Important topics were on the agenda at the German-Polish government consultations. But relations between the two countries remain strained. This is the debate of the week for #Poland from correspondent Leo Mausbach. ▶️ eurotopics.net/en/349335

The EU is moving toward loosening labeling rules for genetically modified foods. The European press sees opportunities – and risks 🔽

The European Central Bank (ECB) opposes releasing frozen Russian funds to Ukraine, citing legal concerns. ECB President Christine Lagarde stated that they want to help Ukraine but do not want to violate EU treaties. The European press has reacted with mixed opinions🔽

A seal of approval for trustworthy media in #France, awarded by experts? #Macron adopts Reporters Without Borders' proposal to fight fake news. Not all commentators agree this is a good idea. 🔽

Former EU foreign policy chief and current head of the College of Europe in Bruges, Federica Mogherini, is under investigation for corruption over alleged secret deals tied to an EU-funded degree program. What are the consequences of this scandal? 🔽

The EU Commission apparently wants to reverse the ban on combustion engine vehicles from 2035. Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas stated in an interview that he is “open to all technologies.” What are the consequences if the EU changes its plan? 🔽

Israeli Prime Minister #Netanyahu has asked President Herzog for a #pardon. Here's how the European press is reacting 🔽

Yesterday, Berlin hosted the 17th German-Polish government consultations. The press is now asking why neighborly relations still haven't fully flourished. 🔽

Is Ukraine on the path to peace? Representatives from the US and Ukraine met in Miami to discuss Trump's plan. US negotiator Steve Witkoff plans to meet with Putin in Moscow. What are the chances of an agreement?

In Ukraine, Zelensky's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, has also resigned in connection with the corruption scandal in the energy sector. What consequences will this have for the president and his political future? 🔽

Britain’s finance minister Rachel Reeves presented her budget, combining tax increases with more child subsidies and less debt. @telegraph.co.uk mourns the end of an era. 🗞️ The press review: www.eurotopics.net/en/349181

France is introducing voluntary military service. There will be no conscription for the time being, President Emmanuel Macron said. The country must take a different path, argues Pascal Mazet, Communist member of the Occitania Regional Council in @humanite.fr. www.eurotopics.net/en/349180

US President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff gave an advisor to Russian President Putin tips on how to win Trump’s favour, according to Bloomberg. Forum24 says it’s unlikely that Witkoff will face consequences. 📰 The press review: www.eurotopics.net/en/349105

Ceaușescu is making a comeback on TikTok with nostalgic videos praising the former dictator. @ro.rfi.fr sees conspiracy theories at play, especially among Romanians living abroad. 📰 The press review: www.eurotopics.net/en/349110

A woman or girl is killed by a family member or intimate partner every ten minutes, according to a UN report. Adevărul remembers the 51 women who have died as a result of femicide in Romania this year. 📰 The press review: www.eurotopics.net/en/349022

🍪 Fewer cookie clicks ahead? 💻 The EU is moving to simplify AI and privacy laws, a shift facing criticism as it would also let companies use Europeans’ personal data to train AI models. @irishexaminer.bsky.social calls for close scrutiny of the proposal. 🗞️ The press review ⬇️

European citizens and farmers’ associations, as well MEPs have protested against the EU-Mercosur trade agreement. @antoine-oger.bsky.social in @lemonde.fr calls both the agreement and the EU’s revised climate targets short-sighted. 🗞️ The press review: www.eurotopics.net/en/347979

COP30 ended on Saturday in Belém, Brazil without concrete targets for moving away from fossil fuels. Other issues are dominating the headlines right now, but sooner or later the reality of the climate crisis will catch up with the world, Milliyet comments.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke of a “tremendous amount of progress” after meeting with representatives from Ukraine in Geneva. It’s time to get the Ukrainian people involved, argues Jornal de Notícias. 🗞️ www.eurotopics.net/en/348866

🍟🍕 Ultra-processed foods are everywhere. Writing in The Lancet, scientists call on governments and society to do more to promote a diet based on fresh and minimally processed foods. Tough action is needed, says @lemonde.fr. www.eurotopics.net/en/348778

The US-Russian plan for Ukraine has now been presented to Kyiv. Normally both Ukraine and Europe would react with a resounding no, but the situation has changed to Ukraine’s disadvantage, observes SRF. 🗞️ www.eurotopics.net/en/348701

On World Children’s Rights Day, commentators discuss why birth rates continue to decline and Europe’s societies face ageing demographics. HuffPost Greece paints a dark picture for coming generations. 🗞️ www.eurotopics.net/en/348702

US and Russian officials have drawn up a 28-point plan to end the war in Ukraine, with no representatives of Ukraine or the EU present, according to media reports. @telegraph.co.uk charges the Trump administration with hypocrisy. 📰 www.eurotopics.net/en/348701

Opposition forces in Ukraine have called for the government to resign amid the ongoing corruption scandal in the country’s energy sector. Mykola Kniazhytskyi, MP for the party European Solidarity, calls for a government of national unity in Espreso. 📰 www.eurotopics.net/en/348626

The UN Security Council has endorsed US President Trump’s Gaza peace plan, opening the way for the deployment of an international force. Far from UN headquarters in New York, @elpais.com looks at the dreadful state of affairs in the Gaza Strip. 🗞️ www.eurotopics.net/en/348624

Polish intelligence is investigating a bombing attack on a railway line linking Poland and Ukraine. Russian aggression has crossed Poland’s borders, claims @mszuldrzynski.bsky.social in @rp.pl. 🗞️ The press review: www.eurotopics.net/en/348555

