Joe Biden and Donald Trump have faced off in the first televised debate between the US presidential candidates. Biden called Trump a liar and a criminal with the "morals of an alley cat" while Trump made the unsubstantiated claim that the immigration policy of the "worst president of all time" had boosted crime rates. The European press is unanimous that Biden in particular failed to convince.
The first round of the French parliamentary elections will be held on Sunday. President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the National Assembly after his party suffered heavy losses and the right-wing nationalist Rassemblement National (RN) made strong gains in the European elections. The electoral alliance New Popular Front (NFP) is running with a centre-left agenda. Europe's press is keeping a close eye on the developments in France.
The EU leaders have now officially agreed on who the top posts in the bloc should go to: Germany's Ursula von der Leyen (EPP) is to remain Commission President, Portugal's António Costa (S&D) is to become President of the European Council and Estonia's Kaja Kallas (Renew Europe) is to take over as EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs. Commentators assess the selection from different perspectives.
In a move aimed at alleviating the housing shortage and improving the deteriorating quality of life in residential neighbourhoods, Barcelona's mayor Jaume Collboni has announced that licences for holiday lets will not be renewed when they expire over the next five years. Reactions in Europe's press highlight how overtourism is an issue that many people are concerned about.
After striking a deal with the US judiciary, Julian Assange is a free man. In a US court on the Pacific island of Saipan, the Wikileaks founder pleaded guilty to conspiring to illegally obtain and disclose classified documents relating to national defence. His sentence was ruled to have been served during his five-year imprisonment in the UK. He was reunited with his family in Australia on Wednesday.
The Tisza party led by political newcomer Péter Magyar won 29.6 percent of the Hungarian vote in the EU elections. Less than three months after Magyar took over as its leader, Tisza, which until then was only a minor formation, has become the largest opposition party in the country. This meteoric rise is prompting speculation in Hungary's press about whether the party could become a serious rival for Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz.
The EU officially began accession talks with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova on Tuesday. Belgium's Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib talked of this being a "historic moment for us all". However, it remains to be seen how long the negotiations will last and whether they will actually culminate in accession. Commentators discuss the next steps.
Denmark's government has reached an agreement with major industry and environmental organisations on the introduction of a carbon tax on emissions from agriculture. Under the agreed legislation, which has yet to be passed by parliament, farmers will be taxed 300 Danish crowns (around 40 euros) per tonne of CO2 from 2030, increasing to 750 crowns by 2035. In return, they will benefit from higher tax deductions. The national press voices its approval.
It is still unclear whether the EU member states will be able to agree on a proposal for the presidency of the Commission at this Thursday's summit. At the same time, the newly elected EU Parliament is under pressure to form political groups as quickly as possible. The lists of names must be presented by 15 July in order for groups to be recognised at the constituent meeting the following day. Europe's press is keenly following the developments at all levels.
In the Russian republic of Dagestan in the North Caucasus, terrorists attacked Orthodox churches, synagogues and the police in the major cities of Derbent and Makhachkala on Sunday. 21 people were killed, 16 of whom were police officers. The five attackers, including two sons and a nephew of a local head of administration, were shot dead. Governor Sergey Melikov blamed "foreign forces" for the attack. The state of alert has since been lifted.
Donald Tusk's governing coalition in Poland has sparked a broad debate over the importance of traditional values with proposals to cut the number of Catholic religious education classes in schools, revise curricula and negotiate the introduction of registered partnerships for homosexual couples. Commentaries in the Polish press reflect the contentiousness of such measures.
After the snap parliamentary election on 9 June, coalition talks in Bulgaria are once again in danger of failing. Former prime minister Boyko Borisov's conservative Gerb party has failed to secure a majority together with the second strongest party, the Movement of Rights and Freedoms (DPS), which represents the Turkish minority. The search for a third coalition partner seems unlikely to succeed. The national press is unsparing in its criticism.