Author: staff
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…
A powerful cyclone hit Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, bringing strong winds and record snowfall. Public transportation was partially suspended in the regional capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Buses were replaced by all-terrain vehicles, which are currently transporting people along the city’s main routes. Snow falling from the roofs of buildings has killed two people, authorities said Thursday, declaring an emergency situation as massive snowstorm engulfed the region. Images showed huge snow piles reaching up to the second storey of buildings and people digging their way through roads as snow blanketed cars on either side. Though heavy snow is not uncommon in Kamchatka…
She added that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s failure to attend the debate “shows contempt for the thousands of farmers protesting in the streets and several millions of voters who are represented by the Patriots.” But it was the Patriots own far-right lawmakers and other signatories of the motion who also didn’t turn up. Out of more than 110 lawmakers who signed the motion, less than a quarter attended. “Looking in this room, apparently it was not important enough to actually change some dinner plans and to be at the debate,” said Jeroen Lenaerts, chief whip of EPP ―…
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, accompanied by the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, and the President of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, have visited Adamuz, in Córdoba, where the train accident in which at least 40 people lost their lives occurred. The mayor of the town, Rafael Ángel Moreno, wanted to point out, that from the beginning “they helped all the injured”. He also wanted to thank “all the neighbours” for their generosity in helping in the tragedy. The President of the Junta de Andalucía also acknowledged the “solidarity” of the residents of Adamuz and thanked them…
By Euronews Published on 19/01/2026 – 18:31 GMT+1 •Updated 20:28 Valentino Garavani, the veteran jet-set Italian fashion designer has died at his home in Rome. He was 93. Known for his high-glamour gowns, often in his trademark shade of ‘Valentino red’, he was a firm pillar of the country’s fashion industry and his firm crucially remained relevant over many decades from its early days in the 1960s and beyond his own retirement in 2008. In a statement posted on social media, his foundation said “Valentino Garavani was not only a constant guide and inspiration for all of us, but a true…