Eurotopics.net

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has been toppled by a no-confidence vote after the parliament in Madrid voted in favour of a motion brought by the Socialists (PSOE). A corruption scandal in which Rajoy's conservative People's Party was deeply implicated led to the vote. Some commentators are delighted at the opportunity of a fresh start for Spain. Others, however, are deeply worried.

The US has now announced that it will impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from the EU and that the exemptions that have applied so far will not be extended on June 1. While some commentators warn that Trump won't be able to significantly reduce the US trade deficit with these measures, others warn that Germany in particular must now meet Washington halfway.

After proposing a new candidate for the post of economy and finance minister, the protest Five Star Movement and the right-wing Lega Nord have paved the way for a joint government under law professor Giuseppe Conte. Commentators doubt whether the new government can work.

After a man on leave from prison shot two policewomen and a man in downtown Liège, Belgium is discussing whether the prison leave system should be abolished. The presumed attacker is thought to have been radicalised by Islamists in prison. Commentators call for more resocialisation measures - including prison leave.

In a spectacular operation the Ukrainian Security Service SBU has by its own account thwarted a murder attempt against Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko. Ukrainian authorities reported on Tuesday that Babchenko had been killed, then on Wednesday it emerged that the Ukraine-based Putin critic was alive. Europe's commentators ask whether anyone can be trusted anymore after this hoax.

A solution is emerging in the 27-year-old dispute between Athens and Skopje over the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). According to media reports the country could soon bear the name "Republic of North Macedonia" if its population agrees to this in a referendum slated for the autumn. Within the country opinions on the proposed compromise differ widely, however.