Eurotopics.net

France's army is to be strengthened by voluntary military service. There will be no conscription for the time being and service will be limited to the "national territory", President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday. This followed a statement by the Chief of the Defence Staff General Fabien Mandon, who warned that the country must be prepared to "lose its children" faced with the Russian threat.

The Estonian parliament decided last week to add a language component to the Military Service Act, making B1-level language skills a prerequisite for conscription. Wise decision or false incentive?

Britain's Treasury chief Rachel Reeeves presented the budget on Wednesday. By combining tax increases to the tune of 30 billion euros, more child subsidies and less debt, Keir Starmer's Labour government hopes to lead the country out of crisis. The budget proposals are "fair but necessary," Reeves claims. Opinions from the press are divided.

Germany's plan to lower electricity costs for its energy-intensive industries through state subsidies as of January next year has put a cat among Europe's pigeons. Commentators point beyond Germany's borders, where the subsidies present an existential threat to the competitiveness of other European nations with similarly electricity-intensive structures.

A leak by Bloomberg is causing a commotion. The media company has published a dialogue said to be a transcript of a telephone conversation between US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin aide Yuri Ushakov on 14 October. In a familiar tone, Witkoff tips Ushakov on how Putin should deal with Trump. Europe's press tries to get a handle on the situation.