Puzzling & Dangerous U.S. Foreign Policy Comes to an End
William Pfaff

President Barack Obama's cancellation of his predecessor's missile-defense scheme for Poland and the Czech Republic presumably brings to a close one of the least explicable and most dangerous American policy initiatives since the cold war officially ended.

18 largest turbines start generating electricity
German energy operator RWE has completed the final stage of Suwalki Wind Farm investment. After the installation of towers nacelles blades rotors and generators the time has come to put the turbines on-stream. Commissioning of the wind turbines will increase Polands wind energy generation by around 10% in comparison to...

Impel sales 506.138 mln zloty in H1
The Impel Group Polands biggest group of companies providing services for businesses generated sales revenues of 506.138 million Polish zloty and a net profit of 15.517 million zloty in the first half of 2009. Both figures are higher than the results of the previous six months with the net profit...

US Vice President to Poles: No decisions without you
The US will strike no deals with Russia at the expense of Central Europe US Vice President Joe Biden told a Polish daily as he began a visit to discuss a new missile defence shield and to mend ailing relations after original plans for the system were scrapped Deutsche Presse...

LSE pulls out of WSE race
London Stock Exchange Group Plc LSE a UK-based provider of services to enable investors to access capital markets is pulled out of the bidding to acquire Warsaw Stock Exchange WSE a Poland-based operator of securities exchange from The Government of Poland Trading Market reported on 19 October. LSE is planning...

New US missile defence proposal for Poland
THE United States has presented a proposal to Poland relating to its participation in the new US defence system Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Piotr Paszkowski said Tuesday. Deputy Defense Minister Stanislaw Komorowski met with Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on 6 October to brief him on the recent talks in Washington...

Ministry of Treasury and Eureko sign settlement agreement
THE State Treasury Ministry of Poland and the executive board of Dutch insurance company Eureko B.V. Concluded an agreement on 2 October to establish the rules for amicably ending the arbitration dispute between Poland and Eureko B.V. and Eurekos gradual divestment from its participation in PZU SAs share capital. The...

Derivative instruments trading highest in second quarter
AFTER three quarters of 2009 the volume of trading in derivative instruments reached 10 497 211 instruments equal to ca. 83% of the volume reported in 2008. The volume of trading was 1.38 million instruments in September which means that September was the second best month of trading in derivative...

Balin Energy receives offshore exploration concession in Latvia
BALIN Energy a joint venture between Polish crude oil refining company PKN ORLEN and Kuwait Energy has received the crude oil exploration and production concession in the Latvian off-shore economy zone of the Baltic Sea. Together with the concession which was won in 2008 Balin Energy operates in the area...

Board agrees to create new business segment
TO MEET the growing demand for electricity in the comingyears in Poland the Supervisory Board of Polish Oil and Gas Company PGNiG on 28 September gave a positive opinion of the Company Management Boards request to the General Meeting of Shareholders concerning the creation of the company PGNiG Energia SA....

Polish-Lithuanian Agricultural Forum held in Sejny
POLISH Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Marek Sawicki and Lithuanian Minister of Agriculture Kazys Starkevi?ius attended an Agricultural Forum held in Sejny on 24 September which was devoted to the position of agricultural holdings after Polands accession to the EU. The ministers discussed some aspects of co-operation in the...

Average employment down 0.1%
THE number of people employed on 30 June 2009 amounted to 8.225 million people and was 1.3% lower than 2008. The share of the employed in the private sector amounted to 60.5% according to the Poland Central Statistical Office in its quarterly report Employment wages and salaries in national economy...

Parliament approves chemical castration for paedophiles
Polands parliament tightened punishments for paedophiles on by approving a law that allows for their chemical castration reported Deutsch Septembere Presse Agentur dpa from Warsaw 25 September. The law will make the procedure - which takes away sexual drive - mandatory for pedophiles convicted of raping a close family member...

Poland seeks NATO discussion on Afghanistan
Poland wants a NATO discussion on the future of its mission in Afghanistan to ensure that the Polish presence there makes sense Vice Premier Grzegorz Schetyna told Radio Trojka on 24 September amid growing concerns in Europe about the mission. Schetyna said: We want to be sure that the presence...

Colliers in agreement to advise Raiffeisen Bank in reallocation process
Colliers International a leading global real estate services company has signed a contract with Raiffeisen Bank Polska. Colliers will become the exclusive agent in advising the bank in the reallocation process. Raiffeisen Bank Polska S.A. offers banking products and services for small and medium enterprises and corporate clients in Poland...

PZU Eureko dispute to be resolved perhaps
A long-running dispute between the Polish government and Dutch firm Eureko over insurance giant PZU is to be resolved with funds from the Polish firm which is already preparing for this transaction the expected diminishing effect it will have on the forex market Warsaw Business Journal reported citing Rzeczpospolita; Parkiet....

Visegrad Group discusses economic crisis energy cooperation
During the Meeting of the Visegrad Group held in Sopot Poland on September 11 and 12 the Presidents of Poland Hungary the Czech Republic and Slovakia discussed cooperation within the European Union. The Presidents also paid homage to the Polish soldiers from Westerplatte and they laid flowers at the Monument...

Warsaw railway station remodeling
Skanska the Stockholm-based worlds leading project development and construction groups has secured an assignment to remodel Gdansk railway Station in Warsaw Poland. The contract amounts to 129 million zlotys or about 320 million Swedish Krona which will be included in third-quarter order bookings. The customer is the Polish Rail Administration...

Poland Ukraine strengthen ties
PolishUkrainian cooperation European aspirations of Ukraine policies related to history and questions of energy safety are the main subjects discussed by the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk with the President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko the government press reported on September 7. The head of the Polish government found the PolishUkrainian...

Impel generates net profit of 15.517 million zloty
The Impel Group one of Polands biggest group of companies providing services for businesses according to the company generated sales revenues of 506.138 million Polish zloty and a net profit of 15.517 million zloty in the first half of 2009. Both figures are higher than the results of the previous...

Poland Russia Germany join to mark World War IIs start
Leaders of Poland Russia and Germany showed unity on September 1 in condemning the horrors of World War II during ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the start of historys bloodiest conflict Deutsche Pressse Agentur dpa reported from Westerplatte on September 1. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor...

Polands Euro adoption hinges on stable zloty
The planning of Polands entry into the Euro zone will become realistic after its currency zlotys exchange rate gets stable Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on August 25. If we are close to 100 percent certain that the exchange rate situation is stable and when we take care of...

Putin on official visit to Poland
The Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin will arrive in Poland on September 1 following an invitation of the Polish PM Donald Tusk. While the visit lasts both parties will hold talks focused on a wide variety of bilateral issues. PM Putin will take part in international commemorations of the...

