After being convicted of embezzling EU funds, right-wing populist Marine Le Pen is out of the race for the French presidency in 2027. A court in Paris barred her from running for office for five years and sentenced her to a four-year prison term, with two years as a suspended sentence and two to be served under house arrest with an electronic tag, as well as a fine of 100,000 euros. Le Pen plans to appeal the ruling. Europe's press discusses the context and ramifications.
Alexander Stubb made a surprise visit to Florida on the weekend, where he played golf with Donald Trump and spoke to him at length about the war in Ukraine. Shortly afterwards, Trump declared that he was "very angry, pissed off" at Putin for questioning the legitimacy of the Ukrainian leadership and threatened to impose new sanctions against Russia if it refused to show willingness to make peace. Did the visit make a real difference?
US tariffs against the EU, threats to take over Greenland, offensive remarks by high-ranking US officials in a Signal chat - the tone between Washington and Brussels is becoming increasingly sour. Commentators discuss what Europe's focus should be and whether massive rearmament is the right strategy.
Newly released this month, the new Netflix series Adolescence about a 13-year-old boy who murders a classmate takes a disturbing look at violence among young people and the impact of social media. In the UK, the series will be shown and discussed in schools across the country. Europe's media take up the debate.
During a flying visit to a US military base on Greenland, US Vice President JD Vance has accused Denmark of neglecting the island and reasserted the US's interest in its territory. Copenhagen rejected the accusations and their "tone" as inappropriate. The new Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also declared that Greenland "does not belong to anyone else".
The mass demonstrations against Ekrem İmamoğlu's imprisonment and dismissal as mayor of Istanbul continued over the weekend. Hundreds of thousands responded to the opposition party CHP's call to protest in Istanbul on Saturday. The CHP has chosen İmamoğlu, who is considered long-term President Erdoğan's most promising rival, as its candidate for the 2028 presidential election.
A French court has found Marine Le Pen guilty of embezzling millions of euros in EU funds. The leader of the far-right Rassemblement National party now faces a prison sentence and a fine, as well as being declared ineligible to run for five years. France's media discusses the political implications for the three-time presidential candidate.
Donald Trump has made good on his threat: from the start of April the US will impose a 25 percent tariff on cars and car parts imports. With this move he hopes to generate additional revenues, strengthen the domestic car industry and create jobs by encouraging foreign carmakers to open factories in the United States. Commentators voice doubts.
The leaders of around thirty countries convened in Paris on Thursday to discuss further support for Ukraine. Although there was no consensus on the deployment of peacekeeping troops to secure a potential ceasefire, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that a Franco-British mission was being put together and emissaries from both countries would be travelling to Ukraine in the next few days to discuss the plans. What can this achieve?
Shortly before the change of government in the US, Washington had promised Bucharest visa-free travel for Romanians. Now the Department of Homeland Security has announced that instead of coming into force at the end of March as planned, the exemption will be postponed indefinitely. It wants to reassess whether the country fulfils the security standards for the visa waiver programme, the Department said. The national press sees other reasons for the decision.
Citing the need to better protect themselves against the growing threat posed by Russia and Belarus, Poland and the Baltic states have jointly declared their intention to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty which bans the use of anti-personnel mines. Finland is also considering withdrawal. Between outrage and understanding, commentators also cast about for a middle way that minimises the risks to civilians.