Eurotopics.net

The Turkish Minister of Finance Berat Albayrak, who has been talked of as the successor to his father-in-law Erdoğan for years, announced his resignation on Sunday by Instagram. An official statement of the government is still pending, but unofficially the resignation was confirmed. The decline of the Turkish economy is probably not the only reason for Albayrak's withdrawal, media speculate.

France commemorated those who died in the Nice attack with a moving ceremony on Saturday. Prime Minister Jean Castex once again declared war on radical Islam. The events of recent weeks have also rekindled a debate on French secularism.

Due to the sharp rise in coronavirus infection rates, many European countries have reimposed tough restrictions: from closing bars and cultural institutions to making masks compulsory outdoors. Commentators ask who bears the responsibility for implementing successful measures and what mistakes need to be avoided.

An independent commission has examined the crisis management in the Austrian ski resort of Ischgl after a coronavirus outbreak in March that apparently led to thousands of infections across Europe. The report concludes that the authorities were too slow to suspend the cable car service and that the quarantine announcement triggered panic. Commentators point to other major mistakes.

EU foreign ministers have agreed in principle on sanctions against Russia for the poisoning of opposition politician Alexei Navalny. Now the concrete preparations are beginning, i.e. the compilation of names and individual measures. An agreement was also reached on sanctions against Lukashenka. Reactions to the news vary.

Alexander Lukashenka visited detained representatives of the opposition in jail for discussions on Sunday. According to media reports, he tried to persuade them of the merits of his constitutional reform. Two of the participants were released the next day, but a demonstration taking place at the same time was brutally quashed. Was the meeting the start of a dialogue or a publicity stunt?