WSE strengthens lead in Central and Eastern Europe
The first seven months of 2009 have seen the Warsaw Stock Exchange emerge as the leader in the Central and Eastern European region by trading in stocks and by capitalisation. The capitalisation of companies listed on the WSE is around 20 percent higher than that of the Wiener Boerse while...

Tusk reallocates maximum resources for troops in Afghanistan
To celebrate the Polish Army Day the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk visited troops from the Polish contingent in the Ghazni province in Afghanistan. Addressing soldiers Tusk informed the troops that maximum resources will be reallocated to deploy everything essential for the Polish contingent in Afghanistan as soon as possible....

Colliers boosts retail market with Harvey Spack Field
Colliers International a leading global real estate services company has completed the acquisition of the Polish operation of Harvey Spack Field the leading UK retail warehousing firm which will provide a platform for ongoing relationships between both firms with Colliers benefiting from the retailer relationships of Harvey Spack Field. With...

Tusk Tymoshenko discuss Euro 2012 football championship
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Tymoshenko on July 10 to discuss joint preparations to host the Euro 2012 football championship. In April 2007 the European football association UEFA named the two countries co-hosts of the high profile tournament. Since then Warsaw and Kiev both...

Women 50% of total headcount at Warsaw Stock Exchange
According to CBOS polling centres report on women in the last 20 years women account for 50 percent of the total headcount on the Warsaw Stock Exchange WSE ; two out of four members sitting on the WSE Management Board are women. 48 percent of the management directors heads of...

Moodys downgrades PKO Bank Polski from C to C-
Moodys Investors Service Ltd. Moodys has downgraded the PKO Bank Polski one of the largest and oldest Polish banks from C to C- with a negative outlook the Management Board of Powszechna Kasa Oszczednosci Bank Polski Spólka Akcyjna PKO Bank Polski announced on June 19. The main reasons for this include...

Bank of Portugal claims innocent over lack of regulation
Vitor Constancio the controversial governor of the Bank of Portugal recently confirmed that he would not stand down from his post. The announcement came against the demands by opposition Members of Parliament MPs . He also denied any responsibility in the shambles surrounding the nationalisation of BPN bank and said...

Deutsche Bahn acquisition of logistics ops approved
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of the Polish logistics operations of PCC SE of Germany by German rail company Deutsche Bahn AG DB . The Commission has concluded that the proposed transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic...

20 Years of Transition whats next?
Tadeusz Mazowiecki Polands first prime minister after the fall of communism in 1989 joined the Assembly of European Regions AER to mark the 20th anniversary of Polands first free elections with a European Citizens Forum held in Szczecin in the Zachodniopmorskie region PL on June 19. The forum brought together...

Level 3 expands fiber-based network
Level 3 Communications Inc. a leading international provider of fiber-based communications services on June 9 announced it has increased its network presence in Poland with a new fiber route extending from Berlin through to Poznan and onwards to Warsaw. With the expansion of the route through Poznan Level 3 now...

Crude oil deliveries see new agreement
Polish crude oil refining company Polski Koncern Naftowy ORLEN S.A. on June 2 signed a spot agreement with JS Service Investment Ltd. From Cyprus for REBCO crude oil deliveries via the Przyjazn pipeline to PKN ORLEN in June 2009. The estimated value of the agreement amounts to USD 12.1 million...

PKO BP to pay 2.88 zloty per share of 2008 income
On June 8 the Management Board of PKO BP SA one of the largest and oldest Polish banks adopted the resolution concerning the distribution of profit earned by Powszechna Kasa Oszcz?dno?ci Bank Polski Spó?ka Akcyjna in the year 2008 and resolved to recommend to the Ordinary General Meeting of the...

2009 sees 1 mln homes with fibre by Portugal Telecom
The Portuguese telecommunications major Portugal Telecom recently unveiled plans to bring fibre-to-the-home FTTH connections to one million Portuguese households by the end of this year having been encouraged by its success with new services such as its IPTV offering Meo to invest further in a higher-capacity network. According to a...

Bank recapitalisation gets thumbs up from Commission
The European Commission on May 20 has approved under EC Treaty state aid rules a Portuguese bank recapitalisation scheme intended to bolster financing of the real economy. The scheme is in line with the Commissions guidance on support measures for credit institutions during the financial crisis. The Commission therefore concluded...

Kroes positive on Gdansk shipyard restructuring
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PGNiG Gazprom sign pact for natural gas deliveries
...

Poles protest against anti-labour politics
Hundreds of miners shipyard workers and medical rescuers marched in the Polish capital on March 26 against what they charged were the governments anti-labour politics. Metalworkers and trade unionists were also in the crowd that demonstrated at the economy and health ministries. Under banners reading We wont pay for your...

Highway to bypass valuable marshlands
A highway in northeastern Poland will be built along a new route to avoid harming valuable marshlands Environment Minister Maciej Nowicki said on March 24. The new route will only be two kilometres longer and also cheaper than the controversial proposal cutting through the scenic Rospuda Valley Nowicki said....

Poland to send 400 soldiers to Afghanistan
Poland will add 400 soldiers to its mission in Afghanistan by mid-April Prime Minister Donald Tusks government said March 24. Another 200 soldiers will be in Poland ready for deployment to the war-torn nation a government statement said. Poland currently has some 1 600 soldiers in Afghanistan and has said...

Over 25 billion for investment
Investments in the Polish energy sector initiated by domestic energy producers envisage the construction of new plants generating 17 000 MW of electric energy and are estimated at 25.5 billion Euro wnp.pl reported. These investments will allow the power plants to receive a greater part of CO2 emission credits for...

Poland to boost its mission to Afghanistan
Poland plans to strengthen its mission in Afghanistan and create a new strategic reserve? force ready for deployment there at anytime Defence Minister Bogdan Klich said on March 18. The government could boost Polands contingent in Afghanistan in April or May Klich said and is already working on a proposal...

Gas crisis ups support for nuclear power
A growing number of Poles now support building a civil nuclear reactor in their country according to an opinion poll in the daily Rzeczpospolita on March 16. Some 42 percent are opposed to the project compared to 56 percent last year against nuclear energy said the survey of 1 000...

Simple Green Money
The financial turned economic crisis is gradually having a more visible impact on the European economies. Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Hubner sat down with New Europersquo;s Editor Alexandros Koronakis and discussed what role regional policy has in saving Europe from the crisis the important changes in the policies which will...

