Eurotopics.net

Ahead of the European elections the leader of Germany's CDU, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, has set out her own vision for Europe in response to Emmanuel Macron's reform ideas in an article published in the German paper Welt am Sonntag. She rejects Macron's proposed EU-wide minimum wage and makes no mention of several other of his proposals. What does Europe's press think of the CDU leader's contribution to the debate on Europe's future?

According to the BBC the newborn son of IS supporter Shamima Begum has died of pneumonia in a Syrian refugee camp. Begum had asked to be allowed to return to Britain with him but London classified the young woman as a security risk and withdrew her citizenship. Begum went to Syria and joined the IS at the age of 15. Should Britain have stepped in to save her child?

Millions of people took to the streets across the world on March 8 to demonstrate for equal rights and against violence against women. Women in Spain went on strike, in Portugal flags were flown at half-mast in memory of murdered women, and police in Istanbul used tear gas on women demonstrators. Europe's commentators take stock.

The Lega is for it, Five Star is against it: the row over the high-speed train connection between Turin and Lyon threatens to break up the coalition government in Italy. Now the two sides have agreed to postpone the decision on the project for six months. The contracts are to be offered for tenders but the details of the financing won't be discussed for the time being. Can this solution save the government?

From Tallinn to Helsinki in 20 minutes: a train tunnel between the Estonian and Finnish capitals which has been in planning for years is to make this possible. Now the Chinese firm Touchstone wants to invest 15 billion euros in the project and the planning company Finest Bay Area has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese. Should it think twice?