European press review

The announcement of the European Commission's new line-up has inspired widespread and largely positive comment in Europe's newspapers.

Elsewhere, Russian papers fret over tensions in the Caucasus, and French papers celebrate the legacy of footballer Zinedine Zidane.

'Wise balance'

In Germany, Die Welt congratulates EU Commission President Jose Manuel Durao Barroso on his choice of portfolios for the incoming EU commissioners.

Mr Barroso, it says, "has already overcome the stigma" of his supposed reputation as a third-rate choice for Commission president.

Barroso means to keep his promises Hospodarske Noviny

Austria's Die Presse is also impressed, giving Mr Barroso particular praise for his "steadfast resistance to shameless demands made by the big countries" in the allocation of portfolios.

Equally, leading French daily Le Monde commends Mr Barroso for "resisting the pressure of the EU's heavyweights" and "striking a wise balance" in his 25-member commission.

"Barroso means to keep his promises" is the headline in the Czech daily Hospodarske Noviny.

After initial scepticism about Mr Barroso's stated determination not be "pushed around" by the big-hitters, the paper says, his line-up "conveys the overwhelming feeling that he seriously meant what he promised".

Big vs small?

However, the Berliner Zeitung does not agree at all, even going so far as calling Mr Barroso "pseudo-steadfast".

The new commission chief, the paper concedes, may have resisted a German initiative for a single "super-commissioner" - "ideally a German, and preferably Guenter Verheugen" - in charge of economic policy.

But, it says, Mr Verheugen's appointment as industry commissioner with a broad remit shows the commission chief not able to completely withstand German pressure.

Moreover, Berlin got what it wanted not because of Mr Verheugen's qualities, but because Britain and France had no objections, the paper believes.

"The big three spoke, and that was that. The pseudo-steadfast Durao Barroso could not ignore this."

The Paris-based International Herald Tribune, on the other hand, thinks Mr Barroso "kept his word" by appointing "a record number of women and politicians from smaller European countries to high-profile posts in the commission".

"The list of future commissioners," it argues, "sets a change of course for the next five years, and breaks the tradition of handing out the most important jobs to Europe's heavyweight countries".

In the smaller countries themselves, however, not everyone is as happy as the Herald suggests they should be.

Slovakia's Pravda says new Slovak Commissioner Jan Figel "will not be overjoyed" at being put in charge of the EU's education, training, culture and multilingualism.

Similarly, Budapest's Nepszabadsag's says Hungary "will have to put on a happy face" about the energy portfolio given to Laszlo Kovacs.

"But we've got energy and that's all there is to it," it says, with more than a hint of resignation.

'Real combat'

In Russia, there is gloom about the recent escalation of violence in Georgia's conflict with its breakaway province of South Ossetia, with many seeing it as a further step towards all-out conflict.

There is no more time to believe in the promises that 'nobody wants a war Izvestiya

"They've forgotten about diplomacy in South Ossetia. Now the cannon are doing the talking", is the stark viewpoint of Russian daily Moskovsky Komsomolets.

The mass-circulation Izvestiya believes that overnight clashes early on Thursday, in which at least three Georgian troops were reported killed, mean "real combat has begun" the region.

"There is no more time to believe in the promises that 'nobody wants a war'", the paper says.

"The concentration of arms and armed men in the conflict zone," it argues, "seems to have reached the dangerous level beyond which the process of beginning full-scale military action could unfortunately become unmanageable".

Asking "Where will the war to unite Georgia end?", an article in the daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta sees the conflict harming Russia and countries further afield.

"Use of force by Georgia against South Ossetia and Abkhazia will have serious consequences for Russia, which will be felt in other countries as well, including the United States", the paper states.

Au revoir, Zizou

Finally, French papers acclaim the career of France midfielder Zinedine Zidane, who announced his retirement from international football on Thursday.

The most loved player of his generation Liberation

Although "no surprise", Le Monde says, his announcement "left millions of admirers in mourning".

Three times World Footballer of the Year, Zidane was the inspiration behind "Le Bleus" victories in the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship, as well as the "most loved player of his generation", says Liberation.

"Zinedine Zidane's 'blue' period will be remembered as a charmed era in which the French team demanded and won the world's respect," concludes Le Monde.

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