Culture & Ideas
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European Union: Not the right moment for “more Europe”
6 September 201210734 Süddeutsche Zeitung Munich -
Interview (2/2): André Glucksmann: Europe let down by its intellectuals
4 September 201215313 Der Spiegel Hamburg -
Interview (1/2): André Glucksmann: “Modern Europe is characterised by the notion of crisis”
3 September 20121349 Der Spiegel Hamburg -
Humour in Europe (10/10) : A cure for the crisis: post-war Greek comedies
31 August 2012782 Le Monde Paris -
Humour in Europe (9/10) : Kremlin remains well-spring for gags
30 August 2012496 Le Monde Paris -
Humour in Europe (8/10): Belgian punchlines – split personality
29 August 2012612 Le Monde Paris -
Debate: Our true European community
28 August 201218890 Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Frankfurt -
Humour in Europe (7/10) : Lampoon culture thrives in Iceland
28 August 2012763 Le Monde Paris -
Humour in Europe (6/10) : Deadpan comedy – a UK staple
27 August 20127237 Le Monde Paris -
Humour in Europe (5/10) : Romanian jokes that got around the censor
24 August 201220716 Le Monde Paris -
Germany: Literary offensive against the “Merkel System”
24 August 201210618PresseuropDer Spiegel -
Humour in Europe (4/10): Spain’s bawdy smash hit
23 August 2012742 Le Monde Paris -
Humour in Europe (3/10) : The series that sends up the middle class
22 August 2012771 Le Monde Paris -
Debate: Europeans — too different to get along
22 August 201239390 Dagens Nyheter Stockholm -
Humour in Europe (2/10) : In Italy, the joke is on them
21 August 201214515 Le Monde Paris -
Russia: Pussy Riot debacle echoes old school communism
21 August 201214912 Respekt Prague -
Humour in Europe 1/10: Tickling Germany’s funny bone
20 August 201212025 Le Monde Paris -
Society: Berlin’s “cyber-bohemians” don’t want to work
14 August 201228227 Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Frankfurt -
Germany: Chancellor sells, but not at home
13 August 2012416Presseurop -
Heritage: No money for old stones
10 August 201239017 El País Madrid -
Debate: Let’s make the United Statelets of Europe
8 August 201236799 EUobserver.com Brussels -
Debate: Europe is like 19th century Japan
6 August 201228837 Svenska Dagbladet Stockholm -
Debate: The euro of our discontent
2 August 201215548 Público Lisbon -
Youth: Time for the European Spring
1 August 201248419 Polityka Warsaw -
Eurozone crisis: What must be said
26 July 201222447 Süddeutsche Zeitung Munich -
Film: Portugal — action and... cuts!
25 July 2012752 Libération Paris -
Debate: The EU, a socialist mummy
18 July 201218654 Rzeczpospolita Warsaw -
Geopolitics: EU isn’t the only body ruling over us
13 July 201239160 The Times London -
Debate: Living the Norwegian way
13 July 201219074 The Daily Telegraph London -
Germany: Media all lined up behind the Chancellor
12 July 2012234260 Die Tageszeitung Berlin -
Music: Radiohead against the Commission
12 July 2012852PresseuropThe Daily Telegraph -
Debate: Europeans are from nations first
10 July 201220888 NRC Handelsblad Amsterdam -
Debate: The EU is an empire, and empires mean war
9 July 20121147120 NRC Handelsblad Amsterdam -
Debate: Manipulating Europe’s DNA
6 July 20129629 Gazeta Wyborcza Warsaw -
European parliament: Victory over ACTA comes at a price
5 July 20121307PresseuropMediapart , Gazeta Wyborcza, Rzeczpospolita & 2 others -
Internet: MEPs vote down ACTA
4 July 2012496PresseuropRzeczpospolita -
Debates: Five ways to change Europe
4 July 2012277122 Internazionale Rome -
Eurozone: The end of the Merkel method
3 July 201215738 Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Frankfurt -
Former Yugoslavia: Kusturica’s nationalist remake
27 June 2012181 Politika Belgrade -
Romania: Victor Ponta’s authoritarian drift
22 June 20121012 Revista 22 Bucharest -
Greece: Back to dark ages if we go on like this
19 June 201245915 The Daily Telegraph London -
Greece: Dimitris Dimitriadis — “Living in the light of a dead star”
17 June 201238350 Le Monde Paris -
Debate: Where to, crisis-stricken Europe?
