Syria. To prevent a civil war the Syrian people must be freed from dictator Bashar al-Assad, the left-liberal daily Libération demands: "The Arab League, until now considered a club of tyranny, has called for the resignation of the Syrian torturer and is now working to achieve this goal. This confirms that dictators in the Middle East may no longer torture and kill their populations with impunity. Nevertheless Assad's departure is not yet a sure thing. Assad is now fuelling ethnic conflict in his fragile, fragmented country, and fanning the flames of civil war. Nothing can be worse than Bashar al-Assad remaining in power. The transition will be difficult and dangerous, but thousands of Syrians have laid down their lives in the fight for freedom, and the people have a right to democracy." (01/02/2012)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Polityka bezpieczeństwa / Kryzys / Wojna, » Cały świat, » Syria
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » François Sergent
Aktualne debaty » Świat arabski walczy o wolność

The conservative Janez Janša has been ruling Slovenia as prime minister since Saturday. With this turn of events the country faces a similar fate to that of Hungary, writes the liberal-conservative daily Die Presse: "One thing you have to say about Janez Janša: he's one of the country's craftiest politicians. Even though his Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) only took second place in the parliamentary elections, he is nevertheless once more prime minister, a function he already exercised between 2004 and 2008. This time around it's in a five-party coalition, and Janša will do all he can to exert pressure on his partners. ... With Janša's return to power yet another of Austria's neighbours threatens to become increasingly authoritarian. Already there are clear signs that constitutional structures will be curtailed. According to the coalition agreement the new government plans for example to introduce a probation period for judges. In addition, it will have the power to reappoint judges to another court at will. ... Janša's first plans show that his government will even have greater influence over criminal proceedings than in his first term of office." (01/02/2012)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Sądownictwo, » społeczeństwo, » Słowenia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Herwig G. Höller

The Dutch government on Friday approved a bill that introduces a ban on burqas. The country has forgotten how to treat its minorities, the Christian-social daily Trouw laments: "Today's democracy is increasingly dominated by a libertarian communis opinio according to which democracy is synonymous with the will of the majority. Oddly, libertarian doesn't mean that 'live and let live' is enough here. Today's democracy ensures more commands and more bans. Everyone must comply to the norms of the majority. ... The burqa ban is the most recent sad example of this. ... The art of accepting the uniqueness of minorities and yet including them in society is becoming increasingly rare in the Netherlands. On the one hand we are becoming increasingly liberal but on the other our fear of deviations from the norm is also growing. Not for nothing did the cabinet justify the burqa ban by saying it protected public safety." (01/02/2012)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niderlandzki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Holandia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Lex Oomkes

The German government wants to employ more people with foreign backgrounds in the public sector, according to a new "national action plan" presented by Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday. The left-leaning daily taz sees this as symbolic politics lacking in substance: "For the German government integration is basically limited to making it easier for immigrants and their children to learn the German language. ... But within the education system and on the job market the situation for migrants has barely improved. On the contrary: ... the German government decided at one point to tighten the legislation on spouses joining migrants working in Germany, which above all discriminated against immigrants from Turkey. Another time Merkel unceremoniously announced that multiculturalism had failed. ... It would be far more productive to work to reduce the structures and prejudices that prevent true equality. Symbolic gestures of good will aren't enough in the long term." (01/02/2012)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Migracja, » Niemcy
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Daniel Bax

In an interview on Wednesday Poland's Justice Minister Jarosław Gowin said he welcomed the signing of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (Acta) by Poland - presumably under pressure from Prime Minister Donald Tusk - even though he had said it was a bad move just last week. This prompts the conservative news portal Wprost to criticise Tusk's authoritarian style of leadership: "The fact that a politician can do a complete about-face within just a couple of days shows with what an iron fist Tusk rules his party. Particularly since this obviously achieved despite all the internal party intrigues and wrangling. The lessons all members of the PO should learn from this are clear: In the Civic Platform everyone can have their own opinion but only provided that opinion dovetails with Donald Tusk's views - unless Mr. Minister wants to end up being just another MP, that is." (01/02/2012)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, polski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Polska
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Paweł Sikora

