When everything they say is scrutinized, politicians have learned the need to keep quiet. But under extraordinary pressure, in private or as a joke, the mask slips — betraying more than carefully worded speeches ever will.

The EU is considering far-reaching trade measures — including €93 billion worth of tariffs against the US — to deter Donald Trump from trying to wrest control of Greenland, according to eight diplomats and officials.

The EU vowed a "firm" response to new tariffs imposed on member states by U.S. President Donald Trump, as the White House stepped up its campaign to take control of Greenland.

A landmark transatlantic trade deal will not be approved by EU lawmakers after U.S. President Donald Trump hit European countries with new tariffs as part of his efforts to wrest control of Greenland from Denmark.

Countries that have waited years to join the EU are divided over plans being drawn up in Brussels to let them become members without the customary full voting rights.

The need for the EU to respond to multiple global crises means world affairs are likely to encroach on an informal European Council next month that was supposed to be solely a brainstorm on how to boost the bloc’s flagging industries.

European governments are pressuring the EU to appoint a negotiator to represent their interests on Ukraine, fearing the United States will stitch up a deal with Russia behind their backs.

US oil producers pledge to help stabilize Iran if regime falls

Toutes les fraudes ne sont pas égales devant l’Arizona

As Donald Trump intensifies his efforts to end Moscow’s war, the EU is faced with choosing between opening diplomatic channels with Vladimir Putin, or risking letting the U.S. dictate the terms of a peace deal in Ukraine. Brussels Playbook has more 👇

Good morning — and welcome to 2026! As the clock struck midnight, control over the EU’s legislative agenda passed from Denmark to Cyprus as one six-month rotating presidency ended and another began. Brussels Playbook has more 👇

China has launched a second day of live-fire war drills around Taiwan, claiming it's a warning against “external interference.” Whatever the reason, the EU appears ill-equipped to deal with the consequences of any flare-up. Brussels Playbook has more 👇

The EU must embark on a fundamental redesign in 2026 if it wants to be taken seriously, German conservative Manfred Weber argued in an interview with POLITICO. "We are not fit for this moment in time," he told us. Read more in Brussels Playbook 👇

Belgium today pushed back against the European Commission’s proposed concessions to unblock a €210 billion loan to Ukraine funded by frozen Russian assets — dashing EU hopes of securing a deal in time for Thursday's leaders’ summit.

EU ambassadors were locked in the European Council building until late last night, trying to convince Belgium to back plans to use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine. Can they reach an agreement by the leaders' summit on Thursday? Brussels Playbook has more 👇

Read the full transcript of our exclusive interview with Trump here 👇

EU countries today signed off on sweeping new plans to reform how the bloc deals with migration. www.politico.eu/article/eu-c...

Ministers from all 27 EU member states are in Brussels this morning, ready to hammer out a deal on an unprecedented overhaul of the bloc’s migration policies. Brussels Playbook unpacks the three key proposals on the agenda 👇

European tech ministers will meet in Brussels today to discuss what they see as the sluggish enforcement of the Digital Services Act.  The problem is the desire to ramp up enforcement is colliding with resistance from the Trump administration. Brussels Playbook explains 👇 

The European Union has approved a proposal to curb trade benefits for developing countries that refuse to take back migrants whose stay in the bloc has been denied.

European leaders will land in Brussels in a month for the final European Council summit of 2025.  The stakes couldn’t be higher: They must agree on funding to keep Ukraine afloat — or risk its security and survival. Brussels Playbook has more  👇

The European Commission has offered sweeping guarantees for its €140B loan to Ukraine, aiming to reassure Belgium it won’t be left to face legal or financial blowback from using frozen Russian assets held on its soil.

The European Commission is expected to propose delaying a key part of its landmark artificial intelligence rules, according to two Commission officials.

Ukraine’s application to join the EU has so far been blocked by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Now Brussels is hatching a plan to ensure precious time isn’t wasted. Today's Brussels Playbook reveals details of the latest gambit. 👇   

One of the EU’s top courts is being asked to examine whether the European Parliament breached its legal obligations by denying lawmakers the chance to investigate the bloc’s handling of vaccine contracts.

