Eurotopics.net

Berlin's "red-red-green" senate passed a law on rent control this week freezing rents in the capital for five years. The model is fiercely contested in Germany. Journalists in other countries discuss whether Berlin's example should be followed elsewhere.

On Tuesday night, residents and hotel managers in the northern Greek village of Vrasna prevented around 400 refugees who were being transferred from an overcrowded camp on the island of Samos to the mainland from being housed in local hotels. Protests against migrants also took place elsewhere in Greece, with citizens in Serres blocking the construction of a third refugee centre. Greek media analyse the reasons behind the protests.

The corpse of the former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco has been moved under stringent security measures on Thursday. The remains were exhumed from a major monument near Madrid and reburied in a normal cemetery as the entire procedure was broadcast live on TV. But for commentators this is not the end of the affair.

39 corpses have been found in a lorry northeast of London. The police believe the victims were migrants brought from Bulgaria - presumably via Holyhead in Wales. This route is apparently being increasingly used by human smugglers due to tightened security at other ports. Europe's press discusses the role of EU migration policy in the tragedy.

Carmaker VW has put its plans to open a new plant in Turkey on ice, citing the Turkish offensive in northern Syria. Although the company is still not officially looking for a new location, several countries are positioning themselves as candidates. While media outlets in Romania and Bulgaria openly court VW's favour, those in Croatia are more restrained.

The remains of the former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, who died in 1975, have been transferred to a different site under strict security measures in a move ordered by the Socialist government. They were exhumed from a major monument near Madrid and reburied in a normal cemetery. A triumph over history?