Eurotopics.net

Romanians will go to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president. Incumbent Klaus Iohannis of the liberal-conservative PNL is the favourite, with the latest polls putting him ahead of ex-prime minister Viorica Dăncilă of the social democratic PSD, who was toppled in October. Romanian papers bemoan the lack of a real debate about political alternatives in the campaign.

Lebanon, Iraq, Hong Kong, Chile, Ecuador... In recent weeks citizens in many countries and regions of the world have taken to the streets to protest. Commentators in European papers look at connections between the protests and identify a common catalyst.

In Finland a citizens' initiative for the introduction of a flight tax aimed at mitigating carbon emissions has gathered more than 50,000 signatures, meaning that it must now be considered in parliament. There is no majority for the move, however. Finnish media also voice doubts and propose alternatives.

Parliamentary elections will take place in Spain on Sunday for the fourth time in four years. The country has been experiencing political instability since the two-party system ended in 2015. This time too, polls are predicting an unclear outcome. Commentors voice resignation, not least because of Monday's televised debate between the leading candidates.

The US officially announced on Monday that it is withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement. The goal of keeping global warming two degrees below temperatures in the pre-industrial era places an "unfair economic burden" on the US, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. The announcement came at the earliest possible time, three years after the agreement came into effect, and will come into force on 3 November 2020. What does this mean for global climate policy?