15 June 2012285PresseuropHandelsblatt -
Press: Minority languages getting their voices heard
14 June 20122301 Hufvudstadsbladet Helsinki -
Debate: Europhiles and eurosceptics - you’re all the same
12 June 201217829 Spiked London -
Debt crisis : Europe’s zombie parties
4 June 201226011 Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Frankfurt -
Spain: Five hundred years of crisis
1 June 20121311208 Süddeutsche Zeitung Munich -
European parliament: ACTA to get the axe
1 June 201274PresseuropLibération, Les Echos -
Greek elections: For Europe’s sake, save us from our saviours
1 June 201298556 London Review of Books London -
Press: A newspaper for Europe’s “Generation E”
31 May 20121175PresseuropGazeta Wyborcza, Le Monde, El País & 3 others
Debt union? Banking union? Political union? The desire for a radical overhaul of Europe is understandable. But in spite of the calls for changes that are needed to resolve the ongoing political and economic crisis, Europeans do not appear to be ready for more integration. 
In the throes of a crisis of confidence, Europe now has to contend with question of its democratic legitimacy. Given this context, French intellectual André Glucksmann argues for greater solidarity within the EU, and a community that takes the initiative in response to external challenges. 
Financial meltdown, destabilised society, and an enfeebled common project: there are many facets to the problems that have affected the EU in recent years. Now that they have returned to work after the summer break, European leaders are faced with a number of important decisions. Der Spiegel asked French intellectual André Glucksmann about their chances of restoring Europe's lost momentum. 
Athens is the last stop in Le Monde's quest for humour. The 1950s comic films, whose plucky heroes give one the courage to forge ahead, are all the rage. A reflection of current times, perhaps. 
In spite of censorship, making light of the whims of successive regimes has always been the favoured pastime of a people eager to seize on the ridiculous side of of their political leaders. The penultimate article in the Le Monde series on humour takes us to Moscow where the flame of insolence continues to burn bright. 
Direct in Flanders or oblique in Wallonia, the different forms of Belgian humour are a reflection of a complex and multifaceted country. But their dominant characteristic continues to be a healthy mix of self-deprecation, modesty and mockery. 
Fiscal union in order to complete the single currency is the only way out of the crisis, says German writer Martin Walser. But it is important to remember that the true Europe has always been a community of learning, which respects the various cultures that make it up. 
When you live far away from the rest of the world and are descended from Vikings – a people hardly known for their communication skills – knowing the art of self-deprecating comedy seems to come naturally. In the seventh part of its series on humour, Le Monde takes us to Reykjavik where parody is the best cure for narcissism. 
Humour is to the United Kingdom what Nelson's Column is to Trafalgar Square: a monument! You do not mess around with internationally recognised quality like this, explains Le Monde in its sixth part of its series on European humour. 
During the reign of Nicolae Ceausescu, Romanians told jokes to exorcise the brutality of the dictatorship. In this fifth installment of its series on humour, Le Monde says that in Bucharest, today they laugh capitalism. 
Torrente, the epitome of crass, is delighting Spanish audiences with its vulgar but liberating humour. In the fourth part of its series on comedy in Europe, Le Monde focuses on the extreme caricature of a society in crisis. 
The television series Solsidan mocks the golden dreams of the middle class. And it proves so popular among Swedes because they see in it themselves, writes Le Monde, in this third installment in its series on humour. 
Above and beyond the diverging economic performance of EU countries, cultural differences between the people of Europe constitute the main obstacle to the creation of a homogeneous European society. Given the extent of these divisions, it is not surprising that the European project has run into difficulty. 
From the "commedia dell'arte" to the cynical characters of the cartoonist Altan, Italy has always had a caustic sense of humour. In the latest part in its series on humour, Le Monde says that the archetypes of Italian society have a bright future ahead of them. 
The trial of three members of the punk feminist band sentenced to two years in labour camp on August 17, is reminiscent of the treatment of the rock band Plastic People of the Universe of Czechoslovakia in the 1970s. It demonstrates the same intolerance towards "sowers of disorder" and other critics of the regime. 
Who said the Germans don't know how to laugh? In this first part in a series on European humour, Le Monde explores the nation's cabaret culture, a phenomenon that endured even East Germany's Cold War period. 
"Poor but sexy"; the German capital is a creative, forward-thinking centre, but only survives on subsidies paid by other states. There, lives a population for whom money is tight, and universal handouts are expected. Blogger Don Alphonso pulls no punches in his portrait of Berlin. 
Cultural heritage is not escaping the austerity cure being dosed out to European countries, starting with those in the south. It’s here where a large part of Europe's historical heritage, and the budget cuts that are affecting them, are concentrated. 
In economics, but also in diplomacy or simply in administration, the size of the country matters. For some EU states, which are too small on a global scale, the model no longer works. The solution? Applying the US model to Europe, suggests journalist Philip Ebels. 
