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.
Multi-billionaire and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos married Lauren Sánchez in Venice on the weekend in a three-day wedding extravaganza. While the rich and famous guests partied protected by heavy security, there were protests against the mega celebration, which cost an estimated ten million dollars. The Venice authorities defended the event as a PR coup for the lagoon city. Europe's press has been unsparing in its criticism.
A showdown in Budapest on Saturday? Viktor Orbáns government had amended the constitution to create the legal basis for banning Pride marches, invoking the 'protection of children'. However, Budapest's mayor, Gergely Karácsony, has declared the event to be a 'freedom festival' of the city which is not subject to legal provisions on the right of assembly. Numerous guests from abroad are expected.
Zohran Mamdani has won the Democratic primary for the New York mayoral election, making it likely that he will be elected mayor of the largest city in the US in November. The young, progressive politician, who was practically unknown when the campaign began, considers himself a socialist and is calling for affordable rents and free public transport.
According to a study by the Danish Centre for Social Science Research Vive, 28 percent of secondary school teachers and 19 percent of primary school teachers have already tried to avoid dealing with controversial topics in class. This applied above all to topics related to Islam. Commentators are alarmed.
Germany's Federal Administrative Court has lifted the ban on the far-right magazine Compact. The court ruled that although much of its content, including the description of migrants as second-class citizens, violated human dignity and democratic principles, this was not a defining feature of the magazine. Presiding judge Ingo Kraft also emphasised that the constitution guarantees freedom of expression and freedom of the press, even to enemies of freedom.
Israel and Iran appear to be observing the ceasefire announced by Donald Trump on Tuesday after several days of the two countries exchanging rocket fire and unusually harsh criticism of their respective leaders by the US president. Europe's press comments on the display of power from Washington and discusses what should follow.
Romania's new, pro-European government was confirmed by the country's parliament on Monday. In his inaugural speech, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced a harsh austerity programme to tackle the budget deficit, which is the highest within the EU. A reduction in public sector staffing, caps on civil servants' salaries and the rollback of privileges are the agenda, as well as increased investments in healthcare and education.
