New EU Members, Iran, Education and Nazi Victims

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EU membership for Bulgaria and Romania

Europe must be fair but firm with these countries. Their societies are riddled with endemic corruption which is unacceptable in the EU. I hope the Commission, and failing that the Council or Parliament blocks this accession until these problems are sorted out. If we let them in without sorting out these problems it will be like a disease that infects the rest of the EU. All who care about the European Project must be ready to say no. -- Andrew Turvey, England

On your Web site, I found "Romania and Bulgaria play the EU waiting game," a video about what I presumed to be a feedback on Romania and Bulgaria's struggle to become a part of the EU. Instead I found a video of a village in Romania, with no water, no paved roads, people working on the fields and with animals around the house. I was horrified. Yes, it is a part of Romania, but is not Romania. It's just a part of the country where poor people live, trying to make a living from agriculture and farming. How can you only show something that seems to be a lost country in the middle of nowhere. Why don't you show a city, which would look like any other city in Europe? Why don't you show the richness of the country, the wonderful mountains, the sea, because Romania is a country with potential. Maybe you should let somebody that knows the country show it to the rest of the world, the way it is, with its bad parts, but with its good part, too. -- Daniela Kocis, Romanian student currently living in England.

Iran's nuclear ambitions

Demonstration in Berlin

All countries, especially Britain and the US, are busy upgrading their nuclear stuff. Why then bother about Iran? How many other rogue states have these and yet they are ignored? -- Jimmy Chasafara

I do not see the EU convincing Iran anytime soon. Iran's ignorance and irrational believes prevents it from becoming a peaceful nation. Iran poses a threat that should be taken seriously and to the extent of taking military action against it. -- Angel Gomez

If the EU and US think that it is dangerous for the rest of the world then they should destroy their nuclear weapons first. -- Ashraf Khan

German education

Are they getting a fair chance to succeed?

Frankly, the problems with the German education system are a no-brainer. It is entirely unforgiving. If children perform poorly around the 6th to 8th grade, they are condemned to a poorer education in the lowest tier of school. But in Canada, where I am from, these children would continue in the same system as anyone else, and may in fact start to perform better later, and even graduate with grades to get into university. Germany's system has its roots in the class-based society of the nineteenth century when the country needed lots of brawn for factories but few brains for knowledge based industries. Today the system pumps out lots of uneducated children ready for labor work that does not exist. It is startlingly easy to see as a foreigner living here. It baffles me why Germans cannot see it themselves. I am sorry that my child will have to enter this system -- or I may move back to Canada to ensure my child gets a decent education. -- Glenn Lea

Opening world's largest Nazi victim archive

I believe the world as well as Germany has moved forward enough to allow this to happen. We need to be careful as to protect the privacy of the individuals affected. Some families may finally be able to get closure after years of not knowing what happened to there loved ones, but I don't believe anyone should have access to the finer details of individual situations without good reason. -- Scott