Eurotopics.net

US president elect Trump has nominated Rex Tillerson, CEO of oil giant Exxon Mobil, for the post of secretary of state. The businessman has excellent contacts with Russian President Putin and opposes sanctions against Moscow. Commentators disagree as to whether his appointment is good news or bad.

Russia deliberately attempted to influence the US elections in Donald Trump's favour, according to a CIA report. Russian hackers accessed email accounts of the Democratic Party leadership and passed on the documents to Wikileaks, the report alleges. Trump has described the allegations as "ridiculous". Some commentators demand a thorough investigation. Others suspect foul play on the part of the CIA.

Brussels has opened two new chapters in the EU accession talks with Serbia. Croatia, however, blocked the opening of the chapter on education and culture, as it already did on other issues last spring. This has provoked angry reactions and harsh criticism from the Serbian side. Is Zagreb's obstructive stance justified?

The EU states have unanimously condemned the attacks in Istanbul, but they are at odds on the matter of Turkey's EU accession talks. At a meeting in Brussels the foreign ministers resolved not to open a new chapter of the negotiations for the time being. Austria, however, defied the other states, calling for formal steps to freeze the talks completely and refusing to go along with the resolution. What approach should the EU adopt vis-à-vis Ankara?

ECB chief Mario Draghi announced on Thursday that the bond buying programme will be continued until at least the end of 2017. From April, however, it will be scaled down to 60 instead of 80 billion euros per month. Draghi is gradually turning off the cheap money supply and Italy in particular needs to take action, commentators warn. Others say the bond buying programme won't end any time soon because Europe's stability is at stake.