German-Polish relations recover after museum board bid is withdrawn
A major irritant in German-Polish relations was removed on March 4 when an expellees group said its controversial president would not after all join the board of a new museum depicting the ordeal of Germans expelled from eastern Europe after World War II. The Federation of Expellees said it was...

Secret US-Russian correspondence ending the new Cold War?
Aletter offering to back off deploying a controversial missile defence shield in Eastern Europe in return for Moscowrsquo;s support against the Iranian nuclear programme was sent by United States President Barack Obama to his Russian counterpart. The message to President Dmitry A. Medvedev was hand-delivered in Moscow by top administration...

Kaczysnki Tusk differ over Euro strategy
Polish President Lech Kaczynski hosted a meeting on February 25 on the economic crisis with his political adversary Prime Minister Donald Tusk but the two remained at odds whether moving a step closer to joining the Euro would help Poland fight the crisis. It was a rare meeting on the...

PKN Orlens Mazeikiu Nafta Lithuanian Railways ink deal
Polish crude oil refining company PKN Orlen said recently that Lithuanian refinery Mazeikiu Nafta in which PKN Orlen owns 90 percent of the shares has signed an agreement for the transport of refining products with Lithuanian Railways. The agreement will be valid up to the end of 2024. The total...

NBP lowers interest rates by 0.75%
During the meeting the Monetary Policy Council of National Bank of Poland the motions to lower the NBP interest rates by 75 basis points was passed. The Council decided to lower the NBP interest rates to the level: the reference rate to 4.25 percent the lombard rate to 5.75 percent...

Poland News - New Europe News
Poland News - New Europe News: The European News Source.

 

The soldier and the shipyard worker
One was the archetypal military strongman, intent on maintaining the social order and saving his country from "catastrophe." The other was a charismatic shipyard electrician and trade union leader who was just as determined to lead his countrymen to freedom.

Poland agrees to host part of new U.S. missile defense plan
Poland has agreed to host elements of the new U.S. missile defense plan despite initial surprise over the Obama administration's recent decision to overhaul President Bush's strategy.

Analysis: Missile shield move leaves Europe's politicians exposed
The decision by the United States to drop its plans to base an anti-ballistic missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic will have reverberations across Europe.

WWII anything but history for Poland
On a sand swept stretch of Afghanistan, a high-ranking Polish general put his country's mission there into perspective.

On International Correspondents this month
On this month's show we rewind the clock to June 4th, 1989. It was on this day that the media reported on two monumental events - the Tiananmen Square massacre in China and Poland's first free elections. The latter signalled the start of the end of Communism in central and Eastern Europe.

The New Poland: A country transformed
It is 20 years since Poland's Solidarity movement defeated the Communist Party in an historic election that prompted the fall of communism across central and eastern Europe.

Poland: From Soviet satellite to 'Tiger of Europe'
Leszek Balcerowicz, Poland's former finance minister, recently said his country is enjoying "its best period in 300 years." CNN looks at how the country emerged from communism to become one of eastern Europe's most stable and thriving democracies.

Life after communism
Leszek Balcerowicz, Poland's former finance minister, recently said his country is enjoying "its best period in 300 years." CNN looks at how the country emerged from communism to become one of eastern Europe's most stable and thriving democracies.

Polish navy training flight crashes
A Polish navy aircraft on a training flight crashed Tuesday on Poland's northeastern coast, and the four service members aboard are feared dead, navy spokesman Lt. Gregory Lyko told CNN.

Poland: Jazz and all that politics
Jazz has always been a popular form of music because its improvisatory nature is easily adapted by a community or nation to reflect its individual identity.

Your opinions on Poland
As part of its Eye on Poland coverage, CNN is asking its viewers -- including Poles living in Poland and abroad -- about what defines the nation today.

Eye on Poland: Country at the crossroads
A nation with a proud past and promising future -- Poland's influence on the global stage is growing. A driving force in the new Europe with a skilled workforce spreading its influence beyond its borders and an economy increasingly attractive to foreign investors -- Poland is making its mark.

Playing poker with the Polish powerbrokers
Some say Poland is the biggest of the "small countries" in the European Union. Others call it the smallest of the "big countries."

Football offers Poland chance to shine
In April 2007, UEFA's executive committee voted to accept a joint proposal from Poland and Ukraine to host the European football Championships in 2012.

Poland's Jews alive and kicking
Before its occupation by Nazi Germany in 1939, Poland was home to Europe's largest Jewish community, and its capital Warsaw was the continent's largest Jewish city.

Eye on Poland: Daily Coverage
Eye on Poland focuses on the color and contrast of one of Europe's fastest developing nations, explaining Poland's rising influence across the European region and the impact its people are having on the wider international stage - from business to politics to pop culture. TV Schedule

Man held over daughter's '6-year kidnap, rape'
A Polish court has ordered the detention of a man accused of holding his daughter captive for six years and repeatedly raping her, ultimately fathering two children with her.

Poland signs missile shield deal with U.S.
The United States and Poland on Wednesday signed an agreement to base U.S. ballistic missile interceptors in Poland, a move that angered Russia.

Behind Poland's Defying Russia
Moscow's regional threats ended up making Poland more resolved to embrace the controversial U.S. missile shield

Will Russia Attack Poland Next?
Russia warned Poland on Friday that it is exposing itself to attack, even a nuclear one, by accepting a U.S. missile interceptor base on its soil

Poland, U.S. sign missile shield deal
Poland and the United States have signed a preliminary deal to place part of a U.S. ballistic missile defense system in Poland, a plan that has drawn sharp objections from Russia.

US, Poland Deal Angers Russia
Poland and the United States reached an agreement that will see a battery of American missiles established inside Poland, a plan that has infuriated Russia

Poland, U.S. to sign missile shield deal
Poland and the United States will sign a preliminary deal to place part of a U.S. ballistic missile defense system in Poland -- a plan that has drawn sharp objections from Russia, the Polish president's office confirmed Thursday to CNN.

Poland firm on U.S. missile defense opposition
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tried and failed just before leaving for Europe on Monday to seal a deal to place missiles in Poland, the State Department said.

U.S., Poland strike missile deal while Russia objects
The United States and Poland have reached a tentative deal to place part of a ballistic missile defense system on its territory, a plan that has drawn sharp objections from Russia, a senior administration official said Wednesday.

Poles, Czechs Balk at Missile Shield
The two US allies are suddenly in no hurry to see the implementation of the Bush Administration's plan to station an interceptor system on their soil

Nostalgia in a Polish 'milk bar'
I remember a bleak time in Poland when the economy was so maddeningly out of touch with the needs of its people that anyone lucky enough to own a car would remove their windshield wipers at night and take them inside. In their command economy -- oblivious to the laws of supply and demand -- some official forgot to order wipers and consequently, they weren't for sale anywhere. Inspired by a hungry black market, thieves would work late into the night snapping them up.

