Only baby steps away from US.  Friday’s clash between US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blew up the longstanding wartime Western alliance in support of Ukraine, alarmed Kyiv’s allies and triggered a wave of publicly displayed support.

But Europe has gone weeks without concrete plans, instead holding a flurry of subsequent meetings of varying sizes and constellations. It has suffered from a lack of leadership, with too many cooks but no clear voice leading the effort.

As Ukraine's Western backers slowly inch towards a "coalition of the willing" with a new UK-French-led peace plan, they still lack a strong voice to lead the effort and are reluctant to go it alone without the US, writes Euractiv’s Alexandra Brzozowski.

Meanwhile, EU and NATO countries closest to the Kremlin’s backyard have responded with a surge in spending that is outpacing their Western counterparts, writes Charles Szumski. 
 

Enjoy the silence. As the Trump administration is considering abandoning the US side of the Transatlantic Data Privacy Framework, the Commission is acting as if nothing has changed. Silence may serve the EU and the US while they pick their battles, and silence is undoubtedly good for business. But silence can’t last forever, writes Euractiv’s Jacob Wulff Wold. 
 
European Data Union Strategy. As the Commission prepares to gather companies' views on an initiative to leverage European data to enhance the bloc's competitiveness, opinions are already diverging on the best course of action, writes Théophane Hartmann. 
 
Confusion. In its latest draft conclusions seen by Euractiv’s Claudie Moreau, the Council expressed concern about unclear and overlapping rules for video-sharing platforms and influencers. 
 
Twenty-three industry groups across Europe have urged EU tech chief Henna Virkkunnen to adopt a draft cybersecurity certification scheme (EUCS) for cloud services that was tweaked last year in favour of Amazon, Alphabet's Google and Microsoft.
 
Revolving door. Finally, the EU law enforcement agency Europol engaged in "maladministration" when it imposed no restrictions – despite potential conflicts of interest – when one of its officials was hired away by a controversial developer of AI-based software, the European Ombudsman said.

Join us for Euractiv redux in Brussels Tues 18 March: Euractiv is delighted to welcome journalists, policymakers, and EU affairs professionals to its upcoming evening event introducing the vision for the new Euractiv in 2025 and beyond. Euractiv will be honoured by the presence of Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, who will deliver a keynote speech. Learn more and RSVP

VIENNA

Planned three-party coalition without FPÖ clears final hurdle in Austria. Austria's new coalition government will be made up of the conservative ÖVP, the social democratic SPÖ and the liberal NEOS party, after the trio cleared the final hurdle to form a coalition Sunday. Read More. 

OSLO

Norway is considering tapping its sovereign wealth fund to dramatically increase its support for Ukraine amid signs that US military backing is waning. Read more. 

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COPENHAGEN
 
Danish supermarkets help customers buy European. Amid transatlantic tensions over Greenland, Danish supermarket chain Salling Group is making it easier for consumers to buy European when doing groceries. Read more. 

ROME

Italy to reintroduce nuclear power by 2030. Nearly three decades after Italy turned its back on it, nuclear power is making a comeback in the country, as the government sets its sights on reintroducing it by 2030 to tackle energy security and meet ambitious decarbonisation goals. Read more.

PRAGUE

Outraged by Donald Trump's showdown with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, thousands of Czechs have opened their wallets in record numbers, sending millions to support Ukraine’s fight against Russia. Read more.

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WARSAW

Warsaw solves EU textile recycling rules challenge. Warsaw has solved a conundrum arising from a new EU directive that requires mandatory waste separation – including textiles – by introducing mobile selective waste collection points in 42 locations throughout the city. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Slovak politicians divided over Trump-Zelenskyy clash. The heated clash between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy sparked mixed reactions in Slovakia – with the Fico ruling coalition largely backing Trump, while the pro-Western opposition firmly supports Zelenskyy. Read more.

SOFIA

The Bulgarian prosecutor's office has asked parliament for permission to arrest two MPs from the pro-Russian far-right Vazrazhdane party for vandalism against the European Commission building in Sofia. Read more.

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BUCHAREST   

Violence erupts at nationalist AUR protest in Bucharest. Several people who took part in the protest organised by nationalist party Alliance for the Union of the Romanians (AUR) in support of former pro-Russian presidential candidate Călin Georgescu in Bucharest on Saturday became violent. Read more.

• EU: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen participates in Strategic Dialogue on the Future of the European Automotive Industry;
• High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas participates in the EU-Central Asia Ministerial meeting in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan; Holds meetings with Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov, Foreign Affairs Minister of Uzbekistan Saidov Bakhtiyor Odilovich;
• Commission Vice President Raffaele Fitto attends Parliament’s Housing Crisis Special Committee (HOUS) debate;
• Vice President Henna Virkkunen participates in Mobile World Congress 2025, in Barcelona, Spain;
• Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy Commissioner Jessika Roswall meets with Israeli Minister of Economy and lndustry Nir Barkat;
• Economy and Productivity Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis meets with EU Network of Independent Fiscal Institutions (EUIFI);
• Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union Commissioner Maria Luis Albuquerque meets with European Banking Federation (EBF) CEO Wim Mijs;
• Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection Commissioner Michael McGrath on official visit to Singapore: meets with Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo, and more;
• Parliament President Roberta Metsola hosts European Research Council President Maria Leptin; Meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

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[Edited by Vas Panagiotopoulos, Daniel Eck, Sofia Mandilara]