Eurotopics.net

In this year dominated by the coronavirus, women have played an instrumental part in getting European politics back on track. Commentators praise this development but also note that in other areas gender equality has lost ground rather than advanced.

European media discuss whether the global trend of nationalism and isolationism has peaked and begun to lose momentum in 2020.

For every single person the pandemic means a crisis that must be overcome. Many have lost loved ones and many have to fight for their economic survival, and compounding all this is the loss of normality and daily coexistence. A difficult situation - but also one that offers the possibility to reflect on what really counts.

A new strain of coronavirus has been discovered in over 1,000 people in the UK. According to initial findings, the mutation VUI2020/12/01 could be up to 70 percent more contagious. London has imposed a lockdown on the south of England where most cases of the new strain have been registered, and a growing number of countries are stopping traffic to and from Britain. What does this new situation mean for the British and for Europe?

The European Medicines Agency is due to reach a decision on approving the Biontech/Pfizer vaccine today. Once the agency has given the green light, the necessary approval by the EU Commission is considered certain and an EU-wide vaccination campaign could start before the end of the year. Commentators ask what Europe has learned on the long road to vaccine approval.