Eurotopics.net

The Bulgarian transitional government has confirmed a decision made under ex-prime minister Boyko Borisov to introduce the euro as the official currency on 1 January 2024. The "national plan" is now to be publicly debated - the EU has yet to announce its stance on the matter. Bulgaria has long been arguing about the pros and cons of adopting the euro. The divisiveness of the issue is also reflected in the commentaries.

The new EU-wide Digital Covid Certificate which aims to facilitate travel for those who are vaccinated comes into force today, 1 July. But several states are still having problems issuing or checking the vaccination certificate. Commentators see further hurdles on the path back to unrestricted freedom of travel but hail the certificate as an integrating achievement.

A brutal civil war has been raging between the Ethiopian army and the Tigray Defence Forces (TDF) in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia since November. Now the TDF has apparently gained the upper hand, and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has announced a ceasefire. But this is not the end of the violence, commentators fear.

In the ranks of Italy's largest governing party, Movimento 5 Stelle (the Five Star Movement or M5S for short), a battle for the party leadership has broken out between founder Beppe Grillo and Italy's ex-prime minister Giuseppe Conte, who joined the populist movement only this year. Grillo had initially wanted to make Conte leader. Now he has declared him unfit for the job.

Slovenia takes over the EU Council presidency from Portugal on 1 July. The country's right-wing populist prime minister Janez Janša is currently facing accusations of undermining press freedom in his own country, and on the European stage his demonstrative closeness to Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has attracted negative attention. Commentators are sceptical that Slovenia's presidency will be a success.