Polish twins and a sociological survey of IKEA

Polish political posturing makes headlines, as the country’s government blocks the start of talks on an EU-Russia partnership deal until Moscow agrees to open up its oil and gas pipeline network.

Reports the Financial Times: "Warsaw’s hard line threatens to scupper an EU-Russia summit this month at which talks over a partnership pact covering trade, energy, investment, human rights and mutual recognition of standards were due to begin."

Spain’s El País is scathingly critical of the move by the country’s twin leaders, Lech and Jaroslaw Kazcyn´ski.

"The always unpredictable government of the Kazcyn´ski brothers goes to Brussels to block the agreement to negotiate with Russia, which has been accepted by the other 24 countries of the Union," the paper writes. "This bit of poker playing by the Kazcy?skis against their communitarian partners is the last position of a disturbed and strange government."

But, as several papers report, the EU struck back at Poland on Tuesday (14 November), warning Warsaw it was not doing enough to shrink its expected 2007 budget deficit.

What about the EU-Russia relationship? Former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder gives an interview to Le Figaro and reassures us that Vladimir Putin is an OK guy and we should cut him some slack.

Asked by the French paper if the strategic interests of Europe and Russia are truly compatible, Schröder answers: "Absolument." Oh wait, perhaps he doesn’t really speak French. "It’s not just in the energy sector, where it’s obvious," he says, presumably in German. "As for the rest, what would be the alternative? Today’s Russian elites think like Europeans, and it is not in our interest that they should change and turn towards Asia.

There is in Russia a certain pro-European feeling. It’s up to us to respond positively."

The Wall Street Journal Europe surprises with a call for multilingualism at EU level - specifically with regard to the progress reports it issues on candidate countries. "The European Union shells out millions of euros each year on translation services," it writes in a leader. "How unfortunate, then, that the progress reports that the European Commission published last week for eight potential EU members are so far available only in English. We’re not pulling a Jacques Chirac, decrying the dominance of English. The shame here is the fact that the reports don’t come in the languages spoken in the countries they scrutinise. That opens the door for politicians who aren’t sufficiently committed to reforms to spin the results."

As an example it cites the Commission’s highly critical report on Croatia, which is being translated by that country’s government into praise for "progress...when it comes to reforms".

The Dutch paper Algemeen Dagblad publishes the findings of an interesting sociological survey of national attitudes shopping at furnishings behemoth IKEA. The paper reports that 77% of all Dutch people know about the company’s ubiquitous Billy bookshelves.

It also reports on the store’s research on the behaviour of couples who visit its giant showrooms. The paper quotes the study: "She wants to see the whole place, he wants to go home pretty soon. And the average time it takes for them to start arguing is exactly…25 minutes."

• Craig Winneker is a freelance writer based in Brussels.

Polish political posturing makes headlines, as the country’s government blocks the start of talks on an EU-Russia partnership deal until Moscow agrees to open up its oil and gas pipeline network.