The daily El País calls for concerted action from Europe to face the challenge of the economic crisis: "One year after the onset of the first symptoms of a financial crisis, all indicators confirm that the fever has ... spread to all the national economies. Europe's [national economies] have slowed down dramatically, above all key economies like Germany, France, Italy and of course Spain, which have all registered zero or slightly above zero growth in comparison to previous growth figures. ... Europe must adopt a coordinated strategy to tackle common problems such as financial instability. The European Central Bank has an important role to play here. So far it has been preoccupied with fighting inflation rather than boosting the economy and its capacity to create jobs." (15/08/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » Financial Markets, » Europe

The national newspaper De Volkskrant does not see the poor economic data as an indication of an impending recession in the Eurozone. "Worn out by the constant flow of bad economic news over the past year, consumers are obviously pessimistic. But there is no cause for panic because there are arguments to support a more positive perspective. ... Within four weeks the oil price has gone down by almost 25 percent, and many other raw materials are considerably cheaper than they were. The threat of further inflation is therefore receding. And the euro has also sunk below the 1.50 dollar mark, which will have a positive impact on exports. And even the 0.5 percent decrease in Germany's economy ... was considerably less than expected. In short, it does not look like we are facing a recession, which is generally announced when growth decelerates in two consecutive quarters. Therefore we would be well advised not to talk of a recession for the time being." (15/08/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Trade, » Economic Policy, » Financial Markets, » Europe

La Repubblica newspaper stresses the role of consumers in the European economic crisis. "Technically we are not yet there, but psychologically Europe has already entered a recession. Eurostat signals a GDP drop of 0.2 percent in the Eurozone, the worst result since the introduction of the single currency. ... The European Commission ... is attempting to dampen the alarm signals and span safety nets. ... But what really troubles Brussels is the confidence of businesses and consumers, which has sunk to an all-time low and dispels all hope of a reverse trend. Paradoxically, the proof comes from a positive index. Despite the rise in raw material prices, inflation has remained constant at four percent. That means citizens have responded to the price rises by curtailing consumption, and in so doing brought about the negative trend." (15/08/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Corporations, » Consumers, » Economic Policy, » Europe
All available articles from » Andrea Bonanni

For the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung the quarterly statistics for gross domestic product (GDP) are not a reliable basis for effective economic policy: "Whether GDP goes up or down by one percent is completely irrelevant for office workers. ... If the figure is high, the companies did well. But for the average citizen what counts is how much goes into their pockets. ... Moreover, it is long-term development that matters. ... Instead of debating schemes to give the economy a quick boost [politicians] should be concentrating their energy on how the state can create good conditions for growth - growth that benefits the majority of the population - in the long term. ... It is more effective to invest in education. Highly qualified workers have less to fear from cheap competition from abroad. This strategy may not improve the GDP figures for the next quarter but it would certainly improve the long-term prospects of employees." (15/08/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Labour market / Services, » Economic Policy, » Germany
All available articles from » Björn Finke

The Polish and US government have reached a consensus for the construction of a missile defence shield in Poland and signed an interim agreement in Warsaw yesterday. The online edition of the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza welcomes the move and establishes a connection with the Caucasus conflict. "Contrary to the official version presented by Prime Minister Tusk and the US State Department, the war in Georgia played a key role in accelerating the Polish-American negotiations on the defence shield. It is the war that has prompted Tusk to give the go-ahead for the signing of the agreement. ... And this is a good thing. This agreement is a recognition of the reality of the situation - the US is and must remain Poland's most important ally. In the present situation this move is an important message to the Russians: in the Caucasus you can fulfil your dream of returning to hegemony. But you can forget your second dream: that central Europe remains a strategic empty space. In Georgia we cannot effectively oppose you but central Europe is and always will be part of the West. ... The negotiations between Warsaw and Washington were lengthy and heated and both sides made mistakes. But the result is commendable - above all considering the insecurity of these times." (15/08/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Poland, » Russia, » U.S., » Georgian Republic
All available articles from » Marcin Bosacki

