Eurotopics.net

Portugal's government has unveiled a package of far-reaching measures aimed at tackling the crisis on the housing market. It includes a ban on the issuing of licences for holiday homes and penalties for leaving flats vacant. Commentators say the arguments of economic liberals and conservatives who object to so much state control are too sweeping.

As the three-day Munich Security Conference came to an end on Sunday, high-ranking politicians reaffirmed their will to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia's war of aggression. Aside from the unity of the West, however, European commentators also see diverging positions and many uncertainties.

The New York Times has filed a lawsuit against the EU Commission before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The newspaper wants the text messages between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Albert Bourla, the CEO of the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, to be disclosed so that the public can learn whether there was collusion over the purchase of Covid vaccines, and if so, what deals were made.

The annual presidential address to the Russian Federal Assembly - or two houses of parliament - as required by the Russian constitution is scheduled for 21 February this year. It was cancelled in 2022. Commentators speculate on what Putin will announce just before the anniversary of his "special military operation" in Ukraine on 24 February.

On 16 February it emerged that the public prosecutor's office in Barcelona has been investigating FC Barcelona for several months. Between 1994 and 2018 the club allegedly paid high sums to José María Enríquez Negreira, former vice-president of the Spanish Football Federation's referee's committee and owner of a consulting firm. Between 2016 and 2018 alone, 1.4 million euros allegedly changed hands. The press demands explanations.