Eurotopics.net

Kosovo's parliament has approved plans for the country to establish its own army. Belgrade voiced fears that this could pose a threat to the Serb minority there and Nato, too, had criticised the move. Some commentators warn it could reignite armed conflict between Kosovo and Serbia. Others say Belgrade has nothing to fear.

In Ukraine a new national Orthodox church that is independent of that in Russia has been founded. At a synod in Kiev, and with President Poroshenko present, the bishops of two different Orthodox denominations voted to unite. The Moscow-oriented Ukrainian Orthodox Church boycotted the unification council. How intertwined are church and politics in the region?

Thousands of people again took to the streets in Hungary this weekend to protest a new law that will allow employers to demand up to 400 overtime hours in a year from their employees and give the former up to three years to pay for it. The opposition has described the new regulation as a slave law and tried to prevent it from coming into force. Could the protests become a threat for the government?

The EU-Africa Forum on the subject of digitalisation begins this Monday in Vienna. Leaders from African and EU states will come together with around 800 companies there to inject fresh impetus into the economic ties between the two continents. But not all observers are convinced that investing in Africa makes sense.

The European Central Bank has announced that it won't put any more money into its bond-buying programme starting January. While some commentators believe the decision is dangerous in view of the current economic situation, others criticise the bank for not stepping harder on the monetary brake.