Eurotopics.net

After the meeting between Lukashenka and Putin in Sochi, the fate of Belarus remains uncertain. Europe's press agrees that good relations with Russia are vital for the country. At the same time, neither Lukashenka nor the opposition seem to be fitting partners for Moscow.

The EU is drawing up a list of potential sanctions against Turkey in a bid to convince it to restrict gas drilling in the Mediterranean to its own territorial waters. Athens and Nicosia have said they will only agree to sanctions against Belarus at the EU summit on 24 September if sanctions are also imposed on Ankara. What are the reasons for the lenient approach towards Turkey?

During the traditional state opening of parliament on Tuesday, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands presented the government's budget for the next twelve months. Despite the already high level of national debt, Prime Minister Mark Rutte wants to make massive investments and take out new debt in an effort to bring the country's economy through the coronavirus crisis. The press is divided.

Despite the objections of prominent members of the Conservative Party, a government bill in favour of new single market legislation passed its first reading in the House of Commons on Monday with a comfortable majority. The government wants to prevent controls of goods passing between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK provided for in the 2019 agreement. Does this mean a no-deal Brexit is unavoidable?

Many governments have granted themselves special powers in the coronavirus crisis. As the pandemic drags on and autumn threatens to bring new tightened requirements, observers ask: does this exceptional situation justify a concentration of power in the hands of leaders and restrictions on civil rights? Will democracy be the next victim of the pandemic?