Eurotopics.net

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has ended his controversial visit to the People's Republic of China. While he was able to induce head of state Xi Jinping to speak out against the use of nuclear weapons "in Eurasia", he only broached the subject of human rights abuses against the Uyghurs in passing. Commentators' take mixed views of the results.

The 27-year-old MEP Jordan Bardella has replaced Marine Le Pen as leader of the Rassemblement National (RN). It is the first time in the 50-year history of the right-wing populist party that it will not be led by a member of the Le Pen family. Commentators believe the change of leader is only on paper, however.

The 27th UN Climate Change Conference begins on Monday in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The last summit in Glasgow ended with a call for countries to revise their climate targets, but only 24 of the 193 members of the Paris Agreement have submitted new plans or updated them since then. Commentators debate possible solutions, but also the sense and nonsense of such conferences.

On her first trip abroad as Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni visited Brussels. When she was leader of the opposition she focused on confrontation with the EU, but now she has announced that her country wants to play a greater role in Europe. What to make of these moderate tones?