Euobserver.com

Despite Finland's EU presidency's repeated assurances it was in favour of promoting measures to end deforestation, the Finnish government has now announced that forestry policy should remain a national decision-making process.

The EU set up a 'Rapid Alert System' in March to allow national authorities in member states to inform the rest of the bloc of any large-scale disinformation campaigns. No alert has so far been triggered.

NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday that a Greek draft law threatens to restrict access to protection for asylum seekers from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. "The bill is a naked attempt to block access to protection and increase deportations in the face of the recent increase in arrivals," said researchers at HRW. Greece is currently facing the biggest resurgence of refugee arrivals since 2015.

The former president of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, said on Tuesday that a Brussels court has postponed to 16 December his hearing over the arrest warrant issued by Spain for his extradition, Reuters writes. Puigdemont's lawyer, Simon Bekaert, said the legal arguments are still the same as in 2017, when Spain issued a previous warrant for Puigdemont's arrest and Belgium rejected it. "We will, of course, invoke immunity," Bekaert said.

The British prime minister will try another legislative path to get an early election - and he might get enough support if he ditches the Brexit bill for now. Meanwhile, the EU has granted an extension until January 2020.

Sigmar Gabriel, foreign minister of Germany from 2017 to 2018, is the favourite candidate to become the head of the German Association of Automobile Industry car-manufacturers' lobby. Gabriel was leader of the Social Democrat Party (SPD) from 2009 to 2017. Criticised for making the step to industry, Gabriel denied to have been candidate or even been contacted by the lobby - but did not deny his interest.

Professor Xinning Song, director of the Confucius Institute at the Brussels University (VUB), can no longer enter Belgium after being accused of espionage for China, De Morgen writes. He had a 10-year tenure. Previously, there were complaints at the French part of the Brussels university (ULB) about Chinese pressure on academics working on China.

During a farewell event, Mario Draghi, outgoing president of the European Central Bank, said that the ECB has exhausted its conventional policy arsenal, Reuters reports. He said: "It is plain to see that now is the time for more Europe, not less," adding that a common budget for the EU was necessary, so there would be a centralised capacity to stabilise the monetary union.

The European commissioner for the Energy Union, Maros Sefcovic, said after meetings with Russian and Ukrainian representatives that "given the date, there is and there must be a clear sense of urgency," adding "I am disappointed by today's outcome." Most of Russian gas to Europe passes through Ukraine. The current agreement between Russia and Ukraine expires on 31 December, but the relations between both countries are worse than ever.

Enlargement has always propelled the EU's growth. On the contrary, every time the European Union closes its doors to potential new members, it chooses a path of decline, warns Ukraine's deputy PM, Dmytro Kuleba.

French police have arrested a man suspected of firing shots at the mosque in Bayonne in south-west of France on Monday, according to Reuters, where two elderly people were injured. According to the French press, the suspect was in his eighties and arrested near his home after the incident. His motive to open fire remain unclear at this stage.

A total of 42 civil society organisations on Monday sent a letter to the president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, expressing outrage at the recent killings of two Romanian forest rangers, Liviu Pop and Raducu Gorcioai, and demanding an independent investigation of their deaths. The fact that these individuals have to put their personal safety on the line to defend Romania's old-growth forests while logging continues "is unforgivable," states the text.

Without much ado the Nordic Council cooperation has formed the backbone of politics in the entire region for more than 60 years. It meets in Stockholm this week, to discuss sustainable Arctic tourism, and ending summertime, among other topics.

Vietnamese migrants can obtain a "VIP package" to Britain - including a flight ticket, fake passport, and even a lawyer - for about €45,000, AFP reported. The deals organised by Vietnamese smugglers offer flights to France, Germany or Spain, before the final passage into the UK. However, those who cannot afford the VIP deal take bigger risks during their journeys to the UK, partially on foot or by lorry.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that the death of the leader of Islamic State Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is a "serious contribution by the president of the United States to the fight against international terrorism" if the "information is confirmed". Meanwhile, other world leaders and security officials have welcomed Baghdadi's death and stated that the fight against the terrorist organisation has not ended.

The EU will give the UK a Brexit extension until 31 January 2020, EU Council president Donald Tusk tweeted on Monday. The written decision allows an option for the UK to leave before then, if a deal is ratified. It also negates the need for an extra summit of EU leaders to decide on an extension. Prime minister Boris Johnson is pushing for an election on 12 December.

The EU's former foreign affairs chief, Catherine Ashton, has taken a job with private military firm GardaWorld, posing ethical questions amid Brexit lobbying games.

On Sunday, Sophie Wilmès was appointed as the new prime minister of Belgium - becoming the first female head of government in the country's history. She replaces Charles Michel who becomes president of the European Council.

The anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) made strong gains, reaching 23.4 percent, in regional elections on Sunday in the eastern state of Thuringia. However, the Left party, on 31 percent, remained dominant, DW reported. Angela Merkel's party (CDU) dropped down 11 points from 2014 and the Social Democrats (SPD) scored only eight percent. AfD surged in the eastern states of Saxony and Brandenburg last month, becoming the second-largest political force.

Around 80,000 Spanish unity supporters protested in a demonstration organised in Barcelona by the anti-separatist organisation Societal Civil Catalana on Sunday - a day after two pro-independence protests were held in the city. The independence of Catalonia is a highly-divisive matter in the region. A poll in July indicates that 44 percent of Catalans are in favour of the separation process and 48.3 percent against it.