TOP HEADLINES:

- Face coverings on all public transport will be compulsory from 15 June in England to slow the spread of COVID-19. Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, said people will be refused travel if they do not comply.

- Germany's economy minister hopes Europe's largest economy will return to pre-crisis levels in the second half of 2022 after the country approved a $146 billion stimulus package following two intense days of negotiations between chancellor Angela Merkel and the junior governing partner the Social Democrats.

- Swedes have lost confidence in their government's handling of COVID-19, according to a new study. Those with high or reasonably high trust in the government fell to 45 percent in June, down from 63 percent in April. The UK government also suffered an 18-point fall to 51 percent based on a similar study by polling firm Kantar of the G7 nations.

- The Swedish government has also pledged an additional $633.54 million to ramp up testing and tracing of COVID-19, including a large-scale antibody test.

- Austria will lift coronavirus-related border restrictions for all neighboring countries, except Italy, from Thursday. The Italian controls will be re-evaluated next week, with the possibility of entry from areas of low infection.

- The European Union is preparing to use an emergency $2.7 billion fund for advance purchases of promising vaccines against the new coronavirus.

- Germany will lift a travel ban for EU members plus Britain, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland from 15 June as long as there are no entry bans or large-scale lockdowns in those countries.

- The UK hosted the Gavi alliance's third Global Vaccine Summit on Thursday, with organizers hoping to raise at least $7.4 billion to help fund international vaccination efforts over the next four years.

- The UK business secretary Alok Sharma is self-isolating at home after becoming unwell in the House of Commons chamber during a debate on Wednesday.

- UK doctors are testing a particular formulation of anti-inflammatory ibuprofen to see if it reduces respiratory failure in patients with severe COVID-19 symptoms.

- Spain's congress has approved a sixth and final two-week extension of the country's state of emergency, which has been in effect since 14 March and has featured some of Europe's strictest lockdown measures.

- Spain's tourism ministry says border crossings to France and Portugal will reopen on 22 June.

- Calls to Alcoholics Anonymous in Germany have doubled to 20 a day during the COVID-19 outbreak. Wine sales had risen by up to 34 percent in early stages of lockdown.

ACROSS EUROPE

Ross Cullen in Paris

The French president and prime minister are meeting the leaders of trade unions to discuss the economic crisis. More than eight million people are currently furloughed and more than six million job seekers were registered in April. 

As France continues to open up and ease lockdown restrictions, prime minister Edouard Philippe says the focus must now be on pulling the country out of the worst recession it has experienced since World War II. 

On Thursday, the budget minister said the public deficit is set to widen to 11.4 percent of GDP in 2020. Gerald Darmanin admitted that due to the plunge in economic activity and massive government spending during this period "we are in debt and we are increasingly in debt because we have made the choice to have saved the French economy."

Andrew Wilson in UK

According to single-day figures released on Wednesday, more people died of COVID-19 in the UK (359) than in the whole EU27 together (314).

The travel quarantine measures scheduled for next week continue to cause a row in the newspapers and among MPs, but remain popular with the public.

More than 40 percent of primary schools across England decided against admitting more pupils on Monday. In the North East, where infection rates are highest, that figure was closer to 12 percent.

Haircuts may be available sooner than expected. Ministers are said to be discussing moving forward the opening date for salons from early July to mid-June. The Department for Business has begun drawing up guidance involving face masks, visors and gloves.

Boris Johnson and Bill Gates addressed a global vaccine summit of more than 50 countries today to encourage funding for vaccinations against infectious diseases around the world. The virtual summit is aimed at raising $7.5 billion to immunize 300 million children in the world's poorest countries by 2025.

Earlier on Thursday, MPs in the House of Commons discussed the impact of coronavirus on BAME people in British society.

Isobel Ewing in Budapest

Hungary's government has called for American news outlets to apologize for what it calls "baseless" critical coverage of prime minister Viktor Orban's coronavirus emergency powers.

Orban was granted special powers to fight the coronavirus in March, in what critics called the latest in a series of steps by the government that have stripped the country of its democracy.

Now that the government plans to ask the parliament to vote to suspend the prime minister's sweeping powers, government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs says he is offering American media organizations an opportunity to say sorry.

However, critics say the demand for an apology is a smokescreen, and the bill Hungary has proposed to end the emergency powers will give the government the right to announce a state of emergency in the future without the input of parliament.

New data shows retail sales in Hungary fell by 10.2 percent year-on-year in April as the country went into lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus. Food sales edged down 0.4 percent, but non-food sales declined by 14.8 percent as opening times of non-essential businesses were restricted. The stay-at-home order caused vehicle fuel sales to plunge 26.3 percent.

Hungary's 9am-12pm shopping window for those over 65 will continue, even as the country looks to lift the state of emergency.

Toni Waterman in Brussels

Brussels

The European Central Bank (ECB) ramped up its stimulus measures after meeting in Frankfurt today as it tried to cushion the economic and financial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The central bank will pump $1.52 trillion into its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme, which would help soak up the large pools of debt countries are creating and help to keep borrowing costs low.

The ECB's support, though, could be complicated by the German Constitutional Court's bombshell ruling that the central bank overstepped its mandate in previous bond buying schemes.

The ECB also issued an updated economic forecast, predicting a deep recession this year, with losses only partly made up in 2021. ECB President Christine Lagarde announced an expected 8.7 percent shrinking of the bloc's economy this year after much of Europe was shut down for over two to halt the spread of coronavirus.

Belgium

The Belgian government has green-lit the next phase in the country's lockdown exit plan. 

From 8 June, restaurants, cafes and bars will be allowed to reopen for the first time since mid-March, but with some limitations. All the tables will need to be 1.5 meters apart, there can't be more than 10 people at any table and all orders must be placed at the table. Waiters will also be required to wear face masks. 

It's a welcome announcement for the country's hospitality sector which, according to the Belgian federation of commerce, has been hemorrhaging $51 million a day due to lockdown measures.

Officials also announced that social bubbles can be expanded from four to 10 people per week. Sports activities, including professional sports, will also be allowed to resume on 8 June.

The country's borders will reopen to EU and Schengen countries from 15 June.

FROM OUR GLOBAL COLLEAGUES

CGTN America: San Francisco company engineered antibodies to help fight COVID-19

CGTN Asia: Indonesia capital conditionally eases some coronavirus restrictions

CGTN Africa: Namibian president commissions isolation facility built by Chinese firm

Sign up here to get the COVID-19 Europe bulletin sent directly to your inbox

CGTN Europe has been providing in-depth coverage of the novel coronavirus story as it has unfolded. Here you can read the essential information about the crisis.