Eurotopics.net

French President Emmanuel Macron is reportedly considering holding a referendum in a bid to stop the ongoing yellow vest protests. The French paper Journal du Dimanche wrote that he is pondering allowing the French people to vote on the results of the civic dialogue on 26 May, the day the European elections will be held. Journalists are unanimous that this is not a good idea in the current volatile situation.

A slaughterhouse in Poland has been secretly slaughtering sick animals at night and selling the meat on. At least 14 EU countries are reportedly affected. Authorities in Warsaw have ruled out health risks but the EU Commission has launched an investigation. The politicians haven't done their homework at any rate, commentators criticise.

In Venezuela Nicolás Maduro failed to meet the deadline for convoking new elections issued by several EU member states. They now plan to recognise the parliamentary speaker Juan Guaidó as interim president. Washington, meanwhile, is once again considering a military intervention. Europe's press discusses the foreign impact on the power struggle in Venezuela.

Employees at the Audi plant in Győr have ended a one-week strike after the management agreed to an 18-percent pay rise. The plant produces engines for Audi, VW and Porsche. Factories in Germany and Slovakia were forced to partially suspend production as a result of the strike. Hungarian papers celebrate the workers' triumph over the multinational company.

Indrek Neivelt, chairman and co-founder of the Estonian bank Pocopay, has launched a campaign aimed at putting foreign banks operating in Estonia - in particular Scandinavian ones - under pressure. He accuses them of generating twice as many profits in Estonia than abroad while their pension funds are far less profitable for Estonian customers than they are in Sweden. This has triggered a debate about the banking system in Estonia.

Die USA haben das INF-Abkommen über den Verzicht auf landgestützte atomare Mittelstreckenraketen aufgekündigt und Russland Vertragsbruch vorgeworfen. Moskau kündigte an, sich ebenfalls aus dem Abkommen zurückzuziehen. Während einige Kommentatoren ein neues Wettrüsten fürchten, loben andere die Initiative der USA.