"It will not be a suspension, even less a rupture. Rather, it will be something like a 'slowing-down' of negotiations", explains Jean-François Verdonnet. "The government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan tried to elude the crisis with a last minute proposition to open a port and airport to Cypriots. Initially saluted by Brussels as an 'important step', the offer was then judged too weak and too vague. The Turkish, notably, did not specifying whether their offer was unconditional, or subordinate to the end of isolation regarding the Turkish part of Cyprus. Resistance has also come from inside. Insufficient for Brussels, the concession has been judged excessive by Ankara. ... The Turkish polemic, being electoral in part, is not at all artificial. It reveals tight constraints on the Cyprus question that the European summations now have little chance of slackening." (12/12/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Rozszerzenie UE, » Turcja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Jean-François Verdonnet

The daily considers that the partial suspension of accession negotiations reveals "a profound division among the 25 Members concerning a vision of Europe and its limits. [The German Chancellor] Merkel does not want Turkey in the EU, at once for internal reasons and because this country would replace Germany as the most populated country in the Union. Greece, Cyprus and Austria wanted an immediate suspension of negotiations. Spain, because of the Mediterranean's weight within the EU and the European opening-up to the Muslim world, was the United Kingdom, were keen to dilute European integration in a big market, was opposed to any sanctions. In the end, a very communitarian agreement has been reached consisting of avoiding the fundamental problem, which is what we want to do with Turkey. ... And the Turkish case raises the question of what we want to do with the EU". (12/12/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, hiszpański)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Rozszerzenie UE, » Turcja

The paper disapproves of the EU decision. "It is really troubling that many heads of state – our own first and foremost - have reacted so short-sightedly and so paradoxically. The EU is practically sending Turkey a signal that it will never be a member of the EU. The main problem is the new list of EU requirements - and not the behaviour of Turkey. It appears as if all the EU states would rather forget how exhausting the process of entry into Europe has been up to now, and how much is at stake when new borders have to be drawn. It is wrong to put the relationship of the EU to Muslim states on a par with the Cold War. At the same time, you have to see that the conflict in the Middle East goes way back. Its solution has a major impact on our own future. It is also in our own interest to hope for democracy, modernization and cohesion for our region." (12/12/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, duński)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Rozszerzenie UE, » Turcja

Daniel Vigneron, chief editor of the daily, believes that the accession of a reformed Turkey can allow the EU to change its status. "The Union is no doubt an economic power. But will it remain so in 30 years time? On a political level it barely is anymore. Not only because it was unable to pool together the substantial defence resources available or to define sufficiently federative geo-strategic interests, but also because it did not find the legitimacy to resolve conflicts in the most explosive zone of the region, the Middle-East. Strengthened by an incontrovertible Muslim Turkey in the region and Nato's No.2 military power, endowed with human and economic potential of no equivalent on the continent, the EU can find the means to exercise its power on this terrain. The price to pay, that of enlargement - and not a dilution- of its identity, is not high. The future has a name: the Euro-Mediterranean Union.” (12/12/2006)

» Dalsze informacje (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Rozszerzenie UE, » Turcja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Daniel Vigneron

German journalist Sonja Zekri compares the old dissident scene in Russia with the "new dissidents." She determines that "today's subversion is not the culture of the heart, but rather of critical journalism." Zekri concludes: "The intelligentsia, which is the natural reservoir of dissidence, no longer exists. It was pulverized by everyday turbo-capitalism, in which intellectual pursuits are rewarded comparably to the work of Indian carpet knitters, estranged from a population that associates the word 'underground' only with the metro, and that knows Russian cuisine only as a designer interior... It is among the paradoxes of post-communism that the intelligentsia, which had fought so passionately against the regime, did not survive its demise." (12/12/2006)

» Strona www (Link zewnętrzny, Süddeutsche Zeitung)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Ruchy społeczne, » Rosja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Sonja Zekri

