For the daily La Repubblica the arrest of the alleged war criminal Radovan Karadžić "was probably achieved thanks to the persistence of Boris Tadić: Serb president and one of the most convincing advocates of EU membership, one of the few Serb politicians who was never on friendly terms with Karadžić." The daily notes that all the others, whether they belonged to the opposition or the government, maintained optimal relations with the Bosnian-Serb headquarters in Pale. It adds that as temporary president of the "Serb mini-republic" Karadžić also had numerous contacts with Western governments. "If Karadžić does indeed give testimony before the court in The Hague, there will no doubt be quite a few people in the West who will be forced to explain their conduct. This is probably one of the reasons why certain contingents at NATO did not seem overly keen to arrest him, even though his hiding place was initially known. The man knows a lot, enough at least to rob many of their sleep - and not only among his former Serb comrades." (22/07/2008)

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All available articles from » Guido Rampolli

The daily El País recapitulates the decline of Radovan Karadžić's popularity and his ensuing arrest: "[In the elections] in 2006, Montenegro - his Montenegro - voted to end the marriage with Belgrade. During the election campaign some people living in the Serb enclaves had pictures of the smiling psychiatrist hanging in their dining rooms. 'He is our hero', some would even say. But they lost, and no one reached for their weapons to defend the honour of their hero. The definitive blow came in 2008. Not only did the pro-Europeans win the national elections, but also the Socialist Party [of former Serb President Slobodan] Milošević was key to forming a government that looks to Europe and has begun to face its demons. And this party, too, was shocked by its confrontation with the past: the hero was actually a criminal who destroyed an entire country." (22/07/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Enlargement / Neighbourhood Policy, » Domestic Policy, » Crime and Law, » South East Europe, » Serbia
All available articles from » Pere Rusiñol

In the daily The Independent correspondent Marcus Tanner comments on the future of Radovan Karadžić following his arrest: "Could a man who had once worked as a psychiatrist and physio for the Sarajevo football team seriously be dreaming of the annihilation of that city, the same city in which he had spent most of his adult life? None of us believed it. ... For years, nationalist Serbs have idolised Karadzic as an almost mythical figure, the equivalent of the hajduks, or Serbian outlaws of old, who defied the Ottomans. It will be interesting to see if the legend lives on, once the self-appointed executor and persecutor of Bosnia's Muslims and Croats faces the mundane circumstances of a Hague courtroom." (22/07/2008)

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All available articles from » Marcus Tanner

The daily The Irish Times comments on the visit of French President Nicolas Sarkozy to Ireland: "A constructive and worthwhile start to finding out how the political crisis arising from Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty can be tackled and resolved. Mr Sarkozy's energetic engagement with the issues impressed the political leaders and activists he met yesterday. ... The realisation that the others want to go ahead with it and that Ireland is likely to be the only state saying no is a necessary part of the debate on the referendum's political consequences. Many accuse Mr Sarkozy of arrogance for his reported remark that Ireland will have to vote again on the treaty - which he denied yesterday - but fail to see the same point can be made about rejecting the democratic legitimacy of these other decisions." (22/07/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » EU Constitution, » Ireland, » Europe

It seems highly probable that the EU will impose sanctions against Bulgaria for an unprecedented embezzlement of EU funding. The daily Dnevnik expresses understanding for this move: "The EU is practically freezing Bulgaria's membership and then withdrawing. Instead of employing diplomatic means such as the application of safeguard clauses and the threat to suspend membership the EU is undertaking a step that will put an end to the arrogance of the Bulgarian government. As a result, the poorest country in the Union will become a net payer into the EU after only two years of membership. However, the Brussels report makes no mention of whether there is a way for Bulgaria to return to normality in the foreseeable future." (21/07/2008)

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All available articles from » Vladimir Shopov

Following the imposition of EU sanctions on Bulgaria the daily Evenimentul Zilei sees the Rumanian government coming under pressure to act too: "Bulgaria found out this week what kind of punishment the EU had in mind. Not the eternal threat of the safeguard clause, not the postponement of Bulgaria's entry into Schengen or the Eurozone. ... The Rumanians are in a slightly better position than the Bulgarians. The EU will not take money away from them but continue to threaten sanctions. The Rumanian government is desperately trying to ameliorate the situation with new promises, ... in order to limit the damage to its relations with Brussels." (22/07/2008)

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All available articles from » Sorin Ionita

Despite the opposition of the Left, a major revision of the constitution is being undertaken in France. The daily Le Monde criticises the attitude of the French Left: "This project to revise the constitution could have been more convincing. Should one vote against it, though? ... Surely not. It is never a bad thing to oil the machinery of democracy. But the Left has decided to say 'No' and in doing so it risks blurring the distinction between opposition and blocking a central issue. ... The Left has rightly denounced the interventionism of the 'hyper-president' and above all the gaps the project leaves. ...Yet it was wrong to turn Monday's vote into a vote for or against Nicolas Sarkozy rather than a verdict on the constitution and its modernisation, however imperfect the project may be." (21/07/2008)

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According to the daily La Vanguardia the developments in Belgium represent more than a national government crisis. It points out that the difficult talks between the various ethnic groups will to some extent also decide the future of Europe: "A game of chess is being played in Belgium in which not all the white [pieces] are Flemish and not all the black ones are Walloons. The scene of the game, Brussels, plays a leading role in this conflict, which King Albert II has managed to put off until autumn by rejecting Prime Minister Yves Leterme's ... resignation. ... What is not at stake here is Belgium. ... This legacy of the country's Germanic and Roman past - the one economically ambitious, the other in decline - will decide not only the future of Belgium, for to a large extent this conflict is about the very essence of  Europe. After all, the goal here is to find a way to live together that is compatible with the changes that these new times bring with them." (22/07/2008)

