Eurotopics.net

The Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany's domestic intelligence agency, now views the AfD, currently the largest opposition party in the Bundestag, as a potentially far-right organisation. This means that the entire party can be put under surveillance. So far this has only applied to certain AfD state branches. Most European media outlets welcome the move.

Italy decided on Tuesday to partially tighten its anti-pandemic restrictions. Among other things, all schools in the hard-hit red zones will be closed again. On the same day a Unicef report appeared which documents a huge educational crisis: 168 million children worldwide are currently excluded from classes. Is keeping school closed the right approach?

The Bucharest Tribunal decided on Tuesday that the investigation into police violence against protesters on 10 August 2018 will not be reopened. Tens of thousands of demonstrators had gathered to demand the resignation of the social-liberal government but the police dispersed the peaceful protest using water cannons and tear gas. The national press is disappointed by this legally binding decision.

After Hungary, Slovakia has now also approved Sputnik V, and the governments of Poland and the Czech Republic are openly discussing following suit. Meanwhile Austria and Denmark have set their sights on a vaccination alliance with Israel. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen want to meet with Netanyahu on Thursday. Some observers see such unilateral efforts as reckless; others see no viable alternative for some states.

Just over two months after the transition period ended Brexit is clearly making itself felt in Europe's financial geography: Amsterdam's average daily trading volume has surged from 2.6 to 9.2 billion euros, while that of London has dropped from 17.5 billion to 8.6 billion - among other things because under the current rules EU shares traded in euros must be traded on EU exchanges. Commentators on both sides of the English Channel take a critical view of the trend.

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, was in office for just six years. But in that time he initiated radical changes with his glasnost and perestroika reform policies, which led to detente and rapprochement between the East and West. Commentators take stock on Gorbachev's 90th birthday.