Eurotopics.net

In a 927-page statement published on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump declared earnings of 2.2 billion dollars for 2025 – 3.5 times more than in the year before his second mandate began. More than 1.4 billion dollars comes from his family's cryptocurrency dealings. The news triggers a wave of disapproval in Europe's press.

Following a lacklustre performance against Paraguay, Germany's national football team has been knocked out in the round of 32 of the Fifa World Cup. Commentators see parallels with the state of the country as a whole.

As of July 1, customs duties are being levied on parcels of goods from non-EU countries worth less than 150 euros. These will be subject to a fixed fee of three euros per item type. Until now, such parcels had enjoyed an exemption. The tariffs are expected to hit online retailers selling cheap goods such as Temu and Shein particularly hard. Commentators debate whether this will strengthen the European economy and drive out discount retailers.

Despite urgent warnings from Pope Leo XIV, the ultra-conservative Society of St Pius X in Switzerland has consecrated four bishops without the Pope's approval – an act by which those involved incur automatic excommunication and which triggers a schism within the Catholic Church. Commentators discuss how deep the rift goes.

The European Commission plans to amend the rules on the admission of Ukrainian war refugees from spring 2027, and has proposed that Ukrainian men of military age who arrive in the EU should no longer be automatically entitled to protection, although they would retain the right to apply for asylum. In Ukraine, military-age men are subject to an exit ban.