Peter Gaupp reports from Madrid that it has been clear for months that Eta will not forego violence. "Zapatero was not blind to this possibility. This is evidenced in his not honouring the truce with Eta in kind... For the conservatives, who never wanted to support Zapatero's pacification project, this is no reason to gloat. Their charge that the socialist prime minister naively and irresponsibly engaged in political dialogue with terrorists, and was prepared to make concessions to an anti-constitutional group, was always exaggerated. That charge is completely refuted now that Eta with its perverse reasoning felt obliged, three years down the line, to try to force Zapatero to concede to their demands with another bomb attack and civilian deaths.. It seems, the Basque terrorists also misjudged the prime minister." (03/01/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Hiszpania
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Peter Gaupp

Paul Ingendaay thinks Spain's government under José Luis Zapatero should have put an end to the peace talks with Eta much earlier: Zapatero's approach, says Ingendaay, was "as generous as it was naive. For the slight possibility of defusing the Basque conflict for all time, Spain's Prime Minister accepted enormous risks. Had he succeeded, he surely would have received a Nobel Peace Prize. The main demand of the terrorists - the right to self-determination for the Basques including the Navarra region and the French Basque region - could not be fulfilled for several reasons. First of all, the Spanish constitution of 1978 does not permit it; secondly, most Basques do not want this; and finally, the goal was pursued with violence rather than with democratic means. Not to mention the fact that France never would dream of making political or territorial concessions to the Spanish Basques." (03/01/2007)

» Strona www (Link zewnętrzny, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Hiszpania
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Paul Ingendaay

The daily is calling for a political consensus facing the threat of terrorism. "No political party across the political spectrum should feel left out. This cannot be a consensus with an aim, implicit or explicit, to seek revenge for mistakes committed in the past in the government's handling of permanent Eta ceasefire, or the critical position adopted by some. No state policy, least off all the anti-terrorist campaign, can be led according to opportunistic shake-ups or a pendulum movement that deprive it of essential stability, credibility and efficacy. Over the thirty long years of difficult struggle against terrorism that Spain has known since its return to democracy, the right way to act has been learnt through trial and error. ... We absolutely must prevent a policy as important as the fight against terrorism from getting bogged down by conflicts between parties." (03/01/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, hiszpański)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Hiszpania

Journalist and poet Toiko Lambovski sees Bulgaria as torn between East and West: "Byzantium, the Ottoman Empire, the Soviet Union - there was a give and take over the centuries. It is not for us to say whether giving or the taking constituted the lion's share. But it is important that we have come to know the East - at least in terms of our ancestors. We have never really got to know the West. On one hand it seems attractive to us; on the other hand, overly calculating. Dishonest, cold-hearted. Yet also somehow friendly and naturally generous. And then again unapproachable." (03/01/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, bułgarski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Historia, » Bułgaria
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Boyko Lambovski

The Spanish university professor Rafael Navarro-Valls, specialising in religions, comments on the emergence in Europe of a "secular democracy", the basic principle of which is, for him, to neutralise all religious inspiration in political life. "One of the mistakes committed by Spanish secularism is its tendency to want to become a new religion. It has a propensity to replace the former theocracy with a new 'ideocracy'. A religion that may seem incomplete without a god or life after death, but that claims to occupy in the souls of citizens the space left vacant by a faith that is becoming extinct. Thus we can note attempts to create 'secular Christmases' or replace Christian celebrations (christenings, communions, weddings) with civil ceremonies. These days certain people intend to exercise through secularism a sort of 'fundamentalist social cleansing', which extracts all moral or religious values from the political sphere." (03/01/2007)

» Strona www (Link zewnętrzny, El Mundo)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Religia, » Światopogląd, » Hiszpania, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Rafael Navarro-Valls

Since power went to a liberal-bourgeois coalition in Romania, the political leaders have been gnashing their teeth. The most prominent adversaries representing the two governing parties, the Democratic Party (PD) and the Liberal Party (PNL), are head of state Traian Basescu and Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu. The split in the Romanian governing coalition was once again evident on New Year's Eve, the night of Romania's entry into the European Union. Basescu and Popescu-Tariceanu celebrated separately. Adrian Halpert describes both leaders as "political boors" and comments: "What else have President Basescu and Prime Minister Tariceanu done in the last two years, other than to attack one another? Even in the 'Night of Integration' they blew hot and cold from opposite sides. It would be normal for political leaders to celebrate together on the night of the realisation of their national project. They could at least have put up a united front in public that evening, and buried the hatchet for a few hours. Instead they preferred to count the minutes to midnight separately, one at Revolution Square and the other at University Square. When asked why they celebrated apart, they simply looked away." (03/01/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, rumuński)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Rumunia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Adrian Halpert

