European press review

The looming public sector strike in Germany and pension reforms in France exercise the press in those countries, while, still in France, fears of rising anti-Semitism are expressed in one daily.

The forthcoming presidential election in the Czech Republic occupies one commentator there, while in Slovakia, fears are expressed about the electoral outcome in its larger neighbour.

And evil spirits in Greenland occupy a Danish daily.

German showdown

Germany is bracing itself for one of the biggest public sector strikes in years after wage negotiations between the government and trade unions broke down. Both sides are planning a last ditch attempt to reach an agreement on Wednesday, but Germany's papers see little hope of averting strike action.

Whatever may be gained by striking now, will only accelerate the reduction in staff and public services

Sueddeutsche Zeitung

"No-one any longer believes that the two sides will still move towards each other," says Munich's Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

The huge trade union, Verdi, has acted "irresponsibly", it believes, by threatening a general strike at a time when the economic outlook in Germany is bleak.

"The states and local authorities are simply unable to spend more money on personnel. Whatever may be gained by striking now, will only accelerate the reduction in staff and public services."

Berlin's Die Tageszeitung believes that from a strictly economic point of view, a wage freeze would do the public finances good.

But the government's lack of funds, the paper says, results from errors in tax reform which have allowed big business to exploit loopholes and either claim back taxes or avoid paying them altogether.

"The private sector companies have helped land us in this, and now civil servants, workers and all those who will be hit by future budget cuts are supposed to dig us out. That would not be fair."

The paper urges the government to accept an arbitration settlement it has so far rejected.

But the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung shows understanding for the government's rejection of the arbitration proposal.

"Any attempt to find 'fair' middle ground between zero and 3% was doomed to failure right from the beginning, because an economically sensible solution cannot lie in the middle ground, but must take its cue from the empty public coffers."

'Highly inflammable'

Paris's Liberation examines President Jacques Chirac's announcement that France's pension system is to be reformed this year and reminds readers that former Prime Minister Alain Juppe lost the elections after his attempt to reform public sector pensions failed in 1995.

The rise and return of anti-Semitism

Le Monde

However, Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin's government has no choice but to tackle this "very technical and highly inflammable" subject, despite the gap which still exists between the government and the unions.

The paper says the government seems to want to negotiate reform on a sector-by-sector basis this time and wonders how far people will be prepared to go along with this "divide-and-rule" policy.

Public sector workers are unlikely to accept reforms which will mean "working longer for a smaller pension", it adds.

France's Jewish exodus

Le Monde reports that figures just released by the Israeli government show the number of French Jews who emigrated to Israel last year doubled compared to 2001. Although only 2,326 people were involved, the percentage increase is at a 30-year high.

This can partly be explained by French Jews "worried" about the "fate of French Judaism" due to "the rise and return of anti-Semitism", the daily argues, giving as an example the recent stabbing of a liberal rabbi outside his Paris synagogue.

Such events coincide with a campaign in French universities calling for an economic and scientific boycott of Israel, in solidarity with the Palestinians.

Another third would not mind a former Communist at Prague Castle

Petr Fischer in Lidove noviny

Such a boycott is "unacceptable". "Far from promoting dialogue, it increases the logic of confrontation, fear and violence," Le Monde adds.

King of Prague Castle

The issue of whether the Czech people would accept a former Communist as president is examined by one Czech daily.

With the popular Vaclav Havel stepping down in February after two terms in office, the question is especially topical.

Writing in Lidove noviny Petr Fischer notes the presidency is the only top political post not held by a former Communist Party member since the 1989 fall of communism.

"The post of president enjoys high reputation in the Czech Republic, so it is natural that there has been a hot debate about this theme for a number of months," Fischer writes.

But according to a recent opinion poll, the answer is far from clear. "While one third of Czechs is absolutely against it, another third would not mind a former Communist being at Prague Castle," Fischer writes.

In neighbouring Slovakia, the daily Narodna obroda expresses concern at the elections, finding the situation in the Czech Republic "unenviable".

It says many candidates do not even enjoy the unanimous support of their own parties, and the prime minister is known to openly dislike some of them for wielding more power than he would like.

It believes a first round result is unlikely and the whole process could end in total fiasco, forcing the government to hold direct presidential elections, changing the current system of a vote in both houses of parliament.

Greenland's evil spirits

The Danish tabloid B.T. comments on a "bizarre episode" in which Greenland's most senior civil servant paid his personal "healer" to drive evil spirits out of the government's offices in the island's capital, Nuuk.

A political showdown about the future of Greenland and the country's relationship with a modern Christian culture is rapidly developing

B.T.

The "evil spirits" are claimed to have created a bad atmosphere between Danes and native Greenlanders in Greenland's government offices.

"The bizarre episode really resembles to an alarming degree a growing Greenlandic fundamentalism which may develop into a disturbing interconnected world of ideas about the clash with Danishness and modernity which is a distinct trend in today's Greenlandic society," the paper says.

"A political showdown about the future of Greenland and the country's relationship with a modern Christian culture is rapidly developing."

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