Eurotopics.net

Germany's GDP sank by 0.1 percent in the second quarter compared to the first quarter. International trade conflicts and uncertainties surrounding the Brexit are being cited as primary causes. Observers fear Germany's negative growth could have an impact on other countries. What steps should Europe's biggest economy take?

Since Boris Johnson took over as prime minister opposition to his hard Brexit course has been growing in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Northern Irish Catholic nationalist party Sinn Féin has even brought up the possibility of reuniting Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland so that the former can remain in the EU. Irish commentators already envisage the emergence of a new state.

In the wake of explosions at several locations in Denmark including a police station and the Danish Tax Agency in Copenhagen the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has announced that border controls would be reinstated between Denmark and Sweden. The Danish police has arrested a suspect from Sweden. Are such controls the right way to protect Denmark against criminals from its neighbouring country?

The Berlin Wall came down in 1989, allowing citizens of the GDR to travel freely to the West for the first time in 28 years. Thirty years on Europe is commemorating this event - and commentators are drawing different conclusions about the history of Germany's division.

Bucharest's Mayor Gabriela Firea wants to combat air pollution in the city by introducing controls on traffic. Among other measures a tax is to be levied on vehicles that drive through Bucharest. Residents of the city and surrounding areas would, however, be exempted from the tax. Opinions in the Romanian press are divided.