Eurotopics.net

A draft institutional framework agreement between the EU and Switzerland has existed since 2018. The aim is to simplify the legal relationship between the two partners, which is currently governed by around 120 individual agreements, but the agreement has yet to be adopted. Now, for the first time, Swiss President Guy Parmelin has publicly stated that "substantial differences" stand in the way.

In an open letter published in the right-wing weekly Valeurs Actuelles, a group of mostly retired generals has called on France's politicians to crack down on anti-racism, Islamism, hatred and "hordes" in the banlieues to stop France from falling apart. The leader of the far-right Rassemblement National, Marine Le Pen, has endorsed their critique. Commentators find the call completely out of line.

French police on Wednesday arrested seven Italians who were formerly active in left-wing terrorist organisations, mainly the Red Brigades, and now plans to extradite them to Italy. In 1985, French President François Mitterrand offered them asylum on the grounds that they would not get a fair trial in Italy. This policy became known as the Mitterrand doctrine. Commentators suspect this was a concession by Macron to Draghi.

This Friday Joe Biden will complete 100 days in office as President of the United States. While at the beginning of his term he focused on getting the Covid crisis under control through mass vaccination and a rescue plan, he is now making his mark with plans for major government investments and tax hikes for the rich. Commentators are for the most part impressed.