Volkswagen is the anti-Tesla and China is to blame
The German carmaker faces a triple threat from China, a lagging EV transition and labor worries.
Budget
Finnish horse enthusiast is an EU tech front-runner
Henna Virkkunen is well placed to nab a key European Commission post on tech or innovation.
Where Harris chooses to campaign tells an important story about her strategy
Johnstown, Wilkes-Barre and Pittsburgh: A POLITICO analysis of campaign stops tells a story about how the vice president thinks she can win.
Erasmus, research funding slashed in EUโs 2025 budget plans
MEPs and pressure groups have decried a โฌ295mn planned cut to the Erasmus student-exchange programme, formalised by EU member states today.
Finance Bill 2025: France slashes development aid by 18% to curb deficit
The French draft budget, prepared over the summer by the resigning government, proposes an 18% cut to official development assistance (ODA) to tackle a soaring public deficit, raising concerns among NGOs and political leaders who warn of the impacts on…
How Ireland got too much money
Dublin is running a huge budget surplus. What should the government do with it?
Hungary is โreadyโ to file lawsuit against Brussels in asylum fight, Budapest says
The Hungarian government said that instead of paying a โฌ200 million fine, it should actually get more money for border control.
Will the EU cut its landmark Erasmus + program? | Radio Schuman
The European Commission, European Parliament and the Council is set to start negotiating the 2025 budget in November; but is the Erasmus+ scheme imperilled?
Italy to delay budget plan until October, after EU deadline
Italy will not present its new budget plan until next month, missing the European Union’s September deadline, because parliament wants the Treasury to factor in upcoming revisions to economic growth data for 1995-2023, a minister said.
Ukraine war briefing: Major Russian counter-offensive reported in Kursk
Shoot down Russian missiles and drones, Ukraine urges its neighbours; hopes rise of US permission to fire long-range missiles into Russia. What we know on day 932See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverageRussian forces have begun a significant counter-off…
Bankers fear Reeves is preparing UK tax raid on sector in the Budget
Chancellor to hold meeting with bosses after Britainโs big six lenders reported record profits
UK imposes sanctions on 10 ships in crackdown on Russiaโs shadow oil fleet
Tankers believed to be at heart of illicit operation transporting gas and oil to fund Moscowโs war effortThe UK has taken new steps to clamp down on Russiaโs shadow fleet exporting oil and funding Moscowโs war machine, with the Foreign Office announcin…
Europeโs new normal: High energy bills, fading industry and one chance to fix it
German manufacturers are being strangled. The EU is feeling the pinch. Mario Draghi on Monday warned the EU may be staring at โslow agony.โ
The tragedy of Liz Trussย
The former prime minister faces an up hill struggle to rehabilitate her battered reputation.
Pour Mario Draghi, lโEurope doit investir 800 milliards de plus si elle veut enrayer son rapide dรฉclin
โNous avons atteint le point oรน, sans action, nous devrons compromettre soit notre bien-รชtre, soit notre environnement, soit notre libertรฉโ, a averti lundi lโancien prรฉsident de la BCE lors de la prรฉsentation de son rapport trรจs attendu.
Germanyโs Lindner rejects Draghiโs common borrowing proposal
โGermany will not agree to this,โ country’s finance minister tells POLITICO.
Copenhagen 2036? Denmark looks into hosting the Olympics.
โMy vision is that we must have the smallest and most sustainable Olympics ever,โ a Copenhagen city official said.
Draghi says EU must spend twice as much as it did after WWII
AI is an opportunity for Europe while common borrowing is needed to fund defense, former ECB chief says in landmark report. Read the full paper here.
Michel Barnierโs new secret EU mission
Can the former chief Brexit negotiator, now France’s prime minister, grease the wheels on budget talks with Brussels?
The great Commission puzzle: Who we think will get each portfolio
Ursula von der Leyen is about to hand out key jobs in her team. Hereโs POLITICOโs version of the next Commission.
Europeโs Draghi report unleashed: These are the 5 things to watch
A blueprint to make the EU more competitive with the rest of the world is published on Monday. It’s likely to prove controversial.
The flip side of debt: The EUโs urgent need for new resources
Agreeing on one-off common debt issuance was hardly a Hamiltonian moment โ but substantially increasing the blocโs own resources may just bring us closer to one.
New Parliament โdeploresโ cuts made to EU4Health programme budget
The new Chair of the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI), Antonio Decaro MEP (Italy, S&D), issued harsh criticism of the cuts to EU health funding agreed by the European Council in February.ย
Prime Minister Michel Barnier faces daunting budget test
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier, appointed on Thursday (5 September) by President Macron, is in a race against the clock to finalise the 2025 budget by 1 October.