Elie Barnavi, the historian and former Israeli diplomat, author of a work entitled 'Deadly Religions', analyses in an interview with Gérald Papy the absence of the State's legitimacy in Muslim countries. "This is the weak point of the Muslim world: the State is not legitimate. The only point in History when the State was legitimate was when the State was formed by the Prophet and his caliphs, his immediate successors. Then there followed foreign dynasties, fratricidal battles and the State lost its legitimacy. How do we see the legitimacy of the State? In it's capacity to lay down the law. The Muslim State does not however have this faculty. The entity that makes the law is religious authority. And the laws decreed by the State are immediately marred by suspicion. ... This is how Islamists prosper on the State's incapacity to impose its law on society as a whole." (12/12/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Religia, » Światopogląd, » Cały świat
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Elie Barnavi

"Germany, which takes over the EU presidency next month, has promised that a new 'European neighbourhood policy' will be a priority. Such a policy is urgently needed. A key challenge for the EU next year will be to build stronger ties with neighbours that are not on the road to membership", writes Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform (CER). "Unless the EU takes responsibility for steering its neighbourhood towards prosperity and good governance, it risks paying a heavy price. Political instability, religious extremism, ethnic conflict, organised crime and illegal immigration could all spill over from the neighbourhood to the union and in some cases already are. The EU's current neighbourhood policy, in place since 2004, is proving inadequate. ... It must offer them a more attractive package." (12/12/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, angielski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Rozszerzenie UE, » Polityka UE, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Charles Grant

"The reindeer pulling Europe", this is how Finland is qualified by the Italian European Member of Parliament Andrea Manzella, member of the parliamentary group the European Socialist Party. He ponders the Finnish parliament's ratification last week of the European Constitution Treaty and sees in this little country a model for the other nations. "What is the significance of this Finnish ratification? At the end of the pause for reflection decreed by the European Union after the lost referendums [The French and Dutch voted 'no' to the constitution in 2005], the Finnish ratification smacks of a provocation. Only a little state with serious success and a sense of responsibility like Finland could get away with it". (12/12/2006)

» Strona www (Link zewnętrzny, La Repubblica)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Konstytucja UE, » Finlandia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Andrea Manzella

Domen Caharijas looks at how Slovenia's take over of the EU Council's  presidency  for six months starting January 2008, after Germany and Portugal. Caharijas hopes the latter two will have advanced the progress of the EU Constitution. "If everything goes smoothly, the Slovenian Prime Minister could hold a conference in Slovenia at the start of his EU Council presidency, thus gaining practically free publicity for his 2008 election campaign. If Jansa's team does not bring the EU to the verge of dissolution, it will win the next election. It's usually not at all bad to be the last in the relay race - particularly if the first runners have gotten ahead of the pack. The last runner gets to revel in the jubliation of the crowd." (11/12/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, słoweński)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Słowenia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Domen Caharijas

On December 4th, former Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski urged the EU to conduct talks with the Belarus government, with the aim of building closer ties. Andrzej Brzeziecki thinks it's a bad idea. "President Lukashenko is immune to all dialogue. In order to have a real conversation, the Belarusian opposition has to take part. This, on the other hand, would inevitably lead to the end of his time in office. That is why Lukashenko sees all forms of dialog as an attack on his power. Belarus differs from Ukraine and Russia in that here, power - and not money - is the greater good.... The only realm in which Lukaschenko is prepared to cooperate is in the economy. European companies have been in Belarus for years now. But instead of softening the regime, they accommodate to its rules and thus line Lukashenko's pockets." (11/12/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, polski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Rozszerzenie UE, » Polityka UE
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Andrzej Brzeziecki

"After twelve years of presidency, Jacques Chirac, has ended up pitting against himself much bitterness from the authorities in 'New Europe'", notes the journalist Natalie Nougayrède. "His diplomacy is perceived there as a mixture of disdain and lack of interest. As if Jacques Chirac had totally missed the Eastern bus, leaving the space for friendly exchange all the more open to the United States in that part of Europe. As if, for the French president, there was between Berlin and Moscow, merely some dismal terrain peopled by restrictive people, who are best avoided. ... Mr. Chirac thinks that Russia no longer has to be treated with the slightest suspicion or attract criticism, while for the 'new' Europeans, the past cannot be wiped out in one stroke, especially when dealing with Vladimir Putin". (12/12/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Rozszerzenie UE, » Francja, » Europa Środkowa, » Europa Wschodnia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Natalie Nougayrède

