United Kingdom
British papers focused on the latest developments in Brexit negotiations as high-level talks with the EU continued on Wednesday. Brussels is preparing to publish its formal position on a transition deal with the U.K., and the draft proposals were widely leaked on Tuesday. While EU officials played down the significance of a so-called sanctions clause in any agreement with the bloc, it had the Times and Daily Express spooked. The Times headline: “We will use sanctions to punish you, says Brussels.” The Daily Express went with: “EU still trying to rule Britain.” The “i” reported on the government’s review of the gig economy, after it promised a raft of new rights for casual workers. The headline: “Millions to benefit from new workers’ rights.”
Germany
Frankfurter Allgemeine led with a report on how the U.S. stock market fall is putting pressure on European markets. Der Tagesspiegel focused on talks between Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives and Martin Schulz’s SPD to form a coalition government, which continued into the night on Tuesday, 136 days after the election. Die Tageszeitung reported that the trade union IG Metall, representing metalworkers, had won the right for more senior employees to cut their working week to 28 hours, after Südwestmetall, a large employers’ group, agreed to their demands.
France
Le Monde led with U.S. President Donald Trump’s nuclear “challenge to China and Russia.” Le Figaro asked whether the world should fear another financial crisis, while Libération wrote about the “myth of the perfect parent.”
Belgium
De Morgen asked whether shipping containers were the future of affordable housing, De Standaard reported on the 1,500 people who have waited for more than a year for integration courses, and Le Soir led with pension reforms that could see people working longer.
