French press review 8 July 2010

Once again, the Bettencourt affair makes front page headlines this morning, not forgetting stacks of column inches on the inside pages, as each day that passes provides more accusations and details.

But before we get on to the latest of what is becoming this summer's saga, I would like to mention the two-page article by Catholic La Croix devoted to the increasing difficulties experienced by people applying to get a visa to come to France.

The paper, which bases it's piece on the latest study by watchdog Cimade, reminds it's readers that the problems are even more acute for African visa seekers.

The reason, and it will be familiar to them as it is to the readers of La Croix, since a similar study was carried out in 2007 and its findings reported in in the paper at the time, is that visa delivery is seen as a way by the French authorities to control immigration and countries such as Mali, Senegal or Algeria are seen as risky from that point of view, the paper explains.

So the French consulates throw up a number of obstacles: high fees (60 euros for a short-term visa), the recourse to private companies that screen applicants, complicated procedures that vary according to countries.

Cimade says the main problem lies in the absence of rules, therefore in the lack of transparency, this despite efforts made by the government in the last few years. Cases of corruption involving consulate staff were denounced as far back as 2007 in a report compiled by a ruling party senator - and, according to La Croix, sleaze still exists.

Apart from the inconvenience it generates for visa applicants, this situation contributes to the growing resentment against France in many parts of Africa, La Croix concludes.

On a lighter note, Le Figaro carries a story on how Zimbabweans launder dirty money. Literally. Since the country adopted the US dollar as its currency to fight hyperinflation that forced printing new Zim dollars every few weeks, greenbacks keep going round till they fall apart. Shopkeepers are so disgusted they refuse taking greasy, sticky notes. So some entrepreunarial souls set up businesses washing the dollars. But all agree - only warm water and soft soap will do.

Soft soap and warm water may well be the panacea for French politicans, as we now return to the Bettencourt affair, as it is modestly called in right-leaning Le Figaro. The affair is in fact a scandal, or rather so far an alleged scandal, since no-one has been convicted, that is rocking the government of President Nicolas Sarkozy.

That through the links between the claimed tax evasion by Liliane Bettencourt, the heiress to the French cosmetics giant L'Oréal, and Eric Woerth, the current Labour minister and ruling party treasurer.

If Le Figaro chooses to stress the reactiveness of the government - today for instance, its headline is: "Fillon goes on the offensive", Fillon being François Fillon, the prime minister. Yesterday, you will remember that the generally pro-government paper had put Eric Woerth himself on the front page, trumpeting his dismissal of all accusations.

But both left-leaning Le Monde and Libération are more direct in their approach. Le Monde does not beat about the bush: "Mr Sarkozy shaken by the Woerth affair", while Libération pulls no punches: "Five questions to Sarkozy", it proudly splashes.

The five questions relate to the information contained in the diaries kept by the former Bettencourt accountant who has come up with more damning allegations. Libé reproduces some of the pages of the document, and even points out they sometimes contradict what the accountant told the police.

But it believes there are five crucial questions raised by the diaries, including whether Eric Woerth received 150,000 euros in cash in 2007 to help finance Nicolas Sarkozy's presidential bid and whether Liliane Bettencourt was given kidglove treatment by the tax authorities.

The animus shown by Libé is in fact part of its defence of the media recently lashed by the government as vultures and dogs for reporting on the Bettencourt and other less than savoury scandals involving the powers that be.

As they say, it never rains, it pours. That's how Eric Woerth must feel, since, as financial Les Echos reports, he is now up against his own UMP colleagues on his proposed reform of workplace councils for businesses with 11 workers or fewer to ease relations between employers and staff. But UMP MPs, backed by France's employers' federation, fear an increase in bureaucracy and have vowed to defeat Eric Woerth's bill.

Communist L'Humanité goes on the attack too, but not a whiff of any of the L'Oréal range there. It hits out at the justice system in France for being soft on the rich and harsh on the poor. In one sentence, the paper sums up the situation as it sees it: "In France, it's better to embezzle millions than steal a bike".

L'Humanité also criticises the under-funding of the justice system that leads to the mishandling of cases, adding to the poor reputation France already has.