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The military expert Klemen Grošelj comments in the daily Večer on the consequences of the US missile defence shield in the Czech Republic for relations between Russia and the EU: "Anyone who expects that the USA in the future ... will not have a stronger presence in this part of Europe is extremely naive. ... The USA will not only strengthen and expand its missile defence shield in eastern Europe but also supplement it with a network of military and secret service bases. For precisely this reason the silence of the Europeans on this issue is all the more worrying, for the strengthening of American influence will inevitably lead to a weakening of the international influence of the EU. ... Europe's silence on the missile defence shield proves how far away the EU is from a security and defence policy of its own. By contrast Russia is all the louder, for Russia perceives the missile defence shield as a threat to the strategic balance with the USA that forms the basis for all the disarmament agreements between the two countries. ... The fact is, Europe does not need a missile defence shield. ... Europe's bloody history has shown that multilateralism, however difficult, time-consuming and ineffective it may be, is a better solution than conflict between states." (22/07/2008)

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All available articles from » Klemen Grošelj

The chief editor of the Hungarian edition of Le Monde diplomatique, Gábor Papp, complains in the German edition of the monthly magazine that Central European identity draws too much on the past: "At precisely a time when ethnic origin and nationality are becoming less important than ever before in western Europe, Central European sensitivity to these issues has intensified even further, either because the country in question has been mutilated or because it has at long last become a state in its own right. ... From all this it follows that the myths of ethnocentrism in the era of freedom of speech and thought, which at long last has arrived in Central Europe, are more inviolable than ever before. As for the troubled nation and the cornerstones of ethnocentrism, it is the obligation of political actors in the region to speak with one voice. ... [For that reason] the conclusion reached under completely different circumstances by that brilliant writer of the American South William Faulkner that 'The past is not dead. In fact it's not even past' ... has a universal character." (22/07/2008)

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All available articles from » Gábor Papp

The Financial Times criticises EU Council President Nicolas Sarkozy's reform plans for the European Central Bank (ECB). "French President Nicolas Sarkozy is now trying to undermine the ECB with a Trojan Horse package of reforms. He has unveiled plans to publish minutes from the central bank's governing council, including details of how each member argued on interest rates. ... His proposals highlight genuine problems with the ECB, but Mr Sarkozy's package is flawed and would damage the central bank. ... Anonymity makes it easier for members of the council to act in the interests of the whole eurozone rather than their home nations. This need to put the eurozone first is why it is right that the ECB answers to the European parliament rather than to the national parliaments. ... Although transparency is good in principle, and it works in the UK and US, it could undermine the ECB's independence from the member states. ... With the governing council in its current form, publication of the minutes would make it susceptible to political pressure." (22/07/2008)

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In the talks currently taking place in Geneva the members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) are trying to reach agreement on the liberalisation of world trade. The economics newspaper Financial Times Deutschland is sceptical about whether the Doha round will be able to agree on a reduction in tariffs. "Unlike the G20 group of the most important developing countries, the EU has great difficulty presenting a united stance. If one of its actors sticks his neck out too far, it may well happen that he is quickly hauled back into line. ... There is a strange discrepancy between the lack of enthusiasm of the negotiators and the increasing urgency of global problems. Rising food prices on world markets have made clear in drastic terms what advantages a further liberalisation of trade might have. Every step in the direction of isolation exacerbates the problem further. Yet it is unlikely that the weary boxers in the WTO ring will pull the key punch this time around. ... Free trade is no longer an issue with which to win majorities - not on either side of the Atlantic." (22/07/2008)

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The Lithuanian news portal Delfi expresses concern about the Russian oil concern's acquisition of a stake in the Italian oil refinery Isab di Priolo: "This is not only Russia's biggest investment in Italy, it is also the first time that Lukoil has succeeded in becoming the owner of a west European company. Lukoil Vice President Leonid Fedun declared himself that the Sicilian oil company would be its base in the Mediterranean and the Balkans, for Lukoil already has refineries in Romania and Bulgaria. ... The Russian press is already predicting that the Polish company PKN Orlen may pass into Russian hands, and if it does our refinery in Mazeikiai would also become Russian property. ... If we are not to become part of the Russian base in Europe we must rely largely on Poland, but a little on ourselves too." (22/07/2008)

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All available articles from » Arvydas Kostas Lescinskas

The Stockholm Pride Festival begins this week. Hosting this year's EuroPride festival, the biggest gay festival in Europe, is of particular significance for Stockholm, the Swedish daily Expressen writes. "Swedish politicians may say nice things at the festival but in Poland, for example, the tone is very different. A few years ago the prime minister at the time expressed the view at the Warsaw Festival that all 'gays should be gassed'. Many of the new EU countries suffer from an extreme and militant form of homophobia, frequently with the blessing of people in the highest political office. Fortunately the EU has acted to counter this and according to many activists there has been gradual improvement in the situation." The paper comments that as far as the rights of homosexuals are concerned, Sweden is far ahead of other countries. "But the battle for tolerance is not just about laws. There are also unwritten laws, social conventions, which tell us how to behave as men and women, heterosexuals and homosexuals. For ten years now the Stockholm Pride Festival ... has been an important rebel against these conventions." (22/07/2008)

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