European Union

Thousands of migrants are still trying to move westwards across the Belarusian-Polish border in temperatures around the freezing point. Poland has reacted with massive police deployments and is considering calling on Nato for support. Minsk is setting up emergency shelters and the EU is putting pressure on airlines it suspects of bringing in migrants. Europe's press is divided over Poland's harsh defensive stance.

During a video summit with China's leader Xi Jinping, US President Joe Biden stressed that competition between the two powers must not "veer into conflict". Xi said that challenges such as climate change could only be tackled on the basis of healthy relations. Biden has repeatedly criticised China for its treatment of Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Uighurs. Commentators welcome the new tone in the dialogue between the two leaders.

The Dutch-British oil company Royal Dutch Shell has announced it will move its headquarters from The Hague to London and change its name to just Shell. The move is said to be prompted by the Netherlands' refusal to abolish taxes on dividends. The Dutch government has said it was "unpleasantly surprised" by the decision. Commentators take very different views on the subject.

Czechs and Slovaks are today celebrating the anniversary of the start of the Velvet Revolution on 17 November 1989, when Czechoslovakia's communist regime was toppled almost without violence in the struggle for freedom and democracy. Commentators reflect on what remains of those aspirations 32 years later.

The three parties negotiating Germany’s next government coalition plan to table a coalition treaty and propose new government ministers next week, Clean Energy Wire reported.

While carbon farming is a priority for the German government, farmers say they are not doing enough to support measures financially. Environmentalists add that some of the promoted practices have limited climate value.

The EU's ambitious plans to beat cancer would be complemented by taking greater account of how complementary therapies can improve quality of life alongside medical treatment, panellists argued at a EURACTIV event on ‘Integrative oncology’.

Hungarian Justice Minister Judit Varga accused EU judges in Luxembourg of making Budapest "practically support human trafficking" in her response to a ruling that found Hungary's 2018 law threatening jail sentences on anyone helping asylum seekers had violated bloc rules.

The Council adopted a decision launching the fourth wave of PESCO projects.