Presseurop |

Central Europe | Democracy in decline

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:06:44 +0100

“A setback for democracy in Eastern Europe,” leads Die Presse, using terms like “dramatic” and “explosive” to describe the results of the latest Transformation Index from the Bertelsmann Foundation, which tracks the evolution of democracy and the market economy in 128 countries.

“Most countries in central, eastern and south-eastern Europe have seen qualitative losses in their democracies, their market economies and their political management in recent years,” says the foundation, which is very close to business circles. It attributes the change to political polarisation and some leaders’ hunger for power. Among the European states highlighted are Hungary (top of the rankings), Slovakia, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro, while Poland and, to a lesser extent, Serbia get better marks.

(News in brief)

Greece | Spread the wealth | Cartoon (I Kathimerini, Athens)

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:12:42 +0100

(Cartoon) (Cartoon)

European Union | An enlargement of illusions (Dagens Nyheter, Stockholm)

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:50:45 +0100

In opening up the prospect of accession to several candidate countries, the European Commissioner for Enlargement means to put on a show of optimism. But it only reinforces the impression that Europe doesn’t know where it’s going, writes the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter. (Article)

Albania | Tirana mayhem as political stalemate sours

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:47:29 +0100

"Which one opened fire?" headlines Tema alongside a front-page photo spread of members of the country’s security forces suspected of the shooting which resulted in the deaths of three people in front of Prime Minister Sali Berisha’s offices on 21 January. The victims were taking part in a demonstration organised by the opposition socialist party, led by the mayor of Tirana, Edi Rama, to demand that the government stand down in the wake of the departure of Economy and Trade Minister Ilir Meta who resigned amid corruption allegations on 14 January. Attacking Berisha’s claim that the opposition should be blamed for the deaths on Friday, Tema argues that the prime minister is "materially, politically and morally" responsible for the bloodshed. EUobserver explains that a political stalemate which has been ongoing since 2009, when Rama accused Berisha of rigging general elections, has resulted in the blocking of Albania’s application to join the European Union.

(News in brief)

EU accession | The Balkan family photo is blurred (Politika, Belgrade)

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 11:57:20 +0100

The population census demanded by Brussels has become a political challenge in most of the countries of the western Balkans. Twenty years after the start of the wars in former Yugoslavia, the venture brings ethnic and social tensions back into the spotlight. (Article)

Winter ceasefire | Editorial

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 18:52:01 +0100

In a year of sound and fury marked by the virtual bankruptcy of Greece and the Irish crisis, Europe spent most of 2010 fearfully wondering if its currency was going to survive. National governments responded by announcing austerity measures that will likely be with us for many years to come, and by committing to an unprecedented European Stability Mechanism. As time went on, Germany appeared to be on the verge of setting aside the principle of solidarity between European states, France deported thousands of Roma, the extreme right took 20 seats in the Swedish parliament and secured a behind the scenes deal with the Dutch government.

In Poland, grief over the loss of the country’s political elite in a second Katyn tragedy degenerated into a quarrel about where to bury its deceased president, Italy was forced to contend with the ridicule of yet another Berlusconi sex scandal, while in Hungary, the nationalist right moved to lim it freedom of speech.

In short, it has been a chaotic year for Europe, which is struggling to compete with a developing world that may be less democratic but is consistently more dynamic. And it has been a difficult twelve months for the EU, which appears destined to play an increasingly marginal role in international affairs.

In the light of all of this grim news, it is time to take a fresh look at where Europe is going. With this in mind, we have invited a selcetion of ten European authors and analysts, including well-known writers and new voices, to write about their vision of Europe, and their understanding of how ongoing events will affect their lives and the future of all European citizens.

Between Christmas and the New Year, while the members of the international team at Presseurop scatter across the continent for the holiday season, we will be publishing articles by Arnon Grunberg (Netherlands), Fernando Savater (Spain), Paweł Świeboda (Poland), Thomas Brussig (Germany), Gonçalo M. Tavares (Portugal), Philippe Perchoc (France), Petra Hůlová (Czech Republic), Mircea Vasilescu (Romania), Tim Parks (UK) and Loretta Napoleoni (Italy), which will hopefully inspire you with another view of Europe. Enjoy.

Here’s wishing you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year from the team at Presseurop.

(Editorial)

Institutions | EU grows weary of enlargement (Presseurop, )

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 17:35:39 +0100

For the European press, the publication of the annual “progress report” on prospective candidates for EU accession, has failed to dispel the general apathy that surrounds the question of enlargement. (Article)

Asylum seekers | The Albanians are coming!

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 12:05:11 +0100

“Belgium fears a tidal wave of Albanian asylum seekers,” announces De Morgen. The Belgian daily believes that the waiving of the visa requirement for Albanians in December will prompt a surge in the number of migrants entering the Schengen Area: “One third of the country’s population [1.3 million people] have applied for passports in order to travel to the European Union.” Belgian authorities are particularly concerned because the number of asylum seekers there already stands at four times the European average. Only Sweden and Cyprus have higher figures. Worse still, Belgium does not have a stable national government. As De Morgen explains, the problem has been exacerbated by “the total lack of a policy” on asylum, which could end in “all kinds of inhuman consequences”.