Following the execution of Saddam Hussein, the Italian government has asked the United Nations to introduce a moratorium on the death penalty. This request has provoked a riposte from the Iraqi government, recalling the fate of the former Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini, who was killed in 1945 after a sham of a trial. Along with the rest of the Italian press, the editorialist Girogio Brocca contests this historical parallel. "Mussolini's execution can only be roughly assimilated with Saddam Hussein's hanging. The death of Mussolini marked the dramatic and violent epilogue of a tyranny and set a country free ... . The barbaric execution of Saddam Hussein is not the beginning of liberation, it is not going to stop the perpetuation of terror and violence. It is in this sense that we can consider this execution an error". (03/01/2007)

» Strona www (Link zewnętrzny, La Repubblica)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Włochy, » Cały świat
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Giorgio Bocca

Hugues Dorzée comments on the recent adoption in Germany of a parental allowance, offering the father or mother of a child 67% of their net salary for a year following birth. "In Belgium we are way off. Maternity leave is more limited in time and considerably less attractive on a financial level. ... How to explain the lack of interest in Belgium for this social progress? ... Family policies that have been put in place can be counted on the fingers of one hand. More creativity, audacity and passion is going to be needed to overturn the current tendencies (machismo, individualism and productivism...) . The alarm bells are ringing: the birth rate is decreasing, child care centres are over-flowing and family difficulties are piling up. This is particularly so for the weakest (single mothers and low-income families... ). The German initiative should therefore inspire us." (03/01/2007)

» Strona www (Link zewnętrzny, Le Soir)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Niemcy, » Belgia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Hugues Dorzée

The editorialist Sylvain Besson reacts to the statements made by the French socialist Member of Parliament Arnaud Montebourg, Ségolène Royal's spokesman, who reproaches Switzerland for favouring the fiscal exodus of French celebrities and businesses and is envisaging the implementation of a 'blockade' against the Swiss Confederation. "As excessive as it may seem, Arnaud Montebourg's proposition is significant. It reflects the real irritation that Switzerland's fiscal largesse is provoking in Europe. The advantages offered to foreign companies by the counties is already held in low regard in Brussels. ... It would be easy for Switzerland to refuse to make any concession in the name of its sovereignty and the liberal principle that fewer taxes one pays, the better off one is. It should not however forget that its position in Europe remains fragile. Negotiating a reasonable arrangement may well be more worthwhile than declaring fiscal war." (03/01/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Polityka finansowa, » Podatki, » Francja, » Szwajcaria
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Sylvain Besson

"For Slovenes, the euro was an ambition that followed from EU membership. The currency, as much as the flag, was what being real Europeans was all about", comments Mary Dejevsky. "It was also fortunate ... It had the highest standard of living of any part of former Yugoslavia and made the transition to a free-market economy gradually, rather than in the 'big bang' of the Soviet collapse. ... Slovenia's smooth passage to the euro does not mean that it will be plain sailing for Ljubljana from now on. The long-term drawback of the euro is that it may restrict a country's room for manoeuvre on economic policy, even as it requires fiscal responsibility from national leaders. For the time being, however, the addition of Slovenia to the euro-zone offers a ray of light amid what seems to be gathering gloom about the euro." (03/01/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, angielski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Rozszerzenie UE, » Słowenia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Mary Dejevsky

The introduction of the euro in Slovenia is an important event for Europe, says Björn Mansson: "The fact that Slovenia has become the 13th country to accept the euro has strong symbolic meaning. This is the first of the ten new EU-member states of 2004 to take this step. This former Yugoslavian constituent republic is developing rapidly and is paving the way for other countries with a socialist past... But the introduction of the euro in Slovenia also underscores the outsider stance of Denmark, Great Britain and Sweden. A former Yugoslavian republic has overtaken them in a very important aspect of integration." (03/01/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, szwedzki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Rozszerzenie UE, » Słowenia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Björn Mansson

