Eurotopics.net

Italy's new government is due to present its budget plan to the European Commission today, Thursday. In his draft budget independent finance minister Giovanni Tria aims for a deficit that doesn't exceed 1.8 percent of the country's GDP. The ruling parties, however, want the deficit target to be raised to 2.4 percent in order to push through their election promises. Italy's press is sceptical.

Tensions have been smouldering in Sweden since the elections: the leader of the Christian Democrats, Ebba Busch Thor, has said she is willing to accept the support of the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats which would allow her to form a governing majority. At the same time a document circulating in the government administration calls on civil servants to boycott a government which includes the Sweden Democrats. Swedish journalists voice their concern.

The ruling CDU/CSU faction in the German Bundestag has voted its leader Volker Kauder out of office. In a surprise development Kauder's deputy Ralph Brinkhaus won the vote for the post. Because Kauder is considered one of Angela Merkel's closest allies the vote was seen as a test of the mood in her party after the internal row over asylum and the Maaßen affair. For commentators Merkel has suffered a serious setback.

Italy's government has approved tougher asylum laws. Among other measures the proceedings of applicants who are deemed to be "socially dangerous" or have been convicted of a crime are to be suspended. Commentators are furious.

The EU wants to create a "special purpose vehicle" for processing payments between European companies and Tehran in a bid to enable Europe's industry to continue trading with the country without violating US sanctions. Some commentators praise the initiative for attempting to preserve the nuclear deal. Others doubt that it will keep the regime in Tehran in line.

Now that the offensive against the last Syrian rebel stronghold in Idlib has been fended off for now, the question arises of what the post-war order could look like. A group of international jurists warned on Tuesday in an appeal to UN Secretary General Guterres that human rights could be disregarded in the reconstruction phase. The West must not once again turn a blind eye, commentators admonish.