Eurotopics.net

The death of a 21-year-old local man has triggered riots in the northern Polish city of Ełk. The man was allegedly stabbed during a fight with several employees at a kebab diner. The police have arrested four men from North Africa. One day later at least a hundred people gathered to demonstrate outside the diner and threw paving stones at it. The Polish press is incensed.

Anis Amri, who is suspected of being responsible for the Berlin attack, was under surveillance in Germany for several months on suspicion of planning an attack. Before that, according to media reports, he was in prison in Italy. These latest reports have sparked a debate about whether the authorities have failed.

The Italian state is intervening to save the ailing bank Monte dei Paschi. The cabinet has approved the establishment of a 20-billion-euro fund via an emergency decree. Prior to that the bank’s own attempts to rescue itself with an injection of capital had failed. Commentators fear that the fund will not be sufficient to save the bank and asks why the EU has regulations about bank resolution at all if these are not applied.

Russia, Iran and Turkey have signed an agreement on the future of Syria. They intend to guarantee a nationwide ceasefire, have declared the fight against the IS terror militia and other Jihadist groups to be their main goal and have ruled out a change of regime. Commentators explain how this new alliance has come about.

The terrorist attack on a Berlin Christmas market has reignited the debate about Germany's refugee policy. Angela Merkel's political opponents both at home and abroad are blaming her for the attack. The way the chancellor behaves and responds to populist agitation and xenophobia will be of vital importance for Europe as a whole, according to commentators.