European press review
Portugal's former prime minister may be
celebrating later on Thursday if he is voted in to head the European Commission,
but two European papers still think he has a lot to prove.
Elsewhere, the German press ponders a recent
proposal to accommodate refugees in camps in North Africa while their asylum
applications are considered.
And two French papers take the government to
task, one for its economic policy, the other for its environmental
agenda.
Modest expectations
The European Parliament is widely expected to
confirm former Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Manuel Durao Barroso as the new
president of the European Commission on Thursday.
Germany's Berliner Zeitung, for one, predicts Mr
Barroso will be a weak leader of the commission.
The paper thinks he may have done enough to
deserve a chance at the job, "but nevertheless, he will be weak, even if he
makes no mistakes from now on".
Barroso will have to demonstrate that he is not the plaything of the big EU states
Barroso will have to demonstrate that he is not the plaything of the big EU states
Die Presse
The problem facing Mr Barroso, it explains, is
that the European Union's enlargement has strengthened the influence of national
governments at the expense of Brussels.
Increasingly, it says, countries are seeking
solutions in smaller groups.
"Whether you call that a core Europe or a
vanguard, in any case the initiative lies with the states, not with the European
Commission."
Austria's Die Presse agrees that Mr Barroso is in
for a tough presidency, but is prepared to give him some time to show his
worth.
"As early as in the first few weeks," it says,
"Barroso will have to demonstrate that he is not the plaything of the big EU
states."
Mr Barroso, the paper acknowledges, took the
opportunity on Wednesday to confirm he would resist any attempts by member
states to influence the commission.
"In the interests of Europe, it is to be hoped
that he will persevere with this," it says.
Refugee camps
Germany's Frankfurter Rundschau reports that
Interior Minister Otto Schily is standing by a proposal which would see the EU
set up camps in North Africa to house refugees while their asylum applications
are being processed.
Although a government spokesman has said that no
firm decision has been taken on the matter, the paper notes that Schily has
backed the idea "in principle".
It is an illusion to believe that Europe, with its wealth, will be able to shield itself permanently from the world's misery
It is an illusion to believe that Europe, with its wealth, will be able to shield itself permanently from the world's misery
Die Welt
But opposition to the plan is already
mobilising.
"His ideas have earned Schily little applause,"
the paper observes, "not just among his own ranks, and among churches and
refugee groups, but also in the camp of the (opposition Christian Democratic and
Christian) Union parties."
Critics of the proposal, German daily Die Welt
notes, have condemned it in terms ranging from "legally problematic" through
"half-baked" to "inhuman and cynical".
But the paper argues that the idea has sparked a
useful debate, adding that it is "worth examining".
"It is an illusion to believe that Europe, with
its wealth, will be able to shield itself permanently from the world's misery,"
it warns.
"A comprehensive concept is needed - Schily has
given the signal for it."
Working week
With some French workers agreeing to work more
than the statutory 35-hour week in order to keep their jobs, French daily
Liberation is keen to find someone to blame.
What the trend shows, it says, is that Economy
Minister Nicolas Sarkozy's plan for workers to choose their own hours and pay
has failed.
"It is illusory to suggest - knowingly or not -
that there is... a civilised and tolerant employment market where everyone can
opt between working less while earning less and working more while earning
more," the paper insists.
Also at fault, it says, are employers whose sole
management technique consists of putting a squeeze on salaries.
"There is no doubt that they feel encouraged by
the governing right's current agitation over this famous 35-hour law," the paper
says.
But this, it concludes, "is in many respects a
scapegoat for their inability to draw up an economic policy that sustains growth
effectively".
A 'high-class burial'?
Still in France, the fate of a government plan to
introduce a pollution tax on 4x4s and other gas-guzzlers appears to be in the
balance, reports Le Monde.
The right is even less capable than the left of pursuing a real environment policy, of matching good intentions with deeds
The right is even less capable than the left of pursuing a real environment policy, of matching good intentions with deeds
Le Monde
It believes Ecology Minister Serge Lepeltier has
ditched the flagship policy, or at least postponed its introduction. The
decision, an unnamed minister tells the paper, amounts to "a high-class
burial".
Mr Lepeltier has pledged not to abandon this
central plank of President Chirac's climate plan, the paper
concedes.
"But what will he be able to do in the face of
pressures from industry and the inconsistency of Jacques Chirac's policy in this
field?" it inquires.
Mr Chirac, it argues, has failed to deliver on
promises to support the green cause.
"Behind the words, the results are meagre," it
says.
"The right is even less capable than the left of
pursuing a real environment policy, of matching good intentions with
deeds."
The European press review is compiled by BBC Monitoring from internet editions of the main European newspapers and some early printed editions.
The European press review is compiled by BBC Monitoring from internet editions of the main European newspapers and some early printed editions.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/click/rss/0.91/public/-/2/hi/europe/3915689.stm
Thursday's European papers examine the new man in Brussels, refugee issues and the French government's record.
