Eurotopics.net

The oldest French nuclear power plant to date, Fessenheim in Alsace, was taken off the grid on June 30. Critics had argued for decades that the nuclear power plant, which went into operation in 1977, posed a major safety risk. German politicians and environmental activists welcomed the decommissioning of the plant, but many employees and residents fiercely opposed it. German and French commentators are also divided.

The announced reconversion of the Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque has met with international criticism. After a court ruling, President Erdoğan on Friday signed a decree stipulating that the building will now be used as a mosque. Unesco now intends to re-examine the building's status as a world heritage site. Journalists say the controversy is only just beginning and that Erdoğan may have bitten off more than he can chew.

Andrzej Duda has won Poland's presidential election. In the second round on July 12 the conservative incumbent received 51.03 percent of the vote, narrowly beating his rival Rafał Trzaskowski, the liberal mayor of Warsaw, who secured 48.97 percent. This neck-and-neck race will have major repercussions - even beyond Poland's borders, commentators say.

After considerable wrangling, the UN Security Council has approved an extension of cross-border humanitarian aid to Syria. A 2014 resolution which also allowed aid to be delivered to areas not controlled by the government expired on Saturday. However, due to opposition from Russia and China, who abstained in the last vote and had vetoed all previous proposals, aid can only be brought into the country via a single access point.

On 13 July 1920, Italian fascists burned down the Slovene National Hall in Trieste, a prelude to the persecution and assimilation of the Slovene minority under Mussolini. On the 100th anniversary of the arson Italy has returned the building to Slovene ownership and Presidents Borut Pahor and Sergio Mattarella visited nearby monuments together. But the confrontation with the past is still a difficult issue in both countries.