Author: staff
Published on 20/01/2026 – 8:14 GMT+1 Eurogroup’s session in Brussels this Monday confirmed Croatia’s Boris Vujčić as the successor to Spain’s Luis de Guindos, whose eight-year mandate at the ECB expires in May. While the nomination must still undergo consultative hearings at the European Parliament, and a review by the ECB’s Governing Council, this process is mostly protocol. Vujčić is expected to take office on 1 June and become Christine Lagarde’s right-hand man. The decision defied predictions and dismissed the European Parliament’s recommendations. The Croatian beat five other candidates for the job, including the favourite to win, Finland’s Olli Rehn,…
Davos rückt in den Mittelpunkt der Weltpolitik. Zum Start des World Economic Forum stellt sich die zentrale Frage, wie geschlossen EU, NATO und G7 auf Donald Trump reagieren und welche geopolitischen Weichen in den kommenden Tagen in der Schweiz gestellt werden. Gordon Repinski über ein Forum, das von Trump, Grönland, Zoll-Drohungen und der Zukunft des transatlantischen Verhältnis geprägt wird. In Deutschland rückt derweil auch wegen Trump die Energiepolitik in den Fokus. Die deutschen Gasspeicher sind so leer wie selten zu Jahresbeginn. Was politisch gewollt war, könnte sich mittelfristig als Risiko erweisen. Im Gespräch mit Josh Groeneveld vom POLITICO Pro-Newsletter “Energie…
For the past four years, European leaders have been working overtime to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity against Russia’s war of aggression, often putting together strongly worded statements of condemnation, holding phone calls at late hours and getting together for hastily convened crisis meetings. But this past weekend, the script flipped in dramatic fashion. European leaders found themselves doing the exact same thing – joint statements, phone calls and crisis meetings – to defend Denmark’s sovereignty and territorial integrity against a country that, on paper, is supposed to be their time-honoured ally and main security guarantor: the United States.…
Updated: 20/01/2026 – 7:00 GMT+1 Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this January 20th, 2026 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel. … More
U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to seize Greenland has upended this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos as European leaders scramble to agree on a response. In their speeches from the Alpine resort today, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron may signal how hard they are willing to push back — ahead of Trump’s own appearance on Wednesday. POLITICO’s team of reporters in Davos, Brussels, Washington and beyond will be bringing you every key development. Follow along below from 8 a.m. CET.
The status quo is not tenable. Since the global financial crisis, Europe has endured a prolonged slump in private investment that has been especially pronounced in future-shaping industries. In the past five years alone, our analysis found that companies with headquarters in the United States have invested €2 trillion more in digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) than their European peers. And in traditional manufacturing industries, China is out-investing Europe at a rate of 3:1. This investment gap not only stifles European economic growth, but prevents the continent from inventing, developing and deploying the technologies it needs to increase productivity and drive prosperity. And the need to boost investments is growing: when the landmark Draghi report on European competitiveness was released in 2024,…
Down the promenade from Ukraine House, the U.S. pavilion is the hottest ticket in town, with long lines outside and delegates being turned away from the small non-denominational church playing host to U.S. speakers this week. At the opening ceremony Monday afternoon, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent — who recently said Europe is too weak to guarantee Greenland’s security — called on other countries to follow Donald Trump’s agenda. “I’m here to spread the message that America First does not mean America alone,” he said, under a stone half-dome lit up in MAGA red. “We invite friends, and potential friends,…
A blueprint for Brussels? It’s not that simple. While the EU has tried to thread the needle on its trade relations with Beijing — the Asian country remains its second-largest trading partner — policymakers are keenly aware of the competitive threat posed by China, Inc. Germany’s automotive industry is reeling from high energy prices and fierce competition from China (now the world’s top automotive exporter). In general, overcapacity — the term for China’s dizzying output of products that, unable to be absorbed by its domestic market, are sold abroad — keeps EU business leaders up at night. Compared with Canada,…
Vujčić now faces an awkward hearing in Parliament, whose non-binding preference for the post was completely ignored by finance ministers. The 61-year-old will need to bring Parliament onside to avoid MEPs voting against his victory in a symbolic, but politically embarrassing, ballot — a similar fate to when Luxembourg’s governor, Yves Mersch, joined the ECB’s highest echelon in 2012. Dark horse Vujčić has vast experience as a central banker, having led the Croatian National Bank since 2012, and is highly regarded among fellow rate-setters. But his appointment will still come as a massive surprise to ECB watchers who have long bet on Rehn.…
Trump announced the establishment of the board — which he touted as “the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place” — on Friday as a key part of his 20-point plan to end the war between Israel and Hamas. The French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot specifically noted on Monday the remit of the board’s charter “in Gaza and elsewhere” and the “very extensive powers” granted to the chairman as point of concerns. According to Barrot, Trump, as the board’s chairman, would be able to approve the participation of members, choose his own successor and veto…