"Oil prices are not the only things rising," notes Jean-Claude Péclet. The per-hour price of a megawatt hit 2,000 euros on Wednesday, July 25, a spike from the usual 73-euro price on the European Energy Exchange. "The continuing heatwave increases demand for electricity. In Europe, France, which has been a staunch advocate of an 'electricity-only' policy, is more affected than Germany or Great Britain. 'We are in a crisis situation', the head of EDF declared last week. The current heat in France has raised consumption by three percent relative to the seasonal norm - equivalent to the output of two-and-a-half nuclear reactors. Citing the heatwave, Poland yesterday announced it was discontinuing its electricity exports from July 25 to 28. The Czech republic, where consumption was at a record high in the first half of 2006, the country's biggest companies were hit by a massive breakdown." (27/07/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Energia, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Jean-Claude Péclet

Margarete Freisinger says both the EU and the heat wave are at fault for the current energy shortages. She fears the situation will deteriorate. "Growing demand for electricity and insufficient capacity of power stations are to blame: Since 2001, Austria, which used to export electricity, has had to import an increasing amount of its electricity – which is becoming more and more difficult and expensive owing to growing shortages and supply problems all over Europe. The difficulty dates back to 1999 when the EU liberalised regulations for industrial bulk consumers. This triggered a plunge in prices even before the new regulations took effect. Suppliers responded by closing expensive old power stations and shelving plans to build new ones. As a consequence, Europe's reserve capacities of around 30 percent, once earmarked for extreme cases, have practically disappeared." (27/07/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Energia, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Margarete Freisinger

"Spain certainly didn't expect France, an energy exporter, to come asking for electricity imports," the Spanish daily notes, a bit surprised. "Supplying electricity is difficult in France because the country's energy is drawn largely from nuclear reactors. The heatwave forces it to reduce production because high temperatures lessen the capacity to draw river water for cooling. Amid a raging European energy debate, one in which an excessive reliance on oil is constantly denounced, we see that nuclear sources also have their shortcomings. The Spanish government cannot reply favourably to the French request since its priority is to prevent energy outages in certain provinces. ... The fact that an exporting country now needs energy itself demonstrates once again the urgency of establishing a common energy policy." (27/07/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, hiszpański)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Energia, » Europa

Bernward Janzing sees the energy shortages as proof that the claim of nuclear power guaranteeing Europe an autonomous energy supply is mere myth. "Over the past few days this myth has melted away in the summer heat. The purportedly ever-ready nuclear reactors are now being forced to cut their output for lack of coolant. This effectively destroys nuclear power proponents' last argument. If nuclear power wasn't such a serious issue, I would be laughing now. Suddenly, yet another disadvantage of nuclear technology is there for all to see. Nuclear power is based on central infrastructures – and that inevitably creates problems." (24/07/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Energia, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Bernward Janzing

"When and where did this war begin ?" asks writer and historian Timothy Garton Ash, referring to the latest Middle East conflict. Acknowledging that "in tortured histories like this, every horror will be explained or justified by reference back to some antecedent horror," he argues that Europe shares historical blame. "The Russian pogroms of 1881; the French mob chanting 'à bas les juifs' as Captain Dreyfus was stripped of his epaulettes at the École Militaire; the festering anti-semitism of Austria around 1900, shaping the young Adolf Hitler; all the way to the Holocaust of European Jewry and the waves of anti-semitism that convulsed parts of Europe in its immediate aftermath. It was that history of increasingly radical European rejection, from the 1880s to the 1940s, that produced the driving force for political Zionism, Jewish emigration to Palestine and eventually the creation of the state of Israel." (27/07/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, angielski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Historia, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Timothy Garton Ash

Gilles Kepel, a political scientist and Islam specialist, believes the current crisis in the Middle East signals a failure of American policy in the region. "In the latest war that Israel is waging simultaneously in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, the stakes go well beyond those of the armed conflicts that have pitted the Hebrew state against its Arab neighbours since 1948. It is confirmation, following the fiasco of the Iraq occupation, of the bankruptcy of the Bush administration's policy that seeks to impose security in the Middle East by means of unilateral force. ... By destroying the Palestinian Authority, Israel encouraged the Hamas victory; by marginalising Sunni Iraqis, the American occupier provoked an insurgency. The United States cannot be the only one providing security guarantees. Other countries in the region and in Europe must be involved." (27/07/2006)

