Le Monde writes that the French integration model has failed: "The French model of integration doesn't work any more. Rather than fighting them, it only accentuates inequalities and discrimination. The discrepancies between the broad ethnic mix of French society and the narrow homogeneity of its elites is more blatant and more objectionable than ever. ... So the challenge lies in finding ways to better things. ... President [Nicolas] Sarkozy has put it very clearly: 'Tackling the challenge of diversity with ethnic or religious criteria would mean running the risk of pitting rival communities against one another and sealing them off within their identity and their history'. The president went on: 'The problem must be tackled with social criteria, because social inequalities concern everyone.' ... The approach proposed by Sarkozy - education, access to the civil service, anonymous CVs for applications ... - is necessary. But people have been calling for all of that for years now without success." (18/12/2008)

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

The liberal daily Corriere del Ticino praises French President Nicolas Sarkozy's initiative against ethnic discrimination and writes that he must strive to prevail over his critics: "Sarkozy has recognised that overcoming social discrimination is an important step towards ethnic integration. He has set a good example when he opened the door to 'otherness' by including people like [Justice Minister] Rachida Dati or [Secretary of State for Human Rights] Rama Yade in his government. ... But the attempt to proscribe respect for otherness in the constitution failed. ... Critics from Left and Right bombarded him with the argument that the constitution already guarantees enough instruments for fighting racial discrimination. ... But positive discrimination has also met with resistance, for example from the Paris newspaper Libération which accuses Sarkozy of presenting a re-heated version of the project initiated by [his predecessor Jacques] Chirac in January 2006. It's up to Sarkozy to prove those who slander him wrong and realise his ambitious integration projects." (19/12/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, włoski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Integracja, » Francja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Osvaldo Migotto

Foreigners and people with un-Swedish names have a hard time finding a job or a place to live in Sweden. Dagens Nyheter calls for clear rules for equal treatment: "Several studies have shown that a foreign-sounding name will decrease a person's chances of being invited to a job interview or to visit a flat. The ombudsman against ethnic discrimination yesterday presented a report reconfirming these findings for the housing market. The ombudsman correctly points out that many landlords lack clear rules on things like waiting lists, for example. That allows them to discriminate at will. To have equal treatment we need clear rules. Establishing these is not always easy, but it should be easier for rentals than for job interviews." (19/12/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, szwedzki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Integracja, » Szwecja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Håkan Boström

The degree to which immigrants are successfully integrated often depends on their origins, Jan Plovsing of the central statistics office in Denmark argues in the daily Jyllands-Posten: "Immigrants from a large number of countries have very low employment rates. The lowest rates are to be found among immigrants from Somalia, Lebanon and Iraq, only 35 to 37 percent of whom have a job. ... By contrast the level of employment among immigrants from South and East Asia is quite high. Between 62 and 67 percent of immigrants from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and China have a job. ... This is rather problematic, not only for those affected but also for their children. We're talking here about the second generation, which in many cases is at a disadvantage from the outset at school and later in working life because their Danish language skills and financial situation are not as good." (19/12/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, duński)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Migracja, » Integracja, » Dania
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Jan Plovsing

Dutch Integration Minister Eberhard van der Laan wants to prompt Turkey to abolish military service for Dutch citizens of Turkish origin. The conservative weekly magazine Elsevier believes this is naive: "The Turkish state will continue to impose duties on its subjects, just like the Dutch state does. The Turks are not about to be influenced by whether or not this suits Dutch integration policy. For this reason it is also naive to think it doesn't matter how many citizenships a person has. Anyone like van der Laan who worries about the influence of the Turkish military service on the Netherlands can only do two things: encourage the Turks to give up their Turkish passports at as early an age as possible, or reinstigate military service in the Netherlands, be it only for Dutch citizens of Turkish origin." (19/12/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niderlandzki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Integracja, » Holandia, » Turcja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Syp Wynia

Belgium's government has once more plunged into a crisis. Prime Minister Yves Leterme has been forced to admit that the government put a court under pressure in the trial over the sale of Fortis Bank. The daily De Standaard writes that it is unique in Belgian history for the executive to have interfered with the independence of the judiciary and concludes that Leterme's resignation is inevitable: "This is a great personal calamity for Leterme. No agreement on the federal issue, no balanced budget, no coalition, no strong party, no successful rescue of the country's largest bank and poor health. The man who after eight years of [government under Guy] Verhofstadt was supposed to restore the reputation of Belgian politics is suffering an inglorious and bitter defeat. But the calamity for Belgium and its citizens is much greater. In the midst of the 'worst crisis in a hundred years' - in Yves Laterme's words - the country has no leadership." (19/12/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niderlandzki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Belgia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Peter Vandermeersch

