Eurotopics.net

On Wednesday, the day after his election as German chancellor, Friedrich Merz flew to Paris. In a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron the two leaders reaffirmed the close ties between their countries, which had recently cooled, as well as their shared interests. Merz then flew directly to Warsaw to meet Prime Minister Donald Tusk and reassert the desire for close ties with Poland. Commentators take stock.

The German Bundestag elected Friedrich Merz as the country's new chancellor on Tuesday - but only in the second round of voting after the CDU leader failed to secure enough support from the ranks of the conservative-social democratic coalition in the first round and fell six votes short of the required majority. After the vote the cabinet members were also sworn in. Europe's media discuss the causes of the false start and its consequences.

India has attacked targets in neighbouring Pakistan and the Pakistan-controlled part of the disputed Kashmir region. Official sources in New Delhi stress that only "terrorist infrastructure" was targeted, but Islamabad says 31 civilians were killed and has vowed to retaliate. This latest escalation in the long-standing conflict was prompted by a terrorist attack on tourists in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington today for talks that will presumably focus on defusing the tariff dispute between the US and Europe. The two leaders enjoy a good personal relationship. Europe's press discusses whether the EU will benefit from this encounter - or whether the post-fascist politician only has Italy's interests in mind.

Now that the US has suspended its special tariffs for most countries, the focus of the global tariff dispute has shifted to the clash between Washington and Beijing. Europe faces the question of how to position itself in this clash of titans. Commentators are at odds.