Opposition wins Polish election
Poland's opposition parties have won the parliamentary elections, ending two years of robust nationalism which have frequently led to confrontation with other countries.

Poland faces landmark election
Poles vote Sunday in national elections that could decide the future direction of the central European country.

Solidarity shipyard seeks rescue
Poland's Gdansk shipyard, the birthplace of the anti-communist Solidarity movement, has submitted a last-ditch rescue plan to prevent its closure.

Is it the flu? Get the fast flu test
Fast flu tests, which drastically cut the time to diagnose a patient with influenza or not, are helping doctors better treat the illness, according to a recent study and medical experts.

Mine blast kills eight; 15 missing
At least eight miners were killed and another 15 missing after a gas explosion in a Polish coal mine Tuesday, a government spokesman said.

Poland pledges 1,000 Afghan troops
Poland will send up to an additional 1,000 troops to bolster NATO forces in Afghanistan, Polish defense ministry spokesman Leszek Laszczak says.

Poland collapse toll now 67
A 34-year-old man seriously injured in the roof collapse at a Polish exhibition hall died Monday, bringing the total number of deaths to 67.

Poland collapse: Buildings shut
The Polish government ordered the temporary closure of some large buildings Monday after the roof collapse of an exhibition hall in the southern city of Chorzow that killed 62 people.

Roof collapse: 'No more survivors'
Emergency workers shifted their efforts from rescue to recovery Sunday at the site of an exhibition center that's roof collapsed over the weekend in southern Poland, killing 66 people, after officials determined it unlikely that anyone else would be found alive.

Thousands remember pope in Krakow
Hundreds of thousands of people have been gathering in a Krakow field and clogged Poland's city streets to watch coverage of the funeral of Pope John Paul II, a man revered as a national hero in his homeland.

Pope's heart may rest in Poland
The city that captured the heart of Pope John Paul II long before he followed his calling into the priesthood may become the final resting place of his physical heart, a Roman Catholic church official in Krakow has told CNN.

Your e-mails: Europe
CNN.com asked its readers to share their thoughts about the death of Pope John Paul II. Here is a sampling from thousands of responses, some of which have been edited:

Polish hostage pleads for life
A video of a Polish woman captured last week by an Iraqi militant group showed her pleading for her life Saturday and urging Poland to withdraw its troops from Iraq.

Poland may pull troops out of Iraq
Poland may reduce its commitment of forces to the war in Iraq by 40 percent by January 2005 and have all its troops out by the end of that year, Polish officials said Monday.

Poland on Iraq: 'No rash gestures'
Poland's outgoing prime minister has said his country cannot ignore Spain's plans to withdraw its troops from Iraq, but a government spokesman denied Warsaw was considering a similar pullout.

Poles hoping for economic gains
Warsaw is already beginning to look like other cities to the West. The same multi-national names are on display. In glitzy malls, shoppers can take their pick of international merchandise.

FUNDS RUSH TO CASH IN ON EASTERN EUROPE'S BOOM
Lured by spectacular gains in markets such as Russia (up 105% in the first eight months of this year), Hungary (86%), Poland (77%) and the Czech Republic (26%), several new mutual funds have sprung...

HOTTEST NEW STOCK MARKET
What country was home to 1993's fastest-growing emerging stock market? If you guessed China, think again. The clear winner is Poland. From December 31, 1992, through December 23, 1993, the Warsaw t...

WARM MEMORIES ARE AWAKENED
I want to tell you how very much I enjoyed the October Editor's Notes, ''An American Dream.'' I've recommended it to everyone I know. I've had similar stories told to me by my late father. He came ...

WHO'S WHO IN THE EAST In Eastern Europe, the people to know are both colorful and energetic. ! Want to meet the Clark Gable of f
Business is always personal, but especially so in Eastern Europe, where daunting bureaucracy and changing ground rules can spook even veteran investors from abroad. In such a climate, knowing the r...

SHOCK THERAPY WORKS IN POLAND
Ten months of fiscal austerity may not have made Poland paradise, but it has noticeably improved the lives of 38 million Poles. Though real wages have dropped 40%, shop shelves now sag with consume...

POLAND'S GAMBLE BEGINS TO PAY OFF The Poles have achieved remarkable results in the first stages of their rush toward a free-mar
FOR POLAND this may be the most dangerous summer since 1939. While their Soviet neighbors fiddle, the gutsy Poles are switching from Communism to capitalism in one stroke. But their boldness has al...

SEED MONEY FOR EASTERN EUROPE
If it worked for Silicon Valley, it can work for Eastern Europe -- or so the theory goes. The U.S. government is investing taxpayer dollars in venture capital funds -- the same financial vehicles t...

GLASNOST'S HARVEST: JEANS THAT NEED A SCREWDRIVER, AN ANGEL FOR BORIS, AND MORE
-- The red star and the Cyrillic writing on the back pockets and an accessory in the form of a free screwdriver mark a hot new seller: cotton jeans ($60 and up) from the Soviet Union. The screwdriv...

THE AMERICAN OUT TO SAVE POLAND Harvard's young Jeffrey Sachs is pushing Solidarity to take the pain now for a big gain later. T
IT'S A BLEAK winter evening in a drab Warsaw suburb. Some four dozen Polish workers in leather jackets have crowded into the parish house of a Catholic church. They used to meet there secretly afte...

HOW THE WORLD WILL CHANGE In the new era, economic performance will replace military might as the measure of a nation. This will
The world is entering unknown territory. For two out of three living Americans -- and about as many Russians and Europeans -- the bipolar system forged by the cold war is all they have ever known. ...

POLAND IS FOR GAMBLERS
Investing in Poland is like buying into a bankrupt company, says Jan Vanous, research director of PlanEcon, a Washington, D.C., consulting firm specializing in Eastern bloc countries. ''It's for ga...

Poland: News & Videos about Poland - CNN.com
Find stories, videos, and photos about Poland from CNN.com.

 

Mending Fences, Biden Assures Poland That U.S. Is Watching Over It
The unwavering commitment not just to Poland, but to the entire region, was the central message of the vice president’s damage-control tour of Eastern Europe that started Wednesday.

Poland to Accept U.S. Offer on Shield
The plan for so-called SM-3 missiles, proposed in Washington last month, will be spelled out in more detail on Wednesday when Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. holds talks with leaders in Warsaw.

Three Polish Officials Resign in Scandal Over Gambling Measure
The resignations follow the departure of the sports minister over charges of influence peddling involving casino legislation.

