Amid growing protests in Europe triggered by the rising oil price the daily The Irish Times warns against political intervention in the market: "In Spain, truck drivers have blocked roads. In France, fishermen have blockaded ports. And in London, lorry drivers recently carried a coffin to the doors of parliament at Westminster to dramatise the financial plight of the haulage industry. There are, however, no quick or easy solutions to this global energy problem, which is largely explained by a growing imbalance between supply and demand for a finite resource, oil. ... President Sarkozy of France has proposed that EU countries should suspend VAT on fuel above some unspecified threshold to offset the impact of high fuel prices. ... His proposal, however, makes little economic sense. For the most likely beneficiary of a fuel tax reduction would be the oil-producing countries. Opec would, undoubtedly, take the opportunity to raise oil prices. ... What is a market problem, the imbalance between oil supply and demand, requires a market solution - and not a misguided French political intervention." (12/06/2008)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Energia, » Infrastruktura / Komunikacja, » Handel, » Rynek konsumencki, » Europa, » Cały świat

The liberal business newspaper Cinco Días is angry about the attitude of the striking lorry drivers: "Of the twelve professional associations [of forwarding agents] sitting at the negotiating table, three - which represent less than 20 percent of the sector - reject ... the [government's] package of measures. They argue that the government has failed to respond to their main demand: a minimum haulage rate, which the government rejects because it is at odds with its convictions on economic policy and with the EU's guidelines on free competition and is also rejected by other representatives of the sector. Fenadismer, the main representative of the strikers, believes that imposing a minimum rate to which all forwarding agents would have to adhere, could exclude many lorry drivers who do not cover their costs [and thus drive down prices] from the market. ... The striking organisations' attempts to impose a minimum rate at any price and thus to reject dialogue are unjustified. And even less justified is insisting on maintaining an unreasonable, if not indeed illegal means of exerting pressure.” (12/06/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, hiszpański)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Energia, » Infrastruktura / Komunikacja, » Hiszpania

The Italian daily La Repubblica reports on the EU's plans for cushioning the impact of soaring petrol prices: "Governments, the document suggests, should think twice before saying no to nuclear energy. A further element of the EU's formula is greater transparency regarding reserves and reducing VAT on energy products. ... In short, this is a soft approach aimed at helping the Union come to terms with the reality of exorbitant oil prices and an attempt to coordinate the individual initiatives of different member states - for example Italy's 'Robin Hood tax', the feasibility of which the EU, too, is now beginning to doubt, or the Spanish government's tough response to the lorry drivers' strike". (12/06/2008)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Energia, » Infrastruktura / Komunikacja, » Podatki, » Włochy, » Hiszpania, » Portugalia, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Alberto d'Argenio

After a lorry drivers' strike lasting three days emptied supermarket shelves and blocked filling stations nationwide, Portugal's government and transporters reached an agreement. The chief editor of the daily Diário de Notícias had the following to say: "In view of one of the worst international economic crises it is unacceptable for lorry drivers to bring the country to a standstill, causing major losses in those sectors of the economy that are dependent on them. Head of Head of government José Sócrates decided to take the diplomatic approach. He made concessions on the less important issues and remained firm on the important ones. It is understandable that the lorry drivers are worried about rising fuel prices. But ... to have taxpayers subsidise fuel for this professional group would mean a step backwards." (12/06/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, portugalski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Energia, » Infrastruktura / Komunikacja, » Polityka gospodarcza, » Portugalia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » João Marcelino

Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen plans to hold a referendum on Denmark's EU reservations, including its non-participation in the Eurozone, in the course of the current legislative period. However he has yet to announce when and on which issues Danish citizens are to vote. The Danish parliament's closing debate came to an end on Wednesday without Rasmussen having answered this question. Der Nordschleswiger, the newspaper of the German minority living in Denmark, writes: "It seems Fogh (no longer) takes so seriously the vital aspect of giving the people adequate time to conduct an open discussion with the politicians on these complex issues. He knows from past referendums that a long phase of public debate is more likely to produce a no than a yes. But regardless of tactics, it would undoubtedly have been better if the prime minister had announced the date for the referendum yesterday. As long as the government fails to adopt a clear course - in internal affairs too - Denmark will have to follow Europe's principle maxim: patience, patience!" (12/06/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Dania, » Europa

