Shadows over the election year. The decisive test in France: a victory for Marine Le Pen would be a blow to the EU. Brussels’ doubts over Meloni’s pro-European stance

Icelanders are being called to the polls to decide whether to resume negotiations on joining the European Union. A ‘yes’ vote would confirm that the EU remains a magnet in a world dominated by brutal leaders 

On her return from the summer break, the Commission President set out the path to follow to halt the decline in competitiveness. Following in the footsteps of Mario Draghi

No new shared debt to finance the next EU budget: caught between resistance from the frugal countries and the need to find resources for defence, competitiveness, agriculture and cohesion, Brussels is considering extending the repayment schedule for NextGenerationEU to avoid a further squeeze on public finances

The Meloni government appears to have overcome the deadlock over the size of the loan caused by pressure from the Lega: Brussels is now reporting “constructive discussions and positive developments”

From the Ceuta affair to the war in Ukraine, right through to negotiations on the next EU budget, António Costa is trying to defuse tensions between governments. But the 2027 election is causing capitals to adopt a harder line and making any compromise more difficult

Solidarity with Madrid and a withdrawal of all criticism of Sánchez: during the extraordinary meeting of interior ministers, 22 countries, including Italy, have backtracked on their stance regarding the handling of the emergency in the exclave. But divisions within the EU over migrants are set to resurface

The Commission has launched a review of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). However, it has come under intense pressure from three groups: on the one hand, Spain and the Nordic countries; on the other, Italy, Poland and ten other states. Germany and France, meanwhile, find themselves in the middle

At the ambassadors’ meeting, Athens maintained its veto on the new measures. It is determined to secure an exemption at all costs to allow its shipowners to continue transporting Russian liquefied natural gas through EU waters and ports, provided it is destined for third countries. Tens of billions of euros are at stake