Polish Sports Minister Quits Amid Gambling Law Inquiry
Miroslaw Drzewiecki stepped down Monday amid accusations that he tried to influence amendments to a new gambling law on behalf of the gambling industry.

Taking Central Europe for Granted
The Poles and Czechs are miffed at the way Washington canceled the missile defenses project.

Deciphering the Fallout on Obama's Missile Plan
The U.S. and the Europeans need a frank discussion about security threats old and new.

Court Deals Blow to E.U. Efforts to Limit Emissions
A court said that Poland and Estonia could challenge limits placed by the E.U. on their carbon emissions, a potential setback for emissions-cutting goals.

Searching for Chopin, Finding Poland’s Past
It’s nearly impossible not to run into some ghosts of the past in Warsaw, even if you’re just a cultural tourist. The other day I went looking for what still exists of Chopin’s trail.

Real Threats, Real Fears, Real Defenses
The Obama plan addresses the real Iranian threat - to Israel and the oil rich Gulf states.

Now, ‘Reset’ With the Poles and Czechs
President Obama's decision on missile defense gives Washington more options, and militarily it is more consistent with the threats we face.

Of Polish Angst and NATO
President Obama’s move on missiles highlights fissures in NATO as it tries to redefine its role for the 21st century.

White House Scraps Bush’s Approach to Missile Shield
President Obama on Thursday announced a reconfigured system that won’t be based in Poland or the Czech Republic, and will be aimed at intercepting Iranian missiles.

Pope Condemns Holocaust at WWII Anniversary Mass
The Pope at a mass in Italy marked the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, just days after Poland held its own ceremonies.

A Cool-Headed Look at 1939
Russian and Polish leaders are skewing memories of World War II for political advantage.

In a Visit, Putin Tries to Ease Rifts With Poland
The prime minister’s conciliatory remarks coincided with Russia’s release of unflattering documents about Poland.

NYT > Poland
In 2003, Polish voters overwhelmingly approved entry into the European Union in a nationwide referendum, and the economy has been among the fastest-growing in on the continent. However, rejection of the E.U. constitution by France and the Netherlands was seen as backlash to cheap labor from Eastern European countries like Poland. Since then, a lesser zeal for Europe has coincided with an increased commitment to Polish tradition.

 

America's Fatal European Policy
The current American administration has just enacted its most disastrous foreign-policy decision to date.

The World Shakes, America Slumbers
America’s wispy presence at this week’s 70th-anniversary commemoration of the start of World War II did not go unnoticed.

New Anti-Federalist Group in EU Parliament

Polish-German Relations Improving
The Polish foreign minister’s visit to Germany has been hailed as a breakthrough in foreign relations.

Poland Draws Closer to Germany, EU
Poland’s new prime minister is determined to mend relations with Berlin—even if it means accepting Germany as a victim of World War II.

EU Leaders "Get Tough With Russia"
The European Union has decided that it needs to take a strong position in its relations with the Kremlin.

Papal Vote Rigged?
Poland and mathematics seem to go together.

EU Parliament to Block Attempts to Water Down Reform Treaty
The European Constitution lives again.

German-Russian Energy--a Dangerous Partnership
The ensuing completion of the Nord Stream pipeline heralds a developing relationship in which Germany and Russia are slicing up their respective spheres of influence within Europe.

Britain to Become German Energy Vassal
As Britain’s North Sea energy supply begins to fail, the nation is looking for replacement energy from Germany.

What Eastern Europe Offers the EU
Romania and Bulgaria have just joined the European Union. What does Europe get out of the deal?

EU to Give Power to Fewer Commissioners?

Skittish About EU, Russia Looks East for Energy Customers
More evidence of Russia joining forces with its Asian neighbors

Berlin Exhibition Depicts Germans as Victims

Right-Wingers Make Waves in Europe
The rising influence of right-wingers in Germany is sweeping across what is widely regarded as a secular, liberal-socialist Continent.

EU Threatens Members States That Help U.S.
Anti-Americanism is a rising sentiment in Europe. But what if every European Union nation were forced to embrace this as official policy?

Forging a More Efficient Europe
Leaders plan to overhaul the massive bureaucracy that is the European Union.

Energy Alliance Fuels Fears
Could the new Russo-German “energy alliance” be history repeating itself?

Church Uses Same-Sex Marriage Issue to Rally Catholics
Despite Spain’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage, the run-up to the parliamentary vote was frought with mass protests from its Catholic citizens. Other events in Poland and Italy show the increasing power the Roman Catholic Church holds over European politics.

theTrumpet.com: Poland
theTrumpet.com -- Understand your world.

 

Pay protest in Dublin
Thousands of Irish public sector workers have marched in Dublin and other cities to protest at government plans to cut pay and employment in next month's budget

EU jobs stakes to dominate Berlin gala
European Union leaders will discuss the bloc's full-time president and foreign policy chief on Monday when they meet in Berlin to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall

Turkey defends Bashir invitation
President Abdullah Gul accused the European Union of 'interfering' by asking Ankara to withdraw an invitation for Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Sudan's indicted president, to attend an Islamic summit in Istanbul

Bids for Turkey's power grids reach $1.2bn
The auction serves as a test of market conditions that has persuaded Ankara's privatisation administration to press ahead with asset sales to ease strains on public finances

The Wall may have fallen but not enough changed
Two decades on, Germany is still grinding through the problems thrown up by reunification. That does not detract from what was a wonderful moment and a joy to witness, writes Frederick Studemann

Regions angered by EU budget proposals
The European Commission is pressing for a 'root-and-branch reform' of the EU's €140bn-a-year budget in a proposal that is stirring outrage among Europe's regions, which risk losing their grip on vast sums of financial aid

Eurozone heads for exit from loan measures
The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged at the record low of 1% as it moved closer to implementing a softly-softly 'exit strategy' to unwind exceptional actions taken to combat the recession

Russia woos City to aid recovery
Alexei Kudrin, the Russian finance minister, travelled to London to woo investors ahead of Russia's return to international debt markets for the first time in 10 years

Forecast hits Berlin's tax-cutting hopes
Hopes that economic recovery would give Berlin more scope to cut taxes in the coming years were dashed on Thursday after government-appointed experts said the rebound would have almost no positive impact on tax revenues in 2010

Lesser light respected as skilled mediator
Herman Van Rompuy is not in the world's premier league of politicians but the Belgian prime minister has earned respect for steering the country in difficult...

Former UBS client jailed for tax fraud
A US court yesterday handed down the first prison sentence to a former US client of UBS in a ruling that will unsettle the Swiss banking group's other US former...

