European Union

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is closing in on US President Trump's inner circle in the investigation into alleged Russian influence in Washington. Trump's former security adviser Michael Flynn admitted on Friday that he lied about his contacts with Russia. In the meantime media have reported that Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner encouraged Flynn to seek contact. What do these developments mean for US politics?

A trial in which the Turkish-Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab is testifying opened on 30 November in New York. Right at the start of the proceedings Zarrab gave evidence that compromises Turkish President Erdoğan and some of his close confidantes, claiming that they benefited or at least approved of transactions that were carried out in violation of the sanctions against Iran. The trial could prove dangerous for Turkey in several respects, commentators stress.

The nationalists have won a clear victory with 45.36 percent of the vote in the first round of the island's territorial election. The French president's La République En Marche! party dragged far behind with just 11.26 percent. If the nationalist alliance also wins the second round next Sunday it plans to secure an unprecedented level of autonomy for the island. Europe's press takes a closer look at the situation in Corsica.

As tensions mount between Poland's national-conservative PiS government and the opposition, the polarisation between government-friendly and anti-government media has likewise increased. An appeal from a pro-PiS commentator for the government to crack down on critical media has caused a major stir.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is to visit Greece on December 7 and 8, becoming the first Turkish head of state to do so in the past 65 years. In view of the two countries' tense relations there is no shortage of topics for discussion. The expectations of the various media in the region regarding the visit differ widely.

Committee and political group meetings, Brussels

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Short presentation of two Sakharov Prize Finalists 2017.
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

https://tvnewsroom.consilium.europa.eu/uploads/council-images/thumbs/uploads/council-images/remote/http_7e18a1c646f5450b9d6d-a75424f262e53e74f9539145894f4378.r8.cf3.rackcdn.com/722e5d18-d6bb-11e7-a257-bc764e093073_32.93_thumb_169_1512149067_1512149067_129_97shar_c1.jpg

Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, meets Leo Varadkar, Taoiseach of Ireland, on 1 December 2017, in Dublin.

Download this video here.