Eurotopics.net

Merkel and Macron have brought the representatives of eight Balkan states together in Berlin with the aim of making progress in the dispute between Serbia and Kosovo. Also in attendance was EU Foreign Affairs High Representative Federica Mogherini, who recently proposed a land swap as a way of resolving the issue. Berlin is against this solution, and rightly so, commentators say, asking what Europe's strategy for the Balkan region is.

In most countries the campaigns for the European Parliament elections are revolving around national issues. In Spain for instance, it's all about the Catalonia issue, in Poland the focus is on the teachers' strike, and in the UK the big question is whether it will participate at all. Many commentators would like to see politicians put European and international issues in the foreground, and make proposals for what those issues should be.

Should a female athlete with naturally elevated testosterone levels be forced to take medication to lower them? The International Sports Court CAS has ruled that she should, rejecting an appeal brought by the intersexual South African middle distance runner Caster Semenya against IAAF rules. A look at the press highlights the complexity of the case of the two-times Olympics champion.

For the first time since the Franco dictatorship a far-right party will be represented in the Spanish parliament: the newcomer party Vox, which campaigns for a strong centralised state and the "defence of Spanishness", secured around ten percent of the vote. The People's Party (PP), on the other hand, saw its number of seats halved. What are the causes of the turbulence in Spain's conservative camp?

Switzerland has joined China's controversial New Silk Road infrastructure initiative. On a state visit President Ueli Maurer was welcomed by Xi Jinping in Beijing, where the two leaders signed a declaration of intent. Switzerland's decision leaves a bitter aftertaste in commentators' mouths.

Slovakia's Supreme Court has refused to issue a ban on the far-right party L'SNS (People's Party Our Slovakia) led by Marian Kotleba, which is already represented in parliament. Explaining its decision on Monday, the court said there was insufficient evidence that the activities of the party violate basic democratic principles. The Slovakian media is disappointed by the ruling.