Good afternoon and welcome back to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. These weekly round-ups have been a little intermittent over the past month, thanks to the concentration of bank holidays we enjoy in Belgium. The long weekends continue with Pentecost earning us a day off on Monday, but Friday GBUs will for now resume, uninterrupted until Assumption (15 August). Rumbles in PolandThe week started with a black eye for Brussels as conservative candidate Karol Nawrocki stole a victory in Poland's presidential elections. Backed by the hard-right Law and Justice Party (PiS), Nawrocki rode out rumours of dodgy property deals, seemed unabashed by his involvement in football hooliganism, and even took snus on a televised debate. He faced down the backlash by taking a drug test (he was clean) and quipping that he needed it to stay awake during his opponent's lengthy dialogue.
Nawrocki is expected to be a thorn in the side of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, though as Magnus Lund Nielsen reflects, a populist president in Poland is easier for Brussels to stomach than one in Romania, in the shape of George Simion. All the same, the urban/rural divide in Poland is remarkable. Alexandra Brzozowski highlights how hyperbole and moral opprobrium make any form of reconciliation almost impossible. Wilders pulls the plug on Dutch governmentAnti-immigration and anti-Islam hardliner Geert Wilders spent decades in opposition before leading his Freedom Party (PVV) to election success in 2023. And after months of strained negotiations to form a government, PVV withdrew from the coalition on Tuesday – triggering political turmoil.
Furious partners denounced an "unacceptable" ultimatum in which Wilders demanded deportations for Syrians, rejection of all asylum seekers, and military border checks. But PVV persisted and Prime Minister Dick Schoof had no choice but to resign later that day.
An election will be held on 29 October, though Wilders still leads the polls, suggesting further uncertainty. The fight for a sacred monasteryEuractiv's Sarantis Michalopoulos gained access to an ancient Greek Orthodox monastery that has become the focus of a diplomatic dispute between Greece and Egypt.
The site, located at the foot of Mount Sinai, is a major pilgrimage destination and home to 20 monks. But an Egyptian court ruled to confiscate its property, sparking indignation in Athens and calls to freeze billions of EU funds allocated to Egypt.
Sarantis had a rare glimpse inside the site, which has been closed due to the clash, and heard the concerns of residents. Happily for us, he had his camera with him. #SkinnyTok no more, France vs. PornFrance's digital minister Clara Chappaz has been busy, fighting battles on several fronts (and with some success).
Responding to fears that social media can encourage eating disorders, she led the charge to ban the 'SkinnyTok' hashtag from TikTok. On Sunday, the platform removed the tag – a decision applied not only in France but worldwide.
Meanwhile in the realm of adult content, Chappaz upped the ante on Big Porn, pressing them to roll out age verification systems to prevent children from accessing the sites. A stand-off ensued, with three major porn websites suspending their services in France, rather than comply. German border checksNick Alipour was out in the field, searching for German border controls that were supposed to be searching for him. Merz might have won voters with promises of tough border controls, but the practicalities of policing 4,000 kilometres are difficult to deliver.
Not only is the exercise hugely labour-intensive, it may even be unlawful. And at any rate, the efforts seem ineffective and easy to circumvent. How long will they keep up the charade?
Read more. | 