Eurotopics.net

Denmark, Finland and New Zealand occupy top slots in the annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) published by NGO Transparency International. Somalia, Syria and South Sudan were ranked as the most apparently corrupt countries, while Turkey and Hungary dropped several notches. The index is compiled with the help of expert assessments.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to London on Wednesday, where he addressed Parliament and met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. He then flew to Paris where he met French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. On Thursday he is scheduled to address the EU Parliament in Brussels and attend the EU Summit. Europe's press analyses his priorities.

In addition to anti-inflation measures and the Ukraine war, migration policy is at the top of the agenda at the EU leaders' summit taking place this Thursday and Friday. Eight member states are calling for more restrictive asylum laws and tougher measures to combat illegal immigration, including EU financing for border fences. Others stress the need to continue to offer legal paths for immigration to the EU.

Turkey's parliamentary and presidential elections are due to be held in May - just three months after the earthquakes. The Turkish and international press concur that the disaster will play a key role in the election campaign, especially because many people blame President Erdoğan for the lack of adequate protective measures. Commentators are less unanimous about the consequences for Erdoğan's bid for re-election.

US President Joe Biden placed special emphasis on the economic situation in the US in his State of the Union Address. The Democrat stressed that twelve million new jobs have been created in the first two years of his presidency and called on Republicans to collaborate with his administration so that more projects can be implemented. Europe's press focuses on Biden's protectionist measures.