European press review

Newspapers in Sweden and the eurozone continue to reflect on Swedish voters' rejection of the single currency, while the EU's role in the collapse of the world trade talks in Cancun is criticised.

A Russian paper sees an unlikely parallel between Sweden and Russia's uncomfortable neighbour in Belarus; and a Ukrainian daily feels a planned agreement with Moscow threatens the country's European hopes.

Swedish hangover

As the implications of Swedish voters' rejection of the euro begin to sink in, there is pessimism in the country's press.

The Dagens Nyheter describes the outcome of the referendum as "a vote of no confidence against the political system".

It feels life will be difficult for Sweden, because while Britain, Norway and Switzerland have financial centres and oil revenues to help them cope outside the eurozone, export-dependent Sweden has no such freedom.

The Malmoe Sydsvenska Dagbladet cites an exit poll which finds that the country's non-socialist parties were split, as were the governing Social Democratic Party's voters - who were divided almost 50-50 in Sunday's vote.

The more we come into contact with the euro the less fixated with the krona we become - this might be decisive next time Sydsvenska Dagbladet - Sweden

But the poll finds some comfort for the pro-euro camp whenever the referendum is repeated.

Voters who made several visits to eurozone countries in the past year backed the euro almost two-to-one, while the proportion was reversed among those who had never gone.

"The more we come into contact with the euro the less fixated with the krona we become. This might be decisive next time," it comments.

"After all, Swedes are a people who travel."

Eurozone regrets

Papers in the eurozone regret the outcome of the referendum.

Germany's Die Welt warns of a missed opportunity and suspects "a certain provincial isolation" among Swedes.

It acknowledges that voters' mistrust of the euro was heightened by Germany's and France's failure to comply with the stability pact, but it accuses them of ignoring the fact that eurozone countries have enjoyed "significantly improved export opportunities".

Austria's Der Standard agrees that the rejection of the euro was unwise.

That hesitant friend of the euro, Tony Blair, can forget about his own referendum for the time being Der Standard - Austria

It argues that the price Sweden will have to pay is that it won't carry much political weight in the debate about budgetary policies or in forthcoming negotiations on the EU constitution.

The paper also sees implications for Britain, another existing EU member still outside the eurozone.

"That hesitant friend of the euro, Tony Blair, can forget about his own referendum for the time being," it says.

Cancun - our part in its downfall

The weekend also saw the collapse of the world trade talks in the Mexican resort of Cancun, for which the European Union has taken much of the blame - rightly, believes France's Liberation.

The EU and the USA "have to decide once and for all whether or not they are prepared to accept the rules of a free-trade game which they themselves drew up but which they violate merrily," the paper says.

It is also glad that the balance of power between the two trading giants on the one hand and the rest of the world on the other seems to have changed.

Is it really a victory for developing countries when customs barriers in agricultural trade fail to fall and the WTO is damaged? Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung - Germany

A commentary in Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung disagrees, warning European campaigners who have celebrated the failure of the talks as a victory for the developing world.

"Is it really a victory for developing countries when customs barriers in agricultural trade fail to fall and the WTO is damaged?" it asks.

"It is a defeat for the poor."

Outside the EU, a Swiss paper counsels against complacency despite a possible respite for the country's farmers.

Switzerland has "nothing to gain" from the failure to reach agreement, believes the Tribune De Geneve.

"This failure does not call into question the need to continue structural change in Swiss agriculture," it warns.

Unlikely parallel

Returning to Sweden, a Russian newspaper draws an unexpected analogy - with Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's resistance to currency union with Moscow.

Belarus has a far graver form of anti-globalism, inexplicable without help from a psychologist Izvestiya - Russia

While "the majority of Swedish citizens rejected entry to the eurozone... in Belarus one citizen is holding up his country's entry into the rouble zone," comments Izvestiya.

While acknowledging that there is apparently little to link Sweden and Belarus, the paper draws an unflattering parallel between Swedish voters and Mr Lukashenka.

"Belarus has a different form of anti-globalism, a far graver one, one that is inexplicable without help from a psychologist," it declares.

Ukraine complains

Europe also features in Ukraine, where visiting British Foreign Office Minister Denis MacShane yesterday warned that a planned arrangement with other former Soviet republics could hamper its EU aspirations.

The Den newspaper shares his suspicions of the planned single economic space (SES) with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

It believes the SES as currently proposed is in conflict with Ukraine's "strategic EU integration course" and "would mean nothing else than the loss of sovereignty".

"Ukraine would no longer be an independent party in negotiations with either the EU or the WTO - all trade, customs and economic issues would be agreed in Moscow," it complains.

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