Giorgia Meloni’s defeat in a high-stakes referendum earlier this week offered a rare sign she can be beaten. The question now is whether Italy’s fragmented opposition can seize that momentum.

Leaders of far-right Alternative for Germany are quietly distancing themselves from Donald Trump as backlash over the Iran war grows and important elections loom.

EU and U.N. officials are meeting today to discuss the civil war in Sudan, which could lead to mass displacement on a par with what happened in Syria in 2011. So is the bloc prepared? 🎙️ @zoyashef.bsky.social and @swheatonjourno.bsky.social discuss on #BrusselsPlaybookPod:

British PM Keir Starmer is in Helsinki today for a Joint Expeditionary Force conference to talk about combating Russia. It's his chance to show he can shape global affairs after being pushed into the back seat over Iran. More in London Playbook 👇

Immigration policy is back in the spotlight today as EU institutions meet to finalize a cornerstone of the bloc’s push to speed up deportations of unauthorized migrants. The war in Sudan is adding urgency to the talks. More in Brussels Playbook 👇

Roland Lescure pris entre le sens des mots et les maux de l’essence, à découvrir dans Playbook Paris, concocté par @anthonylattier.bsky.social 👇

The freshly sealed trade deal between the EU and Australia is already triggering a backlash in France, putting Emmanuel Macron’s government in a tricky position on trade once again.

The French government will propose creating a new legal framework to let the state ignore or adapt national laws when the country faces a threat, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced today.

The United States has tied its offer of security guarantees for a Ukraine peace deal to Kyiv’s giving up its entire eastern Donbas region to Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today.

Russia has established a transnational network to recruit, train and deploy spies and saboteurs across Europe. Here’s what court cases in Moldova reveal about how it operates 👇 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/russ...

EXCLUSIVE: Donald Trump’s messaging on what he wants from American allies in his war against Iran is so confusing that any effort to help in reopening the Strait of Hormuz remains deadlocked, according to four European government officials. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/donl...

In London Playbook PM: 💵 Labour starts hitting Nigel Farage on foreign cash. 📱 Kemi Badenoch smells a conspiracy over Morgan McSweeney’s stolen phone. 🚢 Britain borrows a German warship because it has so few of its own. Read here 👇

The state of Britain’s shrunken maritime has become increasingly visible since the beginning of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Now, the deployment of a German ship to the North Atlantic has laid bare the strains felt by Britain’s Royal Navy.

Four European commissioners have blasted the European Parliament for failing to approve a bill to fight online child sexual abuse material.

Donald Trump is an outspoken champion of drilling in the North Sea. The U.K. oil and gas industry has decided the smarter political move is to reject him. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/uk-o...

Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán has said he would stop gas deliveries to Ukraine if Kyiv does not resume oil flows to Hungary. This ultimatum comes ahead of Hungarian national elections in just two weeks' time.

Russia has established a transnational network to recruit, train and deploy spies and saboteurs across Europe. We take you inside the Moscow agents' training operation 👇 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/russ...

Apple has launched age verification requirements for U.K. holders. Users will have to confirm that they are 18 or older to use “certain services or features, or take certain actions” on their account, an updated support page states.

Just as the U.K. kicks off a trial to see if kicking kids off social media is a viable policy, representatives for Big Tech firms told British MPs they’re really not that bothered by the idea of a ban.

Danish PM Mette Frederiksen has suffered a major slump in vote share in the 2026 election. She is still in pole position to lead the next government. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/denm...

A pharma row between Switzerland and the U.K. risks derailing trade talks, with British officials concerned Swiss demands could push up NHS bills, two people with knowledge of the talks have told POLITICO.

Lille beat off eight other European cities in voting today to host the all-new EU Customs Authority.

BREAKING: The northern French city of Lille has beaten eight other European cities in a vote to host the new EU Customs Authority. Follow live: www.politico.eu/article/eu-c...

The European Commission should have granted an NGO access to documents on pesticide approvals, an EU court ruled — the latest setback for the institution in a string of transparency battles.

