Eurotopics.net

The Syria talks in Geneva were postponed without results on Thursday. UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura set a three-week pause in the negotiations and called for more commitment on the part of the participants. Commentators see little chance of the talks getting out of their current impasse.

The US has announced plans to boost its military presence in Eastern Europe. According to US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter the budget will be quadrupled to 3.4 billion dollars. Commentators see the investment as vital for defence measures against Russia.

France's National Assembly wants to vote next week on an extension of the state of emergency and several amendments to the constitution, including stripping convicted terrorists of their citizenship. Amnesty International - and the press - have harsh words for the state of emergency.

Britain and other EU member states will have the right to deny welfare benefits to EU migrants for up to four years. The British government has responded positively to this and other proposals put forward by EU Council President Donald Tusk. But can they prevent a Brexit?

Portugal's government has adopted its draft budget for 2016 - without waiting for the European Commission's findings. The commissioners deem many of the new socialist minority government's prognoses too optimistic. Will this be the start of another row over the austerity policy?

Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice-President of the EU Commission, has endorsed the proposal put forward by the German Finance Minister Schäuble to finance the reception and integration of refugees with a Europe-wide fuel tax. The Latvian press thinks little of its countryman's behaviour.

Copenhagen has introduced tougher asylum laws. In future the police will be able to confiscate asylum seekers' cash and valuables, there are new restrictions on family reunion and the validity periods for residency permits have been shortened. The move has drawn fierce criticism from abroad - which several Danish commentators reject.