Eurotopics.net

Young people in Greece will now receive pre-paid cards worth 150 euros after their first covid jab. The cards can be used to pay for ferry tickets, accommodation, or tickets to concerts and museums, for example. The programme is directed towards roughly 940,000 people between 18 and 25, and the government has budgeted 141 million euros. It aims to reach a vaccination rate of just under 60 percent by the end of July.

Sweden's Social Democratic Prime Minister Stefan Löfven has decided to resign rather than call a snap election after last week's vote of no confidence. The speaker of parliament must now appoint a candidate to form a new government. Sweden's commentators suspect it will be Löfven again. Meanwhile their colleagues in Finland find the whole situation baffling.

The federal government in Bern is planning to set up its own Instagram account and has created ten new posts to run it. This has sparked a debate in the country's press, not only about whether it is even necessary, but also about potential negative consequences of this attempt to reach out to young people.

After the passing of the "anti-paedophilia law", the debate over whether developments affecting the rule of law in Hungary are compatible with its EU membership has gained new momentum. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the law a disgrace, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called on Hungary to leave the bloc. Europe's press discusses whether tougher steps should now be taken.

In an effort to underline the EU's independence in foreign policy after the Biden-Putin summit, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron proposed holding a meeting with Russia shortly before the EU summit last week. However, the initiative failed mainly due to opposition from Poland and the Baltic states. Other member states also felt they were being pressured into something they didn't want.