Eurotopics.net

Today, Wednesday, the Polish parliament is debating a law that would ban abortion and make sex education at schools a punishable offence. Human rights organisations are fiercely criticising the government and accusing it of taking advantage of the fact that public protest is not possible in the current lockdown. People are instead using posters, car windshields and windows to express their opposition to the legislation. Polish media join in the protest.

Calls for an unconditional basic income to cushion the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic are growing louder. Spain's government says it is already planning the introduction of a lifelong basic income for all. Commentators discuss whether the measure makes sense and how it can be financed.

Austria has taken the initiative and began easing its lockdown measures for containing the coronavirus on Tuesday. Calls for an exit strategy from the restrictions are also growing louder in other countries. Journalists discuss when such steps can be taken and what dilemmas societies face.

Shortly before Easter the EU finance ministers adopted the largest rescue package in the history of the bloc: 540 billion euros are to be made available in the form of loans to businesses and states as well as to support unemployment funds. The controversial coronabonds are, however, off the table for the time being. Commentators are for the most part sceptical about the deal.

In 2018 only 15 percent of employees in the EU worked from home. This figure is likely to have risen in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, even if for example in Germany 45 percent of workers said in March that their jobs could not be done from home. While experts warn of loneliness and stress as a result of working from home, commentators highlight the benefits.