European press review
Power politics among France's ruling elite
attracts the attention of papers in Germany and Austria on Monday, while an
industrial dispute in Germany itself appears to have taken a rather unusual
turn.
A French paper weighs up Turkey's prospects of
joining the EU, ahead of a visit by the Turkish prime minister to Paris.
And a Hungarian daily reports on a potentially
embarrassing sexual harassment case in the corridors of power.
Chirac's "obsession"
The apparent rivalry between French President
Jacques Chirac and his ambitious Economy Minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, has been a
cherished theme in the French press for some time, but now papers elsewhere in
Europe seem keen to join in.
The obsession which Chirac shows in trying to sideline the ubiquitous Sarko is becoming increasingly unreal
Berliner Zeitung
The obsession which Chirac shows in trying to sideline the ubiquitous Sarko is becoming increasingly unreal
Berliner Zeitung
Germany's Berliner Zeitung tells its readers of a
cartoon which appeared in the French daily Le Monde, in which Mr Chirac, Prime
Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and one of the latter's predecessors, Alain Juppe,
are caught in the shadow of Mr Sarkozy.
"This fictitious scene... describes reality," the
Berliner Zeitung says.
The fact of the matter, it argues, is that any
aspirations the minister may have for higher office are likely to come true,
because his party believes he is the best.
"The obsession which Chirac shows in trying to
sideline the ubiquitous Sarko is becoming increasingly unreal," it says.
Austria's Der Standard finds it difficult to
ignore the similarities between the two men. Mr Sarkozy, the paper believes, "is
cast in the same mould as his former mentor".
"So this would be an amusing case of shadow
boxing," it says.
"But the future of a nation which still regards
itself as one of Europe's pacesetters is at stake."
Pay package
Opinion is divided in the German press after top
managers at the car manufacturer DaimlerChrysler offered to take a pay cut in
exchange for employees agreeing to a compromise over proposed cutbacks.
If Daimler managers give up some of their money, then they should not be doing so because of an industrial dispute
Die Welt
If Daimler managers give up some of their money, then they should not be doing so because of an industrial dispute
Die Welt
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung sees this
development in the dispute as "a good and clever sign".
"In this way, people can demonstrate solidarity
and obtain approval among the rank and file," the paper argues.
Employees, it adds, realise that labour rules
will have to become more flexible if their jobs are to be safeguarded.
But Die Welt dismisses the proposal as "pure
populism".
"If Daimler managers give up some of their money,
then they should not be doing so because of an industrial dispute," the paper
says.
Stories such as these, it warns, threaten to make
Germany a less attractive destination for top executives.
"Germany," it insists, "will only manage the leap
from an industrial to a knowledge-based society if it has the best people."
Der Tagesspiegel , meanwhile, believes the offer
is essentially symbolic, and says the promise of long-term investment to protect
jobs is more likely to win the workers round.
"If this is guaranteed, then nobody can dodge a
compromise," it predicts.
Backing for Turkey
With Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
due in Paris on Monday, France's Liberation examines his country's claims to
European identity and membership of the European Union.
The Union would be seriously betraying itself if it demanded a baptism certificate from possible applicants
Liberation
The Union would be seriously betraying itself if it demanded a baptism certificate from possible applicants
Liberation
On the one hand, it argues, "neither the
Byzantine empire nor the Ottoman empire that succeeded it shared the kind of
historical experiences that have shaped modern Europe".
But that alone should not rule out the prospect
of membership.
"The Union would be seriously betraying itself if
it demanded a baptism certificate from possible applicants," the paper says.
"And there is no convincing reason to think that
Islam is in essence incompatible with democracy and secularism," it concludes.
Hungarian dilemma
In Hungary, a new government department for equal
opportunities has blundered its way into an "unenviable situation", reports the
Budapest daily Nepszabadsag .
As the paper explains, a senior official in the
department is in the process of being sued by his secretary for sexual
harassment.
But it notes that the concept of sexual
harassment is not recognised in Hungarian law, and no-one has managed to take
such a case to court and win.
At any rate, the department would appear to be in
a no-win situation.
"If it damns the man, it will be seen as biased,"
the paper warns. "And if it rejects the woman's story, then what is all the talk
of equal opportunities about?"
The European press review is compiled by BBC
Monitoring from internet editions of the main European newspapers and some early
printed editions.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/3905599.stm
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/3905599.stm
Published: 2004/07/19 04:49:44 GMT
© BBC MMIV
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/click/rss/0.91/public/-/2/hi/europe/3905599.stm
French political intrigues and an industrial dispute in Germany feature prominently in Monday's European press.
