Eurotopics.net

The Italians will vote on a complex constitutional reform on December 4 that among other things foresees a smaller Senate. However according to observers the referendum no longer seems to be about reform but a vote for or against Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and the potential consequences of a government crisis for all Europe. What is really at stake in Italy?

Poland's national conservative ruling party PiS plans to cut the pensions of ex-secret service agents and police officers who were active under the communist regime and remained in service after 1990. Around 32,000 people would see their pensions reduced from high to average levels as a result. How fair is the initiative?

US president-elect Donald Trump had his first telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin on Monday. According to the Kremlin both men voiced the desire for improved relations between their countries. But this is no reason to believe Putin and Trump will work together in the future, commentators write.

Ahead of Romania's parliamentary elections on December 11 a new party is making headlines. The Save Romania Union (USR) is a coalition of young activists from the private sector and the NGO scene. Although the party was formed only four months ago the USR is hitting the double digits in the polls. What can the country expect of the new party?

During his farewell visit to Berlin, the outgoing US President Barack Obama was generous in his praise for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, declaring that she "stands for great credibility and is willing to fight for her values". Many journalists see Merkel as the last remaining guarantor of Western ideals after Trump's election victory. Others doubt whether she is up to the task.

Speculation is rife about Donald Trump's future strategies, including his economic policy. In the election campaign he promised lower taxes, deregulation, less free trade and more domestic investment. Commentators see the advent of a new era of protectionism in the US and ask whether the end of low interest rates could thwart his plans for major public investment.