Eurotopics.net

The German Ministry of Transport has secured an exemption from the EU Commission allowing cars with combustion engines to be registered after 2035, provided they are powered by climate-neutral e-fuels. Both the German government's tactics and the content of the exemption meet with criticism in the press.

At Aarhus University Hospital, life-saving operations to treat colon cancer are being pushed back far too long. Instead of the legally stipulated two weeks are patients having to wait up to two months, according to Danish public broadcaster Danmarks Radio. The national press is shocked and fears that the problem could be more widespread.

The EU summit on Thursday was dominated by a topic that was not even officially on the agenda: Germany's opposition to the EU-wide agreement to ban new cars with combustion engines from 2035. Berlin has proposed that cars powered by e-fuels made from water and CO2 should be exempt from the ban. Most commentators are critical of Germany's stance.

The British House of Commons has approved by a large majority the Windsor Framework deal with which London and Brussels aim to resolve the problems that arose in connection with Brexit and Northern Ireland trade arrangements. Former Tory leaders Boris Johnson and Liz Truss voted against the reform negotiated with the EU by their successor Rishi Sunak - as did the Northern Ireland Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Is this the end of the dispute?

French President Macron justified his decision to bypass parliament and push through the controversial pension reform saying it was "a necessity for the country" for which he was prepared to make himself unpopular. Meanwhile, strikes and protests against the changes to the law continue. Europe's press debates where the current division can lead and what could defuse it.