Eurotopics.net

More than 30 prominent Hungarians from politics, business, science and culture have protested by returning the Order of Merit of the Knight's Cross given to them by the state after journalist Zsolt Bayer was awarded the same state honour. Bayer has repeatedly made headlines with anti-Semitic and xenophobic articles. Commentators explain why Bayer was given the award.

After 52 years of civil war the Colombian government and the Farc rebels have reached a peace agreement. However, the accord has yet to be ratified in a referendum - and many Colombians oppose it. Does peace - which has only existed on paper until now - have a chance?

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania celebrated the 25th anniversary of their independence on the weekend. After the failed August Putsch of 1991 the Soviet Union recognised the sovereignty of these three states, which had already declared independence in 1990 following the Singing Revolution. Many columnists take the anniversary as an opportunity to take stock of the progress made since then.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and French President François Hollande called for deeper European integration, economic growth and heightened security at their meeting on Monday. According to some commentators the goal was to clarify their positions ahead of the EU summit in Bratislava. Others criticise that the leaders are far too caught up in their respective national agendas.

German Chancellor Merkel will visit Prague on Thursday as part of her tour of Europe in preparation for the EU summit in mid-September. According to a recent survey her popularity in the Czech Republic has plummeted from over 70 percent one year ago to just 18 percent today as a result of her refugee policy. Should she have done more to woo the Czechs?

The trial of Islamist rebel Ahmad al-Mahdi from Mali began on Monday. The International Criminal Court in The Hague has charged him with destroying cultural sites in Timbuktu in 2012, to which Al-Mahdi has already pleaded guilty. This trial will only encourage Islamists, some commentators fear. Others believe it will act as a deterrent.