European Union

A senior European Commission official insisted on delivering “a message of calm” during a EURACTIV event on Thursday (2 September), as CO2 prices rose for the first time above the €60 threshold on the EU carbon market.

Just a few days after the final withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban is continuing to establish its rule despite humanitarian problems and grim economic forecasts. The new government is to be presented after today's Friday prayers. Beijing has already announced that it is ready to strengthen its ties with Kabul. Commentators stress that the question of the Taliban's future financial sources is crucial.

In many European countries the new school year began on September 1. Hopes were high that after 18 months of closed schools, homeschooling, compulsory Covid tests and face masks there would be a return to normality. But the Delta variant is driving up infection rates, especially among children, most of whom are unvaccinated. Today's commentaries reflect disgruntlement and perplexity - and concerns over even bigger problems.

During Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the White House on Wednesday, Joe Biden promised Ukraine 60 million dollars in military aid to defend itself against Russian aggression. In a final statement, both presidents described the Nord Stream 2 pipeline as a "threat to Europe's energy security". However Biden said calls to halt construction were unrealistic. Zelensky can nonetheless be satisfied, according to the Ukrainian press.

Spain's General Council of the judiciary, which is responsible for appointing important judicial posts, has been in office for almost three years on a caretaker basis because it has been impossible to reach a three-fifths majority in parliament since its 5-year mandate expired. The leader of the conservative opposition People's Party (PP), Pablo Casado, has now announced that the left-wing government should give up all hope of reaching an agreement - much to the annoyance of the national press.

He was a composer, conductor, songwriter, politician and activist. He achieved world fame with the film music for Zorba the Greek and was revered as a folk hero in his homeland. Now Mikis Theodorakis has died in Athens aged 96. The government ordered three days of national mourning, and his coffin has been laid out in Athens Cathedral so people can pay their last respects.