Brussels
Brussels Diary by Konstantinos Bogdanos: ‘The local bistros are half-empty as the Belgian middle class finds even a weekend meal an unaffordable luxury”
Konstantinos Bogdanos, our regular Brussels Diarist, on how the bills for Europe’s political class are finally coming due in a city where the Belgian middle-class can’t afford to eat out any more.
Are Labour eyeing a return to the EU? Mace investigates the key players involved
Recent comments by the former health secretary have plunged Brexit back into national conversation, but what does Labour actually think?
EU likely to shelve chemical reform amid industry pressure
The reform concerns a pre-existing law on the Regulation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) and has been in place since June 2007.
US defence industry launches lobbying offensive against EU’s ‘Buy European’ push
As European policymakers push a ‘Buy European’ line, lobbyists and officials in Washington are keen to maintain dominance over the European arms market
Aviation trade bodies warn of four-hour queues unless changes are made
Trade bodies warn that biometric entry requirements will lead to massive delays for travellers
Britain must take full advantage of trade outside the EU
Five years since leaving the European Union, Britain has not yet taken advantage of the levers of free trade, writes Ted Newson
EU delays high-stakes industrial policy tool
EU institutions have postponed the release of a long-anticipated industrial policy instrument, a move that has frustrated several national governments and delayed work on broader competitiveness initiatives. Reporting by EU policy outlets says the so-called Competitiveness Coordination tool has been delayed again, slowing progress on related Council workstreams tied to the European Competitiveness Fund and other flagship programmes.
EU Parliament backs Critical Medicines Act, prompting warnings over Africa supply shocks
The European Parliament has backed its negotiating position on the EU’s proposed Critical Medicines Act, a flagship attempt to curb shortages and reduce reliance on external suppliers for key drugs and ingredients. The vote gives MEPs a mandate for talks with member states and the Commission on a law first tabled in March 2025, as Brussels pushes to boost production capacity inside the bloc while making procurement rules less dependent on lowest price awards.
Farmers flood Strasbourg as EU Mercosur trade deal nears parliamentary vote
Thousands of farmers descended on the streets of Strasbourg and other European cities this week ahead of a key vote in the European Parliament on the controversial trade deal between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries.
Davos 2026 in the Age of Power Politics
Davos is meant to be the place where the global public affairs class can compress a year of stakeholder management into five days, with a badge, a diary, and a blizzard outside. In 2026 it is also where the public language of cooperation collides with the private mechanics of leverage.
