Eurotopics.net

The abuse scandals and the recent constitutional court ruling on abortion have also sparked a discussion in Poland about the ties between the Catholic Church and politics. The rapid approach of Christmas prompts commentators to reflect on the place of the Church in society and politics today.

In a TV interview, Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf has described his country's coronavirus strategy as a failure. Sweden's independent coronavirus commission had previously issued a harsh judgment with its first report, saying that Sweden had not sufficiently protected the elderly and that the areas of responsibility had not been clarified. Commentators for the most part agree.

All of Europe is struggling with high infection rates, and everywhere the rules have been tightened in recent weeks. Many people won't be able to celebrate Christmas in the accustomed way. The commentaries offer words of encouragement.

An incident occurred during the match between Paris St. Germain and Istanbul Başakşehir on Tuesday. After Istanbul's assistant manager Pierre Webó was shown a red card, a referee from Romania used the term "negru" to refer to Webó, who is from Cameroon, while talking to a fellow Romanian. Both teams left the pitch in protest, and the match was postponed to the next day. What does the incident reveal?

In the dispute over the planned EU rule of law mechanism, Germany has negotiated a compromise with Hungary and Poland under which a declaration would be added stressing that member states' "national identity" will be respected. Viktor Orbán is already presenting this as a victory. If the compromise holds it will clear the way for the new EU budget and coronavirus recovery fund. Observers, however, are less than enthusiastic.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson travelled to Brussels on Wednesday to negotiate a Brexit deal with EU Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen in person. A joint dinner including scallops and turbot, however, failed to produce a result. If the UK and EU don't reach an agreement by December 31, they risk a no-deal Brexit. But the media have not given up all hope of a deal yet.