Author: staff
What a week! Tariff threats, Greenland brinkmanship and a dramatic Trump U-turn in Davos: EU leaders gathered in Brussels for an emergency summit meant to pick up the pieces of the shattered transatlantic relationship and figure out what to do next. In this episode of EU Confidential, we’re on the ground, right next to the European Council meeting as it unfolds. Unpacking how Europe can move forward after Trump escalated fast, reversed course even faster — and still left allies rattled. What did the EU learn? Did standing up work? And is Brussels finally rewriting its playbook for dealing with Washington? Joining…
Published on 23/01/2026 – 7:30 GMT+1 EU leaders gathered in Brussels last night for a lengthy dinner and tense talks. Despite the tasty food, the mood was grim as they discussed trade, Greenland, Mercosur and Trump’s Gaza Board of Peace. For more on whether this summit was worth the trip, we cross over to Shona Murray who was there till the early hours of the morning. The 27 EU leaders debated deep into the night on all the challenges facing the Union. And we are joined today by one of them – Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. In power since…
The BoJ held off on hiking its headline rate on Friday as expected, following signs of panic in Japan’s bond market this week. Just last month, the Japanese central bank raised its key interest rate to 0.75%, a 30-year high, in a bid to normalise fiscal policy after a long era of near-zero or negative rates. In its latest update, the BoJ also lifted its GDP growth expectations for 2025 to 0.9% and to 1% for this fiscal year. Both figures represent an increase from the 0.7% forecasted previously. The decision to hold allows the Japanese economy to digest the…
Uzbekistan’s shadow economy accounted for 33% of gross domestic product in 2025, down from an estimated 45–50% in 2019, according to data from the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The decline coincided with changes to the tax system, the expansion of digital tax administration, and the wider use of electronic payments. Informal employment remains concentrated in construction, agriculture, and trade and food services — sectors that have traditionally relied on seasonal labour, flexible hiring, and lower compliance costs, according to the Center for Economic Research and Reforms. Rather than expanding enforcement alone, authorities have prioritised administrative simplification and digital tools.…
“[Our] two countries have stable governments, especially if compared with France’s,” he said. “It is clear that Meloni and Merz still probably have a long path ahead of them, during which they can work together.” Safeguarding the relationship with Trump is crucial to both leaders, and both Merz and Meloni have sought to avoid transatlantic blow-ups. They have been supported in their firefighting by their foreign ministers, Johann Wadephul and Antonio Tajani. “Giorgia Meloni and Friedrich Merz have represented the European wing most open to dialogue with President Trump,” said Pietro Benassi, former Italian ambassador to Berlin and the EU.…
Lars Klingbeil spricht mit Gordon Repinski über den Moment, in dem das World Economic Forum endgültig geopolitisch wird. Die Rede von Donald Trump, der europäische Schulterschluss – und die Frage, warum sich Europa jetzt nicht zurücklehnen darf. Außerdem geht es beim Spaziergang am Rande des Weltwirtschaftsforums um Fragen der Krisenfestigkeit des deutschen Wirtschaftsmodells. Ist Wettbewerbsfähigkeit ein sozialdemokratisches Thema? Klingbeil erklärt, warum sichere Arbeitsplätze, Investitionen und Resilienz für ihn keine Gegensätze sind. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es jeden Morgen ab 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team liefern Politik zum Hören – kompakt, international, hintergründig. Für alle Hauptstadt-Profis:Der Berlin…
Vitaly and Bogdan Osipov found refuge from Russia’s full-scale invasion in central Germany, but for nearly two years the father and son have been waiting for Yuliia Hetman — Vitaly’s partner and Bogdan’s mother — to join them. What keeps the family apart is no longer the war itself, but a European Union database. The family is among a growing number of Ukrainians caught in a trap created by the bloc’s security architecture. Ukrainian nationals serving sentences in Ukrainian prisons seized by Russian forces — or who were forcibly transferred to Russia by occupying forces during the war — are…
“Pour se faire connaître, les réseaux sociaux sont incontournables”, pointe la conseillère départementale auprès de POLITICO. “Le problème, c’est que l’on se fait cataloguer d’office par l’algorithme en tant que femme. Les hommes sont donc 86% en moyenne à voir mes vidéos, non pas parce que j’aborde un sujet de finance locale, mais parce que je suis une femme.” Les conséquences ne se font pas attendre : sous ses publications, les commentaires sur ses tenues ou de sa situation matrimoniale affluent. “C’est comme si nous étions inscrites sur un site de rencontres, alors qu’il s’agit de publications politiques”, s’insurge l’élue. …
Europeans have forever been on the back foot when it comes to dealing with Trump, projecting indecisiveness, weakness and division. With European momentum growing in favor of confronting Trump, are Macron and his blue-tinted shades the symbol of European coolness and sophistication they need to combat the brash MAGA world? The French president himself has enthusiastically leaned into the underdog motif. Speaking to a gathering of French CEOs on Tuesday evening, he echoed a refrain from his speech to the French military, to channel their inner “Eye of the Tiger” mojo. “That’s why I’m wearing these glasses,” he said. “Don’t…
Update-Spezial: Merz in Davos nach Trumps Rede – mit Florence Gaub – POLITICO Skip to main content