Journalist and author Domingos Amaral argues in the daily Diário Económico that the war between Georgia and Russia could be the first sign of the next world war: "Russia was provoked and therefore declared war on Georgia. It used this opportunity to show the world that the times of its humiliation have come to an end and that it will no longer tolerate NATO interference in its 'zone of influence'. One thing seems logical to me: those who support Kosovo's independence have no right to deny it to other regions like South Ossetia. But what is at stake here is not just rights but also power. Russia has won back its power and will impose it on countries like Ukraine, Georgia and one day perhaps also the Baltic states and separate these countries from Europe and America, if necessary with brute force. Vladimir Putin once said: 'The end of the USSR was the worst thing that happened in the 20th century'. I said at the time that he had only got the century wrong: it is only now that we will experience the true consequences of the Soviet implosion. After the American mistakes of the past few years the next US president will face the following decision: either he withdraws and leaves many Eastern countries exposed to Russia's influence or he stays and we see a war between the US and Russia. Kosovo and Georgia are the first episodes of a film that could have an unhappy ending." (15/08/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Russia, » Global, » Georgian Republic
All available articles from » Domingos Amaral

According to Estonian news portal Delfi, the accession of Estonia and Latvia to the Schengen area has facilitated tourism but is also causing trouble: "Our dear neighbours to the south have come up with a new method for boosting their budget. Each month, around a dozen Estonians are forced to pay fines at Latvia's borders because in their enthusiasm about a Europe without borders they forget to carry travel documents. Under the Schengen agreement there are no more controls at internal borders, so you can travel from Tallinn to Helsinki or Riga in the same way you would travel to Tartu. But if you read the small print you see that although the border crossing points have disappeared there are still controls, and the fine for forgetting your documents can be as hefty as 200 euros in Latvia." (15/08/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Infrastructure / Travel and Transport, » Latvia, » Estonia
All available articles from » Andres Putting

Although the Vatican has officially distanced itself from the coverage of the issue, the Catholic-oriented weekly Famiglia Cristiana continues its disparaging assessment of the Italian government's domestic policies. "With soldiers on the streets and citizens acting like sheriffs there is the danger of war breaking out among the poor. The pavements are full of soldiers, confused youths, who are supposed to do the job of the police without knowing how and are chasing away beggars without being able to distinguish between those who are truly poor and those who belong to criminal gangs of beggars. ... It is right to take action against the begging scam, but the right of the poor to beg for alms must also be respected. The ban on begging and rummaging through rubbish for scraps is serving to deny poverty and conceal the government's inability to find effective answers to the plight of the poor. ... Is it too much to expect the government to refute the notion that the chasm widens when the right is in power and the rich get richer while families grow poorer and poorer?" (15/08/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Social Policy / Employment, » Minorities, » Italy
All available articles from » Beppe Del Colle

Dutch MP for the Greens Wijnand Duyvendak has been forced to resign owing to his allegedly violent past as a left-wing activist. The daily Trouw writes that Duyvendak should take a few pages out of German Green politician Joschka Fischer's book: "As far as [dealing with the past] is concerned Duyvendak could learn a few things from former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer. Fischer was also an activist, and a dangerous one too, but he never ran away from his past. On the contrary, he fully admitted his involvement and in doing so held himself up as a painful example to a new generation of how and why someone can take the wrong path. A nation can learn from such an admission. And it is plausible for such a politician to stay in office, even though breaking the law is naturally taboo in such a position. Duyvendak, on the other hand, tried to conceal his (indirect) participation in violent acts that do not even deserve to be called 'civil disobedience' because they were done anonymously." (15/08/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Germany, » Netherlands

