Eurotopics.net

Poland's newly elected Sejm convened for the first time on Monday. At the constituent meeting, the new parliamentary majority appointed centrist politician Szymon Hołownia as its speaker. Last week, President Andrzej Duda tasked the PiS with forming a government despite the apparent impossibility of it reaching a coalition agreement. Commentators analyse the new situation.

Slovakia's new government under Robert Fico has announced it will no longer provide Ukraine with state military aid. Fico is thus making good on one of his campaign promises. Commercial enterprises will not be banned from providing support, however. Slovak press commentators see the decision as a mistake.

At a special summit in Riyadh, the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League called for an immediate end to "Israeli aggression" in Gaza and an international peace conference. Syria's demand to break off relations with Israel was not accepted. Saudi Arabia had previously rejected a proposal by Iran to impose an oil embargo on the country. Commentators analyse the situation.

Spain's conservative Popular Party (PP) mobilised hundreds of thousands of people against the planned amnesty law on Sunday. The law is to be introduced to the Spanish parliament this week and among other things enable Pedro Sánchez's PSOE to form a coalition government with the leftist alliance Sumar and the Catalan pro-independence parties Junts and ERC. The party leaders must deal judiciously with this delicate situation, commentators warn.

Over a hundred thousand people took to the streets in Paris and other French cities on Sunday to protest against rising antisemitism. The participation of right-wing populist Marine Le Pen was criticised, as was the absence of President Emmanuel Macron and the left-wing populist party La France Insoumise. Commentators voice dissatisfaction.