Eurotopics.net

Just over two months after the Czech parliamentary elections, the winner, multi-billionaire Andrej Babiš, has been appointed prime minister by President Petr Pavel. What this means for the country's foreign policy and the EU is a hot topic among commentators.

At a meeting in London on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed how to proceed on the war in Ukraine. The 28-point peace plan presented by the US was shortened to exclude positions that were 'anti-Ukrainian' (Zelensky) and now comprises 20 points. Once the details have been ironed out, the plan will be sent to Washington.

On Friday, it seemed to be a done deal: Netflix and Warner Bros. jointly announced that the streaming giant would be taking over the media and film company for around 71.3 billion euros. But in addition to the competition watchdogs, whose approval is still pending, US President Donald Trump also voiced criticism of the takeover. Shortly afterwards, film production company Paramount submitted an offer of around 93 billion euros.

Following the publication of the US government's new National Security Strategy, Europe is struggling to find an appropriate response. The document states that Europe is facing 'civilisational erasure' and that America will assist its political allies in Europe in correcting the current course. Commentators warn against US interference in European domestic politics.

The EU wants to introduce standardised asylum rules for all member states. The bloc's interior ministers have now agreed on a simplified process for rejecting asylum applications and a common list of 'safe countries' to speed up deportations. In addition, there are plans for 'relocations' within the EU and the possibility of setting up 'return hubs' in 'safe third countries'. The press response is divided.