Eurotopics.net

Thousands of people have been queuing up outside St Peter's Basilica in Rome to bid farewell to Benedict XVI. The Pope Emeritus passed away on Saturday aged 95. Between abuse scandals, the preservation of traditions and innovation for the Church: European commentaries reflect diverging opinions on his pontificate.

EU member Croatia joined both the Eurozone and the Schengen Area on 1 January 2023. At a joint press conference in Zagreb, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke of a "day for history books". Croatian media take different views of the significance of the move.

Russia's war against Ukraine and the West's subsequent sanctions against Russian companies, goods and individuals, along with mobilisation and ever-widening restrictions on the media and NGOs, are taking their toll on the Russian economy. And the people are feeling the pinch, commentators write.

Looking back on a turbulent 2022 in Europe and the world, the press discusses the fate of democracy. Commentators weigh up the electoral victories of the far right against anti-autocracy protests and new European and transatlantic unity.