Eurotopics.net

The EU has signed a pact with Tunisia to curb migration across the Mediterranean. In exchange for financial aid of up to 900 million euros, Tunisia has pledged to crack down on smugglers and illegal crossings headed for Europe. Commentators ask whether such a deal with a repressive president can work - and what it means for human rights in the country.

Climate change is once again showing its brutal side with Southern Europe experiencing extreme temperatures. As the holiday season gets under way, Last Generation climate activists have disrupted operations at several German airports by gluing themselves to the runways. Tempers also flared during a road blockade in Stralsund. Europe's press asks: are such protest actions appropriate?

In the run-up to the Nato summit taking place on July 11 and 12 in Vilnius, the focus is on the question of how the Alliance can and should strengthen its security guarantees vis-à-vis Kyiv. Supported by a number of states, Ukraine is demanding that the alliance commit to making it a member once the war ends. Europe's press also calls for swift action, but not all commentators advocate an accelerated accession process.

As part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) virtual summit held on Tuesday, Iran has become the ninth member of this group of states dominated by China and Russia. Belarus also signed a memorandum of understanding to this effect. Commentators from Italy and Russia assess the organisation's potential.

The EU Commission wants to ease the rules regarding the use of genetic engineering in agriculture. The new regulations would apply specifically to plants that have been modified by means of genome editing in a way that would also be possible using conventional breeding methods, exempting them from the genetic modification rules that continue to apply to other designer plants. This would also eliminate the labelling requirement.