Eurotopics.net

Most world leaders have now left the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, while their ministers and negotiators continue to strive for common climate targets. Europe's press discusses who - young activists, democratic institutions or resourceful entrepreneurs - has the power to bring about true change.

No entry without a Covid pass: those who are not vaccinated, recovered or tested are not allowed to enter restaurants or workplaces. In many European countries, for example Italy, this is already a reality. Supporters hail this as an effective measure against the pandemic while opponents reject it as indirect mandatory vaccination.

In Poland, a strict ban on abortions with only very few exceptions has been in place for a year now. Now a pregnant woman in the town of Pszczyna has died after doctors refused to perform an abortion before the foetus's heart had stopped beating. Women's rights activists have launched new protests and hundreds of candles have been lit outside the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw. The press is also shocked.

Sweden's capital region is suffering from a steadily worsening shortage of midwives. On Friday, 26 Stockholm midwives resigned in protest against undignified working conditions and low wages, and more than 100 have resigned so far this year. The provincial government has now signalled its willingness to negotiate. The press also sees urgent need for action.

Republican Glenn Youngkin has been elected the next governor of the US state of Virginia according to preliminary results. The vote is widely seen as an important test of the mood ahead of the midterm elections in the US next year. If the Democrats lose their wafer-thin majority in the Senate, Joe Biden will have little chance of implementing his governmental plans. Europe's press is following the developments with great interest.