It’s the 10th Brexit anniversary and one thing stands out: Most of the commentary in media, as well as much of the convos on social media, are still coming from Brits. Europeans seem to have accepted it as a fait accompli, the lingering trauma appears to be largely one-sided

With a peak of 31°C at 4:50pm, this is officially the hottest EU summit day in Brussels in nearly a decade. The last hotter EUCO was on 22 June 2017, when temperatures reached almost 33°C at 2:20pm. (Yes, I went through the data of all past summits until I found the record)

All good things come in threes (except, apparently, European Commission presidencies). On today's Brussels Playbook, we take you inside the private dinner where von der Leyen's chief of staff repeated three times that she won't run for a third mandate

Every Italian knows you're in trouble when an Italian mother is waiting for you at the table in that stance. I got childhood-trauma goosebumps just writing this.

Comeback of Hungary's PM Péter Magyar to Brussels is "possibly next week but there's no confirmed date yet" per a Commission spox. The meeting is expected to seal a reset deal with Brussels that could unlock over currently-frozen €10.4 bn EU funds which Budapest is entitled

#EUPolitics and #EUBudget : #EU Commission eyes regional dept. overhaul in spending reset, by @gerardofortuna.bsky.social | Politico www.politico.eu/article/euro...

UPDATE: Got my hands on an internal email sent by head of DG REGIO herself, titled: “Addressing this morning’s media article.” “I understand the article will be unsettling to read,” the note says, while reassuring staff that their expertise remains “very much valued and needed”

On today’s Brussels Playbook, some of the things that matter most in life: love, cars and cohesion funds

How funny's that the OLAF stand at Europe Day has beanbag chairs that look like bags full of cash?

Unmissable opportunity if you’re visiting the Berlaymont for Europe Day to check out the Commission press room. Unconfirmed rumour: there was supposed to be an AI spox ready to answer every question with “we don’t comment on comments” but apparently didn’t pass the AI Omnibus test

Two major trilogues running late into the night (EU–US deal and AI Omnibus) is the Brussels version of the final World Cup group-stage phase: two games happening simultaneously, and everyone constantly switching screens

Young Severus Snape and Lily Potter if Hogwarts were the EPC

On today's Brussels Playbook: There’s a clear winner in the first major reshuffle of the Commission’s top administrative jobs since Ursula von der Leyen took office — and it’s the boss herself. Read more about the Commission musical chairs finally underway: www.politico.eu/newsletter/b...

So much great reporting in today's astonishing Playbook from my US colleagues on last night’s events, but this passage really resonated with me. And oh, this quote from @meganmesserly.bsky.social: genuine, human, and a reminder that journos don’t just get great quotes… they give them too

Pedantic note: Ukraine’s €90B hasn’t been “approved” yet, nor even “provisionally approved:” EU ambassadors have only agreed to start the approval process. It may sound similar, but it isn’t: however unlikely, the process can still fall apart, with one condition still pending

Deadline set 🚨 Written procedure for 90B Ukraine's loan ends tomorrow afternoon, per Cypriot presidency spox. This is the first key development ahead of this week's EUCO. More in today’s Brussels Playbook:

ChatGPT seems to be down and two-thirds of Brussels bubble stares blankly at their monitors not knowing how to do its jobs now

Can't wait to see what the new name of the European Commission will be. Any thoughts?

Perhaps this strong politicization (and overt anti-Trump tone) helps explain why António Costa, who was expected to attend the event, canceled at the last minute, reportedly due to personal reasons… 👀

Still @neeratanden.bsky.social: “I want you to know that one day soon, you will have friends again in the U.S. government and the executive branch” hoping for an America that helps solve the world’s problems, not create them

It’s pretty clear that this Global Progressive Mobilisation has a strong anti-Trump edge, a reference obvious in @pes.eu president Stefan Löfven's words: “Democracy is not for supposedly strongmen or a platform for domination.” @neeratanden.bsky.social was more explicit: “Trump is failing”

A global rally of social-democratic parties that somehow feels like Eurovision… Here in Barcelona for the Global Progressive Mobilization, an initiative clearly framed as an international counter to Trump-era politics, with Spain’s Pedro Sánchez positioned as the new face of this pushback

Hungary’s Viktor Orbán is set to lose next month’s election, according to polls. Still, the EU is preparing for a world in which he wins. We spoke to 10 diplomats about five ways the bloc could cope with the Hungarian leader if he stays in power 👇 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/5-wa...

“The gloves will come off” if Orbán wins the election, said one senior EU diplomat, granted anonymity to speak freely along with 9 others in this article where @jacopobarigazzi.bsky.social i and I explore contingency options already making the round in Brussels www.politico.eu/article/5-wa...

