Eurotopics.net

After several years of involvement in European politics, former EU Council President Donald Tusk is returning to the Polish political stage: the liberal Civic Platform (PO) elected him as its provisional leader on Saturday. At the same time, the ruling national conservative PiS confirmed Jarosław Kaczyński as its chairman. Poland's next general election is scheduled for 2023, but there is now speculation about bringing it forward.

With 670 deaths per day, the number of people dying from Covid in Russia has now reached unprecedented levels, in part because of the Delta variant. Yet apart from certain restrictions on border traffic the country has not imposed any stringent containment measures for a year. Vaccination is also making slow progress, with only twelve percent of the population fully vaccinated. What are the reasons and what lies ahead for the country?

After protracted negotiations, the EU has agreed on a reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) that moves towards bringing the allocation of subsidies more in line with social and environmental criteria. Direct subsidies, which make up the largest part of the budget, are to be at least partly tied to certain conditions. Europe's press is unimpressed.

The Mayor of Amsterdam officially apologised for the city's role in the colonial slave trade on Thursday - which marked the anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the Dutch colonies on 1 July 1863. The Netherlands was a major colonial power, particularly during the 17th century. A commission appointed by the government has recommended that the state as a whole apologise. Commentators see this as the very least the country should do.

In Turkey, the foundation stone has been laid for the first bridge across the Istanbul Canal. The 45-kilometre canal is to provide an alternative to the Bosporus as a connection between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. Opponents fear it will cause major damage to the environment while the government argues that it will relieve the pressure on the Bosporus strait and prevent accidents. While the number of vessels using the strait has been in decline for several years, their size and weight are increasing.