» Strona www (Link zewnętrzny, La Repubblica)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka bezpieczeństwa / Kryzys / Wojna, » Bliski i Środkowy Wschód
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Gilles Kepel

Which foreign policy strategy should Hungary follow now that its two most important goals – NATO and EU membership – have been fulfilled? Matyas Eörsi, president of the liberal faction in the Council of Europe, says the strengthening of the EU and its institutions is in Hungary's interest: "The best way to help people is to create more jobs and boost the EU's competitiveness. Despite all the noble phrases about common goals, the EU is virtually powerless in these policy areas. Decisions here are made by individual member states, which then blame Brussels when things go wrong. This situation is unacceptable… I am both a patriot and a federalist. Hungary's continued progress depends on the EU being strong. I have absolutely no reservations about surrendering Hungarian sovereignty to Brussels." (26/07/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, węgierski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Węgry
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Mátyás Eörsi

It's becoming increasingly unlikely that the expansion of the Schengen zone – which would entail the elimination of border controls between old and new EU member states – will take place in autumn 2007 as planned. Darja Kocbek blames the older EU states for failing to implement the Schengen Information System (SIS II). "The new members have gone to great trouble and expense, but preliminary data shows that the delay is not due to their lack of preparedness. The problem seems to lie with the older member states that are not yet ready to adopt the new system. They have much less to do in preparation, but if they don't fulfil their task the expansion will have to be postponed." (27/07/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, słoweński)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Darja Kocbek

Polish diplomat Jaromir Sokolowski notes that there has been a significant improvement in political relations between the US and Germany and examines the consequences for Poland. "When we analyse our relations with Berlin and Washington we should bear in mind that we achieved the status of a special US ally during the Iraq conflict. Back then America was intent on weakening Berlin's and Paris's position and increasing support for Washington among other European partners. Those times have passed, and our attractiveness for Washington is dwindling with each passing day... From the point of view of Washington, the tensions between Germany and Poland and the weakening of our position within the EU make us less attractive." (27/07/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, polski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Polska
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Jaromir Sokolowski

Paul Flückiger describes the dilemma facing Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in this latest government crisis: "It looks very much like the president has reached a dead end. According to the presidential office's interpretation of the constitution – which needless to say rejects the formation of an 'anti-crisis coalition' around Viktor Yanukovych – Yushchenko has until August 2 to dissolve parliament and call new elections. His only other option would be to recognise his opponent in the presidential elections, Viktor Yanukovych, as head of government, thereby accepting the latter's governmental coalition. This coalition includes the Party of the Regions, the Communists and the Moros Socialists who abandoned the 'orange' coalition. If Yushchenko takes the latter option, he would loose the last remnants of his credibility with the Ukrainian people. If, on the other hand, Yushchenko calls new elections, his 'Our Ukraine' coalition risks a worse defeat than in the March parliamentary elections." (27/07/2006)

» Strona www (Link zewnętrzny, Neue Zürcher Zeitung)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Ukraina
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Paul Flückiger

Nicolas Barré, the paper's deputy editor, notes that a consensus is taking shape on the merger between energy groups Suez and Gaz de France. "The project to create a European energy giant seemed doomed for a while given that divided MPs showed little zest for wanting to tackle the issue. ... But we must admit that attitudes have evolved. In the right direction. Weeks of government campaigning against a backdrop of global energy crisis have borne fruit. In the end, the issues that really matter carried the day over petty political calculations. ... Unlike the CPE [First Employment Contract] episode, a festering sore in the majority's memory, it must be said that this issue has prompted intensive cooperation. The plan for the tie-up, moreover, did not simply fall into anyone's lap. The two companies have been studying the idea for at least a year and it became a matter of public knowledge six months ago. Since then, all parties concerned have had their say." (27/07/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Energia, » Przedsiębiorczość, » Francja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Nicolas Barré

