Eurotopics.net

The nationalist Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) under President Aleksandar Vučić appears to have won a sweeping victory in snap parliamentary elections in Serbia. Projections put the SNS at 46 percent, with the liberal alliance Serbia Against Violence in second place with 24 percent. The opposition accuses the governing camp of manipulation, including issuing fake passports.

At the EU summit in Brussels, a ruse has paved the way for the start of accession negotiations with Ukraine: Hungary's Prime Minister Orbán left the room during the vote so that the necessary unanimous decision could be reached. Another key decision on more billions in aid for Ukraine has been postponed due to Orbán's continued resistance, however. Brussels and Kyiv have nevertheless hailed the day as historic. Most of Europe's press agrees, albeit less euphorically.

The last two times the Kremlin boss cancelled the traditional annual TV show Direct Line, in which he takes questions from citizens and journalists. But on Thursday, the show was aired for the first time since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. A number of critical questions went unanswered, commentators note.

Austria has softened its stance in the debate on Romania and Bulgaria joining the Schengen area and proposed allowing a partial accession limited to the area of air traffic, dubbed the "Air Schengen" solution, in exchange for tougher controls on migrants. Romanian and Bulgarian commentators discuss whether such a deal is acceptable.