Two months after the French parliamentary elections, President Emmanuel Macron has appointed former EU Commissioner and Brexit chief negotiator Michel Barnier as his new prime minister. In the run-off election on 7 July, the left-wing alliance NFP received the most votes, while Barnier's conservative Les Républicains came fourth with just 5.4 percent. Europe's press discusses whether his appointment is nonetheless a good decision.
Turkish President Erdoğan has followed up on his announcement and applied for his country to join the group of Brics states. Dominated by Russia and China, the alliance of emerging economies is seen as a counterweight to the West's G7. Turkey would be the first Nato state to join the Brics group. Europe's press takes a closer look.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has chosen José Luis Escrivá, minister for digital transformation, to be the new governor of the Bank of Spain. The position comes with a seat on the European Central Bank's governing council and an important role in the supervision of the Spanish banking sector. The opposition is outraged and sees a conflict of interest. The national press is divided.
Europe's largest car manufacturer Volkswagen is no longer ruling out plant closures and layoffs in Germany. The company's management has warned that the cost-cutting measures taken so far may not be sufficient to prevent the company from making losses in the long term. Works councils and trade unions accuse the company of mismanagement, urging the carmaker to focus on more competitive products. Commentators discuss the roots of the problem.
The quest for a new government continues in France. President Macron has made it clear that despite the victory of the the leftist New Popular Front in the parliamentary elections, he refuses to nominate any of its members for the post of prime minister. He also rejected proposals from right-wing parties. According to press reports, former EU Commissioner Michel Barnier is currently under discussion for the post. Europe's press reflects on the complex situation.
EU member states have put forward their candidates for the EU Commission. Ursula Von der Leyen requested that each country nominate a man and a woman to enable equal representation. However, many governments have not complied with this wish - and this is not the only reason for criticism amongst commentators.
Despite the warrant for his arrest issued by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Russian President Vladimir Putin has travelled to Mongolia. Putin was received by President Uchnaagiin Chürelsüch and a guard of honour in Ulaanbaatar on Tuesday. As a state that recognises the ICC's authority, the onus was on Mongolia to arrest the Russian autocrat. Europe's press evaluates the situation.
The AfD's strong performance in the Saxony and Thuringia state elections poses an enormous challenge for the other parties. In view of the disastrous results of Germany's ruling coalition government, European media turn their attention to the centre-right CDU, which must now decide how to position itself vis-à-vis the victorious far-right party.
The largest protests since 7 October have taken place in Israel after the army recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel under Rafah. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered on Sunday to demand that a deal be struck with the radical Islamic organisation Hamas to free the remaining 101 hostages. A general strike on Monday was ended by court injunction. Can the public outcry bring a change of course?