Italy

The long fall of Berlusconi

30 July 2010 Presseurop

It's not over yet, though. Silvio Berlusconi at the Palazzo Chigi, seat of the Italian government (AFP)

The European press is convinced that the definitive rift between the Italian leader and his main ally Gianfranco Fini announced on 29 July will herald a full-blown crisis in the system of power controlled by Il Cavaliere. Shaken by scandals and, according to Fini, the "moral question" they raise, his political movement is falling apart, while Italy’s influence in Europe, which was already weak, continues to wane.

Industry

Will Italian workers turn Polish?

When Fiat offered to relocate its Polish factory to southern Italy, it asked the workers to agree to work more. They accepted but face a major culture shock. A month later, Gazeta Wyborzca visited the Italian plant and seems puzzled by this instance of European social competition.
30 July 2010 Gazeta Wyborcza Warsaw
 
Economic crisis The euro is not a life or death issue
Since the start of the crisis affecting the single currency, European leaders have consistently claimed that the fate of the EU is at stake. However, the Danish daily Information disagrees and insists that the battle to defend a mere means of exchange should not be fought at any price.
29 July 2010 Information
 
Germany 12,000 Roma to be deported to Kosovo
"At home in Germany", headlines Der Freitag, with a photo of one of the 12,000 Roma and Ashkali that Berlin intends to deport to Kosovo in the coming...
29 July 2010 Der Freitag
 
Portugal Wikileaks takes aim at Portuguese army
A few days following the publication of American documents on the war in Afghanistan by the site Wikileaks, "Portuguese military secrets have also been...
29 July 2010 Diário de Notícias
 
Czech Republic Underworld's "last Mohican" behind bars
"Pitr arrested" trumpets Hospodářské noviny. On the run for several years, the businessman who is seen as "the living symbol of...
29 July 2010 Hospodářské Noviny
 
Police EIO - anything to be alarmed about?
“Long a refusenik in the realm of European cooperation on justice and home affairs,” Britain has opted in to negociations on the European...
29 July 2010 euobserver.com
 
France / Romania Roms in the firing line
In the wake of a spate of violent incidents, the French president has announced his intention to attack “the problem of the behaviour of certain elements in the Rom and itinerant community,” recommending that foreign troublemakers be deported to their country of origin — a controversial policy in both France and Romania, which highlights the European dimension of this issue.
28 July 2010 La Croix
 
Netherlands State must help children of migrants
"The State must assume responsibility for the children of illegals", writes Trouw the day after a verdict was handed down by the Dutch Court of...
28 July 2010 Trouw
 
Spain The bullfight is over in Catalonia
"Is the party really over?", asked El Periódico this morning, while waiting for the Catalan parliament to deal the death blow to bullfighting...
28 July 2010 El Periódico de Catalunya
 
Diplomacy Can Cameron put Turkey on the table?
In one of his major speeches on Europe, the British prime minister made his strongest endorsement to date for Turkish accession to the EU. While the British press is in general well disposed, the continent, and even some elements of the Turkish press remain dubious about the impact of his declaration.
28 July 2010 Presseurop
 
Greece Revolutionary Sect issues death threats
One week after the July 19 assassination of journalist Sokratis Giolias, Greek terrorist movement Revolutionary Sect has delivered a letter to Ta Nea, claiming...
28 July 2010 Ta Nea
 
Czech Republic Epic battle over Art Nouveau masterpiece
Moravia are Bohemia are squaring off in “an Epic battle,” reports Hospodářské noviny. The 150th anniversary of the birth of artist...
27 July 2010 Hospodářské Noviny
 
Heritage Istanbul, all a facade
For years the Turkish government has been deliberately gutting Istanbul’s old town rather than restoring it, writes the Süddeutsche Zeitung. UNESCO now intends to strike Istanbul off the World Cultural Heritage list, seeing as politicians have done nothing but stymie efforts to preserve its historic monuments.
27 July 2010 Süddeutsche Zeitung
 
Terrorism Sarkozy goes to war with Al-Qaeda
"Nicolas Sarkozy threatens Al-Qaeda with reprisals," reports Le Figaro. On 26 July, Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed that Michel Germaneau, a 78-year-old...
27 July 2010 Le Figaro
 
Portugal Lisbon to sell off state companies to Emirates
“Arab funds interested in Portuguese privatizations”, writes i. The Lisbon daily explains that megafunds from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) "...
27 July 2010 i
 
Terrorism Somali lessons for Afghanistan
Following the leak to the international press of over 90,000 documents related to the war in Afghanistan, there is precious little evidence that the country is stabilising. The west might do well to abandon its counter-insurrection strategy there, and focus instead on counter-terrorism.
27 July 2010 Financial Times
 
Autonomy Regions making themselves heard
The International Court of Justice’s decision to uphold Kosovo’s declaration of independence will rekindle debate on the future of European regions with strong identities. On 24 July, the Romanian Vice-President of the European Parliament Laszlo Tökes called for autonomous status for Transylvania. And in Brussels, more than 300 regional delegations are lobbying to protect the interests of sub-national entities across the continent.
26 July 2010 Adevărul
 
Banks Those stress-free stress tests
The results of the recent bank stress tests published 23 July are overall very positive. Too positive, in fact, for most European newspapers, fearing that the political objective of reassuring financial markets will end up having the opposite effect.
26 July 2010 Presseurop
 
Sport Spain's golden age
"Red and yellow": the colours of the Spanish flag are proudly worn by Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso, victor in the German Grand Prix Sunday, and...
26 July 2010 El Mundo
 
Germany Into the tunnel of blame
"The emptiness the day after" headlines the Frankfurter Rundschau, following a stampede in a tunnel during the Love Parade in Duisburg that led to...
26 July 2010 Frankfurter Rundschau
 
Afghanistan The war unravels
“Massive leak of secret files exposes truth of occupation”, leads the Guardian. In what is described as one of the biggest leaks in US military...
26 July 2010 Presseurop
 
Editorial Corruption - a European problem
It’s a commonplace to say that corruption is a plague that overruns the Balkans. On 20 July, a report published by the European Commission voiced grave...
26 July 2010
 
Diplomacy An outsized diplomatic machine
After long months of negotiations between the European Commission, Parliament and member states, the European External Action Service is set to be operational by fall. It remains to be seen whether the efficiency of its operations will justify its cost and complexity.
23 July 2010 La Stampa
 
Climate Global warning

"Historical heat wave," leads Gazeta Wyborcza, presenting a map of the places in the world where temperatures have risen most. In June, the average...
23 July 2010 Gazeta Wyborcza
 
Eurozone Market panic abates
The publication of stress test results in European banks on July 23 gives a clearer picture of the capacities of key institutions to cope with any future crisis. But as a result of satisfaction with the austerity plans put in place in most countries, financial markets have already begun to re-invest in the EU.
23 July 2010 Libération
 
Banking European bank supervision marginalised
"Nominally, stress tests were supposed to demonstrate European banks are stable. Instead, they have mercilessly revealed the impotence of the European...
23 July 2010 Frankfurter Rundschau