The leaders of the Nato member states will convene in Turkey on Tuesday and Wednesday for a summit of the defence alliance. A glance at the commentaries shows that in addition to addressing the future of Ukraine and its stance vis-à-vis Russia and in the war in Iran, the defence alliance is also expected to redefine the relationship between the US and Europe.
As of this Monday there are no more printed daily newspapers dealing with political topics in Hungary. Magyar Nemzet, a newspaper with close ties to the former Fidesz government, will be published only as a weekly from now on, and the left-wing daily Népszava is also discontinuing its daily print edition. Népszava had been criticised for running state advertising under the Orbán regime in recent years, but after the change of government this came to an end.
The arrest of stand-up comedian Deniz Göktaş has caused a stir in Turkey. The Public Prosecutor's Office has accused him of denigrating religious values and insulting the president. A video of Göktaş's last performance reached around ten million views last week. Göktaş rejected the allegations in court, defending his work as satire. His lawyer criticised the investigators for taking certain passages out of context.
The leaders of the governing coalition in Berlin have agreed on a comprehensive reform package. The 34 measures in areas such as taxation, the pension system, labour law, innovation and red-tape reduction are intended to boost the economy and stabilise German society. "We want to get Germany back on its feet," stressed Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The media take stock.
As of July 1, customs duties are being levied on parcels of goods from non-EU countries worth less than 150 euros. These will be subject to a fixed fee of three euros per item type. Until now, such parcels had enjoyed an exemption. The tariffs are expected to hit online retailers selling cheap goods such as Temu and Shein particularly hard. Commentators debate whether this will strengthen the European economy and drive out discount retailers.
In a 927-page statement published on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump declared earnings of 2.2 billion dollars for 2025 – 3.5 times more than in the year before his second mandate began. More than 1.4 billion dollars comes from his family's cryptocurrency dealings. The news triggers a wave of disapproval in Europe's press.
Despite urgent warnings from Pope Leo XIV, the ultra-conservative Society of St Pius X in Switzerland has consecrated four bishops without the Pope's approval – an act by which those involved incur automatic excommunication and which triggers a schism within the Catholic Church. Commentators discuss how deep the rift goes.
The European Commission plans to amend the rules on the admission of Ukrainian war refugees from spring 2027, and has proposed that Ukrainian men of military age who arrive in the EU should no longer be automatically entitled to protection, although they would retain the right to apply for asylum. In Ukraine, military-age men are subject to an exit ban.
The law stipulating that anyone born in the US is automatically granted citizenship will remain valid. Donald Trump wanted to change this and, in a symbolic move, issued an executive order to that effect on the very first day of his second term as US President. Now a Supreme Court ruling has put a stop to his plan. Europe's press sees this and other decisions by the Supreme Court as a measure of the state of democracy in the US.