Eurotopics.net

At the beginning of August 2007 the US real estate bubble burst, bringing banks across the world to their knees. A year later the financial crisis came to a head when Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy. Commentators doubt the world has learned the right lessons from this experience.

The new sanctions are intended to persuade North Korea to end its nuclear programme. They received an unanimous vote of approval in the UN Security Council last weekend. For many commentators, however, sanctions alone are not enough.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday announced plans to set up hotspots in Libya as early as this summer, before retracting the statement just a few hours later. The security situation in the country precludes such a move, the Elysée announced, adding that feasibility studies would be carried out for Libya's border region with Niger and Chad. Europe's commentators weigh up the pros and cons of Macron's initiative.

One country after another is making moves to ensure that diesel and petrol engines become a thing of the past: Paris, Madrid, Athens and Helsinki plan to ban their production by 2025, with London following suit in 2040. In Germany the cartel scandal that has hit the automotive industry has added fuel to the debate. But commentators see bans as the wrong approach for various reasons.

The US Senate has followed the lead of the House of Representatives and approved by a large majority new sanctions against Russia. The corresponding legislation will now be presented to US President Donald Trump for signing. The EU Commission has threatened to react with countermeasures if Trump signs the measure into law. Europe's commentators view the developments with concern.

The EU Commission has shown understanding with Eastern Europeans who refuse to be fobbed off with supermarket products of inferior quality. The Commission now plans to develop guidelines banning double standards on food products. With this measure Brussels is reacting to a complaint brought by the Visegrád states. The media of these countries are full of praise for the initiative.