Europe keeps open mind on presidency
David Miliband, the UK foreign secretary, is emerging as the frontrunner to be the European Union's next head of foreign policy, but the contest for the bloc's...

Former UBS client jailed over tax
A US court handed down the first prison sentence to a US former client of UBS yesterday in a ruling that will unsettle the Swiss banking group's former offshore...

Ukraine pays Russian gas bill
Ukraine's prime minister, says the recession-ravaged country had squeezed enough funds from consumers and cash-strapped state coffers to pay a $500m October gas bill to Gazprom, Russia's natural gas giant

Sweden and Finland clear Nord Stream plan
Nord Stream, the proposed gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, clears two crucial hurdles as Sweden and Finland give the go ahead for the $7.4bn project

FT.com - World, Europe
FT.com - World, Europe

 

British PM Brown Vows to Fight On in Afghanistan
Increasing number of British casualties in Afghanistan has eroded support for the war

Berlin Wall Remembrances Vary
The Berlin Wall - still emblematic of the divide between democratic states and totalitarian ones - fell 20 years ago. Eyewitnesses and journalists on both sides reflect on its meaning for people in societies at different levels of political freedom today

Couple Creates Charity to Help Britain's Wounded Troops
Hope for Heroes Inspires Thousands to Help Too

Global Climate Change Treaty Delayed
Speaking in India, Sweden's prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt tells journalists setback comes because some countries are not politically ready to sign deal

Impact of Berlin Wall Collapse Still Rippling Through Russia
Russia still struggling to lead effective military alliance, to modernize resource-driven economy, and to liberalize authoritarian political system

Berlin Wall Stands Tall...In South Carolina
Two segments of the Berlin Wall remain erect in Spartanburg, South Carolina, as a memorial.

British PM Calls for Halt to Afghan Corruption
Gordon Brown warns Afghan government to take action against corruption, saying he would not risk more British lives there unless it reforms

Berlin Prepares for Celebrations 20 Years After Fall of Wall
Main event will be a long line of oversize dominoes running in part right across front of Brandenburg Gate to nearby Reichstag

Britain Urges G20 to Insure Financial System
PM Brown calling for G20 to consider global tax on financial transactions as insurance against future bailouts

Medvedev: Not All Hopes Realized After Berlin Wall Fell
Russian president makes remarks in interview with German magazine 'Der Spiegel' ahead of 20th anniversary of fall of Berlin Wall

VOA News: Europe,Europe
Up to the minute news from Voice of America

 

Charlemagne: Blair's unbalancing act

Lessons from the unedifying fight over top Brussels jobs

IN THE end, Tony Blair’s great European adventure seems to have been a balancing act too far. As prime minister, Mr Blair built a career on political acrobatics. He was the Labour politician who left in place great chunks of Thatcherism. As prime minister, he swore he was a true European (the “most European of Englishmen”, France’s Nicolas Sarkozy once said) even as he defended opt-outs from such policies as ending internal European Union passport controls. More than any British leader, he backed closer European defence co-operation—and then he split Europe by joining America in Iraq.

But high-wire acts hurt when they fail. And, at an EU summit in Brussels on October 29th and 30th, Mr Blair fell, watching his bid to become the first permanent president of the European Council collapse. Mr Blair needed leaders to agree that he was a sincere European, and they could not. He needed his fellow socialists to admit he was one of them, and they declined (the centre-left Austrian chancellor, Werner Faymann, said Mr Blair represented “Bush and the war in Iraq”.) ...

The Chirac trial: Liberty, equality, no impunity

The salutary shock of a former president going on trial

THE French have greeted the decision to put Jacques Chirac on trial for misappropriation of public funds with mixed feelings. A surprising number of politicians have suggested that the former president should be left in peace. But voters seem pleased that an era of impunity is ending: 72% told one poll that they approved of treating Mr Chirac as an ordinary citizen before the law.

When he was president, from 1995 to 2007, Mr Chirac was immune from prosecution, and his lawyers argue that he remains so for acts during his time in office. The case going to trial is the only one of many compiled against him, mostly dating from his time as mayor of Paris in 1977-95, not to be dropped. (For the others, the statute of limitations has expired or prosecutors have said there is not enough evidence.) Mr Chirac is accused of employing 21 friends in allegedly “fake jobs” at the Paris town hall, a relatively minor charge. ...

Italy and the CIA: Conviction time

A damning verdict in an Italian court against America’s CIA

NOBODY knows how many people have fallen victim to CIA-organised “extraordinary renditions”—operations in which suspected terrorists are snatched and shipped to third countries for interrogations that often involve torture. In 2007 the CIA director, Michael Hayden, suggested the figure was around 50. But a European Parliament report the same year concluded that more than 1,000 flights had been run by the CIA through European Union airspace.

What is certain is that only one extraordinary rendition has led to a trial. On November 4th that trial, in Milan, ended with the conviction of 22 alleged CIA officers and agents, an American air force colonel and two Italian agents, all for helping to kidnap an Egyptian cleric known as Abu Omar, who vanished from a Milan street in 2003. He was released four years later and claimed to have been tortured in Cairo, where he was hung up “like a slaughtered sheep” and given electric shocks. ...

Russia and Britain: Frozen diplomacy

More of an update than a reset

EVER since the new American administration popularised the phrase, it has been fashionable to talk of a “reset” with Russia. Few relationships have needed resetting more than the one between Russia and Britain. It has been all but frozen since Russia refused to hand over Andrei Lugovoi, an ex-KGB officer suspected of murdering his former colleague (and British citizen), Alexander Litvinenko, in London in 2006. Diplomats have been expelled, contacts between security services severed and visa restrictions imposed.

On November 1st David Miliband, Britain’s foreign secretary, flew to Moscow for talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. It was more of an update than a reset. His host was courteous, which is progress. The two men signed joint statements on nuclear non-proliferation, Afghanistan and the Middle East. Yet none of the sticky bilateral issues was resolved—nor was any expected to be. Mr Miliband repeated Britain’s request to hand over Mr Lugovoi, only to hear, yet again, Moscow’s response that this would be against Russia’s constitution (which is sacred unless for lengthening presidential terms). For now, at least, Mr Lugovoi will carry on as an elected member of the Russian parliament. ...

The euro-area economy: Recovery, of sorts

The European Commission reckons that today’s growth will not last

EUROPE’S emergence from its worst post-war downturn seems assured. Figures released on November 13th will confirm that the euro-area economy came out of recession in the third quarter. The fourth quarter also looks promising. Output rose at its fastest rate in almost two years in October, says a survey of purchasing managers. Business and consumer confidence have continued to improve. A jump in foreign orders for German capital goods in September is a sign that export demand is returning.

