The conservative daily the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung comments on how the World Youth Day (WYD) has changed over the past ten years: "Rome, Toronto, Cologne and now Sydney stand not only for superlatives but for a rhythm of alternating ecstasy and daily routine that now allows us to speak of a 'WYD generation' that spans the entire world and embraces millions. This generation is united by a consciousness fundamentally different from that of the 1968 generation and their children. Its horizons are determined not by the constraining and alarming factor of the Cold War and competing views of the world ..., but instead by a world without boundaries in every sense of the word, in which globalisation and the accelerated [pace of life] that goes with it overcome all boundaries. ... In this world without restraints the Catholic Church's claim to be not just an organisation but an institution is increasingly proving to be a constraining, indeed increasingly resistant element. For precisely that reason it is in accord with the hopes of people living in the North and in the South for justice, peace and the preservation of the Creation." (21/07/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Social movements, » Global
All available articles from » Daniel Deckers

The Swiss daily Der Tagesanzeiger criticises the Pope during his visit to Australia for not receiving the parents of two victims of sexual abuse by priests, Anthony and Christina Foster, personally: "The Pope may have addressed the subject of sexual abuse in Sydney, but he limited himself to platitudes. He recognised that those responsible had 'damaged the credentials of the church' and said the victims should receive care and those responsible be brought to justice. But that happens only very rarely in Australia. Instead of alerting the police, charges are often investigated internally by the church. And usually the outcome is a quiet agreement between the victims and the church. ... The joy that the World Youth Day has brought to Sydney has been marred by the fact that words like 'sympathy' and 'love of one's neighbour' sound hollow in the mouth of the Pope so long as people like Anthony and Christina Foster do not get a hearing." (21/07/2008)

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All available articles from » Wälterlin, Urs

In his column on the website of the Slovenian daily Dnevnik journalist Andrej Mrevlje describes the Catholic Church's World Youth Day as an offensive against the secularisation of the world: "Australia is one of the world's most secular countries. Its economy is stable and Australia is seen as the country of a thousand cultures. And it is precisely this that most troubles the Roman Catholic Church. ... The criterion that decides where the World Youth Day takes place is no longer the holiness of a given location, which serves as spiritual inspiration. On the contrary, for its World Youth Day the church of Pope Benedict has sought out those places that most need the presence of Catholics. In other words, the goal of these gatherings of young Catholics from all over the world is no longer to move away from secularism but to confront it on its own territory. ... It is difficult to say whether the Church was successful in Australia. ... What we do know for sure is that the Church is present in every pore of modern society, and with the aid of modern means employs its own specific and conservative language which does not allow for fallibilities. There are no fallibilities as far as the darkest sides of the Catholic Church are concerned. These dark sides deprive it of moral authority." (21/07/2008)

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All available articles from » Andrej Mrevlje

Nikola Gruevski, Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia, a former Yugoslavian republic, last week called for the recognition of the Slav-Macedonian minority in Greece, triggering an escalation in the name dispute between Greece and Macedonia. The Greek daily blames the Macedonian prime minister for this impasse: "This 38-year-old arrogant and nationalist prime minister ... threatens to destroy the precarious balance in the Balkans. ... Gruevski is trying to widen the [political] agenda with Greece either in order to ... force a concession in the name dispute or because he believes that those countries that are sensitive to minority issues in Europe and America will support him ... in his campaign. ... Should the latter be the case, Gruevski is walking on thin ice by trying to create problems where there are none and open wounds that Europe had healed long ago. ... Gruevski is turning into a troublemaker in the Balkans." (20/07/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Greece, » Europe, » South East Europe
All available articles from » Athanasios Ellis

On the occasion of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's one-day visit to the Ukrainian capital Kiev the conservative Polish daily Rzeczpospolita criticises the EU for so far offering Ukraine too little: "Ukraine does not wish to be one of the many countries that are part of the European neighbourhood policy (ENP). Although this policy offers funding and aid and co-operation programs, Kiev believes that if it were to be content with the ENP it would miss the chance of getting something better: the prospect of [EU] membership. ... Ukraine is not all that keen on the Polish idea of an eastern partnership either. Maybe its enthusiasm will grow when specific projects become visible, which Brussels is preparing with Warsaw's assistance. But currently Kiev is telling us quite clearly. ....We won't be deceived. Unless there is something tangible like a treaty on visa-free travel." (21/07/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Enlargement / Neighbourhood Policy, » Germany, » Poland, » Ukraine, » Europe
All available articles from » Anna Slojewska

The US presidential candidate Barack Obama is currently visiting Iraq before he embarks on a tour of Europe. The daily Le Figaro analyses the relationship between Obama and the Europeans: "In Berlin, Paris and London the public is in the grip of 'Obamania.' Because he represents a clearer break with George W. Bush than his opponent, his popularity stakes are soaring this side of the Atlantic. He will be given a warm welcome. ... His ability to restore the image of America, which has such a hard time making itself popular, will be an electoral trump card - assuming, of course, that he does not overdo it. Taking a critical look at your country at home is one thing, doing so abroad is quite another. ... Obama prepared the ground before crossing the Atlantic. We know that many of his views coincide with those of his hosts. ... Angela Merkel, Nicolas Sarkozy and Gordon Brown will thus take it in turns to receive a man who so far has had things well under control. Without wanting to anticipate how voters will decide on 4 November, it is important to project an image of a united Europe that is determined to help America and above all to assume responsibility in world affairs." (20/07/2008)

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All available articles from » Pierre Rousselin

