Eurotopics.net

The new school year began in almost all European countries in the last few weeks. Everywhere there were fierce debates about whether and to what extent schools could go back to normal despite the pandemic. Europe's commentators reflect on a far from smooth return to school.

A huge fire has destroyed most of the Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, leaving thousands of inhabitants homeless. More than 12,000 asylum seekers were living in the camp, which was designed to accommodate 2,800 people and had recently recorded its first cases of coronavirus. Politicians wanted Moria to act as a deterrent, commentators conclude, and see the disaster as a further symbol of Europe's failure on migration policy.

The pharmaceutical company Astra Zeneca has suspended a clinical trial of a Covid-19 vaccine after one of the participants came down with an unexplained illness. An independent party is investigating whether the illness is related to the serum, the company reported. Europe's commentators see this cautious approach as a good sign rather than a disappointment.

The new school year in Turkey started exclusively online at the end of August. Although the plan is for all schoolchildren to return to school on September 21, it seems that for the time being only preschools and first grade classes will have in-person lessons, with all other classes continuing with online learning. Commentators are alarmed.

So far Russia has been reticent with respect to the protests in Belarus, but observers now see signs of growing support for Lukashenka in Moscow. Commentators question whether this is the right strategy given the broad-based mobilisation against the Belarusian leader and speculate on future relations in the region.