Eurotopics.net

The EU Commission is predicting a dramatic 7.7 percent slump in the economy for this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Greece is expected to be the worst hit, with a 9.7 percent downturn, followed by Italy and Spain. Commentators see an unprecedented crisis looming, regardless of how governments react.

After increasingly harsh criticism of the government's plan to hold an election during the pandemic, also from within the party ranks, Poland will not be electing a new president on May 10. The ruling PiS, whose candidate and incumbent Andrzej Duda is considered the favourite, has announced that the election will be held in June instead. But since the constitutionality of cancelling the election is in question, much remains unclear.

Romania's highest court ruled on Wednesday that fines of up to 4,166 euros for violations of corona restrictions were unconstitutional. The average monthly income in Romania is around 1,100 euros. The country's law enforcement bodies reportedly issued more than 300,000 fines totalling 120 million euros. Is the ruling fair?

In many European countries including Italy, Spain and Hungary lockdown restrictions have already been relaxed, and more are set to follow suit in the coming weeks. Shops have reopened in many places and there are less restrictions on going outside. Commentators fear a second wave of infections - but for some the return to normality can't happen fast enough.

At a video summit on Wednesday EU leaders reiterated their "full support for the European perspective of the Western Balkans". They also promised their colleagues from the six non-EU countries in the region that these would receive 3.3 billion in emergency aid. Once again, however, no time window for their potential accession to the EU was named. Commentators take stock.