Daniela Weingärtner is disappointed that the European Commission failed to reach a consensus on the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. "President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso is acting like a kid who's afraid of going to the dentist. But next week he'll have to take a stance. To keep trouble to a minimum, he'll push for a vaguely formulated statement on environmental protection which leaves governments with a number of alternatives... It's a pity that this great opportunity is being wasted. Having declared her commitment to environmental protection, Angela Merkel would have been just the person to get a legal framework for the gradual reduction of carbon dioxide emissions underway. As the neutral leader of negotiations in her role as president of the European Union until the end of June, she should have given the interests of German companies like Mercedes, Porsche and BMW lower priority." (24/01/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Środowisko, » Przedsiębiorczość, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Daniela Weingärtner

US President George W. Bush has accused aa number of US companies of not taking ckimate change seriously enough. Björn Sundell welcomes the président's words and hopes there will be more inititatives of this type at the World Economic Forum beginning in Davos today. Organisers are already describing the Forum as the "greenest" yet. "There are still heads of big industry who express doubts about mankind's influence on the climate, and although they are now less vocal in their opposition to this thesis, companies like Exxon, for example, still remain sceptical. Nonetheless, a growing number of industry bosses now perceive climate change as a threat – and as a business opportunity. This threat demands coordinated action at a global level. The development of new products and solutions that meet the tougher requirements also represents an opportunity. The market rewards those who come first, not those who lag behind." (24/01/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, szwedzki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Środowisko, » Przedsiębiorczość, » Cały świat
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Björn Sundell

"Under Europe's current carbon trading scheme, companies that undertake projects to capture and store CO2 receive no credit for the emissions. That must change", comments Jeroen van der Veer, chief executive of Royal Dutch Shell. "Public funding would also help to make this technology more viable. Unless governments and industry work more closely together, there will be little incentive to undertake projects - and the practice of capturing carbon will likely develop at a crawl. Biofuels made from plants and organic waste also have the potential to lower transport emissions. Today, however, many are made from food crops ... that require lots of energy to produce ... At Shell we focus on second or even third-generation biofuels that squeeze more litres out of fewer acres. We believe that laws to promote the use of biofuels should reward ones that deliver the most CO2 savings and that reduce costs." (24/01/2007)

» Dalsze informacje (Link zewnętrzny, angielski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Środowisko, » Energia, » Przedsiębiorczość, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Jeroen van der Veer

The influence of local oligarchies on government and opposition is currently the subject of heated discussion in Romania. Multimillionaires there have close ties with the country's major political parties. They either occupy leading positions within these parties or support them financially. The philosopher Catalin Avramescu recommends the introduction of measures aimed at separating the country's politics from its business sector. "It's got to the stage where it's difficult to tell the difference between the Romanian government and the Bucharest Chamber of Commerce. We are being governed by the kings of the construction sector, the energy sector, and the vehicle import business... Back in the 1990s, it seemed like a good idea to have a businessman as head of government. The argument was that someone who owns a fortune, preferably accumulated in the West, had to be competent and possess the necessary skills to govern the country – and that a businessman of this calibre couldn't be corrupt. Now, almost two decades later, this has proved totally false. The big businessmen have turned out to be the biggest sharks in Romania's network of corruption." (24/01/2007)

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

The German Minister of Justice, Brigitte Zypries, supported by Franco Frattini, European Justice Commissioner, has proposed that all member States of the European Union turn all negation of the Shoah into a penal crime. Timothy Garton Ash, the British historian and chronicler, considers that this would be a grave error and would like the other countries of the EU to reject this proposition. "The Nazi Holocaust of the European Jews was unique. The main historical facts about it should be known by every contemporary European. Trying to ensure that nothing like that ever again happens here in Europe (or anywhere else in the world, insofar as that is in our power) should be one of the fundamental aims of the EU. ... The road to hell is paved with good intentions. And this proposal is very unwise. First of all, if passed, it would further curtail free expression - at a time when that is under threat from many quarters. Free expression is a unique and primary good in free societies; it's the oxygen that sustains other freedoms. You must therefore have very good reasons for restricting it by law." (23/01/2007)

» Strona www (Link zewnętrzny, La Repubblica)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Historia, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Timothy Garton Ash

