Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez presented 15 anti-corruption measures on Wednesday, after several leading members of his PSOE party have been placed under investigation in recent weeks. The measures include the establishment of a new supervisory authority and the use of advanced data analyses to detect fraud. Commentators question the effectiveness of the proposed action plan.
Bulgaria has the final green light to introduce the euro on 1 January 2026 after the EU finance ministers passed the necessary legislation on Tuesday. The European Commission and the leaders of the EU member states had already given their approval in June. Commentators in the national press encourage euro advocates and critics alike to make the best of the conversion.
Last week the Pentagon pulled the plug on sending weapons to Ukraine. Now Donald Trump has overturned the decision – and is reportedly looking into whether the US can deliver an additional Patriot missile defence system. He also condemned Vladimir Putin for throwing "a lot of bullshit" while "killing a lot of people". Europe's press anaylses the latest mood swing in the White House.
Ursula von der Leyen must face a vote of no confidence in the European Parliament on Thursday. She is being accused by Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea of the right-wing ECR faction and 76 co-signatories of a lack of transparency and of mismanagement in her handling of Covid policy. They cite in particular her failure to comply with a court ruling that she release a chain of text messages with the boss of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer ahead of a multi-billion-euro vaccine deal.
More than a year after the attempted assassination of Prime Minister Robert Fico, the trial began on Tuesday of his alleged attacker. After a government meeting in May 2024, Fico was shot and badly injured by a 72-year-old pensioner. The defendant admitted firing the shots, but denied intent to kill. Commentators shed light on the political context.
Numerous countries in Europe have sinking birthrates. In Sweden, for example, where the average was 1.43 children per woman in 2024, it is lower than ever. The government has set up a public inquiry to look into the causes. Commentators also are debating the reasons and fundamental questions about the demographic situation.