The Italian government is to submit its revised version of its budget to the European Commission today, Tuesday, after the latter for the first time rejected a member state's budget three weeks ago. In particular due to its plan to increase public debt to 2.4 percent of GDP, the country is facing an excessive procedure. Europe's commentators explain why both sides are refusing to make concessions.
Several European countries introduced women's suffrage in 1918: Britain, Poland, Germany and Austria. A ceremony was held in Berlin on Monday to mark this milestone, with Chancellor Angela Merkel calling for a higher percentage of women in the German parliament. The media discuss just how far governments have come in terms of equal rights.
In the self-proclaimed pro-Russian people's republics of Donetsk and Luhansk new leaders and parliaments were elected on Sunday - for the second time since 2014 and despite the fact that the Minsk Protocol stipulates that local elections in these areas must take place according to Ukrainian law. Observers ask whether the elections, which are not recognised by the West and Kiev, will escalate the conflict in Donbass.
More and more countries are against the UN migration pact: of the EU member states Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary and now Bulgaria too have said they will reject it. And in Estonia too, a debate has emerged that could end in its not signing the accord. Commentators look at what makes the pact so contentious.
More than 60 heads of state and government including Trump, Putin, Merkel and Macron commemorated the end of World War I in Paris on the weekend. The French president warned of the threat posed by the rise of nationalism. One hundred years after the signing of the armistice in the Forest of Compiègne, Europe's commentators ask if the date really is cause for celebration.
More than 250,000 people took part in a march marking the 100th anniversary of Polish independence on Sunday. In addition to representatives of the ruling party PiS, far-right groups from all over Europe also attended. Warsaw's mayor had made an unsuccessful attempt to ban the march. How close are the ties between the PiS and extremist nationalists?
The conservative European People's Party passed a resolution on the weekend in which it reaffirms its commitment to protecting EU values and preserving democracy. However, at the behest of the Hungarian ruling party Fidesz the term 'liberal democracy' was dropped from the text. Certain Hungarian media see the result as a half-hearted declaration while others see it as a hopeful sign.
In Estonia a heated debate has broken out about the UN migration pact. Voices in the parliament are complaining that the country was not included in its preparation. The pact is due to be signed in a month but President Kersti Kaljulaid has now called into question Estonia's willingness to approve it. Views on the debate in Estonia exemplify those being voiced in other countries, too.
The EPP has chosen German CSU politician Manfred Weber as its lead candidate for the European elections. With this decision Weber edged out the Finn Alexander Stubb and stands a good chance of becoming the next EU Commission president. While some see Weber as spearheading the EU's fight against populism, others fear his appointment will mean the end of the EU as we know it.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn has called for the membership talks with Turkey, which have been on hold for months, to be ended. He said that EU membership for the country was not realistic "in the foreseeable future" and that a strategic partnership between the EU and Ankara should be the new goal. Would this be a sensible step?