Merz's new ordoliberal standard-bearer is becoming a problem. The chancellor is struggling to balance a party base aligned with Economy Minister Katherina Reiche's brand of business-friendly conservatism with the demands of his left-leaning coalition... www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Some *personal news* on April 1 (though not a joke!). From this month I’ll be moving into a new role as Germany editor for Bloomberg’s economy and government team. I’m looking forward to working with our team here to bring the cut and thrust of political Berlin to a global readership.

Big tech, AI investment, drug ingredients, vast holdings of US securities. Officials in Berlin have started mapping vulnerabilities in US supply chains to identify points where Germany and its EU partners could apply pressure, sources say www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

CDU victory in Rhineland-Palatinate is quickly becoming Pyrrhic. Merz’s effort to reboot Germany’s economy hits a fresh challenge after SPD suffers a stinging defeat... www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Lose-lose? Merz will have another go at winning a regional vote in Rhineland-Palatinate this weekend after a stinging loss in Baden-Wuerttemberg two weeks ago. But a loss for the SPD could be even worse for his coalition in Berlin. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

“You don’t get a letter that you’re on a terrorist watch list.” Filmmaker Laura Poitras talks about her new Netflix documentary, Snowden’s secrets and life under surveillance www.bloomberg.com/features/202...

Slovakia's Fico is offering an olive branch to EU partners amid speculation that his Trump allegiance has taken a turn... www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

The number of Russian soldiers killed in action in the war on Ukraine has jumped in recent weeks, a dynamic that — if sustained — could make it hard for the Kremlin to replace troops without some form of mobilization, according to European estimates. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Exclusive: new Czech government will seek to transform the defense industry into an engine of the nation’s export economy, deputy PM tells us www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

An excellent rundown of Orban's position ahead of the big Hungarian election in April: The “illiberal” stronghold is under threat after a rival party shot ahead in polls ahead of the vote. Is the end of Orbanism nigh? www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Exclusive: The deal that persuaded Trump to defuse Greenland crisis paves the way for NATO to beef up security in the Arctic region and fend off any threat from Russia or China www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Exclusive: European officials are growing concerned that an emerging US-brokered peace deal in Ukraine could be exploited by Russia, paving the way for a re-invasion of territory in the eastern Donbas region. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Hybrid war: Vilnius is the only European capital that allows hot-air balloons to float over the city center, making them a signature of the skyline in the summer months. But a recent surge in incursions is far more sinister www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Exclusive: Viktor Orban is toying with the idea of assuming the presidency and rewriting laws to make it into the most powerful office in the country www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Exclusive: Zelenskiy says negotiators discussing a US-brokered peace initiative remain divided over territory www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Exclusive: US envoy Steve Witkoff, fresh from the triumph of the Gaza peace deal, held a phone call last month with a senior Kremlin official to suggest they work together on a similar plan for Ukraine — and that Putin should raise it with Trump. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Belarus’s leader released additional political prisoners and said he’ll seek a fresh round of talks with US officials in the latest signal that his Russian-aligned regime is making overtures to the West www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Exclusive: Zelenskiy implored EU allies to overcome their divisions on using frozen Russian assets, saying fresh funding is critical for Ukraine’s war-battered economy. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Live from Prague: Billionaire Andrej Babis set about forging a new Czech government hours after scoring his best-ever election victory, with his return to power poised to bolster the ascendant ranks of populist leaders in the EU www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Czechs going to vote: Andrej Babis heads into this weekend’s election with promises to grow the economy more quickly and reverse some austerity. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Excellent read: Latvia's border with Russia is becoming increasingly militarized and feels dangerously close to being on a war footing www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Exclusive: “Russia is testing the EU and NATO” Vladimir Putin is broadening his effort to destabilize the West, forcing European leaders to reassess the scale of the threat and rush in new defenses www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Exclusive: European diplomats warned the Kremlin this week that NATO is ready to respond to further violations of its airspace with full force, including by shooting down Russian planes www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Russian forces struggling to gain ground in Ukraine are sending troops and supplies through idle gas pipelines in order to evade deadly drone strikes www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Russian military drills are compounding anxiety among NATO members after attack drones breached Polish territory this week www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Exclusive: Slovenia’s top diplomat warned the EU risked projecting a double standard if it failed to take Israel to task for the bloodshed in Gaza even as it moves ahead with additional sanctions against Russia. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

