The EU Commission has initiated the ratification process for its free trade agreement with the South American Mercosur states. The deal has been under negotiation since 1999. New safeguard clauses for agricultural products have been introduced to overcome any remaining opposition before the deal is put to vote at the national and European level. If it comes into force, the agreement will create one of the largest free-trade zones in the world.
Parliamentary elections are scheduled for early October in the Czech Republic. The polls give former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and his right-wing populist party ANO (Czech for "Yes") a clear lead. The party recently presented its election programme, in which it promises Czechs a better life without explaining how it intends to finance this. Czech commentators are critical.
At the SCO summit in Tianjin and the military parade in Beijing, China has presented itself as an emerging world power with strong allies. While relations with the US are tense in the West, Europe is finding it increasingly difficult to assert its position in the world. Commentators assess the risks the continent faces and its ability to stand on its own two feet.
In the Google antitrust lawsuit that began five years ago, a US court has ruled that in future the IT giant's parent company Alphabet will have to share data from its search engine with competitors but it doesn't have to be split up, and neither the browser Chrome nor the operating system Android have to be sold. Commentators examine the ramifications for Europe's digital policy.
Parliamentary elections will be held in Hungary in April 2026. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party have been in power since 2010 and still have a two-thirds majority in parliament, as in previous legislative periods, but now they face a serious challenge from Péter Magyar and his Tisza party. Founded only last year, Magyar and his party are currently ahead in the polls.
Two days after the SCO summit in Tianjin, China celebrated the 80th anniversary of the signing of Japan's surrender with a massive military parade on Wednesday. Eighty years after the end of the Second World War, the world is once again faced with the choice between war and peace, said China's President Xi Jinping. Russian leader Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong-un were among those present. Europe's press takes stock.
Commissioned by Sweden's conservative government, history professor and author Lars Trädgårdh has put together and presented a proposal for a Swedish "cultural canon": a list of 100 major achievements in the areas of literature, theatre, cinema, music, religion, business and inventions. Sweden's press is divided over the significance and purpose of the list.
Swiss food company Nestlé has dismissed its CEO Laurent Freixe with immediate effect just one year after he took office. Freixe was dismissed for having an undisclosed 'romantic relationship' with a female employee who reported directly to him, according to the company. The board of directors saw this as a clear violation of Nestlé's code of conduct and internal guidelines.
The leaders of China, Russia and India have sent a pointed message of unity at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Tianjin. Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi spoke at length in private and walked hand in hand towards their host Xi Jinping, who gave them a very warm welcome. Europe's press sees the united front as a reaction to White House policies.
An airplane carrying EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was unable to land as planned in Bulgaria on Sunday because the signal from the GPS satellite navigation system was disrupted as it approached Plovdiv Airport. It was able to land safely a little later using conventional navigation technology. The EU Commission, the Bulgarian authorities and the media all suspect Russian jamming was behind the disruption.
Andriy Parubiy, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, was shot dead in broad daylight in Lviv on Saturday. He became a well-known figure in 2014 as commander of the Maidan self-defence forces and served as the Ukrainian parliament's chairman from 2016 to 2019. A local suspect was arrested a day and a half after the killing. Investigators now say there are indications that Russian intelligence services were involved.
Since Donald Trump took office in January, the democratic world has been watching the US with growing concern. In view of the Republican majority in both chambers of Congress, a Supreme Court most of whose judges are pro-Trump and the barrage of open attacks on the judiciary and other independent institutions many fear for the separation of powers, with commentators already talking about the end of democracy in the US.