NRC Handelsblad reports that the European Court of Justice has decided "the Netherlands will be allowed to launch the wietpas” or weed pass, an identity card system that will prevent foreigners from entering coffee shops. While the Dutch government is planning to move ahead with the project, some local authorities are worried that the measure could prompt an increase in illegal drug sales. In its ruling on the case which opposed the city of Maastricht and a local coffee shop owner, the court pointed out that “cannabis is a narcotic and thus not protected by the principle of the free circulation of goods.” It also pointed that governments “should have the means to maintain order and promote public health.” However, it did note that the new system will not be easy to manage. For example, the single city of Maastricht attracts 3.9 million tourists, of whom 70% are foreigners.
The leader of Greece’s leftist alliance SYRIZA is the new bright hope of Greek politics. Steering a course between pragmatism and the rhetoric of class warfare, he has unsettled Berlin, and not just those who back Angela Merkel's austerity policies. 
Europe’s economic woes have forced us to try to understand the secret Olympian world of global finance. But now that we pay more attention to bond yields and stability mechanisms, isn’t it clear that the experts up on their lofty peaks don’t know what’s going on either? 
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest is hosted by Azerbaijan, a country that is far from being a model democracy. An Estonian journalist takes a critical look at the deferential treatment enjoyed by the regime in Baku.