The Italian daily Corriere della Sera comments on the interview German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave to the British Financial Times on the decline of the Anglo-Saxon economic model: "Angela Merkel must have had several motives for declaring the failure of the Anglo-Saxon model for regulating financial markets and for reclaiming a larger role for the Euro zone. [Among them] domestic considerations and a desire to keep the populism of the new Left under control, ...the plebiscite in Ireland, intended to show that Europe is not in the tow of America - and market growth in general. The debate is both a heated one and rather premature, since there are no common strategies. The model of authoritarian capitalism - pursued by China or Russia, for example - constitutes a great temptation, since it apparently achieves the goals of market growth more rapidly than the liberal democracies. The traditional connection between freedom and a market economy seems no longer to be able to stand the test of reality. ... The temptation posed by authoritarian capitalism, however, only applies to aspiring economic powers, but surely not to ours, which at least in Europe operate using advanced social models. There is much at stake in denouncing the Anglo-Saxon model, and Frau Merkel may have gone a bit too far, especially seeing as no-one has yet come up with a better recipe.” (12/06/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, włoski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Polityka gospodarcza, » Europa, » Ameryka Północna, » Cały świat
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Franco Venturini

Following the confirmation of the ban on headscarves at Turkish universities, there is now a serious possibility that Turkey's ruling party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), could also be banned. The Dutch daily writes: "Unfortunately so far there has been no clear reaction from Brussels. What kind of a joke democracy do they have on the other side of the Bosporus? And how can we trust 'European democracy' if it does not have immediate consequences? It must be clear that if the AKP, which was voted into power by 47 percent of the population, is banned by the constitutional court, then the EU must break off all negotiations, and it should therefore issue a serious warning to Ankara now. If it does not, the Irish have every reason to reject the new European treaty, because this would mean that all those wonderful democratic standards and values which the advocates of the treaty praise so highly are worthless." (12/06/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niderlandzki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Rozszerzenie UE, » Polityka UE, » Europa, » Turcja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Thomas van der Dunk

The Romanian daily writes about corruption in Eastern Europe: "Practically all the post-communist states have experienced an incest-like relationship between their leaders, the economic wing of the secret service and the executive bodies dealing with privatisation. The secret services have been involved in the privatisation process almost everywhere, if not officially then as part of a mafia with 'clean shirts'. In Russia the energy structures are controlled by people our head of state Traian Basescu refers to as the 'clever boys'. ... The Russian oligarch Anatoly Chubais delivered a public speech openly praising corruption, ... and describing it as useful. The sons of those who are now making themselves obscenely rich, Chubais contends, will be excellent citizens, receive a university education and, in sum, constitute the class of prosperous technocrats and intellectuals we need: the middle class." (12/06/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, rumuński)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Polityka gospodarcza, » Rosja, » Europa Wschodnia, » Rumunia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Dan Alexe

George Robertson, former NATO Secretary General, and Paddy Ashdown, ex-High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, write in the British daily about the security risks of a globalised world: "We need a new era of multinational institution-building, and a deepened level of security and defence collaboration inside the EU. ... There is clearly a need for the Security Council to be reformed, to bring in new permanent members such as India, Brazil and South Africa. ... The UN needs to be seen more as an important conferrer of legitimacy on international action, rather than always as the implementer of action itself. Beyond the UN, we need a new era of treaty-based action. ... Examples here include the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the International Criminal Court and a post-Kyoto climate change framework. ... In Europe there is no area of threat that could not be more effectively addressed through deeper collaborative effort." (12/06/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, angielski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Polityka bezpieczeństwa / Kryzys / Wojna, » Europa, » Cały świat
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » George Robertson, » Paddy Ashdown

The Swiss journalist Roger De Weck analyses the question of European identity for the business newspaper Les Echos: "Is there such thing as a European identity? Perhaps being European actually means addressing this very European question without giving an answer...Observers of the United States can identify immediately what binds Americans together, despite all America's diversity. In Europe it is the differences that are most obvious. Yet these differences connect us as much as they divide us. ... Just as the Swiss, who come from four different cultures, say that their country is a "Willensnation" - a nation based on the will of its members - so Europe is in practice gradually developing a "Willensidentität", an identity built on will. ... Nevertheless, the Europeans despise attempts to impose an identity on them in a voluntaristic or wilful manner. ... If the European Union does its job properly, the question of identity will gradually cease to arise. After all, identity is also related to succes." (11/06/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Filozofia, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Roger de Weck

