Eurotopics.net

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth II, is stepping down from public life. As of this autumn he will retire from public duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday. While some commentators lament the loss for the British royal family, others say they would like to see the monarchy go too.

Russia, Turkey and Iran have agreed on the establishment of four safe zones in Syria. The Assad regime reportedly supports the initiative while the opposition has protested against the involvement of Iran, which it considers a warring party. What impact the zones will have remains unclear, commentators write, and doubt that the plan can be implemented.

With a month to go to the snap election in Britain, Europe's press focuses on how the vote will influence Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit strategy.

The EU Commission has once again launched infringement proceedings against Hungary, this time over the new higher education law which threatens to close down the university founded by US billionaire George Soros in Budapest. Brussels is right to crack down, commentators say and warn that Viktor Orbán's dismantling of democracy must be stopped.

Commission President Juncker on Wednesday presented plans to introduce Europe-wide minimum standards for employees in a bid to fight populism by making the Union more social. Some journalists observe that the timing couldn't be better. Others believe the EU is hugely overstepping its competences.

The Council of Europe has restarted full monitoring of Turkey after 13 years. In future two observers will travel to the country on a regular basis to assess adherence to the rule of law and human rights. This is the result of Ankara's increasingly authoritarian course, oppositional Turkish media conclude, while the pro-government press sees other reasons for the decision.