Eurotopics.net

The Tokyo Olympic Games open today, and the first competitions have already taken place. IOC President Thomas Bach said the Olympic flame was a symbol of overcoming the pandemic together. But now the competitions are having to take place without spectators and in a dubious host country. Europe's press asks whether holding the event despite everything is the right thing to do.

Berlin and Washington have settled their dispute over Nord Stream 2. The US will withdraw all sanctions in connection with the gas pipeline in return for Germany agreeing to support green energy projects that will make Ukraine less dependent on Russian gas. What does the deal mean for Ukraine, Europe and Washington?

Hungary's Prime Minister Orbán wants to let citizens vote on the controversial anti-LGBT law that has led the EU to launch infringement proceedings against the country. Voters will be asked whether parents' consent should be necessary for sex education and whether minors should have access to information on homosexuality, transsexuality and gender reassignment treatments. All of this has nothing to do with child protection, commentators say.