Eurotopics.net

In the provincial elections in the Netherlands, Prime Minister Mark Rutte's coalition parties have suffered major losses while the new Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB) became the strongest party in its first bid for government. Commentators see farmers' anger over the government's agricultural policy as well as widespread dissatisfaction as the main causes for the government's poor showing.

After the bankruptcy of the Silicon Valley Bank, the plummeting share price of Credit Suisse (CS) triggered concerns across the globe on Wednesday. The lender's shares closed down by around 24 percent at the end of trading. On Thursday night the bank announced that it would accept an offer of help from the Swiss National Bank and borrow up to 50 billion francs. Europe's press analyses the implications.

A US reconnaissance drone crashed over the Black Sea on Tuesday. The US complained that Russia's "unsafe and unprofessional" actions led to the drone's collision with a Russian fighter jet. Moscow countered that the drone crashed on its own and accused the US of collecting data and passing it on to Kyiv. Europe's press analyses the risks of such incidents.

In the provincial elections in the Netherlands, Prime Minister Mark Rutte's coalition parties have suffered major losses while the new Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB) became the strongest party in its first bid for government. Commentators see farmers' anger over the government's agricultural policy as well as widespread dissatisfaction as the main causes.

After months of negotiations, the Spanish government has finalised its plans for a pension reform aimed at cushioning the impact of the wave of baby boomers who are set to retire. State subsidies are to be raised and offset by increased contributions. The draft reform has yet to be negotiated with with employers and trade unions. Can this reform plug holes in the pension funds?