Eurotopics.net

The election campaign for Spain's general election, which has been brought forward to 23 July, has begun. The conservative Popular Party (PP), which was the big winner of the recent local elections, remains silent on whether it would form a coalition with the far-right Vox. Its main focus is to topple Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the Socialists. Sánchez is seeking to rally the support of left-wing voters with warnings about Vox.

The teachers' strike in Romania continues - despite an emergency decree passed by the government last week announcing an immediate raise in their salaries and further increases in the coming years. Many strikers still see their demands as unmet and distrust the government's promises. Comments from the national press show understanding for this position.

Fighting continues in the Russian region of Belgorod, where Russian opposition paramilitary groups are combating the Russian army. The rebel groups have reportedly taken control of the locality of Novaya Tavolzhanka. The regional governor has called for people to leave towns near the border. Commentators discuss the significance of these battles in Russia.

Monday was World Environment Day. Every June 5 since 1972, the United Nations has launched worldwide campaigns aimed at environmental and climate protection. The press seizes the occasion to make a global environmental assessment - and the conclusions are far from reassuring.

The new leader of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) is not Hans-Peter Doskozil, as announced on Saturday, but Andreas Babler. It was only by chance - because the ballot papers were recounted due to a missing vote - that the election committee discovered that the vote counts of the two candidates had been mixed up when they were transferred to an Excel spreadsheet. Shock and dismay in the press.