Eurotopics.net

Shortly before the EU summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron suggested a meeting between EU leaders and Vladimir Putin in the near future. But in Brussels, the proposal was rejected as premature, in particular by Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Europe's media are also divided on the question of what approach to take with Moscow.

The pro-democracy Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily has been discontinued. Pressure from the Chinese authorities had increased in recent months: the paper's editor-in-chief and publisher were arrested and the company's assets frozen. China's authorities accuse the paper of "conspiring to collude with foreign forces". Publisher Next Digital has now announced that Thursday's edition would be the last. Europe's press is dismayed.

Pride Month is celebrated in June, in particular in English-speaking and Latin countries. With parades and protests, the LGBTQ community celebrates social diversity and draws attention to continuing injustices. Many companies are presenting their logos in rainbow colours - but not in all countries. Commentators point to a lack of real commitment.

Two weeks after it began on 11 June, the Uefa European Championship is entering the knockout stage. Due to the coronavirus pandemic only limited numbers of spectators have been allowed into most stadiums, and group watching in bars or at open-air cinemas is also restricted. All the more reason for Europe's press to voice big emotions, passionate praise and scathing criticism.

Russia and the UK are each giving their own version of an incident on Wednesday in the Black Sea: the Russian military says it stopped a British warship off the coast of Crimea with warning shots. The British, however, maintain that no shots were fired, and that the vessel was just carrying out a routine transit through Ukrainian waters.