New Parliamentโs co-lead on key budget file to call for funds expansion, bigger defence wallet
The EU needs a โmoderateโ increase in its long-term budget, Siegfried Mureศan, the newly appointed chief negotiator for the European Parliament on the bloc’s upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), told Euractiv on Friday (6 September).
Franceโs new PM in ‘precarious situation’: French economist Jean Pisani-Ferry
The nomination of Michel Barnier, a veteran of both French and EU politics, to the post of French prime minister, is โa surprise and a delicate gambleโ by French president Emmanuel Macron. Thatโs according to our guest in Talking Europe, economist and…
Liberal Renew Europe rejects Meloniโs candidate for EU vice-presidency
In todayโs edition of the Capitals, find out more about Polish Prime Minister saying the budget portfolio will go to Poland, Renew rejecting Meloni’s candidate for the EU vice-presidency, and so much more.
Budget portfolio in new Commission close to going to Poland, Tusk confirms
Warsaw is on track to win the budget portfolio in the new European Commission that many member states crave, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday, confirming earlier press reports.
The enigmatic Irishman hoping to appeal to von der Leyenโs quiet side
Michael McGrath, Ireland’s pick for the European Commission, refuses to play politics. Could it be his undoing?
Far right is kingmaker in France following Michel Barnier nomination
The survival of France’s next government depends on Marine Le Pen’s indulgence.
Meet the new โMr Ukraineโ at the head of Britainโs military
British Defense Secretary John Healey told POLITICO the new Labour government would increase military spending.
Exiled Libyan central bank chief sees safe route home after attempted coup
Sadiq Al-Kabir says the attempted takeover by hostile government forces has backfired.
Cheapest 5-year mortgage rate dips to lowest level since Liz Trussโs โminiโ Budget
NatWestโs 3.71% rate is lowest in two years and will add to momentum behind UK property market
Michel Barnier: Everything you need to know about the new French PMโs conservative politics
The new French prime minister has embraced conservative stances at home which could net him tacit support from the far right.
Macron eyes Michel Barnier for prime minister
The French president seeks to form a new government two months after a snap election defeat.
Franceโs newest nuclear reactor shuts itself down a day after starting up
A day after Franceโs newest nuclear reactor started up for the first time, it automatically shut itself down. The operator, the state-owned energy company EDF, said there was no need for concern and that shutdowns can happen during such โlong and comp…
Meloni says ‘We Are making history’ as Italyโs FDI party reviews progress ahead of budget law
Fratelli d’Italia met to review achievements and prepare for EU-mandated budgetary adjustments amid controversy surrounding culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano.
Spainโs Sรกnchez announces 2025 budget โwith progressive DNAโ
The Spanish government will present a progressive draft budget for 2025 next week, Prime Minister Pedro Sรกnchez (PSOE/S&D) announced on Wednesday, asserting that his coalition government will complete the three years left of its mandate amid opposi…
How the Westโs $50B Ukraine loan could be undermined by Kamala Harrisโ brat summer
The Democratic candidate’s voter support means resolving differences between the EU and U.S. no longer seems so urgent.
Reeves plans to โfiddleโ fiscal rules to boost borrowing, claim Tories
UK chancellor may redefine debt in October Budget
EU needs simpler, more flexible, policy-based budget, says Commission official
How should the bloc finance its next budget? How big should it be? And what should be its spending areas? A policy discussion organised today by the influential Brussels-based think tank Bruegel offered some ideas.
The plan to save European farming
Five things you need to know about a report on the future of farming presented to Commission chief von der Leyen.
Top Macron ally bets heโll be gone in months
Insiders say popular former PM is preparing for Macron to step down, despite French president’s insistence he’ll stay in office until end of his term.
EU should double budget size and cut farming subsidies, experts say
Also in this newsletter: Ukraine prepares for a bitter winter
Republikaner in Geldnot
US-Politik fรผr Sie entschlรผsselt. Jeden Tag in Ihrem Postfach. Im Browser anzeigen oder hier anhรถren von Jakob Hanke Vela Mit Carlotta Diederich DIE TOP-THEMEN โ KAMALAS GELDFLUT: Bei einem vertraulichen Treffen mit Spendern haben fรผhrende Republikaner Alarm geschlagen. Sie fรผrchten, dass sie in entscheidenden Rennen um Sitze im Kongress nicht mit den Demokraten mithalten kรถnnen. [โฆ]
Cheer up, Keir! UKโs Starmer told to lighten up
Elected on a landslide two months ago, the new British PM ought to be on top of the world. Instead his glumness is beginning to grate.