An effort to speed up the EU’s notoriously slow permitting rules has morphed into a political turf war between Brussels and national governments over who is really in charge. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/eu-c...

Donald Trump’s messaging on what he wants from American allies in his war against Iran is so confusing that any effort to help in reopening the Strait of Hormuz remains deadlocked, according to four European government officials.

Participants at training camps in Bosnia and Serbia were taught how to fly drones and handle incendiary devices. It was part of a coordinated Russia-backed effort to recruit operatives for destabilization across Europe, Moldovan investigators say.

The former British Conservative MP Crispin Blunt has pleaded guilty to possessing illegal drugs, including cannabis and crystal meth.

On this #BrusselsPlaybookPod, @zoyashef.bsky.social speaks with Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen on Europe’s imminent energy shock. She and Ian Wishart also unpack Denmark’s tight election, the contest to host the new EU customs authority and more! Check it out 👇 pod.link/1244862657/e...

A stray drone coming from Russian airspace has hit a chimney at the Auvere power station in Ida-Viru County in Estonia.

How does the U.K. government plan to ensure the country has enough fuel without accidentally triggering changes in public behavior that cause shortages? 🎙️ We discuss that tightrope this morning on #PASAA:

Two men have been arrested following an arson attack on Jewish community ambulances in London.

🔴 The EU is voting, Eurovision-style, to pick a city to host its customs cops. Nine cities are in the running. If things move quickly, we could have a winner in the next few hours. But if it’s close, this could turn into an all-day affair. Live: www.politico.eu/article/eu-c...

The U.K. government plans to set out its legislative agenda for the coming year on May 13, four people with knowledge of the discussions told POLITICO.

EXPLAINER: Warsaw and Lille are leading a pack of nine candidates vying to host the EU’s customs cops. But the sheer complexity of the voting process could mean they miss out on the prize. Here’s how it would work:

Donald Trump has spent years urging Britain to go bigger on oil and gas. Now the industry has had enough of him.

A European plan aimed at speeding up industrial and infrastructure projects is turning into a political turf war between Brussels and national governments over who’s really in charge.

Italian PM Giorgia Meloni is reshuffling her government after a bruising referendum defeat that has weakened her authority and emboldened the opposition.

Europe is facing another energy shock — what can it actually do to keep prices down? 🎙️ Today on the Brussels Playbook Podcast, @zoyashef.bsky.social discusses it with Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen in a conversation recorded live at #POLITICOCompetitiveSummit:

Britain’s Keir Starmer faces tricky questions today over the Iran war, energy bills and the curious case of Morgan McSweeney’s missing messages. No wonder he’s using this moment to unveil a review likely to needle Nigel Farage. More in London Playbook 👇

Voting results in France, Slovenia, and Italy over the past few days reveal the limits of Europe’s shift to the right. Now, European institutions are trying to work out how the political landscape may be changing. Brussels Playbook has more 👇

Certains autour d’Edouard Philippe ont déjà trouvé quelle place accorder à Gérald Darmanin… A découvrir dans Playbook Paris, concocté par @sarah-paillou.bsky.social 👇

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has emerged battered and bruised from a hard-fought national election, but with a viable path to retaining her grip on power in Copenhagen.

POLITICO launched a security review after a private telephone conversation between one of its reporters and an EU official about issues connected to Hungary and Ukraine was apparently intercepted and the recording published online.

Belgium’s Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said today that rather than waiting for someone to be injured in another antisemitic attack, he was deploying soldiers across Belgium to protect Jewish communities.

European countries should not rush into social media bans for children, human rights adviser Michael O’Flaherty told POLITICO. “A child has a right to receive information,” he said. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/mich...

The United States should let go of trying to change the European Union’s tech rules, senior EU lawmakers suggested today.

🚨 BREAKING: Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is on track to win Denmark’s election, exit polls signaled tonight. Full story: www.politico.eu/article/dani...

EU enlargement chief Marta Kos has called on capitals to present plans to enable new countries to join the bloc after they rejected proposals to streamline the process. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/eu-e...

A Lithuanian oak was named the 2026 European Tree of the Year today, putting an end to four years of Polish domination in the Eurovision-like contest.