Governments, elections, EU geopolitics
Chancellor Friedrich Merz faces growing pressure to hold his coalition together after a regional election defeat in Saxony-Anhalt, as budget debates and sliding poll numbers raise doubts about the government’s reform momentum.
Spain’s Audiencia Nacional has opened a formal criminal investigation into the 2021 mass crossing of migrants into Ceuta, citing a police report that accused Moroccan security forces of deliberate inaction during the incident.
A reported immigration agreement between Jordan Bardella and Nigel Farage has provoked swift condemnation across France’s political spectrum, with critics calling it a surrender of French sovereignty to British political interests.
The AfD’s growing influence in eastern Germany is raising concerns among economists and analysts that political fragmentation could undermine Berlin’s ability to deliver the structural reforms needed to shore up Europe’s largest economy.
Russia’s president has authorised a temporary halt to hostilities as American envoys undertake high-stakes diplomatic missions to both capitals in an effort to advance peace negotiations.
A proposal to create an EU-level custodian for frozen Russian sovereign assets is being revisited as a way to overcome Belgium’s persistent reluctance and break the political deadlock over hundreds of billions of euros held at Euroclear.
The United Nations has adopted a resolution encouraging more accurate cartographic depictions of Africa, overcoming opposition from the United States, which dismissed the effort as part of a broader ideological agenda.
Denmark, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Greece have united behind a shared model for offshore migrant return centres, with a first deal expected by early 2025 and facilities aimed to be operational by 2027.
With the 2027 presidential election on the horizon, tensions between Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella are testing the unity of France’s National Rally as both figures navigate competing ambitions and a shifting political landscape.
Kyiv is pressing European partners to move beyond conventional approaches in deploying immobilised Russian state reserves, as debate over the legal and financial mechanisms intensifies across the bloc.