Askolds Rodins appears relieved that the fight over gas between Russia and Belarus was set aside at the last minute, avoiding the kind of delivery bottleneck that loomed last year. Still, he finds fault with the compromise: "No other country gets its gas as cheaply from Russia than does Belarus. But the foundation for the relatively competitive Belarusian industry has always been its cheaper gas. Now Belarus will have market problems, with all the resulting social challenges. Belarus will probably not be able to pay its gas bills on time and in full. The country then will become a debtor. Again - it will face all the familiar consequences. President Lukashenko should start looking for a bunker, because his country is finally falling under Russian control. It will be in Moscow, not Minsk, where the future of Belarus is decided." (03/01/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, łotewski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Rosja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Askolds Rodins

The world's oldest daily newspaper 'Post Och Inrikes Tidningar' (created in 1645), the official Swedish publication for bankruptcies, company and government announcements, declared last week that it would from now on appear only on the Internet. Nikos Konstandaras ponders "one of the most endangered parts of our daily lives", the newspaper. "The worldwide trend is for newspapers to increase their revenues from advertisements on their electronic editions at a time when their circulation and print advertising are under fire from the Internet and free dailies. ... It is worth noting that the top news sites on the Internet are spun off from respected, established newspapers. And this is the most optimistic sign in the maelstrom of change and new ideas ... There will always be a need for serious, honest and reliable reporting. The future of the newspaper that is printed on paper and distributed by trucks may be unclear, but this does not mean that the newspaper as a vehicle for information will cease to exist." (03/01/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, angielski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Media drukowane, » Media internetowe, » Polityka medialna, » Szwecja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Nikos Konstandaras

The stars of international architecture are only to happy to work for tyrants and autocrats, declares Alexander Hosch, referring to gigantic construction projects in St. Petersburg, Abu Dhabi and China. He seeks in vain a connection between architecture and morality, but shrugs his shoulders: "Any architect will build what he is asked to build. The question about realism versus opportunism leads to the very core of this profession. The results of which can be read as a kind of perpetuation of the victor's justice in matters of taste. In the history of construction, masterminds of style were always set designers, too, charged with creating the branding for power. From Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon to Nero, from the Popes and French kings to Hitler and Stalin, not only tyrants but any figure of power had their effect on the master builder. The Chancellery in Berlin - it would have looked very different without Helmut Kohl. That goes for Peter Eisenman's Holocaust memorial as well. And the Très Grande Bibliothèque of Paris is the very image of Mitterrand." (03/01/2007)

» Strona www (Link zewnętrzny, Süddeutsche Zeitung)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Architektura / Miasta, » Cały świat
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Alexander Hosch

The paper's main editorial asks whether certain cultural values promote or hinder enlightenment, progress and democratization. "Anyone who wants political change has to effectuate this on the cultural level. And this requires more than sending troops, carrying out election campaigns, or writing treatises. It has to involve education, the promotion of democratic values, changes in the approach to raising children, and a restriction on the role that religion plays in politics. In other words, challenges that focus on the Islamic world, but that also impact Catholic and Orthodox Christian countries where the Church takes an ambivalent position on progress and democracy." (03/01/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, duński)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Społeczeństwo, » Cały świat

The artist's studio is a privileged space, celebrated in a "lively and provocative show" entitled 'The Studio' at Dublin City's Hugh Lane gallery until Feburary 25th. Art critic Aidan Dunne investigates. "In the popular imagination, the artist's studio is an object of fascination, a privileged space with its own mythology and mystique. In fact it has also evolved as the modes of art practice have evolved. The Studio takes the concept of the artist's studio and runs with it, starting from the romantic conception exemplified in the Bacon Studio - visionary genius conjures masterpieces out of mess and chaos - and exploring such derivatives and variants as the mobile or even non-studio, the research centre, the office, the workshop, the live-in studio and the site-specific studio. ... It ['The Studio'] boasts an impressive cross-section of prominent modern and contemporary artists ..." (03/01/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, angielski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Sztuki piękne, » Irlandia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Aidan Dunne

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared 2007 as the international year of the Russian language. Jerzy Haszczynski applauds the news: "To conquer the world with Pushkin or Dostoyevsky would be the nicest kind of Russian conquest... Russian culture is attractive and - more importantly - it is has the backing of both the state and its new billionaires. So there is funding to draw foreigners into beginner courses in Russian. And those at a more advanced level – such as Ukrainians, Georgians or Poles - don't tend to forget the language of Pushkin. Russia is rarely a role model. But in this case one can learn from Putin." (03/01/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, polski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Kultura, » Rosja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Jerzy Haszczynski