Eurotopics.net

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has been instructed by Germany's Constitutional Court not to sign off on a law ratifying the EU's coronavirus recovery fund because of a constitutional complaint against Germany's participation in the programme. The complaint was filed by a group led by former Alternative for Germany leader Bernd Lucke, who argues that it is illegal for the EU to take on joint debt to finance the package. This is about more than just a formality, European journalists conclude.

Transcripts of text messages published by the media show how a close confidant of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz was given the top post at the major Austrian state holding company Öbag. The messages give insights into the cronyism in Austria's political landscape. Commentators call for consequences.

For the second year in a row the Easter holidays in Europe are taking place under the shadow of the pandemic. As before Christmas, many commentators see the holidays overshadowed - by the political dithering, frustrated restaurateurs, contradictory regulations on travel and meetings, and the prospect of crowded churches.

The trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin has begun in Minneapolis. According to the prosecution Chauvin pressed his knee on the neck of George Floyd, a black man, for nine minutes and 29 seconds during an arrest in May 2020, as a result of which Floyd died shortly afterwards. If the court rules that Chauvin is guilty as charged, he faces up to 40 years in prison. Commentators highlight the public pressure under which the trial is taking place.