Eurotopics.net

A US reconnaissance drone crashed over the Black Sea on Tuesday. The US complained that Russia's "unsafe and unprofessional" actions led to the drone's collision with a Russian fighter jet. Moscow countered that the drone crashed on its own and accused the US of collecting data and passing it on to Kyiv. Europe's press analyses the risks of such incidents.

In the provincial elections in the Netherlands, Prime Minister Mark Rutte's coalition parties have suffered major losses while the new Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB) became the strongest party in its first bid for government. Commentators see farmers' anger over the government's agricultural policy as well as widespread dissatisfaction as the main causes.

After months of negotiations, the Spanish government has finalised its plans for a pension reform aimed at cushioning the impact of the wave of baby boomers who are set to retire. State subsidies are to be raised and offset by increased contributions. The draft reform has yet to be negotiated with with employers and trade unions. Can this reform plug holes in the pension funds?

Following the bankruptcy of the US bank Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), which specialised in financing tech start-ups, the share prices of major European banks have also dropped, in some cases dramatically. Europe's press sees clear differences, but also certain parallels, with the situation that led to the global financial and economic crises that began in 2008.

The heads of government of the Aukus pact countries agreed at a meeting in San Diego on Monday that the Royal Australian Navy will acquire nuclear-powered submarines. The US, the UK and Australia founded the Aukus alliance in 2021 to strengthen security in the Indo-Pacific region. China has reacted with anger, saying that the deal will undermine the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Commentators also see risks.