Eurotopics.net

For the second time Switzerland has let its population vote on coronavirus measures - the only country in the world to do so. Around 62 percent voted in favour of retaining the Covid-19 certificate and hence the 3G policy [vaccinated, tested, recovered] for visits to restaurants, public buildings and events. The vote should give opponents of the measures food for thought, the nation's press believes.

A Turkish court on Friday extended the imprisonment of philantrophist Osman Kavala, who has already been in prison for four years. The European Court of Human Rights has long been calling for his release. Turkey now faces expulsion from the Council of Europe, with proceedings set to begin next week.

Twenty-seven people, including several children, drowned trying to cross the English Channel to the UK on Wednesday, most of them refugees from Iraq and Iran. This is the largest single loss of life in the English Channel since the UN migration agency IOM started recording data in 2014. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the incident shocking and promised even tougher action against smugglers. Commentators are adamant that this is not enough.

Germany's first "traffic light" governing coalition comprising the SPD, the Greens and the FDP has unveiled its coalition agreement, and the future cabinet is also taking shape. The press discusses what Europe's capitals can expect from social democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Green Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and the liberal FDP Finance Minister Christian Lindner.

The Romanian parliament elected the former defence minister and retired general Nicolae Ciucă as the new prime minister on Thursday. His predecessor Florin Cîțu was removed from office in October. Ciucă heads a three-party coalition of his national liberal PNL, the social democratic PSD and the Hungarian party UDMR. The two major coalition partners, the PNL and the PSD, were bitter opponents until only recently.