European Union

The US musician Bob Dylan has won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature. This is the first time the Swedish Academy has chosen an artist who isn't primarily a writer. Some commentators lament the decision to award a representative of pop culture. Others applaud the jury's understanding of what literature is.

The EU and Canada want to sign the Ceta free trade agreement at the end of October, but its ratification by the EU is uncertain as the deal has met with considerable opposition in several states. Germany's Constitutional Court has now given the green light for the agreement to go ahead, rejecting several emergency appeals against it on Thursday. The press believes this decision points the way ahead.

Much is being said about the public appearances of the two US presidential candidates, as well as their scandals in the US election campaign. Commentators on both sides of the Atlantic now take a closer look at the economic policy proposals of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

The Dutch government wants to make it possible for elderly people who are not seriously ill to end their own lives. Loneliness or the loss of independence can cause just as much suffering as illness and are therefore a legitimate reason for assisted suicide, a report put out by the country's Ministries of Health and Justice has found. Commentators ask how far self-determination should be taken.

After the US's withdrawal from the Syria talks and Russia's veto on a UN resolution, relations between the two major powers are at a new low point. US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet in Lausanne on Saturday in an attempt to defuse the tensions. Commentators assess the chances for détente and a ceasefire in Syria.

A leaked British Treasury report warns that Britain would lose billions of euros per year as a result of a hard Brexit. But this didn't stop Prime Minister Theresa May from announcing a hard break with the EU last week. Commentators discuss the consequences and say it's not too late for Britain to change course.