The British daily Financial Times comments on the French labour market reforms: "Nicolas Sarkozy's most inspiring electoral pledge was that he would reward those who get up early, the millions of overlooked and over-taxed workers. ... The French president's laudable mantra has been: hard work must pay. ... Affronted by calls from Mr Sarkozy's UMP party ... that the 35-hour week should be scrapped, the trade unions have called for mass protests on June 17. This is a stand-off that Mr Sarkozy cannot afford to lose. It would be far better if consensual reform could be spearheaded by employers, trade unions and government together. But, if necessary, the government should act alone. Vested insider interests have hobbled reforms for too long. ...France must fully unleash – and reward – the creative efforts of its people." (12/06/2008)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Podatki, » Francja

The daily reflects on the significance of clothing in international politics: "The village of Bazargan on the border between Iran and Turkey is a good place for pondering the influence of fashion trends on the world's political culture. The Iranian women crossing the border from the one side cover themselves from head to foot in black robes. ... On the left side of the border, the Supreme Court last week rescinded a law allowing students at state universities to keep their heads covered during lectures and exams. ... The neo-Islamist Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reacted by delivering an emotional speech in parliament in which he all but shouted that the court was violating human rights. ... It is strange, but in Istanbul and Tehran the boundaries between materials and skin seem to be more important than car bombs and the prospect of EU membership." (12/06/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, słoweński)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka kulturalna, » Religia, » Słowenia, » Turcja, » Iran
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Ervin Hladnik-Milharcic

For Anne Applebaum, a columnist for the Washington Post living in Poland, the reaction of the German left-wing daily die tageszeitung to Barack Obama's victory in the Democratic primaries belied a racist attitude. The front page featured a picture of the White House under the headline 'Onkel Baracks Hütte' (Uncle Barack's cabin). "Yes, the Americans are voting for a black. But will the citizens of other countries accept a black US president? ... The publishers claim it was intended as a satirical piece. But this newspaper has already published an article about [former] US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice titled 'Onkel Toms Rice' (Uncle Tom's Rice - an allusion to her surname). So the newspaper's journalists are well aware of the negative associations with 'Uncle Tom'. It is good to hear foreign voices expressing concern about Obama's lack of experience in international affairs. Although these concerns are fully justified, I do detect a racist tone in them sometimes. ... The way American politics is perceived in other countries has always said a lot about the countries themselves. But never as much as in this year's US election campaign." (12/06/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, polski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Media drukowane, » Mniejszości, » Niemcy, » Europa, » USA
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Anne Applebaum

The German Constitutional Court is expected to amend the new German ban on smoking in pubs and restaurants. The daily Süddeutsche Zeitung commented: "The Constitutional Court ... will treat little neighbourhood pubs and large restaurants differently, simply because they really are different and serve different social purposes ... Whether the constitution should extend the state's obligation to protect health to preventing people from putting their own health at risk ... is questionable. Rigid state protection of people from themselves leads to a nanny state. Whom does a ban on smoking in small pubs protect? Certainly not non-smokers, who don't go there anyway. What it will do is drive away smokers and ruin pub owners. This smacks of intolerance and imposing one's will on others has little to do with protecting health. But that is not what Germany's Basic Law is about. By finding a compromise between protecting health and the responsibility that everyone must take for themselves, the court's ruling will take the hysteria out of what has become a hysterical debate." (12/06/2008)

» Dalsze informacje (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Zdrowie, » Ruchy społeczne, » Niemcy
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Heribert Prantl

According to a report in the Czech daily Mlada fronta Dnes, the European Football Championship has caused marital strife in the city of Hradec Kralove: "The wife of a man who refused to change the channel in the middle of the TV broadcast of the match between Spain and Russia - she wanted him to switch to a children's programme - went ballistic. She made such a row that the man felt he had no option but to call the police for help. Police officers rushed to the scene and managed to calm down the situation. A police spokeswoman was unable to say who won in the end. 'Probably football, after all, it is more important', the spokeswoman concluded." (12/06/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, czeski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Styl życia, » Media audiowizualne, » Sport, » Czechy