With protectionism rising, the global race for critical raw materials is heating up, Ursula von der Leyen told an energy security summit last week. To respond, the European Commission is racing to strike new international deals, but success hinges on whether it can finally speak with one

As the US and Russia explore ways to resume Russian gas flows to Europe, Reuters reports, European Commission this week presented its long-awaited plans to sever its remaining energy ties with Moscow. The political message is clear — but will it lead to tangible results? Critics

As it contends with @realdonaldtrump’s tariffs, the European Commission is turning inwards in an attempt to deepen its economic integration. But those plans are set to face a familiar obstacle: national interests, Federica Di Sario reports: bit.ly/3SK1T4V

Not so long ago, a single post from Donald J. Trump could send shockwaves through Brussels. Today, even a sweeping 50% tariff threat is met with a political shrug. But if the European Commission has so far played it safe, it now may need to play to win, writes Federica Di Sario in this

The EU’s green transition could be stalling — not for lack of ambition, but cash. As climate funds dry up and defence spending surges, EU leaders face a hard truth: bold goals need bold budgets, writes Federica Di Sario in this week’s newsletter. bit.ly/4kva4OI

The EU’s ‘keep calm and carry on’ approach to Donald J. Trump's boldest trade threat to date reflects a widening disconnect. Even as Trump ratchets up his trade offensives, the EU is adopting a far more restrained response — a tactic that hasn’t prevented its first casualty: the

‘Keep calm and carry on.’ That’s how the EU’s trade stance vis-a-vis the US could be summarised in a nutshell — even as it contends with a 50% tariff on steel and aluminium that could wipe out the bloc’s metals industry. @Fed_disario reports on the disconnect between Brussels’

A new report reveals how a powerful alliance of aristocrats, ultra-conservative tech moguls, and ideologically aligned businesses funnelled $1.18 billion into efforts to roll back women’s and LGBTQ+ rights across Europe. And while the results have varied, the effort has had some

Across Europe, right-wing and other populist governments are waging a quiet war on cultural institutions seen as leftist strongholds — replacing directors and slashing budgets in a Soviet-style purge, Federica Di Sario reports.  shorturl.at/ogUb2

As Brussels baked in this week’s heatwave, the European Commission unveiled a revised Climate Law, aiming for a 90% reduction in carbon emissions by 2040. But is the target real, once the workarounds are accounted for — and can the EU realistically achieve it? Federica Di Sario reports:

With Ursula von der Leyen expected to survive a confidence vote in Strasbourg on Thursday, the premature withdrawal of a green law reveals how her political group, the centre-right EPP, now fully dominates three key EU institutions, writes Federica Di Sario: buff.ly/Af5Fexv

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen comfortably survived today’s confidence vote in Strasbourg — just as her centre-right European People’s Party solidifies its grip over the EU. Observers are raising the alarm over what they call an unprecedented consolidation of

Donald Trump’s threat to impose sweeping 30% tariffs on the EU from 1 August has diplomats in Brussels racing to finalise a second round of countermeasures targeting €72 billion in US goods, Federica Di Sario reports. “When you reach 30%, you hit a level that’s prohibitive for much

Is art and culture the next battleground for an ascendant far right? Across Europe, far-right and populist governments are slashing funding for museums, censoring artists and stacking cultural institutions with loyalists — part of a broader effort to push a political ideology

The European Commission should join forces with other countries targeted by US tariffs to retaliate against @realdonaldtrump’s “hostage-taking” tactics, Pascal Lamy, former director-general of @WTO, told Federica Di Sario in an interview this week. Lamy cautioned Brussels against

Hopes that the EU and China would edge closer are now a distant memory, after this week’s high-stakes summit revealed Beijing has no intention of fixing spiralling trade imbalances, market access issues, and geopolitical tensions. Ursula von der Leyen had harsh words for

A lopsided trade deal with the US leaves the EU in a weakened position — but Brussels insists it has narrowly avoided a far more damaging full-scale trade war, writes Federica Di Sario. “The agreement makes for a clear-cut political defeat for the EU, which has, in the course of

Was the EU-US trade deal really the “least bad” option the EU could have hoped for? While that’s been the official position from EU leaders, many analysts argue that Brussels has settled for a deeply flawed agreement — one that fails to reflect the bloc’s true economic clout,

As hundreds of international negotiators descended on the United Nations in Geneva this week to hash out a global agreement to reduce plastic pollution, Europe’s reliance on developing countries to sort out its own trash is under renewed scrutiny, writes Federica Di Sario. Read the full story

Right-leaning subcultures fetishising a return to traditional gender roles are winning over young Europeans and could reshape European politics. Ekaterina Andersen, the Danish-Russian who became one of the most recognisable faces of the ‘tradwives’ movement in Europe, has a