As Ségolène Royal multiplies participatory assemblies with electors before publicly declaring her propositions for the French presidential elections this spring, Michel Godet, professor at the Conservatoire national des arts et metiers, ponders the limits of this kind of exercise. "If we are not careful, participatory democracy may consecrate the triumph of self-interest in the short-term (the only unfair inequalities are those that we do not benefit from!) at the expense of long-term collective interest. The courageous decisions to be taken regarding the future are rarely consensual and if forecasting needs be participatory, the strategy that it inspires is up to the elected members of Parliament. It is up to them to demonstrate will power and courage in order to avoid participatory demagogy." (24/01/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Francja

Christian Makarian considers that Turkey is carrying out a "self-examination" the day after the funeral of the journalist Hrant Dink on Tuesday, January 23rd, attended by tens of thousands of Turks. "Upon the news of the assasination, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared, 'The bullets aimed at Hrant Dink were shot into all of us'. This democratic impulse was tempered by a nationalist inflexion when Erdogan immediately added that 'this crime was committed at a time when Armenaian accusations of genocide are being reiterated in certain countries'." Despite this hesitation from the head of State, Makarian nonetheless remains sure of one thing: "The Armenian question [has become] the very symbol of Turkey's democratisation and Europeanisation. In a way, Hrant Dink has won." (24/01/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Mniejszości, » Ruchy społeczne, » Turcja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Christian Makarian

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will pay a state visit to Prague this week. Czech political expert Jiri Pehe fears it's the Eurosceptics who have the upper hand there. "Even before the Chancellor's visit on Friday, they have already made it pretty clear that Merkel, whose main goal now is to revive the European constitution, shouldn't expect too much from her visit. President Vaclav Klaus has his own ideas about this anyway. There's no point in continuing to complain about his demagogic approach. And unfortunately, as far as the European constitution is concerned, Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek is behaving like a bull in a china shop. As if to underscore their position, the two Eurosceptics have now named Jan Zahradil, the fiercest EU opponent, as the plenipotentiary in future negotiations about the fate of the EU constitution. It seems highly likely that our partners in the European Union will put the Czech Republic on the sideline from where our Eurosceptics can rave and rant against the EU without anyone taking them seriously." (24/01/2007)

» Dalsze informacje (Link zewnętrzny, czeski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Konstytucja UE, » Czechy
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Jiří Pehe

The editorialist Laurent Moyse responds to the death on January 22nd of the Abbé Pierre, founder of Emmaüs, an organisation that aids the homeless, the poorly housed and the most marginalised. "The influence of this altruist, a real icon in France, radiated well beyond any borders. His visit to Luxemburg [in September 2003] provided an opportunity to underline the fact that social exclusion all too often remains a taboo topic, including in the Grand Duchy [of Luxemburg]. Though squalor barely exists there, poverty remains considerably present. Proof of this is the presence of several social services dedicated heart and soul to helping those in need. More that poverty, which is limited compared to other European countries, it is social exclusion that poses a problem in our society. This cannot be summed up by a matter of money; it concerns the profound idleness of those in distress." (24/01/2007)

» Strona www (Link zewnętrzny, La Voix du Luxembourg)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Ruchy społeczne, » Demografia, » Luksemburg
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Laurent Moyse

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is having to justify his actions. As head of the chancellor's office during Gerhard Schröder's chancellorship, he held the chief responsibility in the case of the German-born Turk Murat Kurnaz, who was wrongly imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay. A special committee set up by the European Parliament to investigate the activities of the CIA in Europe has reached the conclusion that the red-green government did not agree to an offer made by the US to release Kurnaz in 2002. Damir Fras comments: "If this is true it means that the German government knew even then that Kurnaz was not a terrorist. The report does not give any detailed information about its sources, making reference to 'confidential official information'. This is where its weakness lies, but there was no other alternative. The European committee had to rely on the voluntary statements of those affected, and could do nothing about it when witnesses like Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier refused to make a statement... There are striking similarities between the EU's statements and those given by the German government in its confidential report of February last year." (24/01/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Polityka bezpieczeństwa / Kryzys / Wojna, » Niemcy
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Damir Fras

