Eurotopics.net

The child benefits scandal in the Netherlands has entered a new round: the minutes of cabinet meetings show that the government deliberately withheld important information from parliament and reprimanded MPs who were critical of its conduct. Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who is in the middle of complex coalition negotiations, is now under fire for his understanding of leadership and democracy.

The EU Parliament on Wednesday voted to ratify the EU-UK trade deal which was agreed in December 2020, shortly before the Brexit transition period ended. The Parliament had delayed ratification amid a dispute with London over customs controls in Northern Ireland. Commentators are relieved that despite persistent tensions the wrangling has now come to an end.

A draft institutional framework agreement between the EU and Switzerland has existed since 2018. The aim is to simplify the legal relationship between the two partners, which is currently governed by around 120 individual agreements, but the agreement has yet to be adopted. Now, for the first time, Swiss President Guy Parmelin has publicly stated that "substantial differences" stand in the way.

In an open letter published in the right-wing weekly Valeurs Actuelles, a group of mostly retired generals has called on France's politicians to crack down on anti-racism, Islamism, hatred and "hordes" in the banlieues to stop France from falling apart. The leader of the far-right Rassemblement National, Marine Le Pen, has endorsed their critique. Commentators find the call completely out of line.