Eurotopics.net

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.

Same-sex marriages that are registered in one EU member state must be recognised in all other EU countries, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on Tuesday in Luxembourg. What prompted the decision? A homosexual couple who married in 2018 in Germany tried to register their marriage in Poland after moving there, but their request was rejected by Poland's restrictive legislation.