Eurotopics.net

Two weeks ago the SPD caught up with the CDU/CSU and they were neck and neck in the polls for the first time since 2017. With less than four weeks to go before Germany's parliamentary elections, the downward trend for the CDU/CSU is continuing. While the SPD under chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz is polling at up to 25 percent, the CDU/CSU is trailing behind at around 21 percent, with the Greens at roughly 18 percent. Europe's press speculates on the consequences of an SPD election victory.

In many European countries the new school year begins today, September 1. After a year and a half of school closures, homeschooling, compulsory Covid tests and face masks, many were hoping for a return to normality. But the Delta variant is driving up infection rates, especially among children, many of whom have not been vaccinated. Today's commentaries present a mixture of fatalism, disgruntlement and perplexity.

After lots of complaints about the slow pace of vaccination in the EU, the European Commission's target of vaccinating 70 percent of adults by the end of the summer has been achieved. Vaccination rates vary widely among individual member states, however: in Bulgaria, for example, only 20 percent have had the jab, and in Romania only 32 percent. And not all commentators are convinced that this milestone is all that important.

Nato began its mission in Afghanistan 20 years ago. Today, most experts consider the strategy of building a democratic state on the basis of military support to have failed. More than 3,500 troops belonging to Nato and its allies lost their lives in Afghanistan. The press discusses how Europe should reposition itself.

Spain's electricity prices have skyrocketed in recent months. There are several reasons for this: the country's dependence on natural gas, which is becoming more expensive, the cost of CO2 certificates to combat climate change, inefficient regulation of electricity prices and a sharp rise in demand during the heat wave. For many consumers hefty electricity bills pose a serious problem. What should be done?