The fact that the supreme court in Romanian has condemned former prime minister Adrian Năstase to two years in prison for illegal party financing is proof that not even high-ranking politicians are above the law any more, the news portal Hotnews writes: "Politicians don't pay for their ill deeds because they've created a system that guarantees them immunity, inviolability and immortality no matter what they get up to. Or at least that's the way it's been for ages now. ... But EU membership has anchored our country in the Western democratic value system, in which the judiciary plays a key role. ... Năstase's conviction has now destroyed the last mental obstacles. The sentence liberates the judicial system from the complex problem of not being able to pass judgement on high-level politicians. To prevent us from backtracking, Romania must now enter a phase of institutional consolidation. Only in this way can we maintain and make use of this hard-fought advantage." (01/02/2012)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, rumuński)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Przestępczość, » Sądownictwo, » Rumunia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Dan Tapalaga

Spain would do well to submit to the austerity policy dictated by Germany, writes the conservative daily ABC: "Europe has banned Keynes by decree and the opponents of austerity are pulling long faces. Like Margaret Thatcher 30 years ago, Angela Merkel has imposed her austerity fundamentalism on that wasteful gene of social democracy that always finds an excuse to spend more: in times of plenty because money abounds and in times of recession to stimulate growth. But the German chancellor is a cautious woman who has been brought up to fear the inflation her nation incubated during the times of the Weimar Republic, the precursor to National Socialism. And the creed of her leadership is implacable: first balance the budget and then we'll see. ... Spain would do well to adapt to this policy; besides, it has no choice. Reforms or bankruptcy: there is no other option. ... Only the economy that keeps the Europe engine running, or in other words Germany, can set the course. ... He who pays the piper calls the tune. Perhaps there's a plan B, but it won't be executed until plan A has been accomplished." (01/02/2012)

» Dalsze informacje (Link zewnętrzny, hiszpański)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Polityka finansowa, » Hiszpania, » Europa

The Italian fashion group Benetton is planning its withdrawal from the Milan stock exchange. The Benetton family announced on Tuesday that it will soon make a public offer to the company's other shareholders. The plan exposes the gap between the financial world and the real economy, writes the liberal daily La Stampa: "The disappointing performance of the shares is the reason why Benetton is leaving the stock exchange. In the company's eyes the exchange conveys a distorted image of how healthy the company is and its prospects. ... This internal Italian decision is a symptom of the global distance between the financial world and the real economy. The gap is the result of doubts regarding the stock markets' assessments, which are on the one hand determined by share prices that are exposed to extreme fluctuations owing to the crisis and on the other depend on the evaluations of the rating agencies. Apparently these criteria have lost credibility in the eyes of the company, and we're not just talking about Benetton here." (01/02/2012)

» Dalsze informacje (Link zewnętrzny, włoski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Przedsiębiorczość, » Rynki finansowe, » Włochy, » Cały świat
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Francesco Manacorda

The Finnish steel company Outokumpu has taken over Inoxumin, the stainless steel division of the German steel company ThyssenKrupp. Outokumpo's plant in the northern Finnish city of Tornio stands to profit from TyssenKrupp's cutbacks in production writes the liberal daily Kaleva: "There has long been a glut on the stainless steel market, and now that glut can be reduced. The smelting furnace in Krefeld will close at the end of next year, the one in Bochum by the start of 2017. As a rule, prices rise when over-capacities disappear. ... According to the company's estimates, annual savings will lie at 225 to 250 million euros by 2017 at the latest, when the plant in Bochum ceases production. The deal hardly signals a danger for the steelworks in Tornio. When supply and demand are better adjusted, the capacity of the stainless steel plant in Tornio can be maximised and there should also be a reasonable price for its products." (01/02/2012)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, fiński)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Przedsiębiorczość, » gospodarka, » Niemcy, » Finlandia

Spain's new conservative government has announced plans to partially repeal the reform of its abortion legislation introduced in the summer of 2010. Such amendments are hypocritical, writes journalist Fernanda Câncio in the blog Jugular: "Until 2010 Spain had abortion laws that were as restrictive as those in Portugal in 1984. Abortions were allowed only in cases of rape or serious malformations of the foetus or if pregnancy posed a risk to the woman's life and health. But the law was interpreted very freely. Women could make their own decision. Thousands of Portuguese women therefore had abortions at clinics on the border. In 2007 the laws in Portugal were finally changed after a referendum. ... Some time later Zapatero incorporated a change to the law into his election manifesto, accepting reality, as it were. ... Rajoy has now announced a return to the old laws. Does he really want to put the 100,000 women who have abortions each year on trial? Or is he simply cunning, knowing that everything will stay the same anyway so he's just doing it to pander to the religious fundamentalists?" (31/01/2012)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, portugalski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Sądownictwo, » społeczeństwo, » Hiszpania, » Portugalia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Fernanda Câncio