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has brought together the heads of government of the region at the first Summit of Latin America and the Caribbean (CALC). El País sees this as a new strategy for regional cooperation: "All this amounts to the message that [Latin America and the Caribbean] are no longer anyone's backyard and that consequently countries not belonging to the region - such as the US in the OAS [Organisation of American States] or Spain or Portugal - are not present at the Latin-American summit. ... But it should not be seen as negative that Latin America and the Caribbean are working together. And by no means should Spain feel threatened by these frequent summits. On the contrary, we should strive to ensure that the Latin American summits continue to remain true to their purpose." (19/12/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, hiszpański)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Hiszpania, » Portugalia, » Ameryka Łacińska, » USA

In Denmark, legislation allowing the adoption of children by homosexuals is under discussion. In neighbouring Sweden this is already allowed. The daily Berlingske Tidende notes that the traditional family model has ceased to be the norm and writes: "Parliament should give further consideration to whose interests it wants to protect - those of the children or those of homosexuals. ... Naturally gays and lesbians can be wonderful parents, and for many children a world of possibilities for achieving prosperity would open up and they would no longer suffer under bad conditions and would live in a secure home where their parents happen to be homosexuals. No one can object to children being offered the best possible start in life. The idea behind the proposal of normalising homosexuality by making pioneers of the children is, however, questionable." (19/12/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, duński)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Mniejszości, » Ruchy społeczne, » Dania

The daily Adevărul reflects on the underlying causes of the riots in Greece. "This is no mere clash between anarchist groups and the custodians of the law. It's much more. It is the revolt of an entire generation, the 600-euro generation, which is how much Greek companies tend to pay first-time employees. A miserable salary even by local standards. The unemployment rate among Greek youths is the highest in the EU and the education system is experiencing a profound crisis. ... The two major parties, New Democracy and the Panhellenic Socialist Movement which are responsible for the failed modernisation of Greece following its accession to the EU have lost the respect of the people. Political life is rife with clientilism, cronyism and corruption. ... So the young are revolting against a society in which they feel alien, marginalised and unwanted." (19/12/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, rumuński)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Grecja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Ovidiu Nahoi

Thomas Assheuer writes in the weekly newspaper Die Zeit about how the media blunts our awareness of the economic and ecologigcal crisis: "It sounds strange, but the unrelenting reports on the crisis help to counteract their own message. The same media that report on the catastrophe ... at the same time weaken its impact. Why? Because the shock that the media machine packs into its iconography is deactivated through incessant repetition. The photograph of the New York broker dragging a cardboard box over to his Porsch after being laid off does document the decline of Wall Street. But it also fits what was hitherto unimaginable into a reassuring framework, like the images of the polar bear mother and her young facing a sad end on a slab of ice. The serial monotony with which the apocalypse is being burned into our collective consciousness makes us oblivious to the very danger it seeks to warn us of. To put it more drastically: the truth dies by being reported in the media." (17/12/2008)

» Dalsze informacje (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Środowisko, » Media audiowizualne, » Rynki finansowe, » Niemcy, » Cały świat
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Thomas Assheuer

On the occasion of the withdrawal of British forces from Iraq, Columnist Simon Jenkins writes in The Guardian on the folly of the war in Afghanistan: "In [the southern Iraqi city] Basra the British army had at least a tattered remnant of a war plan. In [the southern Afghani province] Helmand the only plan is to be target practice for the Taliban. ... The greatest honour Britain could pay the dead of Iraq is to inquire into why any more should die in Afghanistan. Why wait for the same number of soldiers to be killed (already 134)? Why wait for the same multiple of civilian deaths, the same villages bombed, the same infrastructure destroyed? ... Brown is to be commended for supporting the professionalism and courage of British soldiers, but he owes them more than words. He owes them brutal honesty in reviewing the political and strategic purpose that is now so costly of that courage. ... Frankness continues to be the greatest casualty of these wars. Those who cheered on Iraq and Afghanistan - from left as well as right - dare not admit they might have been wrong. Now a rewriting of the Iraq epilogue as a mission well accomplished is acting as a lethal magnet, drawing British policy to similar disaster and British troops to their deaths in Helmand." (19/12/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, angielski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka bezpieczeństwa / Kryzys / Wojna, » Wielka Brytania, » Azja, » Irak
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Simon Jenkins

