Eurotopics.net

Turkey's Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu threatened in a speech he delivered in Polatlı to have German tourists suspected of being against the Turkish government arrested at airports. Following reports in German media about the speech Ankara has stressed that Soylu's words were taken out of context. What are the consequences of the speech, and how should Germany respond?

The burning of a papier-mâché puppet that is supposed to represent the person who is blamed for all the bad things that happened in the past year is a carnival tradition in Croatia. This year, however, a puppet representing Milorad Pupovac, the leader of the party of the Serb minority, was set on fire, triggering an uproar - and a debate about the tradition. Is the symbolic burning of a political figure during carnival morally acceptable?

In this year's Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index Spain came first of all the countries in the world. The index ranks 169 countries according to criteria such as life expectancy, causes of death, diet and quality of the healthcare system and water. Spanish commentators see Spain's success as an incentive to maintain this lifestyle, while the Portuguese are puzzled by the results.

The news that Poland exported tons of meat from illegally slaughtered sick animals to other EU states has largely disappeared from the headlines. Not so in the Czech Republic. After salmonella was detected in beef the country announced that Polish meat would be subjected to inspection in laboratories until mid-March. How will the scandal effect Poland's meat market?

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a fresh start for Europe, with member states working together more closely on matters of security, trade and social policy. His guest commentary appeared in leading newspapers across all 28 EU member states. The opinion pages are reverberating - with both positive and negative responses.