The latest forecasts from the European Commission reflect this new mood. The commission says euro-area GDP will rise by 0.7% in 2010, a brighter prospect than seemed likely in May, when it forecast a 0.1% drop. The upgrade would be larger if today’s growth rate were sustained. But the commission thinks the economy will hit a soft patch early next year, as the temporary effects of fiscal stimulus and of firms’ restocking begin to fade. ...

Eastern Europe's economic woes: Down in the dumps

The ex-communist economies have not collapsed. But finding new ways to catch up with the West will be hard

EVEN at the height of the ex-communist countries’ boom in 2006, almost half their citizens felt they lived worse than in 1989. Yet that glum verdict on 17 years of liberalisation, privatisation and stabilisation was tempered by another finding. Most of those polled by the World Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said they were optimistic about their children’s prospects.

The worry is that the global economic crisis has dented confidence in the future and intensified gloom about the present. Fast growth eased dissatisfaction with corrupt politicians and bossy bureaucrats. It offered at least the chance of better health care and education, which lag far behind western standards. But the average decline in GDP this year is a whopping 6.2%; recovery is expected to be slow. So east Europeans face higher taxes, bigger debts, less public spending, lower pay and fewer jobs. They do not have the same shock-absorbers as in the west—which is where, in the eyes of many, the crisis originated. ...

Italy's opposition: Into the ring against Silvio

The Italian opposition gets a new leader—and a new scandal

SILVIO BERLUSCONI, who can claim to have out-punched more than half a dozen left-wing opponents, has a new sparring partner. On October 25th Pierluigi Bersani was elected as the new leader of Italy’s biggest opposition group, the Democratic Party (PD). The vote was open to all, and almost 3m people paid €2 ($3) to take part. The main rival to the 58-year-old Mr Bersani was Dario Franceschini, a former Christian Democrat who stepped in when the previous leader, Walter Veltroni, resigned in February after a disastrous showing in a regional election.

Mr Bersani is the straight-talking son of a mechanic from the “red” heartland of Emilia-Romagna. He rose through the ranks of the Italian communist party (PCI). Mr Bersani’s first move after his victory was to visit workers in a textile factory. But he is not an easy man to pigeonhole. He wrote his degree thesis on the history of Christianity and is best known as the minister who, in the most recent centre-left government, sponsored a programme of economic liberalisation. ...

French corruption scandals: Peering into the murk

An arms-smuggling trial casts a shadow over the French elite

BIT by bit, the entrails of France’s one-time ruling elite are spilling out. This week Charles Pasqua, interior minister under President Jacques Chirac, was sentenced to a year in prison, with a further two years suspended, for involvement in arms-trafficking to the Angolan government in the 1990s, during its civil war against UNITA rebels.

Jean-Christophe Mitterrand, son of the Socialist former president and his father’s then Africa adviser, was fined for embezzlement and given a two-year suspended prison sentence. The dozens of other defendants also accused of supplying, or aiding the sale of, landmines, shells, tanks, helicopters and naval vessels—despite a United Nations arms embargo—included Pierre Falcone, a French arms dealer, and Arkady Gaydamak, an Israeli-Russian businessman. Both men were sentenced to six years imprisonment. ...

Germany: Angela's new team claims its seats...

…and debates how to promote growth, reform taxes, contain health costs and also balance the budget

AFTER weeks of tension, tantrums and trial balloons, Germans now know which ministers will govern them for the next four years, and roughly how they will do so. In the early hours of October 24th the three parties in the new centre-right coalition government that won September’s federal election—the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), its smaller Bavarian sibling, the Christian Social Union (CSU) and the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP)—put the finishing touches on a 124-page agreement that promises tax cuts, more spending on education and a reform of health care. It is a “new beginning”, declared Guido Westerwelle (pictured above), the new foreign minister, who led the FDP back into power after an 11-year absence.

Like the most tantalising prizes at a beachside funfair, the new beginning will require a lot of luck to claim. What is immediately on offer is more sparkle than substance. The new government, led by the CDU chancellor, Angela Merkel, plans a “right-away programme” of tax cuts to speed the economy’s recovery from recession. Later on it wants to reform income and business taxes, as well as a health-care system burdened by an ageing population. But finances and disagreements among the coalition partners may upset such ambitions. “The promising ideas are still very vague,” says Clemens Fuest, an Oxford don who heads the finance ministry’s council of advisers. “Things that are concrete are not very satisfactory.” ...

Charlemagne: Deciding Europe's place in the world

The European Union is giving itself better means to conduct foreign policy, but does it have the will?

SOME time ago, just before the European Union enlarged to take in new members from Estonia to Cyprus, two senior EU officials debated an interesting question: with so many governments to consult, how on earth would Javier Solana—the Spaniard who has headed the EU’s foreign-affairs arm since 1999—forge a European consensus on any question of foreign policy?

The more senior of the pair counselled calm. Most countries don’t have foreign policies, he explained cheerfully; Mr Solana’s job was to convince such countries that whatever he was proposing had actually been their policy all along. That would not change with enlargement. The cynical Eurocrat has seemingly been proved right. Today, even with the union enlarged to 27 members, Europe’s foreign policy machinery smoothly churns out common positions all the time. And yet, even ardent pro-Europeans admit that the impact of all this diplomatic activity has, to date, amounted to less than the sum of its parts. ...

NATO and Russia: War games

Jitters in eastern Europe over Russia’s military manoeuvres

SCAREMONGERING is where defence-planning and politics overlap. Big military exercises in western Russia and Belarus, which finished earlier this month, were based on the following improbable scenario: ethnic Poles in western Belarus rise up and “terrorists” from Lithuania attack the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. More than 10,000 troops from Russia and Belarus countered them, reinforcing Kaliningrad from the sea and sending special forces behind the enemy lines. Three NATO–like brigades, one visiting, one Estonian and one Latvian, then invaded western Russia, where they were successfully rebuffed by the elite Pskov-based 76th air assault division, reinforced by a motorised rifle brigade.

Military exercises need a notional enemy and, from Russia’s point of view, NATO is the obvious choice. Because the alliance has expanded to Russia’s borders, taking in a dozen ex-communist members over strenuous protests from the Kremlin, it is all the more desirable to send a strong signal. What is more, Western countries have been urging (and helping) Russia’s military forces to become more professional. That requires practice drills. ...

Baltic economies: The Estonian exception

Estonia gets a boost, but worries persist about its Baltic neighbours

SMUGNESS is Estonians’ least attractive feature, at least in the eyes of their Baltic neighbours, Latvia and Lithuania. A surprise endorsement by the International Monetary Fund of Estonia’s plans to join the euro in 2011, coupled with gloom about the other two countries, will only make that worse.