Basing itself on a study by the German Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Le Monde comments on Western citizens' loss of faith in democracy: "Democracy seems to be facing a headwind, on the national as well as on the international level. ... According to a study by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation ... one in three Germans thinks democracy functions poorly. This number reaches 60 percent among former East Germans, while a quarter of respondents want nothing more to do with "the type of democracy we have here". .... The loss of faith in democracy is not only evident in the growth of authoritarian tendencies; it is also reflected in the confusion of the political elites, who are incapable of coming to terms with the problems posed by the future. That is why Barack Obama appears like a savior candidate, even among non-Americans. ... Integration is brought about through participation and not through public assistance. And it must be reinforced with innovative forms of direct democracy, including media like the Internet. People cannot identify with the abstract directives of the European Union, because no one understands what purpose they serve." (14/08/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Weltanschauung, » Europe, » Global
All available articles from » Harald Welzer

If the EU wants to continue playing an important role on the international stage it must develop a more active foreign policy, Lars Trier Mogensen, opinion page editor of the left-liberal daily Politiken argues. "Naturally no one has ever claimed that the EU should single-handedly intervene to end acts of war. But our lacking ability to turn pretty words into deeds has encouraged regional powers to take matters into their own hands in regions where they are pursuing their own interests. This applies to Russia in the Caucasus, Turkey in Kurdistan, Israel in the Palestinian Territories and Sudan in Darfur. ... The EU has great responsibilities in the conflicts in Kurdistan, the Palestinian Territories and Darfur, but as long as we are unable to keep even Russia, which is on our own doorstep, in check it is difficult to be optimistic. ... If the 21st century is to be anything other than a century of illusions the EU states must develop a new, active foreign policy which can offer resistance to Russia and other aggressors." (15/08/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » EU Policy, » Russia, » Europe
All available articles from » Lars Trier Mogensen

Under pressure from Brussels, the Polish government must come to a decision in the coming weeks about the privatisation of Polish shipyards. The liberal news magazine Polityka comments on the predicament faced by the finance minister: either he can sell the shipyards for a pittance to foreign investors, or he can let them go bankrupt. "Either decision could see the finance minister arraigned before the supreme court, as the [conservative opposition party] PiS has announced. ... The minister's hands are tied not only by his narrow room for manoeuvre, but also by fear. Instead of threatening him, the [trade union] Solidarność and the PiS should redress their own errors, at least in part. Whatever the finance minister decides, his decision should be met with vociferous support, from both the opposition and the president. Because the dockyards should be saved, and not misused cynically as a political weapon for the umpteenth time." (13/08/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Corporations, » Economic Policy, » Poland
All available articles from » Joanna Solska

The pop stars Madonna, Michael Jackson and Prince all turn 50 this year. For the weekly newspaper Freitag this is a sign that the youth-oriented pop culture finds itself at a crossroads. "Madonna, Michael Jackson and Prince ... are considered obsolete today as pop figures. Their industry has long sworn by nothing other than the intensity of the moment. So the question of what future they face goes to the heart of pop culture. ... In the times before pop consciousness, the question of age was relatively easily solved. As long as the authenticity of the stage performance was more important than its artificiality it seemed the most sensible thing not to get old at all. ... On their 50th birthdays Madonna, Michael Jackson and Prince stand at a crossroads whose destinations have not yet been defined, or only negatively. Pop is the lightness of being in which one thing should remain invisible, namely that it is also work. ... The image machine that pop has always been ... has still found no proper images for old age." (15/08/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Music, » Public Culture, » Global
All available articles from » Matthias Dell

"Romanian pensions are embarrasingly low compared with the rest of the EU", writes the newspaper Gândul, commenting that this becomes obvious as soon as you cross the border to Western Euope: "Elderly people wear fashionable hairstyles and new suits, while retired pairs drive around in convertibles. In Spain pensions are four times, in Belgium six times, and in Luxembourg ten times higher than the Romanian average (of around 140 euros). ... Other European countries are trying to raise the retirement age, while here the laws encourage lowering, rather than raising it. ... Nowhere in the world has raising the retirement age been met with sympathy, but here politicians do not lose a word over it. Yet a national study calls for an end to early retirement and concludes it is urgent that the retirement age be raised. Not because people have a huge desire go on working, but because in ten or twenty years pensions in Romania will be at starvation levels." (15/08/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Social Policy / Employment, » Demographics, » Europe, » Romania
All available articles from » Caterina Nicolae