The EU fiddles while Kyiv burns
Time is running out on Ukraineโs finances, and none of the reasons behind the blocโs inaction stand up to scrutiny.
Macronโs whirlwind hunt for new prime minister sends French politics into a frenzy
Even young students are grilling current Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on who will succeed him.
Scotland faces โnew era of austerityโ warns SNP finance secretary
Nationalist party blames Westminster as it prepares to lay out budget cuts
Harris and Trump brace for final sprint in โsnap electionโ
The race is not only tight nationally, but in a broader range of states than before.
French finance ministry warns of worsening deficit
Fall in expected tax revenues sparks fear of worse case scenario
French finance minister Le Maire warns of worsening public finances
Lower than expected revenues and extra spending at local and regional level threaten to further increase budget deficit
Flemish separatist Bart De Wever gets another go at forming Belgian government
Talks initially collapsed after a row over the budget and the proposed implementation of a capital gains tax.
Why the battle over the EUโs next โฌ1.2tn budget has already begun
Also in this newsletter: the Netherlands refuses to donate mpox vaccines to Africa
Macron sweats under growing pressure to appoint prime minister
The French president will hold talks Monday with former Socialist PM Bernard Cazeneuve, seen as a front-runner for the job.
Meloni will continue play to the center โ for now
The Italian leader isnโt too eager to hang her hat with the Euroskeptic far right โ at least not just yet.
What Kamala Harris Should Learn From Richard Nixon
Try not to wreck the economy.
EU set to clash with member states over โdefiningโ budget overhaul
Commission says era of โfunding with no conditionsโ is gone
Interest rates are falling, but Europeโs big debtor countries still wonโt get much relief
Long-dated debt and slow growth means that overall borrowing costs will stay high and debt burdens heavy.
Bulgaria nominates a man and a woman for EU commissioner post
Sofia puts forward Ekaterina Zaharieva and Julian Popov.
How Britain took its eye off the far right
In the wake of this summer’s riots, Keir Starmer’s new Labour government is seeking answers.
Bombshell ruling knocks Polandโs PiS for improper election spending
Electoral Commission questions party fundraising, leaving PiS short of campaign cash ahead of next year’s presidential election.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announces record defence spending in 2025 budget
The current proposal would break the previous defence spending record of 159 billion zlotys (โฌ37 billion) in the 2024 budget.
Bulgaria calls new election, closes in on EU commissioner pick
Each of the major parties have put forward a candidate, with the interim prime minister yet to decide.
Greece targets regional funding post in next European Commission
Nominee Apostolos Tzitzikostas wants to oversee “cohesion” policy.
Wednesday briefing: Why Emmanuel Macron doesnโt want Lucie Castets as Franceโs prime minister
In todayโs newsletter: The embattled president rejected the leftwing candidate for the role โ so what happens now?โข Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. Almost two months after a parliamentary election that left no one bloc…
Poland to increase defence spending plans in 2025 โ media reports
Poland will spend 4.7% of its GDP on defence in 2025, up 0.6 percentage points from this year’s spending plans, according to plans for the new budget seen by Polish media
UK snubs EU over rejoining Erasmus exchange scheme
A government spokesperson says the U.K. has โno plansโ to rejoin European program.
Keir Starmer learns how not to lead from Olaf Scholz
On a visit to Berlin, the new U.K. prime minister may look at his German counterpart as a cautionary tale.
New UK budget will be ‘painful,’ says PM Keir Starmer
The UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized his predecessors’ mishandling of the country’s finances, warning that there may be tax rises for some in the government’s October budget.
Liz Truss considered charging UK cancer patients, new book claims
Britain’s shortest serving prime minister explored ending NHS cancer treatment to find savings to stave off economic turmoil.
Von der Leyenโs second term from hell
Thought the pandemic and Ukraine were tough? The next five years could be worse.
Von der Leyen set to miss gender-balance target for EU top jobs
Goal of equal share of men and women in jeopardy after member states ignore request for male and female candidatesUrsula von der Leyen is set to miss her target of a gender-balanced top team at the European Commission, after EU governments snubbed her …
Republican fight over green subsidies heads toward a boiling point
The partyโs leaders may soon have to decide whether to preserve at least parts of the Democratsโ climate law.
Ukraine uses Kursk success to press Biden on lifting weapons restrictions
The White House isnโt budging, but that could change.
Belgium seeks to reboot coalition talks as it faces EU deadlines
Flemish-nationalist replaced by Walloon centrist to lead talks.