All three Baltic states are facing double-digit economic declines in GDP this year, following the collapse of credit bubbles created by reckless lending and spending. Many outsiders have wondered if the three countries can maintain their fixed exchange rates, which peg the national currencies to the euro. A currency or banking collapse in the Baltic would spook markets elsewhere in the region, threatening wobbly economies such as Hungary’s. ...

Spain's political scandals: The problem with Don Vito's friends

Troubling questions for the opposition party, and for Spanish politics

HE OILED his hair, told employees to call him Don Vito (the Mafia boss played by Marlon Brando in “The Godfather” films) and, according to Spanish investigators, allegedly kept politicians on his payroll. Documents released by a Spanish court indicate that for Francisco Correa, a Spanish businessman, bribery, fraud, money-laundering were all part of his way of doing business.

Those same documents have also lifted the lid on Mr Correa’s extensive network of friends and clients inside Spain’s opposition People’s Party (PP). To the immense embarrassment of a party that aspires to govern, they include everyone from a former party treasurer to a son-in-law of the former prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar. ...

Worries over Bosnia: Balkan scheming

Efforts to hold Bosnia together have repercussions as far afield as Afghanistan

BOSNIA, scream some hysterical headlines, is on the brink of a new war. It is not. But it is deeply troubled. This month has seen the highest level diplomacy since the end of the war in 1995, in an attempt to break a deadlock that has paralysed its government for three years. The initial omens are not good. Unless a deal is struck soon, notes Zlatko Lagumdzija, an opposition leader, everyone can forget about serious change until after next year’s elections.

The Dayton accords, which ended the Bosnian war, formalised the division of the country into two parts: a Serb entity and a federation of Croats and Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims). Until 2006 the country was slowly becoming more functional. But since then progress has halted; the two entities cannot agree, for example, on who should own state property. Bosniaks in Sarajevo want a more centralised state. Serbs in Banja Luka want more autonomy, or even full independence. The European Union wants to shut the office of the high representative, a sort of governor-generalship, whose power has anyway more or less evaporated. But American diplomats are resisting this, arguing that Bosnia could fall apart without foreign oversight. ...

France, Germany and the European Union: Future dreaming

French hopes for new Franco-German leadership in Europe may yet founder on disagreements about policies and priorities

TO MOST people, the prospect of an end to the European Union’s institutional navel-gazing is welcome. Once the Czech holdouts ratify the Lisbon treaty, goes the line, there should be no new grand schemes. Yet this is not how things are seen in France. Indeed, the French have been laying the ground for their next big idea: a deepening of the Franco-German axis to entrench their dual leadership and make Europe “one of the principal players of the 21st century”.

In a speech to his ambassadors in August, President Nicolas Sarkozy declared that he wanted “Europe once again to make history instead of enduring it”. His model was “Franco-German understanding” built on his friendship with Angela Merkel, the German chancellor. His Europe minister, Pierre Lellouche, is zealously spreading the message. “More than ever, the relationship between France and Germany will form the heart of what I would call the third phase of post-war European history,” he recently wrote in Le Monde. ...

Serbia's busy foreign policy: Better troublesome than dull

Some Balkan diplomacy matters more than usual just at present

Correction to this article

SERBIA seems to have a foreign policy on steroids. Vuk Jeremic, its 34-year-old foreign minister, says that he spent 700 hours in the air last year, almost two hours a day. He is not the only one travelling. In the past two weeks alone, Carl Bildt, Sweden’s foreign minister, Toomas Ilves, Estonia’s president, and (on October 20th) Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s president, have all visited Belgrade. Turkey’s president, Abdullah Gul, will follow shortly. For a relatively small Balkan country, Serbia is getting a surprising amount of attention. ...

Charlemagne: A single-market celebration

For all the gloom about Europe's single market, it remains an admirable project

THERE are two ways of looking at the saga of Opel, the European carmaker being sold by General Motors with the help of some €4.5 billion ($6.7 billion) in German state aid. The first, gloomy view is that the Germans have mounted a shocking assault on the principles of the European Union’s single market—and, worse, have got away with it.

During a sale process overshadowed by electoral politics, the German government openly favoured a consortium involving Magna International, an Austro-Canadian car-parts maker; Sberbank, Russia’s largest retail bank; and GAZ, Russia’s second-largest carmaker. The dodgy industrial logic of Magna’s plan, which would keep open all four Opel factories in Germany but trim production at more efficient ones in Spain, was, alas, electoral catnip to German politicians. They duly nodded and winked that they would hand over the cash only if Magna won. ...

Turkey and the Kurds: Return of the natives

A trickle back of PKK terrorists may herald a lasting peace

“DON’T waste time, come back!” The call by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s prime minister, to rebels of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) this week sounded like an invitation to a party. And a party it was when tens of thousands of ululating Kurds flocked to the Iraqi border on October 19th to greet 34 PKK fighters and their sympathisers, who gave themselves up in a gesture that may bring peace. (Five of the fighters were arrested but later released on the orders of a judge.) The move comes after a year of secret talks between Turkey, America, the Iraqi Kurds who control the mountainous territory in which the fighters have been based, and probably the PKK itself.

Plans to give an amnesty to PKK fighters who stand aside from the terrorist group’s vicious 25-year-old war have long been opposed by Turkey’s hawkish generals. Hoping to bully Turkey into recognising their quasi-independent state, the Iraqi Kurds let the rebels roam free. But the impending withdrawal of American troops and the risk of spiralling ethnic and sectarian violence in Iraq has concentrated minds. ...

Silvio Berlusconi and Italy's judges: Injudicious

The prime minister’s worrying plans to promote judicial reform in Italy

DON’T get mad, get even. After Italy’s constitutional court had thwarted his efforts to make himself immune from prosecution, Silvio Berlusconi certainly got mad. But the Italian prime minister gradually simmered down—and has now turned his attention to how to get even.

In Mr Berlusconi’s telling, he is the victim of a plot by communists in the judiciary, particularly in Milan, where he has repeatedly been put on trial (but never definitively convicted). The constitutional court, he declared, had “in effect, said to the red judges of Milan: ‘reopen the manhunt’.” Shifting metaphors, he said it was time “to take the bull by the horns and reopen the constitution”. This can be done either with a two-thirds parliamentary majority, or by getting a reform passed by a simple majority and then approved in a referendum. “If we have the numbers to do it in parliament, fine. If not, we’ll do it by recourse to the voters in the most democratic and orderly way possible,” Mr Berlusconi said on October 16th. ...

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