Eurotopics.net

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has condemned Russia for repeatedly arresting Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, ruling that the arrests were politically motivated. Moscow must now pay Navalny roughly 63,000 euros in compensation. What significance does the ruling have for the Russian regime and its opponents?

A Russian court has ordered the opposition online newspaper The New Times to pay a fine of 22.25 million rubles (300,000 euros) for allegedly missing a deadline for handing in a financial report. A campaign for donations has gathered the money to pay the fine, which the small paper couldn't afford, within just a four days. Commentators from Russia and a neighbouring country are delighted.

Latvia will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of its independence on November 18, the last of the three Baltic states to do so after Estonia and Lithuania celebrated theirs. But the country is divided over how to balance revelry and remembrance.

The Italian government has presented its draft budget to the European Commission without modifications. The latter had rejected it three weeks ago and for the first time ever demanded that a member state submit a revised version. In particular the planned increase in public debt to 2.4 percent of the GDP means that the country now faces an excessive deficit procedure. Will the row between Rome and Brussels escalate?

The British cabinet has approved the draft for a Brexit agreement that foresees a two-year transition period during which Britain would remain in the single market and customs union - a solution that has come under heavy fire on the domestic front. While some commentators disagree over whether the deal is good or bad others congratulate the UK on putting on a great show.

Within the space of a few days both Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel have spoken out in favour of a European army. Macron wants independence from the US. Merkel talked of sending a signal that there will never be another war between European countries. A look at the press shows what kind of response the initiative is eliciting in other countries.