Eurotopics.net

In their video summit last Thursday the 27 EU states postponed a final decision on the introduction of Eurobonds as a joint instrument for tackling the economic consequences of the corona crisis. While Italy and Spain are urgenty demanding "corona bonds" countries like Germany, the Netherlands and Austria oppose such a move. Commentators analyse options for breaking the stalemate.

Crisis situations - whether they affect individuals or society as a whole - always serve as opportunities to re-examine the status quo and draw conclusions for the future. The current pandemic can serve to provide insights not just regarding existential issues but also the way we live our daily lives, commentators observe.

Europe's right-wing populists may well be rejoicing over closed borders, but in many countries their voices have grown fainter since the start of the corona crisis. Media discuss whether this hails a trend reversal.

After a long wait, Vladimir Putin finally announced measures to curb Covid-19 in Russia in a televised address last Wednesday: the whole country will be given a week's holiday on full pay, subsidies will be allocated to the the socially weak and businesses, and the constitutional referendum scheduled for April 22 will be postponed. Is the pandemic now being taken seriously?

Covid-19 is also confronting the US with a sad reality: there have now been more than 2,400 fatalities and over 140,000 confirmed cases. President Trump, who had talked of lifting containment measures such as social distancing before Easter, has now announced that they will be extended until April 30. But according to commentators the country is appallingly ill-equipped for such a crisis.