A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran has been in place since 24 June. There are contradictory statements about the damage to Iranian nuclear facilities and the whereabouts of the enriched uranium. Tehran has temporarily suspended its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Europe's press analyses the situation.

Violent clashes between the police and demonstrators broke out on Saturday after tens of thousands of people again took to the streets of the Serbian capital Belgrade to protest against Aleksandar Vučić's government and demand early parliamentary elections. The rallies which started after the Novi Sad railway station tragedy on 1 November 2024, in which 16 people died, have gone on for eight months now.

Krister Thelin, a former judge appointed as a special investigator, has advised the Swedish government not to impose a nationwide ban on begging which the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats in particular had pushed for. After nine months of research, Thelin concluded that local bans suffice. Begging is already on the decline in Sweden, mainly due to the fact that people use less cash. The national press debates the pros and cons of a begging ban.

According to the organisers nearly 200,000 people took part in this year's Budapest Pride - far more than in previous marches. Around 70 MEPs also joined the ranks of those demonstrating for LGBTQ rights. Budapest's mayor had framed the event as a municipal 'freedom festival' to foil the Orbán government's attempts to ban it. Commentators shed light on the political aspects.

Millions of euros in EU agricultural subsidies are said to have been illegally siphoned off in Greece. The EU Public Prosecutor's Office speaks of an 'organised fraud scheme' which involved the Greek state subsidy agency OPEKEPE. Migration Minister Makis Voridis, who was agriculture minister during the period in question, and three state secretaries resigned on Friday. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has announced new control mechanisms and a zero-tolerance policy towards clientelism.

At this week's summit in The Hague, the Nato member states agreed to boost their defence spending to the five percent of GDP demanded by Donald Trump in the medium term. In return, the US president reaffirmed the US's commitment to mutual defence as stipulated in Article 5 of the Nato treaty. The war in Ukraine was only a side issue this time round. Commentators are at odds over how much the alliance's newfound unity is worth.