Eurotopics.net

Romania's government has issued an emergency ordinance that amends the already approved judicial reforms. The required number of years of professional experience for prosecutors in the in the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA), the general prosecutors' office and the anti-organised crime agency has been raised retroactively. This means that around 50 prosecutors will have to suspend their activities. A bitter blow for the country's fight against corruption, commentators criticise.

Greece's foreign minister Nikos Kotzias has resigned after a row in cabinet over how to solve the name dispute with Macedonia. Apparently he felt that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras wasn't giving him enough backing against Panos Kammenos, the minister of national defence from Syriza's right-wing populist coalition partner who rejects the compromise reached on the name. Was he right to resign?

The US has sided with Saudi Arabia in the Khashoggi case. Trump said that he had talked to the king and crown prince and both had assured him that they had no knowledge and nothing to do with the alleged murder of the journalist in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. How long can the allies remain loyal to Riyadh?

Italy approved its budget for 2019 and presented it to the EU Commission on Tuesday. Since the plan foresees considerably more new debt than the previous government had promised, Rome is heading for confrontation with the EU. What will be the outcome of this trial of strength?

After the scandal involving Emmanuel Macron's former bodyguard Alexandre Benalla and the resignation of several ministers including Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot and Interior Minister Gérard Collomb, the latest cabinet shuffle is meant to mark a fresh start. But the shake-up is a flop, commentators explain after the new cabinet was announced on Tuesday.