Eurotopics.net

At the UN General Assembly due to take place at the end of the month in New York, Greece and the Republic of Cyprus want to push for a relaunch of negotiations on the Cyprus conflict. According to media reports, the formation of a loose federation is under discussion to achieve the island's reunification. Under this arrangement the central government would have limited powers. Cypriot commentators are divided over the idea.

Finland wants to regulate the purchase of alcoholic beverages online. Under the proposed legislation the Finns would no longer be able to purchase beverages that contain more than 2.8 percent alcohol from abroad on the Internet. The EU Commission has objected to the law, saying that it contravenes the principle of free circulation of goods. Will the country be able to win out over Brussels on this issue?

The two major far-right parties in Italy and France have started their joint campaign for the European elections. Salvini and Le Pen announced in Rome that they would seek to establish a "Europe of nations" after the May vote. While some commentators see the end of the EU approaching, others say the right-wing populists' promises are doomed to fail.

In Romania a referendum aimed at having marriage defined as a union exclusively between a man and a woman in the country's constitution failed on the weekend. For the vote to be valid at least 30 percent of those entitled to vote would have had to participate, but the turnout was only around 21 percent. Commentators continue their lively debate on the lessons to be learned from the vote.

In the case of the raped and murdered Bulgarian journalist Viktoria Marinova, a suspect has apparently been detained in Germany. According to Bulgaria's chief prosecutor investigations have not revealed any connection between the crime and Marinova's work so far. Europe's commentators refuse to let the case drop.