European press review

Improving relations within Europe feature heavily in newspapers across the continent.

The case is made for Poland to play a greater role in the EU and Spain and France are seen to work together to uncover ETA hide-outs in France.

Burning waste in Italy and a nationwide strike over pensions in France also come under the spotlight.

Polish potential

Friday's talks between the Polish, German and French leaders - the so-called Weimar triangle - continue to attract attention.

Poland is presenting itself as a self-confident and independent state

Germany's Die Welt

Germany's Die Welt complains that both France and Germany have neglected their relations with Poland in the recent past. It hopes that this latest meeting "will finally lead to a renewal of inner-European relations".

The paper adds that there can be no more doubt about Poland's potential within an enlarged EU, following its decision to back the US during the conflict in Iraq.

"Poland is presenting itself as a self-confident and independent state," it says. "Instead of assuming ingratitude and arrogance, should we not be glad that Poland has made this choice?".

Friends again?

All the intelligence services agree that ETA is undergoing one of its worst moments of weakness, inside and outside Spain

Spain's La Razon

Relations between current EU members France and Spain are debated by Madrid's La Razon. It welcomes the arrest of suspected ETA members in France at the weekend.

The paper hails the improving cooperation between France and Spain in the fight against terrorism, "despite the obvious and recognized differences of opinion in foreign policy held by the two governments".

"If the terrorists thought the Franco-Spanish differences in the Iraq crisis would give them a breathing space, they have seen they were mistaken."

"All the intelligence services agree that the group is undergoing one of its worst moments of weakness, inside and outside Spain," it adds.

French reforms

France's Liberation views the reason behind a national strike to protest against proposed reforms to the state pension due to take place on Tuesday. The French simply do not like change, it says.

"In principle, French people admit that the future of the current pensions system is in jeopardy; in practice, they basically approve a virtual status quo."

The paper blames this unwillingness to accept change for months of "out-and-out deadlock" between the unions and the government over the issue.

A load of rubbish

The piles of filth become ignoble, mocking monuments to affluence and waste

Italy's La Stampa

Italy's La Stampa focuses on Naples, where residents have been setting fire to tons of rubbish rotting in the streets following a breakdown in local waste disposal services.

The paper believes that the situation in Naples is a sad reflection of modern life and is merely the "tip of an emergency" that concerns the whole country.

"The piles of filth become ignoble, mocking monuments to affluence and waste," it argues. "A perverse rubbish industry exists offering smooth, aseptic incentives for laziness and immorality."

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