European Union

On 9 August 2020, the long-time ruler Alexander Lukashenka had himself proclaimed the winner of the presidential election in Belarus - even though according to the opposition as well as international observers his challenger Svetlana Tikhanovskaya had won. Protests of an unprecedented scale followed, but Lukashenka brutally crushed them. Europe's press takes stock one year on.

The Polish government has announced it will abolish the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court in a bid to resolve its dispute with the EU. According to PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński, initial proposals for changes to the country's controversial judicial reform are to be presented in September. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled in July that Poland is violating European law with its system for disciplining judges.

The 2020 Summer Olympic Games came to an end in Tokyo on Sunday. Europe's commentators are at odds over whether the spark of the universal spirit and the values behind the Games was ignited despite the pandemic and the empty stadiums.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban captured five provincial capitals on the weekend, including Kunduz, an important trade hub near the border with Tajikistan. The advance was to be expected after the withdrawal of the US and Nato troops, commentators note, and warn against further inaction by the West.

The Council of State, France's highest court for administrative issues, has fined the state 10 million euros for doing too little to combat air pollution in the first half of 2021. Although maximum particulate matter values have been in force for more than ten years, several cities continue to exceed the limits. A number of environmental protection organisations have filed suits against the state. Commentators disagree over the extent to which the judiciary should help shape environmental policy.