Eurotopics.net

Valued at roughly 1.6 trillion euros, the "American Rescue Plan" for combatting the Covid crisis passed by the US House of Representatives on Wednesday and signed into law by US President Joe Biden on Thursday is one of the biggest economic stimulus programmes of all time. The debt-financed package primarily aims to help the poor, families, communities and schools. The majority of Europe's media are impressed and hope the plan will have a positive impact on this side of the Atlantic, too.

Following a corruption scandal in Spain's Murcia Region the liberal Ciudadanos party withdrew from its coalition with the conservative People's Party (PP) there and, together with the Socialists, called for a vote of no confidence. The leader of Madrid's regional government, Isabel Díaz Ayuso (PP), then also withdrew from the coalition and called a snap election. What effect will this reshuffling of the cards have on Spanish politics?

The European Central Bank will hold to its course, leaving key interest rates at a record low of zero percent. The ECB is accelerating its controversial multi-billion euro bond-buying scheme for bonds from Eurozone countries and companies.

The discussion about who should and who shouldn't translate Amanda Gorman continues to make waves. After heavy criticism of plans to have author Marieke Lucas Rijneveld translate a book of poems by the young black author into Dutch, she withdrew from the job. Observers question the assumption that the translation should not be done by a white person.