European Union

For more than a week now Greek police have been using tear gas and water cannons against refugees and migrants who have gathered on the Greek-Turkish border in the hope of entering the EU after Turkey opened its border. Voices in Europe's press call on Brussels and the individual EU member states to come up with sensible strategies.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is to meet EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Charles Michel in Brussels today, Monday, to discuss the situation in Syria and the future of the refugee pact concluded in 2016. Erdoğan wants more support for his country. But the EU is in a tricky situation, as a glance at Europe's press shows.

Italy's government announced massive restrictions on the movement of some 16 million citizens in 15 provinces of the country on Sunday in a bid to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. Shortly before the announcement the country's death toll had jumped by 133 to 366 within 24 hours. The Italian press discusses the citizens' sense of responsibility.

The trial for the downing of passenger flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine almost six years ago begins today in a criminal court at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. But the defendants, three Russians and one Ukrainian, are in Russia and not present at the trial. Dutch media debate whether despite these circumstances the procedure will be worthwhile.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said a meeting with Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday evening will aim to restart talks with Anakara. "Tonight is the restart of a dialogue, the rekindle of speaking together. This is the beginning of having the dialogue and developing at best a common roadmap," she said. The meeting follows Greek-Turkish border tensions over migrants.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said part of the solution on the Greek-Turkish border tension must include a right to seek asylum. "There is the obligation to protect the border, there is EU law, but there is the obligation to guarantee fundamental rights, including the rights to ask for asylum, so this is in the charter and this is what we need as a solution," she said.

The Netherlands wrapped up testing on its first foray into hydrogen train technology at the weekend, as the European Commission readies a strategy for the clean fuel that will debut on Tuesday (10 March).

Nato on Monday confirmed that one staff member working at the headquarters in Brussels has tested positive for coronavirus, after being on holiday in northern Italy. The person is currently at home in self-isolation. Nato has already taken preventative measures to prevent the spread of the virus, such as the temporary suspension of certain staff travel, encouraging staff to work from home, and the temporary suspension of group visits.