The new Flemish government plans to invest €515m to create its own energy company, Vl.Energie. The news came on 5 July, with the announcement that socialist, Christian-democrat and nationalist negotiators had reached agreement on the formation of a regional government in the wake of local elections held on 7 June. The daily De Standaard reports that "the regional government plans to combine all of its holdings in green energy companies," which include stakes in biomass, wind power, and incineration services. An additional investment of approximately €200m will enable it to "obtain a share in two green energy providers: Aspiravi (wind power) and Enfibity (solar energy)." According to one of the negotiators, this "ambitious project […] is intended to provide a counter weight to the oligopoly currently maintained by Electrabel and SPE." In a demonstration of its commitment to the environment, the regional government is also planning to apply strict energy conservation standards in all of the buildings under its control (public offices, schools, retirement homes etc).
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.