The Los Angeles Getty museum announced on Monday, December 11th, that it is going to give back to Greece the two works of art (a Hellenistic funeral wreath in gold and an archaic marble torso) that it has been claiming since 1995. "This is a real victory", notes Maria Thermou. "Despite numerous obstacles in negotiations, Getty, the museum that has known so many scandals, is accepting to give us back antique works. ... Who is going to stop there? Not the Greeks and certainly not the government one year before the elections. This restitution is a 'good example', for the other museums, according to the Greek Minister of Culture [Georges Voulgarakis]. This is why we must launch a large restitution campaign, which will end up, as we can expect, with the return of the eternal marbles [friezes from the Parthenon] stolen by Lord Elgin during the Ottoman occupation, that are still in the British Museum." (12/12/2006)

» Dalsze informacje (Link zewnętrzny, grecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Wystawy / Muzea, » Polityka kulturalna, » Grecja, » USA
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Maria Thermou

Contemporary German authors don't trust themselves to deal either with "the new poverty" or the "massive return of wealth," says Ina Hartwig. "Dr. Freud's theory about the anal character of money is a no-brainer. It is also clear that those steeped in German culture basically mistrust wealth. The unadorned post-war aesthetic evidently had a profound effect on style. But a literature locked up in the barren melancholy of old Berlin apartments has become boring. Now, with the rich standing at the gates and the social order newly formed, younger writers must gradually take on this theme... In and of itself, money is not yet threatening; and if it were, this should be related. Money and wealth - in literature as in the other arts - once had depth, even if was the kind that lurked beneath the shimmering surface of the abyss." (12/12/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Literatura, » Niemcy
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Ina Hartwig

Three weeks before Romania's accession to the EU, András Dési has discovered the new centre of the Balkans in Bucharest: a "bustling, vibrant, colourful" city that has "developed at breakneck speed... For Bucharest - its official population is 2.5 million, but weekday commuters swell that number to four million - the old clichés still fit. Behind the flag-bedecked Ministry for European Integration, stray dogs wander among piles of trash. Only five kilometres away is an encampment of Roma that is in terrible condition; its neighbours have erected a barbed-wire fence... Currently, mega-investors are waiting to sink a total of four billion euros into the city. The TriGránit Company is building a new district, the Esplanada City Center, whose modern apartment buildings are meant to compensate for the terrible view of the Palace of the People, built during the days of the dictator Ceausescu. Bucharest's economic development is limping five to ten years behind the other great cities of eastern central Europe, but there is no reason to write off the residents of Bucharest. Instead of just gabbing, they are getting down to business." (11/12/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, węgierski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Architektura / Miasta, » Europa Południowo-Wschodnia, » Rumunia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » András Dési

Barbara Petsch has visited Luxemburg, which, together with neighbouring regions, is the European Capital of Culture 2007. She tries to get a sense for the locals. "Dutch Swiss, that's the first impression you get of Luxemburgers. The tourism manager is not thrilled about this classification. Luxemburgers are Europeans, he emphasizes: Their lifestyle is French, their love of orderliness is German. But the visitor cannot really confirm this. True, the hearts of Luxemburgers seem to be very much rooted in France. At any rate, the visitor would be wise to revive all his languages: French, German, English. And you should master a smattering of 'Luxembourgish': the mother tongue of Luxemburg is a Mosel-Franconian dialect with roots in the Middle Ages, mixed with French, and recognized as an EU language." (12/12/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Styl życia, » Luksemburg
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Barbara Petsch

A polemic is spreading throughout the United Kingdom around the subject Christmas time. The suppression of numerous references to this Christian celebration appears due to a desire not to offend other religions. "English society is spontaneously going ahead with a cleaning-up of all Christmas symbols, against it's government's will", worries the chronicler Diogo Pires Aurélio, for whom the disappearance in Great Britain of references to the birth of Christ is clearly a victory of political correctness. "Many consider that Christmas no longer has any meaning in a society where the Christian faith, for lack of followers, is evaporating. As if the real reason wasn't ultimately fear, along with the conviction that certain security can be bought this way. We are creating the opposite. With all of this madness being spread by reasonable people, xenophobes must be rubbing their hands with glee. A plan voluntarily aimed at stoking up the population's hostility against Muslim immigrants could not have gone about things better". (12/12/2006)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, portugalski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Religia, » Migracja, » Światopogląd, » Wielka Brytania
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Diogo Pires Aurélio