A good read: Taps running dry and water rationing are part of life in Bulgaria — and a cautionary tale for the rest of Europe... www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Exclusive: the Czech Republic must drop its penchant for “fiscal self-flagellation” in favor of investing in economic growth, according to a senior official from an opposition party poised to sweep to victory in October elections www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Exclusive: US and European officials will begin work immediately on a plan to provide Ukraine with robust security guarantees, sources say www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Exclusive: Washington and Moscow are aiming to reach a deal to halt the war in Ukraine that would lock in Russia’s occupation of territory seized during its military invasion, according to people familiar with the matter. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

In Croatia: a surge in the popularity of a far-right singer once banned in some places has seen the revival of Nazi-era slogans and symbols. Rather than condemn it, some senior politicians are embracing it. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Exclusive: Ukraine’s anti-corruption officials fear that pressure will remain from President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s administration even after he backed down over a measure to strip anti-graft agencies of their independence. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Ukraine: Zelenskiy’s abrupt decision to hobble anti-corruption authorities in Kyiv blindsided the country’s allies and may have inflicted lasting damage to its ambition to join the EU www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

“Anti-corruption infrastructure has been destroyed”: Ukrainian lawmakers approved legislation that would strip the nation’s anti-graft agencies of their independence and potentially cripple efforts to tackle high-level corruption www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Joseph Stalin's cult of personality was dismantled by Soviet leaders in the 1960s — but thanks to Putin, his reputation is undergoing a dramatic revision www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Exclusive: Ukraine’s new prime minister says she’s likely to seek more financing from the IMF as she sets out to shore up the nation’s fiscal needs with no end in sight to Russia’s war www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Ukraine: Zelenskiy’s cabinet overhaul this week was part of an effort to move into position presidential loyalists who can potentially win favor with Donald Trump. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

EU budget: Donald Trump’s plan to allow the European Union pay for arms supplied to Ukraine is piling pressure on EU officials negotiating how to finance the bloc’s defense-spending ambitions https//www.bloombe...

North Korea is now supplying as much as 40% of Russia’s ammunition for the war in Ukraine as the partnership between Pyongyang and Moscow deepens, according to the head of Ukrainian military intelligence. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Donald Tusk’s premiership is reeling from a presidential election debacle that’s left the Polish leader diminished in the face of a resurgent nationalist opposition. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Scoop: NATO is asking European member states to expand ground-based air-defense capabilities fivefold as the alliance races to fill a key gap in response to the threat of Russian aggression, people familiar with the matter said. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Poland swings rightward: A nationalist candidate backed by Donald Trump was on course to win Sunday's presidential election, erasing an earlier edge by the centrist mayor of Warsaw. It's a blow to Donald Tusk's pro-EU government... www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Merz making quite a departure from Scholz policy: Germany agreed to provide Ukraine with €5 billion in military aid as part of chancellor's pledge to help Kyiv build long-range weapons to hit targets on Russian territory. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Romania’s new president: One-time math prodigy Nicusor Dan faces tough budget arithmetic as he seeks to narrow what has become the EU’s widest budget deficit www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Russian forces in Ukraine have made only small territorial gains this year amid steady resistance from Kyiv’s military, undercutting Putin’s assertions that his army has gained the upper hand www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Big election Sunday: Romania’s track record as a reliable supporter of the European project will be put to the test as an ultranationalist Donald Trump disciple contends for the presidency against a one-time math prodigy www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Romanian election looking close: New poll shows ultranationalist George Simion and Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan in a dead heat ahead of Sunday's presidential runoff, with about 48% apiece. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Romania’s election fallout: The world’s longest-serving central bank governor is confronting the country’s biggest market selloff since the global financial crisis after a surge in far-right support in a presidential ballot spurred a government collapse. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Exclusive: Romania’s far-right leader, the resounding first-round winner of the nation’s presidential election, said he found inspiration in Argentina’s president when asked about how he would address the country’s economic woes www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

It's election day in Romania (again): voters will have another go at a presidential ballot on Sunday after the shock victory of a far-right fringe candidate last year prompted accusations of Kremlin interference and cancellation of the vote. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...