French press review 27 August 2015

The French press is dominated by the migrant crisis in the Balkans. Le Monde's front-page photograph is that of two Syrian migrants crossing the barbed wire fence on the border between Serbia and Hungary. The report related to this photo is headlined "The silence of French political parties". 

DR

The report states that, although immigration is at the heart of debates across Europe, the left-wing parties in France have kept a low profile on the subject all summer.

The same is the case with the right-wing parties which are hindered by internal divisions.

Le Figaro’s front page photograph is of a queue of migrants under the headline "The new breach in the Balkans".

It says that tens of thousands of refugees, not only from Syria and Iraq but also from Kosovo and Albania, are flocking to Europe.

Its front-page editorial is also on the same subject.

It states that, faced with one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has decided to take things in hand, adding that Germany is far more exposed to this phenomenon than France as some 800,000 asylum seekers are expected this year in Germany.

But the influx affects everyone, Le Figaro points out, from Athens to Amsterdam from Madrid to London.

The editorial says it is urgently necessary to distinguish those fleeing war and its horrors, such as those from Syria and Iraq, and those who come just for search of a better life.

One of Le Monde's front-page stories is on the disillusionment of Kosovo with the European Union.

In an exhaustive report, the daily states states that since Kosovo's independence in 1998, European Union's mission to the country, Eulex, has failed in many aspects.

There have been accusations of corruption and attempts to develop an effective police and judicial system, including a special court for war crimes, have not been successful, the paper says.

To add to the Kosovars' woes, the country’s unemployment rate stands at 45 per cent.

All this has resulted in the people of Kosovo getting disillusioned with the EU.

Liberation leads with a full-page photo of Donald Trump on its front page under the headline "Donald Trump: An American nightmare".

The billionaire is a serious contender in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, despite his simplistic programme of targeting immigrants, the paper says.