European Union

The central government in Madrid is moving to suspend Catalonia's autonomy to prevent an illegal secession by the independence-seeking region. This could escalate the situation, commentators fear, doubting that the protagonists have the political skill to react appropriately.

A Polish man has set himself on fire in protest at the policies of the national-conservative government, sustaining serious injuries. Some commentators see him as a new symbol in the fight against the governing PiS party. For others the incident can be put down to media hype.

The discount supermarket chain Lidl has once again caused an outrage by removing Christian symbols: an advertisement for a new store in the Lithuanian city of Kaunas shows the city's skyline with the crosses from church steeples removed. Although the company has since apologised and withdrawn the ad, Lithuanian media are beside themselves with anger.

Turkish President Recep Erdoğan has said his AKP party must undergo a process of renewal and has called on several mayors to resign. A number of them, including Kadir Topbaş in Istanbul, have obeyed. Now pressure is growing on Ankara's long-standing mayor Melih Gökçek to step down too. Critical commentators fear this is another bid by the president to tighten his grip on power.

The Czechs will elect a new parliament on Friday and Saturday. The Ano party, led by billionaire media mogul Andrej Babiš, is ahead in the polls. Commentators discuss the rise of the controversial politician and discuss the things that make these elections special.

European Parliament recommendation to the Council, the Commission and the EEAS on the Eastern Partnership, in the run-up to the November 2017 Summit
Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Kazakhstan, of the other part (2016/0166(NLE))
Partnership Agreement on Relations and Cooperation between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and New Zealand, of the other part (2017/2050(INI))
Partnership Agreement on Relations and Cooperation between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and New Zealand, of the other part (2016/0366(NLE))
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP