Eurotopics.net

The US consumer protection agency FTC and 46 US state prosecutors are taking legal action to break up Facebook on the grounds that the social network's market position is too dominant and stifles competition. They say the company should sell Instagram and Whatsapp and facilitate access to its programming interfaces and data, and that future acquisitions must subject to advance scrutiny by competition authorities. Not all observers feel the action is justified.

At its summit on Thursday the EU decided to impose new sanctions against Turkey in reaction to Turkey's unauthorised gas explorations off the coast of Cyprus. Individuals and companies involved in the explorations now face entry bans and risk having their assets frozen. However, the EU stopped short of imposing sanctions on entire economic sectors. Commentators say Turkey has got off lightly.

The UN Paris Climate Change Conference (COP21) ended on 12 December 2015. The key decision taken there was the goal of keeping global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius. What was celebrated as a breakthrough in climate policy at the time has yet to produce decisive results, commentators lament. But some also see glimmers of hope.

An incident occurred during the match between Paris St. Germain and Istanbul Başakşehir on Tuesday. After Istanbul's assistant manager Pierre Webó was shown a red card, a referee from Romania used the term "negru" to refer to Webó, who is from Cameroon, while talking to a fellow Romanian. Both teams left the pitch in protest, and the match was postponed to the next day. What does the incident reveal?

In the dispute over the planned EU rule of law mechanism, Germany has negotiated a compromise with Hungary and Poland under which a declaration would be added stressing that member states' "national identity" will be respected. Viktor Orbán is already presenting this as a victory. If the compromise holds it will clear the way for the new EU budget and coronavirus recovery fund. Observers, however, are less than enthusiastic.