According to a media report, the US is planning a major reduction of its military contributions to NATO. German magazine Der Spiegel reports that Washington intends to provide far fewer key resources such as fighter jets, warships, drones and refuelling aircraft. Commentators are alarmed, and try to gauge how well prepared Europe is to defend itself right now.
On 14 June, Switzerland will hold a referendum on an initiative by the national-conservative Swiss People's Party to cap the country's population at 10 million. Under the terms of the proposal, Switzerland would be obliged to introduce measures at various levels to restrict the right of residence if the population exceeds 9.5 million before 2050. The country currently has 9.1 million inhabitants.
Armenia will hold parliamentary elections on 7 June. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is hoping that the vote will bolster his pro-Western course. On Thursday, US President Donald Trump declared his "full and unconditional support" for Pashinyan. Meanwhile, Russia is stepping up the pressure on Yerevan by imposing import bans on Armenian goods and threatening to disrupt supplies of natural gas.
In Slovenia, a centre-right government has replaced the left-liberal coalition led by Prime Minister Robert Golob. The new head of government, national conservative Janez Janša, has already held this office three times in the past. Slovenia's media discuss the new minority government's coalition agreement, which is supported in parliament by the right-wing populist party Resni.ca.
The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (FCCA) has accused leading companies in the berry industry of illegal price-fixing. The authority classified this practice as a very serious breach of competition law and has proposed a 9.4-million-euro fine, which the Market Court has yet to approve. A few years ago, several Finnish berry companies were found guilty of human trafficking.
Western Europe is currently in the grip of an unusually early heatwave. In France and the UK, meteorologists have recorded new record temperatures for the month of May, with highs of up to 36 degrees Celsius. In some parts of Spain, temperatures have soared to 40 degrees, and there have already been several heat-related deaths. Commentators point to past failures and warn of what lies ahead.
The Spanish police have raided the headquarters of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's ruling Socialist Party (PSOE) in Madrid. The Civil Guard said the search was prompted by allegations of illegal party financing. Just last week, former socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was placed under investigation over alleged influence-peddling in connection with a bailout loan for the airline Plus Ultra.
The US and Iran are engaged in talks in Qatar aimed at resolving the complex conflict. Washington is sending mixed signals: US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the two countries were close to an agreement, but the next day he warned he wouldn't be rushed into a deal. And despite the ceasefire in the Strait of Hormuz, there have been mutual attacks on ships and land-based positions in recent days.
The number of respondents in a poll in Saxony-Anhalt who said they intend to vote for the AfD in the next state elections rose to above 40 percent for the first time in early May. Although the elections in this economically weak eastern German state are not due to take place until 6 September, the prospect of a clear AfD majority gives the media food for thought. Why have right-wing populists gained so much support? And how can their political rivals counter this trend?
After Russia issued a warning to foreign diplomats, telling them to leave the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha has urged the Western partners not to yield to "Russian threats". Late on Saturday night Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack on the greater Kyiv area. Commentators, however, see the strikes as a sign of the Kremlin's weakness.
Cuba faces a "humanitarian catastrophe", its Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla told the UN Security Council on Tuesday. The Communist Caribbean state has been struggling under a US oil blockade for months. President Trump has threatened to "take" Cuba and charges have also been brought in the US against the 94-year-old former president, Raúl Castro. The media discuss how this crisis could unfold.
The birth rate in the EU has dropped to a record low. The statistical average number of children per woman is now 1.34, compared to 2.62 in 1964. This downwards trend is making it increasingly difficult for governments to maintain stable tax revenues and sustain pension and healthcare systems. Commentators look into how to make Europe more family-friendly.