Eurotopics.net

US President Donald Trump has announced at a rally in Orlando that he will run for re-election, kicking off his presidential campaign almost a year and a half ahead of election day in November 2020. Observers assess his chances and give their opinion on whom the Democrats should send into the running.

In view of a gloomy economic outlook and weak inflation European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi is considering adopting a more relaxed monetary policy with further interest rate cuts and bond buying. Draghi's statements at the ECB Forum in Sintra, Portugal, triggered turbulence on the financial markets and drew harsh criticism from US President Donald Trump.

Today, Thursday, the European leaders at the EU summit will discuss who should succeed Jean-Claude Juncker as EU Commission President. The successful candidate will need the approval of at least 21 of the 28 leaders as well as that of the European Parliament. While Merkel wants the post to go to EPP lead candidate Manfred Weber, Macron favours Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager or Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier.

The US company Facebook has announced the launch in 2020 of its own cryptocurrency as a payment method. Libra, like the Bitcoin, is based on blockchain technology, but the company claims it won't be subject to exchange rate fluctuations. What does this initiative mean for the financial world - and the data of billions of potential customers?

The ECJ has upheld an appeal by Austria against Germany's autobahn toll - declaring that it violates EU law. The judges ruled that the planned toll would discriminate against drivers from outside Germany because German drivers would be able to deduct the costs through the country's car tax system. In Europe's press the decision meets with widespread approval.