Cover story: Hysteric society. BSE, the death of the boy Joseph - the Germans are in a state of constant agitation.

"Nothing Will Grow on Its Own"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with German chancellor Gerhard Schröder on the reforms within the EU, the summit in Nice and the significance in politics of personal relations between heads of state and government:

"Germany wants the number of majority decisions to be significantly increased. We are very keen that no area should be exempt. We are also willing to make concessions to this end. If others move, Germany will move as well. … If Nice failed, this would have consequences for the truly historic dimension that those things that belong together in Europe are now growing together. But they won't grow together on their own in Europe. And for that reason, Nice must not fail and it won't fail either. … Franco-German relations rest of firm foundations. They are by now completely independent of the political rulers and of their personal sympathies or antipathies. … The relationship between the acting individuals must never be permitted to become a factor in the relationship between the people as a whole. The individuals can quickly change."

In-depth interview with DaimlerChrysler boss Jürgen Schrempp on the Chrysler crisis and the billion dollar lawsuit filed by major shareholder Kirk Kerkorian

Report on Germany's most successful young entrepreneur Thomas Haffa, founder of EM-TV, his unprecedented rise and hard fall.

"A Completely New Way of Flying"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with Airbus boss Noël Forgeard on the opportunities for the new mammoth plane A3XX, the contest between the two manufacturing sites Toulouse and Hamburg, and the future of the aircraft manufacturer:

"I am certain that passengers will accept the new aircraft. We have carried out extensive market research and questioned frequent fliers. Their suggestions have been taken into account in the layout and internal fittings for the new plane. Besides, the step from the Boeing 747 to the A3XX is not actually that big. … For a large-scale project like the A3XX it is enormously important to minimise the risks and to carry out the work where there is the most know-how. The centre of competence for assembling new aircraft is undoubtedly Toulouse, and nowhere else. Hamburg is traditionally the focus of competence for the interior fittings of the aircraft. And that is becoming more and more important. … I believe that there is going to be a breakthrough in cabin equipment within the next five years. Five years from now you will find the inside of aeroplanes full of electronic devices that are still inconceivable today. Internet access will be taken for granted, everyone will be able to use their laptop."

"Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton"

Interview with political strategist and election campaign expert Dick Morris on the Florida vote-counting debacle, and the influence of money and the Internet on future presidential elections:

"The electoral college that is supposed to carry out the appointment of the president is totally outdated and has got to be abolished. … George Bush is going to move into the White House, which is what I predicted from the start. … The future of US elections belongs to the Internet. With electronic voting there are no ambiguous ballot cards, no incompletely punched chads. And counting takes all of 30 seconds on the Internet, instead of 3 weeks like in Florida. … The sequence of American presidents at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century could well be: Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton. I am sure that Hillary will run for presidency one day."

"The Consequences Are Fatal"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with writer Henning Mankell on the social changes in Sweden, Europe's identity crisis and the advance of racism and militant xenophobia:

"Wallander is very worried, and that's true of me as well. But why shouldn't it be possible to be seriously concerned and at the same time optimistic? … Like many others, Wallander is seeking a new identity. He tries to understand what is happening in Europe today and where the developments will end, for instance the consequences of globalisation. … Most of the violence that we are experiencing today stems from the frustration of the young people who feel rejected or neglected by society. They can't find jobs, they attend poor schools, they are losing the sense of being needed by society. They feel superfluous. And then we are surprised by the consequences they draw from that. … I have always considered myself a member of the left, and have believed in its ideals. In the good days that used to be within the framework of social democracy, nowadays it tends to be outside."

"Haider's Friends in Lega-Land"

Italy: South of the Alps the economy is booming - but so is crime. The right-wing populist party Lega Nord, with its xenophobic slogans, is presenting itself as a force of order. Soon it could help to rule in Rome.

"Playing the Dumb Card"

E-commerce: Although the business is prohibited, Internet pharmacies are nevertheless supplying cheap pills to Germany. Health insurance companies and the companies themselves are fighting for the legalisation of the trade. Unless the laws are changed, the legal battle is likely to drag on for years.

"The Pope as an Exorcist"

Church: Jewish and Catholic scientists have put the Vatican in a tight spot, by demanding that it hands over records about Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust. But until now all the records in the Papal archives since 1922 have been hermetically locked away.

"A Bend in the Buffer"

Railways: Can crumple zones help to save railway passengers in a collision? The German railway company is trying to improve the safety of its trains using crash tests on a test track in Poland.

"I Was Elfriede"

SPIEGEL interview with film star Gottfried John on his vagabond days with his hippie mother, the chaotic life working in German author-director films and his excursions into Hollywood cinema:

"There are farmers and nomads. We were the nomads. My mother had a couple of bags with all her belongings. We hitch-hiked from one town to the next, and had to fend for ourselves. And somehow she always managed to feed us. … I really did think all directors were like Fassbinder or Neuenfels. But in productions like the Bond film "Goldeneye", everything is much more chilly and conventional, almost middle-class. It has to be, with those huge budgets. For me that isn't as exciting. But the French had the courage when they were making their film version of Asterix to cast me as Caesar, which was an agreeable experience."

"Attentive Siege"

Housing: Old traditions are being revived in new luxury apartments. Doormen are returning, intended to guard and serve the occupants. More and more new apartment houses for wealthy people in Hamburg, Frankfurt and in particular Berlin are being modelled on the pattern of old middle class homes - and the occupants voluntarily submit to social control, even paying for it.

"The New Run on Advances"

Literary Business: A desperate distribution battle is raging on the German book market. Publishers are snatching away each other's authors by offering them spectacular fees, negotiated by shrewd agents. The surprising thing is that young German talents are in high demand: preferably young, good-looking and telegenic.