European Union

The number of Covid cases is rising in many European countries despite widespread vaccination. In Eastern Europe in particular, healthcare systems are buckling under the strain of the fourth wave of the pandemic. But in the West, too, rising hospitalisation numbers are leading to tightened restrictions. Commentators from various countries fear that their governments are once again ill-prepared.

Ten EU countries are calling on Brussels to label nuclear power as a green source in the EU's taxonomy for sustainable activities. Among them are states like France, which have long relied on nuclear power, and also countries like Poland, which only now plan to start building nuclear power plants. The taxonomy is seen as an important guide for sustainable investments. Commentators are divided.

The international High Representative in Bosnia, Christian Schmidt, has sounded the alarm in a report to the UN Security Council in which he says the country is facing an 'existential threat' because Milorad Dodik, a member of the country's three-person presidency and a Serbian nationalist, is seeking to establish an army of his own and to undermine the Dayton Agreement. The press also sees urgent need for action.

The nationalist AUR party is seeking to gather votes in the Romanian parliament to remove President Klaus Iohannis from office. A third of all votes is necessary for a vote of no confidence - and if there is a majority for that vote, the decision is put to the people. That would be the first time ever, but never-ending government crises and formerly popular Iohannis' conduct in the catastrophic Covid situation have lowered his approval ratings to just 14 percent.

A coalition of the world's major economies, financial institutions and organisations have come together to accelerate efforts to phase-out coal generating capacity and financing for new fossil fuel projects at COP26.

Natural Mineral Waters Europe, UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe and Zero Waste Europe see  Deposit Refund Systems (DRS) as a very efficient waste collection method to achieve a truly circular economy for beverage packaging.

Cervical cancer rates are 87% lower in women vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) when they were between 12-13, a new study published in The Lancet confirmed.

Tax reductions and subsidies to natural gas generate a wrong signal to the energy market, write Vlasios Oikonomou and Haris Doukas. A change of policy is needed before the phenomenon of energy poverty spreads throughout Greece and Europe this winter, they argue.