Eurotopics.net

As 2019 draws to an end, the uncertainty over a key European issue has also dissipated for the time being: on Friday the newly constituted British parliament voted by a clear majority in favour of the UK leaving the EU on 31 January 2020. Will things be easier now that this hurdle has been removed?

In Croatia, the Social Democratic former prime minister Zoran Milanović has won the first round of the presidential election. He secured roughly 30 percent of the vote, giving him a lead against the incumbent conservative president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović. A second round of voting will now decide who wins. While the Croatian press is at odds over the candidates, commentators in neighbouring countries examine the long-term consequences.

Russia and Ukraine have agreed on a new five-year contract for gas transit to Western Europe. Under the deal Russia accepts a contractual penalty of three billion dollars and Ukraine will waive any further demands. The agreement prevents a new "gas war" of the kind that flared up eleven years ago. Commentators see this for the most part as good news.

There are growing signs that a coalition between the Socialists and the left-wing party Podemos will be able to form a government majority with the backing of the Catalan separatist party ERC. However, in exchange for its support ERC is demanding a signal that the government will obey the ruling from Luxembourg. Some commentators are relieved while others see this as betrayal.

A former CEO and two other ex-top managers at France Télécom have been sentenced to prison terms for bullying practices in their company. A criminal court in Paris ruled that they were partly responsible for the suicide of 35 employees between 2007 and 2010 for introducing a system that put the employees under excessive pressure. The media see the verdict as a milestone.