A fragmented territory controlled by local potentates with a weak central government that is not taken seriously by the rest of the world: the EU now resembles Japan in 1860s, argues a Swedish journalist. But the construction of a real European political power could prove to be counter-productive. 
Designed to end a half a millennium of conflicts, today European political unity faces an uncertain future. This is because Europeans no longer share the same vision and because the United States will not accept the existence of the euro, says Portuguese writer Eduardo Lourenço. 
One in every five young Europeans is out of a job, and even one in two in some countries. Numbers like these were enough to have the young generation rebel against governments in the Arab world, remarks a Polish columnist. What will happen if our social model deprives young people of all hope? 
In the midst of the eurozone crisis, we're fortunate to have politicians who can tell us how things stand, ironises the Süddeutsche Zeitung, with this list of choice quotes. 
The young guard of Portuguese filmmakers has been making impact at international festivals. However, in their home country the crisis has led to a drastic reduction in state investment in culture which has put many small producers in an extremely difficult position. 
Europe now lives off over-regulation, complacent bureaucracy and state intervention. And it will end up a museum if it doesn’t recover its entrepreneurial spirit, argues Poland’s former EU negotiator. 
Eurosceptics may rail against losing sovereignty to Brussels. But why do they never complain that since 1945, nations have also ceded power to institutions like the UN, Nato, and the IMF? asks Bill Emmott. 
Norway, a a member of the European Economic Area, but not the EU, is the dream country for British eurosceptics. But could it work for countries that want to jump the European ship? 
Since the outset of the eurozone crisis, the German media has been guilty of promulgating stereotypes and clichés about other countries. This has shaped Angela Merkel's divisive European polices, argues Austrian author Robert Misik. 
The EU is an Empire, argues historian Thierry Baudet. There's nothing wrong with that, replies philosopher Roger Scruton, as long as it does not denigrate the nations it rules, because it's here where attachment to a community springs. 
We are often told that the EU has brought peace to Europe. However, this view is not shared by historian Thierry Baudet who provocatively argues that a process in which nation states give up their sovereignty inevitably results in conflict. That is why he recommends dissolving the euro and restoring national borders. 
Whether it means economic solidarity or political unity, “More Europe” seems to be the way out from the current crisis, writes a Polish columnist. But how can we achieve this without widening the gap between what the EU needs and what European societies are willing to accept? 
In rejecting the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), MEPs have shown that they are not insensitive to the mood of public opinion, reports a largely enthusiastic European press. At the same time, however, the undermining of intellectual property rights remains a cause for concern. 
The political union which is the corollary of monetary union can only be achieved if the EU is equipped with more democratic structures that offer Europe’s citizens a greater say in the future. Internazionale columnist Eric Jozsef examines some of the ways to give more power to the people. 
Let me get on with it – and trust me! In the midst of the European crisis, the German Chancellor’s usual approach has hit its limit. If she wants support for her policies, she first has to talk to all the people of Europe. 
On 28 June, which is the anniversary of the battle of Kosovo, the Bosnian Serb film maker will inaugurate Andrićgrad: a town built to celebrate the work of writer Ivo Andrić. Belgrade journalist Boško Jakšić dénonces a project, which he claims is intent on instrumentalising history and memory for nationalist ends. 
Accused of planning to exert systematic control over Romania’s cultural institutions, the new government has been widely condemned by the country’s artistic community. The weekly Revista 22 remarks on the parallels between Ponta’s initiatives and authoritarian excesses in neighbouring Hungary and Ukraine. 
The devastating effects of austerity on the Greek population are a warning that history is not an never-ending ascent to progress and enlightenment. Civilisations can also collapse, warns Boris Johnson. 
The multifaceted crisis that has struck Greece is the result of several centuries of decadence marked by the deterioration of the state and the loss of a sense of morality, argues Dimitris Dimitriadis. The playwright is convinced his country is dead and must accept this fact if it is to recover. 
On a continent where linguistic issues can still cause national strife, minority media play an under-publicised but important role. 
While Europhiles believe Brussels is the cure for all ills, Eurosceptics maintain it is the fount of all evil. But are they all that different from each other? wonders Spiked editor Brendan O’Neill. 
European political parties are in crisis. And ideological bias aside, they now deal more in special interest groups. These include senior citizens, whose pensions they cheerfully promise to save, when for years they have been eaten away. 
Spain has frittered away its chances for economic development for the second time. The first was after it discovered the Americas in 1492, and the second was after it joined the European Union in 1986. The anti-economic thinking that has dominated Spain is rooted in its history and culture. 
In the June 17 Greek elections, the electorate is likely to reject those political parties too close to the technocrats and financial bodies that preach austerity and that, many fear, are supplanting democracy. This is why the Greek people must be supported, argues philosopher Slavoj Žižek.