Eurotopics.net

Romania is also dealing with the aftermath of a major fire: October 30 marked the fourth anniversary of the blaze in Bucharest's Club Colectiv, which claimed 64 lives. Three thousand people gathered to commemorate the victims in the capital alone. The press is dismayed by how little the state has done to prevent such fires since then.

After much hesitation, the Danish authorities have given the green light for a section of the Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 to be constructed across Danish seabed. The pipeline circumvents Ukraine as a transit country. Journalists ask what role the situation in Ukraine played in this late decision.

Spain's state pension system is running out of funds and with the world's lowest birth rate and an ageing society the problem is likely to escalate. Commentators criticise that political scandals and initiatives are diverting attention from the issues that really need to be addressed.

The British House of Commons has given the green light for the general election that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been pushing for. The vote will take place on 12 December. Prior to the decision the EU had extended the Brexit deadline until the end of January, removing the threat of a no-deal Brexit and prompting Labour to give up its opposition to an election. Commentators discuss factors that could affect the election outcome.

The House of Commons has now given the green light for the general election British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been pushing for. The vote will take place on 12 December. Prior to the decision the EU had extended the Brexit deadline until the end of January, removing the threat of a no-deal Brexit. This prompted Labour to give up its opposition to an election. Commentators' hopes regarding the election outcome vary significantly.

An 84-year-old man has shot two people, seriously injuring them, in the French city of Bayonne. They had surprised him in the act of setting a fire outside the entrance to a mosque. The attacker had already attracted the attention of local authorities with racist statements. In 2015 he stood as a local candidate for the far-right National Front. Commentators see hatred of Muslims as posing a major problem for French society.