Eurotopics.net

Artur Mas, the former Catalan president, has been banned from holding public office for two years. A court in Barcelona convicted him of defying the constitutional court by organising a referendum on the region's independence from Spain in 2014. Spanish commentators see the judgement as unconstructive for various reasons.

Following Donald Tusk's all but unanimous re-election as president of the European Council against fierce opposition from Poland, commentators ask what consequences the scandal will have for the country. While some complain that Poland's opposition is failing to capitalise on the PiS's defeat, others voice their anger at Warsaw.

To mark International Women's Day on March 8 commentators criticise the lack of equality between the sexes and argue that more must be done to open doors to future generations of women so that sooner or later the day can be abolished altogether.

The EU member states are not obliged to issue visas to refugees at their foreign missions so that they can travel to these countries and apply for asylum there, the European Court of Justice ruled on Tuesday. Instead decisions regarding the issue of visas must be governed by national laws, it decided. Many governments are relieved at this ruling by the EU's highest court, but Europe's press is at odds.

At their mini-summit on Monday in Versailles, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain spoke out in favour of a multi-speed Europe. The Spanish press welcomes the fact that Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was present at the meeting. Commentators from other states, however, see good reasons for their countries not being included in Europe's leadership ranks.

The prime ministers of the four Visegrád countries have complained that Western companies are selling inferior goods under the same brand names in their countries. Laboratory tests have confirmed this, they say, demanding that the EU Commission should ensure uniform standards in the single market. In certain countries of Eastern Europe, however, the whole debate fails to take account of the reality of the situation, commentators observe.