Eurotopics.net

At their Open Balkan meeting on Thursday, the Prime Ministers of North Macedonia and Albania Zoran Zaev and Edi Rama as well as Serbia's President Aleksandar Vučić decided to end border controls between the three countries beginning 1 January 2023. This means the "Mini-Schengen" on the Western Balkans is continuing to take shape - in contrast to joining the EU, as commentators emphasise.

In Spain, the deadline for legislation passed in May that forces delivery services like Deliveroo, Glovo and Uber Eats to employ all their deliverers on a regular employee contract expires on 12 August. At present these companies' "riders" work on a false self-employment basis, as a court had previously ruled. Deliveroo's announcement that it is leaving Spain triggers diverging reactions in the national media.

Since Alexander Lukashenka decided to stop preventing migration flows in protest at EU sanctions, such a large number of refugees have arrived in Lithuania that Vilnius has declared a state of emergency and massively increased border patrols. The country - only two percent of whose population are foreigners - is now also seeing protests. Commentators urge caution and call for support.

Unesco has added several European regions and places to its World Heritage List, including Romania's Roșia Montana area and a beech forest in the Czech Jizera Mountains. Commentators discuss whether this will encourage tourism and whether that is at all desirable.

Starting August 6, only those with a "green pass" will be able to dine in restaurants and participate in indoor public events in Italy. Other states in Europe are also making proof of vaccination a prerequisite for participation in public life. While some commentators see Covid passes as indispensable in the fight against the pandemic, others fear they will divide societies.