Eurotopics.net

As the number of coronavirus cases continues to fall in most European countries, more and more restrictions are being lifted. But the political will to go beyond the old normality is lacking, some commentators complain. A missed opportunity and risky to boot, they say.

The meeting with Putin on Wednesday in Geneva was US President Joe Biden's last stop on his European tour - a veritable marathon that included EU, G7 and NATO summits as well as various bilateral meetings. Now that the Trump era has ended the US clearly seems to be seeking stronger cooperation with Europe once more, especially vis-à-vis China. Europe's press discusses where such aspirations will lead.

The Greek government has designated Turkey as a "safe third country" for people from Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan and Bangladesh who enter Greece via the Turkish border. This means that, like the Syrians, they will now to be sent back to Turkey without any examination of their asylum applications. NGOs have denounced the move saying it means that almost all refugees arriving in Greece will be denied the right to asylum - regardless of the circumstances that prompted them to leave their countries of origin.

Coca-Cola's market value plummeted after Cristiano Ronaldo set aside two Coca-Cola bottles at a European Championship press conference and then held up a bottle of water bottle and declared "água". The next day French player Paul Pogba followed this up by removing a bottle of (non-alcoholic) Heineken beer.