Eurotopics.net

The euro bailout fund ESM's programme of loans to Greece has ended this week, meaning that for the first time in eight years Greece will have to finance itself on the markets. The country's economic data has improved of late but one in five of its inhabitants is still unemployed and the national debt is still 180 percent of GDP. Has Greece really been saved?

Ahead of his trip to Ireland Pope France has called for "zero tolerance" for sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. In a letter to believers around the world he described it as a crime, demanded investigations and condemned what he described as an "abnormal understanding of authority in the Church". Will his words change anything?

Against the backdrop of the row with the US and Turkey's economic problems there are now signs of a rapprochement between the country and the EU. Last week President Erdoğan had phone calls with Macron and Merkel. The leader of Germany's Social Democrats, Andrea Nahles, has also brought up the idea of financial aid to help Turkey cope with its currency crisis. Commentators are unsure what to make of the situation.

For the first time since the start of the Ukraine crisis German Chancellor Angela Merkel has received Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks. At Meseberg castle outside Berlin they discussed Syria, Ukraine and Nord Stream 2 for over three hours. Details about any agreements have not yet been disclosed. What interests were Merkel and Putin pursuing at their meeting?