Elon Musk has been chosen to head the newly created Department of Government Efficiency under Donald Trump. The advisory body will help the next US administration in its fight against 'redundant' regulations and 'wasteful' spending, as well as in the restructuring of federal agencies, Trump announced on Tuesday. Europe's press finds the appointment problematic for several reasons.
At the hearings currently taking place in the European Parliament, the candidacies of three commissioners-designate are under dispute. Raffaele Fitto is controversial owing to his affiliation with the right-wing populist Fratelli d'Italia, Olivér Várhelyi must face further questions before being signed off, and Spain's conservative People's Party says Teresa Ribera is partly responsible for the catastrophic consequences of the flash floods in Spain. Commentators discuss potential outcomes.
After his election as US president, Donald Trump's first picks for key foreign policy positions have become known. Military veteran and Fox News presenter Pete Hegseth is to head the US Department of Defence, while Marco Rubio is under discussion as the next Secretary of State and Mike Waltz as the new National Security Adviser. Both are considered hardliners vis-à-vis China and have criticised the current policy on Ukraine. Europe's press weighs in.
Another major row has broken out in Vilnius in the process of forming a new government: contrary to previous statements, the Social Democrats have announced that they will form a coalition with the centre-left party Vardan Lietuvos and the populist party Nemuno Aušra (NA). NA's leader, Remigijus Žemaitaitis, was forced to give up his seat in the Seimas before the elections after making antisemitic statements. President Gitanas Nausėda has said he will reject any ministers put forward by NA.
Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has resigned from his post after coming under fire for his handling of an abuse scandal in the Anglican Church. As head of the Church of England, he was criticised for not making public decades of abuse against over 100 boys and young men by a Church employee who died in 2018.
The Italian judiciary has once again halted the plans of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to have refugees' asylum applications processed outside the EU. A court in Rome ruled that the detention of seven migrants from Egypt and Bangladesh in a reception centre in Albania was unlawful. The way in which countries of origin are designated as safe had previously been criticised by the courts. The press takes a closer look.
After the collapse of the traffic light coalition between the SPD, FDP and Greens, Germany seems headed for new elections on 23 February, according to the latest plan. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had initially hoped to get certain major decisions through parliament before holding a vote of confidence in the Bundestag. Europe's press observes the situation in Berlin with concern, but also sees opportunities.
On the evening of 9 November 1989, the authorities of the communist German Democratic Republic opened the border crossing points to West Germany and West Berlin. Less than a year later, Germany was unified and the East-West conflict seemed to be a thing of the past. The historic date prompts Europe's press to take a critical look at old and new dividing lines.