Politico Europe
September 2026
Ukraine’s war chest is running low at the worst possible moment
Overnight, Russia launched more than 190 missiles and drones in a nationwide assault that heavily targeted energy infrastructure, causing blackouts in Kyiv
This entails a strict regime of public finance austerity and the deferral of certain non-priority expenditures. These funds are intended to ensure payments to military personnel and support for their families,
Of course, raising taxes is never ideal, but in wartime, we cannot afford the luxury of populism or pretend we can avoid asking anything of the public,
Ukraine has no reserve funds to cover its entire spending. If we fail to get external financing, we’re facing a strong cut of all non-priority expenditures — and could even extend to protected expenditures,
The funds are needed this fall … especially given the mobilization that the enemy is planning right now,
We need our friends, our European politicians, to be brave enough and to make some bold actions,
As reforms in the Rada progress, more budget support too. We have €37 billion still available in this calendar year,
Since the summer, there has been virtually not a single day when the enemy has not attacked energy infrastructure. But an attack of this scale and intensity has not occurred since the end of the last heating season,
If we don’t have the actual cash in our accounts, we won’t have the means to pay military salaries, pensions, and so on. So, if there is no international aid, then everything will be very bad,
Every interceptor missile truly saves lives,
This applies particularly to long-range drones — our ability to carry the war back to where it came from. This is a critical need that needs to be fulfilled,
UK says Iran involved in RAF Fairford incident
‘No way they can beat us’: Rutte rebuffs Russian nuclear threats to NATO
We have emphasised that Russia possesses the necessary means to repel any potential aggression and is prepared to deploy its entire arsenal to defend its territory should NATO countries attempt to isolate the Kaliningrad region from the rest of our country,
We had to reply and make clear to [Russia] that NATO is a defensive alliance … and stop the war in Ukraine and stop the nuclear threats because it’s not helpful,
We have sent a response, noting that NATO is a defensive Alliance and none of our activities or exercises pose a risk to any part of Russia,
Our reading is that they want to intimidate allied public opinion so that allies stop supporting [Ukraine], while, at the same time, presenting NATO as the one that would be responsible for an eventual escalation,
Russia always accelerates when it’s the most guilty or when [it] loses,
The best way to deal with this is to have a little bit of calm,
Macron and Sanchez say UK would be ‘welcome’ back in EU
French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez have welcomed Andy Burnham’s plan to unpick Brexit
If the British want to come back and if the prime minister is moving in that direction, I think that is very good news both for his country and for Europeans,
The UK is a close and valued partner of the European Union. It is for the UK government to set out how it wishes to develop its relationship with the EU going forward."
The mood is positive and commitment to have a good summit is definitely there,
The U.K. will have to decide for itself what it wants. We’ll wait for concrete proposals from London.”
Farage spoils for a Brexit brawl with Burnham
He will talk about Burnham wanting to take us into the Euro, return us to freedom of movement with 500 million people and losing the ability to nationalize key industries,
Eurozone inflation heats up faster than expected
In France, inflation jumped to 3.4% from 2.6%, and in Italy to 4.1% from 3.2 percent
EU and Canada to announce sweeping new partnership pact
Canada and the EU, with our unparalleled trade access, shared values, and complementary economic strengths, can build a deeper and more integrated relationship,
Romanian political crisis deepens as parliament rejects PM nominee
President Nicușor Dan, an independent moderate, proposed MEP Mureșan for the job — but lawmakers in Bucharest refused to back his candidacy in a crunch vote Wednesday
Politicians need to look towards the people who gave them their mandate,
EU to offer single-market access to candidate countries
As industrial and market integration deepens, participation in sensitive sectors must be accompanied by cooperation on investment screening, export controls, sanctions implementation and the protection of sensitive technologies,
We support gradual integration, but it must be a pathway to full EU membership, not a parallel process or a substitute for it. Kosova is ready to do its part,
The Commission supports Treaty change where necessary, but it considers that measures already available under the Treaties should be taken forward now,
Gradual integration should be tangible for our citizens and businesses,
Where these obligations are not fulfilled, participation must remain reversible. Access should be suspended or withdrawn where warranted,
The single market is the first priority for economic convergence,
The accession process must establish more than legal alignment,
Qualified-majority voting is already the general rule under the Treaties, but unanimity remains in several strategically important areas. As membership grows, the risk of delay or blockage will likely increase,
Accession, however, takes time: candidate countries must complete a rigorous, merit-based process and deliver far-reaching and lasting reforms,
What the gaps in Andy Burnham’s speech reveal
UK’s Burnham says he’ll consider push to rejoin EU
Burnham’s government will stick to that position before a general election — but his move has teed up a post-election push to reboot the relationship a decade on from the Brexit referendum
So there are clearly options that need to be considered, and we have to look at what is doable and what would be the pros and cons of each.”
We could look at what [former Chancellor] George Osborne has said about a customs union, we could look at what the Liberal Democrats said at their conference about the single market, or we could go all the way.”
We could stay as we are. That’s definitely an option, if people think this is the right place to stay. We could look at what George Osborne has said about a customs union, we could look at what the Liberal Democrats said at their conference about the single market or we could go all the way.”
There are clearly options that need to be considered, and we have to look at what is doable and what would be the pros and cons of each,
EU accused of hiding environmental impact of data centers
The choice of ratios over actual consumption figures has no basis in technical constraints, it is a choice that favors the industry over public interest,
Transparency should be the starting point,
If we do not make sure that these big power consumers are indeed in line with our overall objectives… then they will risk undermining our ability to live up to our own targets,
The Commission sits at the top of an edifice of non-disclosure encompassing the vast majority of the EU,
Antisemitism allegations shake Le Pen’s party
Ursula von der Leyen is heading on her annual tour of the Western Balkans to visit some of the countries in line to join the EU
Labour conference special: Manchester’s new mayor
Labour picks a side on Gaza — and cheers the party faithful
I think it’s a beginning of building back trust with the vast majority. “... I wouldn’t say there is a ticker tape parade or anything but an opportunity for a fair hearing.”