The daily Eesti päevaleht criticises French President Nicolas Sarkozy for using his EU presidency to further above all his own interests, for example in the area of agricultural policy: "France is itself one of the main recipients of farming subsidies and therefore unwilling to liberalise agricultural policy. Although the EU president is basically supposed to act as a neutral mediator in all issues and seek compromises, the Paris authorities have broken with this course. But why? Normally an EU Council President seeks allies to support his stance and represent him to the rest of the world. But now it is becoming clear that France quite simply has no allies in a position or willing to show understanding for its viewpoint. And what does such a lonely president mean for Estonia, which has always defended liberalisation and the market economy? Particularly on the issues of energy and climate policy, a wayward France could unexpectedly turn into an ally." (21/07/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Agriculture, » France, » Estonia, » Europe
All available articles from » Raimo Poom

Former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer comments in the Austrian daily Der Standard on negotiations over Iran's nuclear program: "In Teheran the message seems to have been brought home that things are very likely to become serious on the military front if Iran continues with its nuclear program. At least there are interesting statements and signals coming out of Teheran - indeed ones that have not been heard before - that indicate a greater willingness to engage in serious negotiations over Iran's nuclear program and regional security issues. ... If Iran is really serious, then the issue to be discussed will be no less than a major reconciliation of regional interests between Iran and the USA, Europe and the United States' regional allies, in other words, a so-called 'grand bargain! It would, however, be short-sighted and foolish if the government in Teheran were merely playing for time. For the conflict and with it the threat of a military confrontation would not disappear even under a new US administration. On the contrary, this confrontation would quickly return with a vengeance if negotiations were to fail." (21/07/2008)

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All available articles from » Joschka Fischer

Today's editorial in the daily Helsingin Sanomat advocates taking an aggressive approach to right-wing populist parties in Europe. "The traditional parties generally believe that a radical refusal to co-operate or even to engage in dialogue is the only way of dealing with right-wing parties. The question is whether this is really the correct approach, in order ... to prevent extremist parties growing further. The experience of various countries suggests that the opposite strategy [might be more appropriate.] ... In Austria Jörg Haider's right-wing populist Freedom Party ... managed .. to get into government ... Governmental responsibility, however, ... has gradually led to Haider's party breaking up. ... Norways' right-wing populist Progress Party has been part of the political spectrum for a long time. ...The other parties refused to co-operate with it. ... Now people in Norway are beginning ... to seriously consider the prospect that the Progress Party may become part of the government following next year's elections - either alone or in combination with the right wing." (21/07/2008)

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Europe is facing an economic crisis. The economy is slowing and inflation is rising. Yet there is no universal remedy for this, the political weekly Elsevier writes: "Each problem requires a different solution. The economic downturn [can be countered] by slightly increasing the national debt, inflation by raising the key interest rate at the European Central Bank. But when you have a declining economy and inflation at the same time, these two remedies stand in each other's way. ... The response to the gradual decline in prosperity is simply to put up with it and accept that there is currently little or no growth. So, for example, there should be no compensation for higher oil prices, not even via tax breaks. Unless of course the state is prepared to cut back on expenditure in order to reduce the burden. That way some of the pressure on wages and profits can be relieved." (21/07/2008)

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All available articles from » Paul de Hen

Under a proposal put forward by the European Commission in view of the current financial crisis, European banks would be allowed to invest in the international credit markets only once strict conditions have been fulfilled. The economic newspaper Financial Times Deutschland praises this strategy. "The proposal from Brussels certainly has its attractions: instead of stipulating rules for the sellers of credit deals it focuses on their customers, the investors. In taking this approach Europeans would in effect exert influence on foreign lenders. ... The objection voiced by European banks that they themselves would become more lax in controlling the quality of borrowers if the lender has a stake in the risk is not very convincing. Even under the current model the banks' risk assessment when it came to lending money was never particularly thorough: the fact that these institutes preferred to blindly rely on the assessments of rating agencies is one of the main factors behind the crisis on the US mortgage market." (21/07/2008)

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The daily Dagens Nyheter criticises the EU's fuel subsidies for Europe's fishermen, saying that this prevents necessary adjustments being made in the European fishing industry. "Instead of allowing the price of fuel to do part of the 'job of [protecting] the environment', the EU is countering forces that might help to reduce the catastrophic level of overfishing. The excess capacity in Europe's fishing fleet will be preserved. It must be subjected to radical rationalisation, and fishing quotas must be drastically reduced - indeed in some waters it may be necessary to put a complete stop to fishing. Now a perverse policy of subsidies is being consolidated instead." (20/07/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Environmental Policy, » Economic Policy, » Europe

The Spanish daily El País criticises the Russian government for using energy exports to pursue foreign policy goals: "Immediately after the US and the Czech Republic signed the treaty for a radar base for the US missile defence shield on Czech soil, the pipeline that delivers Russian oil to Czech consumers started experiencing unexplained technical ... problems. ... The Russian government uses this form of blackmail ... more than is permissible. In a world of complex economical relations energy should not be used as a means of extortion. ... Russia already confused these two areas when it cut off Ukraine's gas supplies. This tendency to make threats makes it an unreliable supplier. It will prompt European countries to start an urgent search for suppliers who can replace at least part of their Russian energy supplies and who have a more respectful attitude towards fulfilling their contracts." (21/07/2008)

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The daily Information comments on the marked decline in the UK's crime rate and voices regret that this improved security level comes at the expense of the rule of law. "All in all the statistics seem to prove that Gordon Brown and his Home Secretary Jacqui Smith have been successful with their anti-crime policy. ... Of all European countries the UK is the one to have gone furthest in imposing tougher punishments. Supporters of a rigid penal policy will inevitably see these figures as proof that Denmark also needs to introduce a tougher policy in the administration of justice. ... But before these figures are used to justify further measures to toughen [the laws] we should not forget this: the price paid for these lower figures consisted in a drastic limitation of the rule of law and a growing number of miscarriages of justice. That is a high price to pay." (21/07/2008)

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