Eurotopics.net

For the second year in a row the Easter holidays in Europe are taking place under the shadow of the pandemic. As before Christmas, many commentators see the holidays overshadowed - by the political dithering, frustrated restaurateurs, contradictory regulations on travel and meetings, and the prospect of crowded churches.

The trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin has begun in Minneapolis. According to the prosecution Chauvin pressed his knee on the neck of George Floyd, a black man, for nine minutes and 29 seconds during an arrest in May 2020, as a result of which Floyd died shortly afterwards. If the court rules that Chauvin is guilty as charged, he faces up to 40 years in prison. Commentators highlight the public pressure under which the trial is taking place.

Military violence came to a head in Myanmar at the weekend, when more than 100 people were killed by soldiers in the deadliest crackdown yet. The UN Security Council has convened a meeting to discuss the situation on Wednesday. The US has already suspended a framework trade agreement with the country and is apparently preparing to tighten existing sanctions. Several European states have condemned the violence.

Germany's Constitutional Court has instructed German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier not to sign off on a law ratifying the EU's coronavirus recovery programme, saying the court must first investigate a legal challenge to Germany's participation filed by a group led by former Alternative for Germany leader Bernd Lucke. Lucke argues that the mutualisation of debt the package forsees is illegal. Europe's commentators express astonishment and dismay.