The EU Commission has set a new climate protection target: a 90 percent reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions, compared to 1990 levels, by 2040. As of 2036, EU member states will be able to purchase up to three percentage points of their reduction target with credits from environmental projects in countries outside the EU. These "international credits" in particular are a source of controversy in Europe's press.
At a time when developing countries are struggling with massive debt and industrialised nations are cutting aid budgets, how can development cooperation continue? This is the question that dominated the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development which ended on Thursday in Seville. The US, which has scrapped more than 80 percent of USAID projects under Trump, didn't even send a delegation.
Relations between Russia and Azerbaijan have nosedived after several Azerbaijanis were arrested in Yekaterinburg on Sunday for murders committed many years ago. Two of those arrested were found dead shortly afterwards - according to Baku as a result of severe physical abuse. In retaliation, several Russians - including employees of the Russian state broadcaster Sputnik - were arrested in Baku and subjected to brutal treatment. What is fuelling the conflict?
Romania's new prime minister, Ilie Bolojan, has announced major cuts to scholarships at schools and universities. According to statistics from the Ministry of Education, almost one in two secondary school pupils has received a grant of around 90 euros per month in recent years for good grades. The criteria for receiving these merit-based scholarships, as well as those allocated to disadvantaged pupils, are now to be tightened.
Europe is sweltering as temperatures hit record levels of more than 40 degrees Celsius in some places. Wildfires are spreading, rivers and lakes are drying up, crops are withering, and particularly for the sick and elderly the heat poses a major health risk. Commentators examine existential questions.
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.
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.