Baltic independence hero says West lacks resolve against Putin
35-years after a seminal protest for freedom from the Soviets, an organizer accuses the West โ particularly Germany โ of โsuicidal naivety.โ
Ukraine is the victim in Germanyโs botched budget debate
Olaf Scholzโs decision to scale back military aid to Kyiv only encourages Russia
Spanish government under threat as row with Catalan separatists over tax autonomy intensifies
The Spanish government could face instability after the Catalonian pro-independence ERC party warned that it could block the national budget for 2025 if Prime Minister Pedro Sรกnchez fails to clarify provisions for a Catalan tax agency in a recently sig…
Belgian coalition talks collapse over budget dispute
Capital gains tax row scuppers summer-long negotiations.
Romania to propose Victor Negrescu as EU commissioner
European Parliament vice president wants a portfolio touching on investment.
Strikes, bad weather and fewer events hit Travelodge in London
Weaker travel demand in capital weights on budget hotel chainโs earnings
Incoming French government faces tricky balancing act to avert EU fiscal rules troubles
Amid a deeply divided National Assembly, France’s new government leaders will face tough negotiations on the 2025 budget, with European Commission financial penalties looming if the country’s public finances do not improve.
Ukraine war briefing: Long-range strikes a must against Russian aggression, says EUโs Borrell
EUโs top diplomat says long-range weapons would boost Ukrainian self defence; Scholz says Kursk operation was secretive by necessity. What we know on day 911See all our Ukraine war coverageWestern suppliers should let Ukraine fire their powerful long-r…
German chancellor says Ukraine aid will continue despite savings push
“We will be Ukraine’s biggest national supporter in Europe,” Scholz told reporters during a visit to the Moldovan capital.
French caretaker PM outlines spending freeze in โreversibleโ 2025 budget
Leftwing alliance urges Macron to appoint Lucie Castets as prime minister
Germany’s unfortunate decision on aid to Ukraine
Liberal Finance Minister Christian Lindner’s decision to halve budget support for military equipment in war-torn Ukraine sends a disastrous signal to Moscow, amid Kyiv’s offensive.
Italyโs budget mess leaves earthquake-stricken towns in limbo
The subsidy program that Rome can’t afford is a crucial part of efforts to piece shattered lives and towns back together.
The European Commission hopefuls with one thing on their mind
EU governments are battling for their people to get roles linked to the economy.
Germany to halt new Ukraine military aid: Report
The ban, which is already in place, will affect all new requests for assistance to Kyiv, Germany’s FAZ newspaper reported.
German government reaches new deal on remaining 2025 budget hurdles
The heads of Germany’s coalition government clinched a new agreement on the country’s fiscal budget for 2025, on Friday (16 August), reaching a compromise solution to the remaining sticking points that had emerged last month.
Blood scandal payouts heap fresh cost pressure on UK government
Ministers briefed to expect ‘significant additional costs’ as UK widens payouts for worst-ever health scandal.
Donโt go head-to-head with Musk on space internet, satellite CEO tells Europe
Europe should look beyond space internet and start planning for a military-grade surveillance system instead.
Why Germanyโs coalition is back at war (with itself)
Germany’s pro-business liberals have spent the summer trolling their center-left coalition partners, further enervating the already-weak government.
Wizz Airโs โฌ499 โall you can flyโ offer canโt mask its deeper woes | Nils Pratley
Bad luck, and war in Ukraine, have been factors in its plunging share price but so have bad decisions and hubrisThis was a good week for Wizz Air to launch a distracting โฌ499 โall you can flyโ annual subscription offer. Otherwise attention might have b…
Germanyโs Habeck signals heโll run for chancellor
In an interview with POLITICO, Robert Habeck, Germany’s economy minister and a Greens leader, gives the strongest sign yet that he’ll run for the top job.
Macron protรฉgรฉ Gabriel Attal turns into biggest threat to president
Branded as Macronโs mini-me, 35-year-old Gabriel Attal is emerging as a ruthless rival to the French leader.
Ukraineโs plan to buy Russian-made nuclear reactors sparks uproar
Lawmakers argue buying aging atomic energy equipment from Bulgaria wonโt help keep the lights on and could fuel corruption.
Times change in Brussels, butย Maroลก ล efฤoviฤย is forever
Slovakia’s commissioner has been in Brussels for a very long time.
Tusk names ally Piotr Serafin as Polandโs next EU commissioner pick
Piotr Serafin, currently Poland’s ambassador to the EU, is expected to vie for influential portfolios including budget.