Martin Selmayr’s latest scheme for ending his effective exile in Rome, where he is EU ambassador to the Holy See, and returning to Brussels seems to have come apart. 

Senior European Commissioners and Parliament leaders will meet this afternoon to try to hammer out a deal over disputed parts of the EU’s €1.8 trillion long-term budget.

Ursula von der Leyen’s fragile governing coalition has been fraying for months. Now, a rupture within her own European People’s Party threatens to derail today’s EU budget talks. Brussels Playbook has more 👇

European negotiators were personally targeted by their American counterparts during a brutal negotiation over green shipping rules, European Commission officials told POLITICO.  This highly unusual gambit left diplomats shaken after the meeting. 

🦇 It’s spooky season in the Berlaymont ... and from international trade talks to old rivalries, there’s no end of skeletons in the closet that could come out to haunt Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her team. Brussels Playbook unpacks it all 👇  www.politico.eu/newsletter/b...

The European Union warned Belarus to put a stop to a wave of balloons entering its airspace, though stopped short of blaming the country’s authoritarian government after objections from Hungary.

A major overhaul of the EU’s executive branch has staffers worried for their livelihoods, as the bloc sets its sights on delivering value for money and doing more for less.

The EU is ratcheting up pressure on governments reluctant to agree on funding for war-ravaged Ukraine — telling them if they don’t force Russia to foot the bill, they’ll have to do it themselves.

The EU must impose new trade restrictions on Belarus to degrade its military industries and deprive it of the ability to wage hybrid war, Lithuania's foreign minister warned.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis insisted today before an EU leaders' summit that the bloc must play a bigger role in finding tens of billions of euros for countries to pay for increased military spending.

Divisive German civil servant Martin Selmayr should return to Brussels for the sake of the EU, a senior minister declared today — sparking an immediate rebuke from his own government.

Martin Selmayr, one of the EU’s most effective and feared political operators of recent times, has held talks over a job that would see him return to Brussels ― triggering criticism and dread among diplomats.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin should be blocked from taking part in high-stakes negotiations designed to freeze the war in Ukraine, one of Europe’s top diplomats warned after US President Donald Trump touted Hungary as a host country.

The European Union will press US President Donald Trump to ensure that his ceasefire agreement does not undermine the future of a Palestinian state, according to a draft plan.

An EU plan to sanction Israel’s government ministers and cut back on trade ties has been put on ice as a leading group of member countries believes it’s no longer necessary in light of the US-brokered peace agreement to end the war in Gaza.

Slovakia will oppose efforts to bolster support for Ukraine and slash the flow of funds filling Russia’s war chest, the country’s leader declared today.

Leaders of EU countries will tell the bloc's institutions to speed up the next phase of their deregulation agenda at a meeting later this month, according to a leaked document obtained by POLITICO.

The EU has signaled it won't give in to pressure from Washington to tear up its green rules in order to firm up a deal on tariffs, the bloc’s top trade official has told member countries.

The provocations of Vladimir Putin and the semi-detachment of Donald Trump are forcing the EU to radically transform itself. This week's summit of European leaders will offer the starkest evidence yet the bloc as it once was is no more.

Moldova’s pro-Western government is set to secure a renewed majority after an election in which the campaign was marred by reports of widespread Russian interference. But the victory presents a new challenge for the EU. Brussels Playbook has more 👇

🚨 BREAKING: The pro-EU Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) is firmly in the lead of Moldova’s election, with around half of votes counted so far and PAS-sympathetic constituencies still to tally. Full story: www.politico.eu/article/poll...

Moldovans voted today in a landmark parliamentary election that could determine whether the country stays on course to join the European Union, amid widespread warnings of interference by Russia.

Voters and officials were rushed out of the Moldovan embassy today in central Brussels after reports were received of a bomb in the building, which proved to be false.

Various European leaders have tried to position themselves as Donald Trump’s confidante. But only one has been silently successful. For the US President, Ursula von der Leyen is Europe’s hotline. Brussels Playbook has more 👇

Estonia is calling on its Western allies to show unity in the face of growing aggression, the Baltic nation’s foreign minister said today after three Russian fighter jets entered its airspace.