Eurotopics.net

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has threatened to veto the initiation of EU accession talks with Ukraine. The decision is to be made at the EU summit in Brussels in mid-December, where a vote will also be held on whether to approve a further 50 billion euros in aid for Ukraine. Commentators voice annoyance.

For the last three weeks, Polish lorry drivers have been protesting at border crossings between Poland and Ukraine for better working conditions and against cheaper Ukrainian competition. The queues forming as a result of the blockade are now several kilometres long. Commentators on both sides of the border ask whether the protesters' anger is justified.

Following the victory of right-wing populist Geert Wilders and his PVV in the Dutch election it is still not clear who will form the new Dutch government. But Europe's press already sees the right-wing populist's success as part of a wider trend which, among other things, will also impact next year's European elections. What this means for democracy and the EU is the subject of heated debate.

The ceasefire agreed between Israel and the radical Islamic organisation Hamas has been in place since Friday and will continue until Tuesday morning. Hostages were handed over on each of the first three days, as agreed, and Palestinian prisoners were released in return. The pressure on Israel to extend the ceasefire is now increasing within the country and internationally. Europe's press comments on what this means.

The trade unions in the Czech Republic have called for a major day of protest today, Monday. The focus of the labour actions will be a one-hour warning strike against the government's austerity package and planned education reforms. Most schools are also to remain closed. Commentators take different views on whether the strike, described by the unions as the biggest since 1989, is justified.