(News in brief)

Austerity | A farewell to arms? (La Repubblica, Rome)

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:08:35 +0100

The crisis is forcing European states to make unprecedented cuts in their defence budgets, leaving their armed forces short on men and means – and eventually eroding their technological edge. (Article)

Balkans | Montenegro - come if you're rich (The New York Times, New York)

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:43:09 +0100

Eager to join the European Union, Montenegro is cleaning up its image of corruption and pulling out all the stops to attract foreign capital. (Article)

Bikers | Hells Angels ride into the Balkans

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 16:07:38 +0100

In Southern Europe, the rapid development of outlaw motorcycle gangs, and in particular the Hells Angels, has prompted fears of turf wars in the near future. Berlingske Tidende reports that the Hells Angels, who have been accused of managing the trafficking of hard drugs in Scandinavia, have made rapid inroads in south eastern Europe, Turkey and Albania, where they are now in contact with most of the biker clubs identified by Europol in the region. At the same time, large numbers of the former members of the rival gang, the Bandidos, are also moving into Turkey, which is the anchor point for the "Balkan Route" used to import hard drugs into Europe. "There is a major risk that a turf war could develop in the fight to control the market in South Eastern Europe," explains a Europol representative quoted by the Danish daily.

(News in brief)

BALKANS | Kosovo, the problem neighbour (The Guardian, London)

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:39:20 +0100

Two years after Kosovo's declaration of independence, the Union is still unable to come up with a coherent policy for the western Balkans. This threatens not only to scupper Serbia’s accession to the EU, but also to destabilise the region itself. (Article)

History | Can't take the Ottoman out of the Balkans (Globus-Skopje, Skopje)

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:38:22 +0100

Five centuries of Turkish domination left their mark on culture, cuisine, language and even gestures in Balkan countries. It is an influence that is still apparent in attitudes that have affected the pace of integration in the European Union for a number of Balkan states. (Article)

Balkans | Hail Albania! (The Guardian, London)

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:35:00 +0100

On 16 November the EU Council formally approved Albania’s application for accession to the Union. Guardian columnist Peter Preston argues in favour of an emerging country whose enthusiasm for the European project is a welcome antidote to eurosceptic cynicism. (Article)

Immigration | Greece opts for forced repatriation (I Kathimerini, Athens)

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:51:10 +0100

Greece, the point of entry for many an illegal immigrant to the EU, is also required to take back immigrants that other countries do not want to keep. However, pleading a lack of appropriate infrastructure, it has failed to honour this responsibility, and instead adopts a policy of forced repatriation, which rides roughshod over refugees' rights. (Article)

Accession | Zagreb and Ankara "must do better"

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:29:57 +0100

On 14 October the European Commission submitted its annual EU enlargement report on progress in the accession process for each candidate country. If “it wants to join by 2012”, says the Slovenian daily Delo, Croatia had better redouble its efforts “to wipe out the canker of corruption, personified by the governing Croatian Democratic Union and its cronies”. Meanwhile, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) “is ready to begin accession negotiations, which would put it on a par with Croatia and Turkey.” As to the latter, the Commission has reiterated its qualms about Ankara’s respect for human rights and, for the first time, notes EUobserver, denounced threats to freedom of the press there in light of the €2.2 million tax fine meted out to the Dogan Yayin media group. On the other hand, explains Turkish daily Zaman, “the Commission is backing Ankara in the trial of Ergenekon, the clandestine network charged with plotting to overthrow the government”, and it is encouraging the latter to “press ahead with the democratisation process, particularly the ‘Kurdish initiative’ aimed at finding a lasting solution to this minority issue”.

(News in brief)

EU enlargement | Auditors find "black hole" of the Balkans

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:19:52 +0100

Commenting on a report presented to the European Commission on 13 October, Trouw notes that the European Court of Auditors claims that a large number of cooperation projects funded by the European Union in the western Balkans "have had no long-term impact." In the columns of the daily, Dutch auditor Maarten Engwirda theorises that the inefficiency of projects designed to develop the justice systems of countries that are candidates for future membership of the EU (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro) is "mainly due to a lack of commitment" on the part of the national governments concerned. As proof, the report cites the example of computers purchased with Commission funds for the Albanian police force, "which remained in their packaging for eight months before being delivered to their final users." According to Engwirda, the Court of Auditors – hot on the heels of such shock revelations - will shortly be bringing all its scrutinising skills to bear on the use of funds in Turkey. Apparently, the document has posed significant difficulties for the writing team, which has "struggled to find appropriate terms" for findings that are deemed to be "extremely sensitive." Surely they will find a way.

(News in brief)

Bosnia-Herzegovina | Have passport, can't travel (BH Dani, Sarajevo)

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:42:03 +0100

From 1st January, 2010, Muslim Bosnians and Kosovans will be the only citizens of the former Yugoslavia required to obtain visas to enter the European Union. Sarejevo daily, BH Dani, explains how impartial principles will result in discriminatory practice. (Article)

Turkey | Go East (The Guardian, London)

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:17:28 +0100

The EU rose out of the ashes of war. Perhaps, with a little patience and pragmatism, a Middle Eastern Union is not such a distant fantasy. And Turkey, as East-West linchpin, is well-placed to be that unifying force. (Article)

EU enlargement | Never mind the Balkans, here's Iceland (El País, Madrid)

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:31:16 +0100

The enthusiasm with which member states have welcomed Reykjavik's request for accession to the EU is in marked contrast to the prudence — and in some cases hostility — which has greeted similar requests from the countries of ex-Yugoslavia and Turkey. But the EU cannot afford to give the impression that certain candidates enjoy special privileges. (Article)