Elena Lasconi from the liberal USR party would have been in the run-off vote in Romania's presidential election in November had the first round of voting not been cancelled. The election will be repeated on 4 May, but the party leadership has now decided to pull its support for Lasconi who is polling at around just four percent - and has announced that it is endorsing independent Bucharest mayor and former USR founder Nicușor Dan instead.
In a surprise move, Serbia's President Aleksandar Vučić has appointed endocrinologist Djuro Macut, who has a good reputation as a doctor but has no experience in politics, to form a new government for the country, which has been rocked by continuous protests. Macut now has until 18 April, otherwise new elections will be held. Commentators take a close look at why Macut has been chosen for this role.
Most of the new tariffs announced by Washington last week are coming into force today, Wednesday. After China refused to withdraw its counter-tariffs, the US has upped the tariff rate for Chinese imports to a record 104 percent. Beijing vowed that it would "fight to the end" if necessary. Europe's press speculates on the consequences of a trade war between the biggest players in the global economy.
New punitive tariffs also apply to Europe - 20 percent for EU member states. Today, Wednesday, the EU is again meeting to discuss how best to respond. Until now Brussels had played the de-escalation game, but US President Trump has rejected its offer of a free trade deal. Europe's press explores the options.
After Donald Trump's latest tariffs announcement, oil prices dropped by around 20 percent within a week reaching their lowest level since the pandemic, when they turned negative. Europe's consumers are also feeling the effects: fuel prices at German petrol stations dropped by around 10 cents for two days in a row. A look at Europe's press shows who will be most worried by this downwards trend.
