Eurotopics.net

Many people are having to accept financial losses in the coronavirus crisis and there are calls for politicians to also renounce part of their income. New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has cut her salary by 20 percent and Austria's ministers plan to each donate one month's salary. Europe's media are divided on whether such sacrifices are a necessary gesture of solidarity.

Another summit of EU leaders aimed at tackling the coronavirus crisis is slated for Thursday. The main topic of discussion will be a common strategy for lifting the pandemic measures and further cushioning the economic impact. But the lack of consensus of recent weeks has not diminished. Commentators call for swift and far-sighted action.

Several European countries are discussing the idea of introducing tracking apps used by citizens on a voluntary basis as a means of enabling a return to normality. These apps, which have already been used in countries like South Korea, would keep users informed about contact with infected persons. Commentators debate whether they are really useful enough to justify the surveillance they entail.