European Union

Italy's ex-prime minister Giuseppe Conte has been tasked with forming a government comprising Cinque Stelle and the Democratic Party (PD). Conte had resigned ten days ago in the confrontation with Lega leader Salvini. The press asks whether he can unite the two unequal partners and prevent Salvini's return.

New parliaments will be elected in the East German states of Saxony and Brandenburg on Sunday, followed by Thuringia in October. The AfD looks set for a strong showing in all three states, according to the polls. Commentators focus on living conditions in East Germany 30 years after the Fall of the Wall - and the sense of disappointment that has taken hold there since Germany's reunification.

According to reports in the media in the event of a recession the German government is prepared to abandon the "Black Zero" policy of maintaining a balanced budget without deficit spending which has enabled Germany to avoid making any new debt in the last five years. Gaps in the budget resulting from lacking tax revenues could be plugged through the move. Commentators are at odds over whether this is the right course.

A court in Kiev has rule that Kirill Vyshinsky, editor-in-chief of the Russian news agency Ria Novosti, is to be released after 15 months in custody. The ruling is being widely interpreted as a sign of an imminent exchange of prisoners which Russia and Ukraine have been negotiating for some time. The media of the two countries, however, remain sceptical.

A growing number of Germans believe migrants drive wages down and burden the welfare system, according to a study analysing the attitude of Germans towards foreigners before and after the 2015 refugee crisis. EURACTIV Germany reports.