European press review

European papers continue to debate whether Turkey should be given a date to start talks on joining the EU, as well as how much financial help should be given to the Union's new members.

Meanwhile, the German press looks at Chancellor Schroeder's plummeting popularity, France has a new rising star and Russian men fall to an old foe.

Reservations are at times expressed off the record over London's real intentions

Le Temps

"With the Copenhagen summit just days away," the Swiss Le Temps reports from London, British officials are "multiplying their public statements of support for Turkey's bid" for European Union membership.

This is "in stark contrast with France's position," the paper adds.

It says that in London's eyes, "the EU must accept the new realities of a country which has once again given proof of its capacity for democratic change".

However, even the Turkish embassy in London has doubts over the British motives.

The paper reports that "reservations are at times expressed off the record over London's real intentions" with the merest hint of a suspicion that Britain might be "courting Muslim good will for the eventuality of an attack on Iraq".

A commentary in Austria's Die Presse says that although privately Europe's leaders don't believe Turkey should ever be allowed to join the EU, they won't say so openly.

The paper doesn't go that far, but warns that "setting a date for Turkey's accession to the EU at the present time would mean the beginning of the end of Europe."

It argues that Europe needs time to decide whether its defining features should be the rule of law and liberal democracy or whether they should be of a religious-cultural nature.

Money worries

Hungary's Magyar Nemzet wants its readers to consider that if Turkey is admitted with its economic record "there can be no obstacles in the way of Albanian or Macedonian membership".

A considerable part of the values that made so many want to become members could be lost

Magyar Nemzet

The conservative broadsheet adds that Turkey's democratic record would make it "very difficult to argue against the membership of Ukraine or Belarus" on human rights grounds.

"As poorer countries are admitted," the paper warns, "the EU could become just a free trade organisation and a considerable part of the values that made so many want to become members could be lost."

The paper concludes that not viewing the union as a Christian club "would undermine the foundations of the entire European unification process".

Denmark's Information is also worried about the financial imbalances.

It thinks it would be well worthwhile for the EU to offer the 10 new candidate countries more money at the Copenhagen summit.

The paper justifies the move by saying that "the union's effectiveness... would be seriously restricted with a huffy Poland on its tailboard."

It also warns against allowing the union's internal imbalances to grow and says that the "historic project" of enlargement should not be ruined "for a few billion kroner".

Schroeder's nose dive

"Schroeder's authority dwindling". "Mood of doom and gloom in the SPD". "Cut off in his fortress".

It is unsurprising that there are rumours that Schroeder has had enough

Sueddeutsche Zeitung

These are some of the headlines with which Munich's Sueddeutsche Zeitung describes what it sees as German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's flagging fortunes.

"The chancellor's popularity has nose-dived in unprecedented fashion," the paper writes.

Berlin's Die Welt points out that in two months the chancellor has already called his party to order at least four times.

"It would be impossible for many more such rows to follow," it says, describing the chancellor's calls for unity as unconvincing.

"The boss is unable to provide either clear leadership or an inspiring idea which produces true allegiance," it adds.

Rising star

Under the headline, "France organises its Islam," Le Figaro leads with a report that the country's three main Muslim organizations have agreed to "bury their differences".

Brought together by Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, their leaders committed themselves to creating a single body representing all of France's 5m Muslims.

He is able simultaneously to avoid making concessions to the far right and to embarrass the left

Le Monde

"The interior minister seems to have won his gamble," the paper says.

Combine that with the deal to close the Sangatte refugee centre near Calais and Tuesday's approval by parliament of a bill envisaging tougher penalties for racist, anti-Semitic or xenophobic acts, Mr Sarkozy's profile and popularity ratings are high, and rising.

In Paris, Le Monde notes that 5.7m viewers watched his TV interview on Monday.

Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin drew 700,000 fewer viewers on an earlier edition of the same programme.

The paper says that the interior minister's "firm stand on humanist and universal values" made far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, who also appeared in the programme, "suddenly look very old".

Old problem

In Russia, some old men would be welcome.

The mass-circulation Komsomolskaya Pravda publishes new figures which put the average life expectancy for Russian men at less than 59 years.

It fingers a familiar foe for the fall that has followed a brief rally in the mid-1990s.

There are now 2m alcoholics in Russia - an increase of 30% in two years.

"Russia is steadily getting drunk," the paper laments.

The European press review is compiled by BBC Monitoring from internet editions of the main European newspapers and some early printed editions.