Eurotopics.net

Cake-throwing to raise environmental awareness? A 36-year-old man disguised as an old lady in a wheelchair threw a piece of cake at the Mona Lisa in the Louvre in Paris on Sunday, in a gesture apparently intended to make museum visitors pay more attention to the planet. The famous painting, which is protected by bulletproof glass, was undamaged. Is the Mona Lisa a climate polluter?

Against the backdrop of Russia's war in Ukraine, a majority of Danes have voted in a referendum to abolish the country's EU defence opt-out. What does the clear majority of 66.9 percent mean for the country's European policy?

Even before the elections in April, the Hungarian government capped the price of petrol in the country. Since last week, however, discounts only apply for vehicles with Hungarian licence plates. A higher price applies for cars from abroad. Commentators see potential for conflict at different levels.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has displayed unusual force when countering accusations from the opposition that Germany is being too timid in its support for Ukraine: "We are providing comprehensive help," Scholz said during a budget debate in the Bundestag on Wednesday. As well as the weapons already supplied, Kyiv will receive the modern Iris-T air defence system, Gepard tanks and self-propelled howitzers from Berlin, he added. Commentators see this as just the beginning.

After more than a month of debate over imposing an oil embargo against Russia, the EU has reached a compromise: imports via sea routes will be blocked, while landlocked countries Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia will be able to continue receiving oil via the Druzhba pipeline. Hungary in particular fiercely opposed the embargo. Europe's press examines what this middle path can achieve.