European Union

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger talked about ways to end the war in Ukraine. A humiliating defeat for Moscow would be dangerous, whereas territorial concessions to Russia would be an investment in long-term peace on the continent, he said. This elicits fierce reactions from Europe's commentators.

A member of Russia's UN mission in Geneva has quit his post. "I've never been so ashamed of my country," Boris Bondarev wrote in a farewell letter sent to his colleagues at the Russian Foreign Ministry. Europe's press commends the diplomat's courage but dampens hopes that many others will follow suit.

The war in Ukraine is shifting the balance of power in Europe. Finland and Sweden want to join Nato, Ukraine wants to join the EU. Russia cannot be completely isolated, President Vladimir Putin said yesterday in a video link with the Eurasian Economic Forum in Bishkek. European media examine whose side their countries are really on.

For ten days, women in Grenoble in eastern France were allowed to wear burkinis in public swimming pools - until France's top administrative court overturned the city council's decision to allow this. It emerged that France's Interior Minister Darmanin had instructed the local prefect to weigh in against the decision. Media outlets voice annoyance at how the burkini controversy is dragging on in secular France.

An agreement at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on a waiver of intellectual property (IP) rights on COVID-19 vaccines and treatments would not have an automatic effect as governments would still need to work on its implementation, says a WTO official.

Welcome to EURACTIV’s Tech Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU.

Europe made a bold move by shutting down Nord Steam 2 on 22 February.  Now, Germany can and should scale back or terminate flows via Nord Stream 1, writes Sergiy Makogon.

Rapid changes have happened in the field of health since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the need to focus on prevention has become even more apparent, according to health stakeholders.