Britain has announced plans to tighten its asylum policy. The country is not alone in Europe in shifting to the right, Le Quotidien observes. 🗞️ The press review: www.eurotopics.net/en/348553

Sanna Marin has released her autobiography entitled Hope in Action – A Memoir About The Courage To Lead. To @hs.fi, Marin’s book is not a touching bedtime story, but it is inspiring. 📰 www.eurotopics.net/en/348484

Spanish dictator Francisco Franco died 50 years ago this week. The past is still omnipresent and Franco’s ideological heirs are lying in wait, observes @alainmo.bsky.social, lawyer and descendant of Spanish Republicans, in @humanite.fr. 📰 www.eurotopics.net/en/348483

Conservatives joined forces with the far right in the European Parliament to water down the EU supply chain act. The EPP found a fatal alliance at the expense of the climate, Il Manifesto criticises. 🗞️ The press review: www.eurotopics.net/en/348410

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu is facing up to 2,430 years in prison. Beyond the months of accusations levelled by the pro-government media there appear to be no new findings against Imamoğlu, writes @mustafabalbayy.bsky.social in @cumhuriyetgazetesi.bsky.social. 📰 www.eurotopics.net/en/348343

This week France remembers the victims of the attacks in Paris on 13 November 2015. A decade on, the country has not surrendered to terror, @hamdammostafavi.bsky.social comments in @liberation.fr. 📰 The press review: www.eurotopics.net/en/348342

The anti-corruption agencies President Zelensky of Ukraine tried to disarm in the summer have uncovered a large corruption network, reportedly involving his close associates. Zelensky is under pressure from all sides, notes Corriere della Sera. 📰 www.eurotopics.net/en/348267

President Trump welcomed Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa to the White House, praising the former rebel leader, once wanted by the US as a terrorist. @nzz.ch praises Trump’s unorthodox Middle East policy as the best chance for the region. 📰 www.eurotopics.net/en/348266

President Trump has threatened to sue the BBC over allegations that it misleadingly edited a speech he gave shortly before the storming of the Capitol. @sebastianborger.bsky.social @derstandard.at calls for more transparency and self-criticism from the BBC. 🗞️ www.eurotopics.net/en/348131

The BBC’s Director General, Tim Davie, and its CEO of News, Deborah Turness, have resigned amid allegations of manipulative coverage of a speech by Donald Trump. @janemartinson.bsky.social in @theguardian.com sees behind the row a political campaign against the BBC. eurotopics.net/en/348131

Hungary has been exempted from the US sanctions against Russia’s energy sector. Népszava says this concession has cost the US president dearly. 🗞️ The press review: www.eurotopics.net/en/348129

Does Zohran Mamdani’s election as Mayor of New York carry lessons for Europe? The European left must find its own vision, La Repubblica argues. 🗞️ www.eurotopics.net/en/348054

COP30 begins on Monday in Belém, Brazil. Ahead of the conference, five young scientists issued a stark warning against inaction @elpais.com. 🗞️ The press review: www.eurotopics.net/en/348053

The Swiss #Ringier group has sold Hungary’s leading newspaper, Blikk, to the pro-Orbán Indamedia. Newsrooms in Hungary operate increasingly as partisan groups and the sale of #Blikk won’t make things better, writes Magyar Narancs. 🗞️ eurotopics.net/en/347981

EU countries have agreed to stick to their 2040 emission goal, but with flexibilities in the form of carbon credits. @axelbojanowski.bsky.social in Die Welt says the EU needs a new climate strategy as long as its competitors refuse to commit to ambitious goals. 🗞️ www.eurotopics.net/en/347979

Shein has opened its first store in France. The success of the fast-fashion model says less about China’s strength than about our own weakness, @ddemeeus.bsky.social argues in @lalibre.be. 🗞️ www.eurotopics.net/en/347894

Zohran Mamdani has been elected mayor of New York City. For @yangxifan.bsky.social in @zeit.de, the outcome contains an important lesson: frustrated voters can swing both ways. 🗞️ The press review: www.eurotopics.net/en/347889

Andrej Babiš is one step closer to returning to power in the Czech Republic after his party signed a coalition agreement. The coalition partners are busy securing support and excusing any failures in advance, Český rozhlas comments. 🗞️ www.eurotopics.net/en/347820

New York elects a new mayor today with the Democrat Zohran Mamdani leading in the polls. Today, the city can demonstrate the strength of an open, humane United States, @marcusrubin.bsky.social comments in @politiken.dk. 🗞️ The press review: www.eurotopics.net/en/347818

King Charles has stripped his scandal-ridden brother Andrew of all his royal titles and evicted him from his residence in Windsor. @theguardian.com says Britain’s relationship with the royals needs a reset. 🗞️ www.eurotopics.net/en/347755

Tens of thousands gathered in Novi Sad, Serbia on Saturday to mark the first anniversary of the train station disaster, which claimed 16 lives. For Jutarnji list, the protests lack a commitment to European values. 📰 www.eurotopics.net/en/347752

The US plans to withdraw some of its soldiers from Romania. In reaction, Bucharest is sounding reassuring but press commentaries reflect a sense of foreboding. This is not the first alarming signal from the Pentagon, notes @tygodnikpolityka.bsky.social. 🗞️ www.eurotopics.net/en/347671

Liberals and right-wing populists finished neck and neck in yesterday’s Dutch parliamentary election. After a failed experiment with the far-right PVV in government, voters have decided to give the political centre another chance, @nrc.nl concludes. 🗞️ www.eurotopics.net/en/347577

Xi Jinping and Donald Trump have agreed a truce in the China-US trade dispute But the success of the summit will not change the nature of relations between the two countries, writes @publico.pt. 🗞️ www.eurotopics.net/en/347590