Because we have moved pretty much as far as we can now on Gaza — short of calling it a genocide — and that issue isn’t as dominating and fraught, we can talk about all sorts of issues and people feel up for listening,
I get the sense that people don’t trust Labour on the issue,
As far as I’m concerned, the only important consideration is that the government has finally done the right thing.”... If you’re a grown-up politician, you can say sometimes: ‘Well, we were wrong about that. We wished we’d listened to you.'
Family first: Le Pen clan tightens its grip as Bardella hits trouble
The little snubs, not being given a chance to speak,
I think this ruins [Le Pen’s] strategy to shed her controversial image,
The far right will remain the far right,
He’s Marine Le Pen’s standard-bearer,
Marine is a killer, which is a strength in politics,
His crime was that he really wanted to be [the presidential candidate] and he was disappointed,
Some families just have politics in their blood,
The system will do anything — including the most disgusting things — to try to hinder this momentum,
For Marine Le Pen, it’s either a victory in 2027 or never,
Reducing my presence in the party to my position as Marie-Caroline’s husband, when I’ve been a member of the political leadership for years — the reproaches are stupid,
Gordon Brown can’t stop talking to Andy Burnham’s team
He’s a constant force for good, and I feel very privileged every time I get an email from him,
I had a late-night phone call with him actually last week,
As Gordon Brown has said, we can be the world’s innovation nation, and he’s right, we can,
Governments brace for €100B cut to EU budget proposal
Germany and the cost-cutting faction it leads demanded on Tuesday a reduction of several hundred billion euros to the European Commission’s original near-€2 trillion proposal
Everyone knows that CAP cannot be deleted out of the architecture without a new Commission proposal and an impossible one-year delay of negotiations,
If the Irish negotiating box [the next budget proposal] is to serve as the basis for further discussions, it must set out an overall volume that can realistically be financed by those who carry the main financial burden,
We have to move fast. With the upcoming elections in France, the EU budget could become very vulnerable if we don’t set clear guardrails now,
We’re so far behind that we won’t even have a Parliament position by the end of next year if we continue at the same pace,
I expect that there will be cuts that will make Friends of Cohesion unhappy,
We haven’t even come to any considerations about cuts or increases,
Tax cuts, handouts and blind hope: Europe finds few tools to fight a coming energy crunch
At an informal gathering of European energy ministers on Tuesday in Dublin, the outlook was grim
Our reserves are in good order,
We see more EVs than ever sold in Europe now, we see electric heat pumps replacing gas boilers and oil boilers than ever before — so yes, there are actually a lot of positive things happening,
There are flexibilities that member states have at our disposal around taxation, but I think our citizens are aware that there’s no government in Europe that is going to be able to protect their citizens from every single price increase,
Trying to guess what Trump will do is like looking at a crystal ball,
The Americans are pragmatic people,
The fundamental reason for that,
Burnham tried to plot the next 7 years of UK politics in one speech
With somber and slow delivery — he did not even smile when speaking of “hope in every heart” — Burnham promised to reopen fundamental questions about Britain’s future relationship with the EU
We will contest the next election with a manifesto commitment to change the electoral system,
I will see if we can find consensus around one which will give us clarity about our position and the future of the continent we live in.”
I would like to actually win the next election.”
He didn’t need to do this,
I don’t know why we would go back there.”
The real pensioner poverty is when you’ve got dementia and then you end up in the adult care system and you lose your house.”
Greek opposition jabs ruling party over reported threats from Trump’s envoy
We can do that to any country we want,
These allegations do not demonstrate mutual respect and I do hope that the alleged ability to topple governments is not a value we share,
Greece is an independent and sovereign democracy, and it must act as such in all circumstances and toward all, without exception,
The government and the PM personally must immediately deny that Mr Papastavrou was threatened by the U.S. ambassador,
Three days after the Wall Street Journal article the Greek government has so far, beyond vague references, declined to deny or confirm the allegations made,
The United States values its strategic partnership with Romania, which remains strong across our shared priorities, including energy security and defense burden shifting,
Merz says Lavrov comments show Moscow not interested in serious negotiations
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul held a meeting with Lavrov at the U.N. on Saturday in what marked the first meeting between ministers from the two countries since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022
I can only say once again that Russia will not win this war, and Russia itself will suffer massive damage — including to its economy,
Russia’s subsequent assessment of that meeting has shown that Russia is apparently not at all interested in serious talks at this time,
Andy Burnham keeps his options open on Brexit
He says Brexit has done more harm than good but what’s done real harm is a Labour government that can’t deliver growth, can’t control migration and now wants to outsource the job to Brussels,
Andy Burnham has barely been prime minister five minutes and he’s already trying to sneak us back into Brussels via the back door,
It was a very passionate speech. What I found very interesting was the lack of reference to the manifesto’s red lines, the willingness to the lay out all options, and to try and find consensus around one.”
EU countries push for weaker environmental safeguards in fishing sector funding rules
Limited fisheries resources should not be diverted towards priorities or sectors already covered by other EU policies and funds,
It is in the best interest of our fishing and aquaculture sectors to deliver clarity on accessing funding in the future MFF,
Burnham pledges to scrap pension triple lock from 2030
Under the new system, the state pension would no longer rise by earnings if they are the highest each year, instead rising by a “double lock” of at least an increase in inflation or 2.5% annually
This change will generate significant savings, which we will use to build up our National Care Service,
It is great news that Andy Burnham has neutered the worst element of the triple lock,