Siemens is facing Germany's biggest corruption scandal. Delo newspaper comments how the technology company has sought to put its systematic criminal dealings behind it: "The true lesson of the Siemens corruption scandal is the speed with which the company has moved to deal with the problem, as well as its cooperation with the authorities. It is also noteworthy that the business structure was turned upside down to bring the dimension of the scandal to light. ... These illegal dealings were long considered 'company culture', but they are now being relegated to the painful past. ... With billions in euros of losses, a damaged reputation and much wasted time, the company must now face the challenges awaiting all major corporations." (19/12/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, słoweński)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Przedsiębiorczość, » Niemcy
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Peter Žerjavič

The daily Gandul complains that all Europe has always seen Romania and Bulgaria as a "poor and corrupt" tandem. "From an economic perspective and in the fight against corruption we are ahead of Bulgaria - despite the fact that in the past four years not a single court ruling has been passed in major corruption cases and that our judiciary is anything but independent. ... Independent reports show that the problem of corruption has steadily increased with the inflow of European funding. ... But it is [mainly] owing to incompetence that Romania has trouble managing the funds. ... Major European states like France, the UK and Spain will have to return millions of euros because they mismanaged European funding. The Greeks took money for non-existent olive trees, and the Italians for fictitious livestock. The British failed to hand over money to their farmers between 2005 and 2007. But they haven't been accused of corruption, a label that has stuck to Romania and which not a single European politician wants to get rid of." (19/12/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, rumuński)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Polityka gospodarcza, » Francja, » Wielka Brytania, » Włochy, » Grecja, » Rumunia, » Bułgaria
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Eliza Francu

The weekly magazine Le Jeudi analyses the growing interest of Western financial markets in the Islamic financial world. "With a capital of 450 billion dollars the financial world - which conforms strictly to Islamic precepts - represents only a drop in the bucket of the Muslim, and hence of the global, world of finance. Nevertheless, with growth rates of between 20 and 25 percent per year it has become very alluring. ... The world of Islamic finance respects the rules of the Sharia. Investment in weapons and alcohol and trade in pork are forbidden. And it is impossible to put money in a bank to gain interest, as this is forbidden. ... After London, Paris is now showing interest in the Islamic financial world and Islamic banks (five million Muslims live in France) ... and plans to modify its civil code as well as the monetary and financial code to permit the integration of such establishments. Luxembourg, however has nothing similar to show." (18/12/2008)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Rynki finansowe, » Francja, » Wielka Brytania, » Luksemburg, » Bliski i Środkowy Wschód
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Fabrice Barbian

Czech pop singer Karel Gott has been crowned the public's darling for the thirty-fourth time. Like Gott, all of the victors of the Zlatý slavík (Golden Nightingale) viewer's survey were veteran stars. The German-language Prager Zeitung comments: "These stars are the only constants in the lives of many Czechs. Much has changed in the wake of the Velvet Revolution: politics, the economy, the products in the stores and work itself. Politicians come and go, but the stars remain. And in times of crisis they give the people what they want. This isn't a critique of society, a pointed finger or demanding ideas, but joyful entertainment which lets you kick back and relax. They are the soul of the country, offering a feeling of security and familiarity. And they are reliable, which is more than you can say of most Czech politicians." (19/12/2008)

» Dalsze informacje (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Styl życia, » Czechy
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Bernd Rudolf

Shortly before France's most successful comic series Asterix celebrates its 50th anniversary, shares in the lucrative family business have been sold to the Lagardère publishing group. Only Sylvie Uderzo, the daughter of caricaturist Albert Uderzo, refuses to sell her stake. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung ponders the future of the brave Gauls: "There's a bad atmosphere in the small, uncompromising publishing house with its fifteen employees, and also in the family. And that doesn't bode well for the jubilee year. Eighty-one-year-old Albert Uderzo, who is planning a new Asterix album, said he wanted to get things settled for the future. But what does this mean? Will the series continue, despite all Uderzo's previous declarations to the contrary? He didn't do the final drawings for the last two albums, so he has an artistic successor. And writing better than Uderzo won't be too difficult." (19/12/2008)

» Dalsze informacje (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Literatura, » Francja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Andreas Platthaus