Last week Poland and the Czech Republic confirmed that they have commenced negotiations with the US for the construction of an American antiballistic missile defence system on their territories. Missile bases from which short to medium-range missiles can be fired are to be constructed in Poland. The system's radar installations are to be built in the Czech Republic. Ulrich Schmid reports that a debate about the pros and cons of the project has broken out in the two countries. "Warsaw and Prague are very much aware that military cooperation of this scale with the US will set a new precedent that will no doubt incur consternation in Russia... The respective governments led by Prime Minister Topolanek and Jaroslaw Kaczynski are well known for their pro-American attitudes, and they will be more inclined to go along with the Pentagon's wishes. That there are still concerns about the project in both Prague and Poland also has to do with the fact that even in the US the idea is controversial. This is the last remnant of the legendary defence strategy (dubbed the 'Star Wars' project) put in motion by Ronald Reagan which shocked and weakened the Soviet regime back in the 1980s." (24/01/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Polityka bezpieczeństwa / Kryzys / Wojna, » Europa Środkowa, » USA
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Ulrich Schmid

The Spanish daily condemns the collusion between Belfast police and protestant militia in the killing of Catholics throughout the 1990s that was revealed in a report published on Monday, January 22nd. "This report confirms what everyone in Ulster already knew, but that nobody had dared render public: that terrorism in Northern Ireland had in part been favoured, instead of being fought, by the province's police. ... But the devastating truth that the police did the opposite of its duty may have a beneficial effect on the current reconciliation process [between unionists and nationalists]. The tortuous path of irresolvable differences and concessions that are impossible for both parties, Catholics and Protestants, now depends more than ever on an eventual agreement between Gerry Adams [head of Sinn Fein], and Ian Paisley, [leader of the Democratic Unionist Party] to form an historic government together." (24/01/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, hiszpański)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka bezpieczeństwa / Kryzys / Wojna, » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Religia, » Światopogląd, » Wielka Brytania

The EU has cranked up the pressure on Libya to release the Bulgarian nurses who have been sentenced to death. Swetoslaw Tersiew explains that the situation has now escalated because Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi is not only demanding a huge compensation for the families of the children who were allegedly infected with HIV, but is also demanding release of one of the Lockerby bombers. "It looks like this is going to be a nerve-racking game... Libya should desist from its two absurd demands – a compensation of 4.5 billion dollars and the release of the Lockerby bomber Abdelbast al-Megrahi. If the Supreme Court in Tripoli upholds the sentence, the responsibility for the lives of the Bulgarian nurses will pass directly into Gaddafi's hands... However, his position of 'one against all' (with the exception of a few unreliable African allies) is likely to become unpleasant for him." (24/01/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, bułgarski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Bułgaria, » Afryka Północna
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Svetoslav Tersiev

The 74-year-old Polish journalist and writer Ryszard Kapuscinski died on Tuesday in Warsaw. Krzysztof Maslon pays tribute to the former Africa correspondent for the Polish news agency PAP. "Although Ryszard Kapuscinski always complained that such activities distracted him from his writing, he enjoyed meeting readers and journalists, holding presentations and taking part in discussions. He stressed that the kind of journalism he did was not a profession for cynics. He showed us a different, unimaginably poor world, which for some consisted of nothing more than a T-shirt, a pot, a bowl and a mouthful of water. However, two-thirds of the world's population live in such a deaf and mute world. He reminded us – we who are always dissatisfied and insatiable – of what is inessential and unimportant." (24/01/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, polski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Media drukowane, » Polska
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Krzysztof Maslon

The editorialist Christophe Blaivie denounces the hypocrisy that, according to him, is reigning over professional cycling. He reacts to the revelations of the Dutch language daily, 'Het Laatste Niews' concerning the participation of Patrick Lefevere, Belgian star manager of cyclist teams, in the doping of racers under his direction. "In cycling, hypocrisy reigns and only those caught red-handed-the racers- have to pay for it. .... Sports directors and managers cover themselves by saying [to racers]: 'We want results, but you can only consult the team doctors.' Which pretty much amounts to saying, 'Dope your selves if you want to, but don't get caught out '. ... Let's stop kidding ourselves! How to explain the fact that Richard Virenque, proven to have been doped when working for Festina, is performing just as well a few years later for Politi and... Quick Step [the team managed Patrick Lefevere] although he was supposedly 'clean' at the time ?" (24/01/2007)

» Strona www (Link zewnętrzny, La Libre Belgique)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Zdrowie / Medycyna, » Sport, » Belgia