Julia Spinola says she's seldom heard Richard Wagner's "Flying Dutchman" as "wild, moving and deathly pale" as under the direction of conductor Marc Albrecht at this year's Bayreuth Festival: "The Bayreuth Festival is unique – and not just because of its incorrigible mixture of provinciality and polish. Now, as in the past, it's still the great promise of aesthetic delight, with its inimitable acoustics and the 'mystic depths of its orchestra pit', that continues to attract people to Bayreuth. And when this artistic promise is even partially fulfilled – as on the opening evening with the revival of the 'Flying Dutchman' – this fulfilment has an entirely different, almost utopian quality, which would not be possible in Salzburg, Aix-en-Provence or Stuttgart. No other place can make you believe you're right at the heart of the music, sitting inside a huge instrument, and yet at the same time in a place where you can hear everything." (27/07/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Scena, » Niemcy
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Julia Spinola

"It's not that there's a shortage of talent. There are some very impressive writers here and some very exciting directors. There are some real voices here, but somehow it's as if the bullets are flying around off the target and not finding the mark," Simon Perry, the new chief executive of the Irish Film Board (IFB), tells Michael Dwyer in an interview. He discusses the hardships facing producers who work outside Hollywood. "The margin left for the rest of us is tiny. If we're going to compete in that margin, it's got to be in that margin all across the world. We've got to find a place in that margin in France, in Bulgaria, in Argentina - everywhere. Films have to be able to work internationally, by which I don't mean that we should sit down and cunningly write the international film. That would be a recipe for utter disaster. We need to tell stories that are emotionally universal." (27/07/2006)

» Dalsze informacje (Link zewnętrzny, angielski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Film, » Irlandia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Simon Perry

Muriel Mayette was named general administrator of the Comedie-Française at the final meeting of the council of ministers before the summer recess. Her appointment precedes the departure of Marcel Bozonnet, who in April cancelled a play by Austrian writer Peter Handke after the latter attended the funeral of Slobodan Milosevic. In an interview with René Solis, she asserts that "Marcel Bozonnet had the right to hold any opinion he wished, and to not want to shake Handke's hand. But his gesture was too impulsive. The cancellation meant there could not be a true debate. ... Artistically, I have nothing to criticise him for. He played a big role in expanding the theatre's influence. But let's not exaggerate, we are not talking about the best administrator this theatre has ever had. I have seen loads of them over the past 20 years. Such is life. Let us stop tearing each other apart. The strength of this house lies in its ability to forge ahead." (27/07/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Scena, » Francja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Muriel Mayette

The centre-right daily regrets plans by Oxford University, an 800-year-old institution, to change the admissions system to its 39 colleges in order to attract more under-privileged students. Colleges will be obliged, according to the newspaper, to select applicants from an approved list drawn up by administrators and department heads. "The aim is laudable; the method questionable. Taking power upwards, whether in governments or universities, is never likely to create a fairer system. Not only will the new system create another layer of red tape, but it will also remove the colleges' right to choose whom they teach. Moreover, the old system of idiosyncratic college interviews favours innate intelligence over previous academic achievement. ... Taking into account a pupil's background is sensible, but cannot replicate the personal interaction a free-ranging interview provides." (27/07/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, angielski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Nauka/ Badania naukowe, » Wielka Brytania

In 1975 Denmark and Greenland signed an agreement granting autonomy to the world's largest island and providing for the division of income generated by any mineral resources found on the sea bed: Now, 500 million Danish crowns are to be divided equally between the two countries, and Greenland gets to keep the rest. The lead editorial calls this arrangement unfair: "If the Greenlanders are to be given exclusive rights to all additional income, they should leave the confederation and stop taking Danish subsidies. This doesn't mean Greenland should renounce the bulk of potential income, but the 500 million crowns should be negotiable and offset against the 3 billion crowns that Greenland receives in subsidies from Denmark. Denmark is also financing extensive geologic exploration, so the potential winnings from mineral resources could soar. But any country which, like Denmark, invests in the project should also receive a share in the gains." (27/07/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, duński)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Dania