Eurotopics.net

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has presented his reconstruction plan for Italy. The money provided by the EU's recovery fund is to be used to revive the economy, modernise the country and eliminate structural problems. An initiative launched by the prime minister called "Stati generali dell'economia" is to gather ideas from social and economic interest groups. Commentators take a sceptical view of the plans.

In the bid to minimise the economic repercussions of the pandemic, the ECB has decided to increase its bond purchases by 600 billion euros. The emergency programme is now worth 1.35 trillion euros and has been extended until the end of June 2021. The aim is to bolster states and also companies, which will be able to offer lower interest rates on their stocks. An appropriate response or overkill?

Germany's grand coalition has agreed to an economic stimulus programme worth 130 billion euros. It lays out 57 points, among them lowering VAT, a 300 euro child bonus, a cap on non-wage labour costs, a buyer's premium on electric cars and further support for businesses and municipalities. The measures provoke controversy among commentators.

Protests have now spread to many European countries after George Floyd's death. The rallies are also directed against racial hatred and systemic violence in these countries. Commentators take different views of the gestures of solidarity and protests.

Almost 1.5 million coronavirus infections and around 167,000 deaths: these are the latest figures from the EU agency ECDC for the European Economic Area plus the UK. But new infection rates are declining across Europe and are now as low as they were in mid-March. Commentators take stock.