Burger, sausage, and nuggets are fine for plant-based products, but drumstick isn’t—even though the word originally had nothing to do with food. So are drummers supposed to play with chicken legs now? www.politico.eu/article/vegg...

If Erdoğan’s opposition took power, Turkey would move quickly toward EU membership, says Istanbul’s acting mayor Nuri Aslan: “Within one or two years talks would accelerate, and maybe within three years we could join the EU” www.politico.eu/article/ista...

After Berlaymonster, BerlayGod? In today’s Playbook: von der Leyen’s powerful chief of staff Björn Seibert—not Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos—was summoned to defend the Commission’s idea of 'reverse accession'. One diplomat said they “don’t want to waste time” and “need to talk directly to God”

Kallas and von der Leyen didn’t speak to each other directly this weekend. This is the story of how the war in the Middle East further exposed uncertainties in the EU’s foreign policy chain of command

Here we go: A meeting of EU-27 ambassadors has been scheduled for today at 4:30pm in restricted format (just ambassadors, no phones) to discuss EU-US trade relations following the newly announced tariffs, per a Cypriot presidency source

On today’s Playbook: An early ECB vacancy could collide with the broader EU re-appointment calendar... and that’s where the fun begins. Brussels may drift into deal-making mode… though whether leaders really want to reopen that Pandora’s box is another matter

Potential institutional conflict in sight with António Costa being downgraded to President of the EU Council in the Commissioners' calendar 😱

The stock of free condoms (10,000) for fewer than 3,000 athletes ran out in just three days. (I wonder how long the same supply would last in the EU bubble) www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/f...

You’ve got to give it to Costa: This might've been the nerdiest post-summit presser ever, an orgy of EU jargon. The peak was probably von der Leyen arguing the EU needs fewer directives, more regulations, and far fewer delegated acts—while also floating "enhanced cooperation"

Brutal moment for EU jargon nerds: Nobody knows what "MFF" is, European Council president António Costa let it slip at the press conference following the EU leaders' retreat in Alden Biesen (and after momentarily forgetting the correct acronym himself)

"I'm freezing..." Italy's PM Giorgia Meloni discovers new parts of Belgium at the informal EU leaders' retreat in Alden-Biesen

Alden Biesen is not the easiest location logistically for an informal EU summit but it fits a pattern: when facing existential moments (from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to Brexit and 9/11), EU leaders seem drawn to castles to ponder the continent's fate www.politico.eu/article/info...

Imagine how complicated American football must be when even after a full political rant about a singer using Spanish, Trump still couldn’t resist complaining about how stupid one rule is. Like… sorry, I just can’t unsee it

Men’s ski jumping hits crunch time (shall I say crotch time?) and I can’t stop thinking about the poetry of this 'penis injection' thing which is not doping, just pure aerodynamics: 3 cm here become 5 to 6 extra meters down there by landing. Nothing lost, everything transformed

An extraordinary 'power play' (yes, that’s the actual name of the move) by Italy’s Stefania Constantini has been crucial to seal a 7–6 win over the U.S. in mixed doubles curling. Even more extraordinary given minister Salvini was in the stands—famously a walking jinx for Italian athletes

Don't feed 'el loco' new ideas, Benito

It's the same all over the world: Indian farmers' leaders called India-U.S. trade deal a “total surrender” to American agricultural multinational corporations, demanding Trade Minister’s immediate resignation www.thehindu.com/news/nationa...

“Injecting hyaluronic acid in your dong” deserves to be an EPSO AD5 test option for male candidates under the question: How far would you go to become a lifelong eurocrat?

It’s always kind of sad when the cruelty of having drawn the shortest straw is so plainly on display

Greenland effect on Eurobarometer? Asked if they would feel more worried if their country were not an EU member, Danes tops the list (76%). Views of the US are bleak too: 91% of Danish respondents say things are going wrong there, versus just 4% who think they’re going right

Today’s Brussels Playbook must-read is Enrico Letta's take: the run-up to the 12 Feb EU leaders' retreat is crucial. The goal is still to make 2028 Europe’s new 1992 (a Maastricht-style ambition then) by finally completing the Single Market

The EU's anti-coercion instrument for dummies

#EUInstitutions - #Commission therapy session: #VonderLeyen tries to stamp out tensions in her top team, by @gerardofortuna.bsky.social | Politico www.politico.eu/article/comm...

Just a meeting, or inter-institutional accusations in disguise? (Just in case, I know Commissioners’ work is often under investigation, but that’s not a very nice thing to say about OLAF)

Latest on EU and Epstein files: the Commission says it's not proactively checking if former or current EU officials appear in the files, nor can it exclude it. “These are millions of pages,” a spokesperson said, "we're also still discovering, as you are, what's being disclosed"