Germany’s secret weapon

Good morning from Brussels.

Elon Musk’s repeated intervention in German politics in favour of the far-right combined with Russia’s shady role has raised eyebrows in Berlin ahead of the elections in February.

Germany could activate the so-called crisis mechanism, as recently hinted by the EU's tech commissioner.

Anupriya Datta looks at why no measures have been taken so far, and how the mechanism could be activated in practice.

Europe has a big investment gap to close if it is to match the US on artificial intelligence, but experts told Euractiv that it’s possible if top EU leaders put their money where their mouth is.

On transport, ahead of the EU’s “strategic dialogue” on the future of the car industry, Brussels’s most powerful environmental lobbyist, William Todts, says that carmakers are not in a major crisis.

Moreover, EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday to gradually ease sanctions against Syria and reactivated the EU-supervised checks at the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

Lastly, find out why the EU-US trade in pharmaceuticals and cooperation on medicine regulation are now at stake.

PARIS

The President of France's Rassemblement National, Jordan Bardella, will send a letter to the President of the European People's Party, Manfred Weber, asking to join forces to end the Green Deal. Read more.
///

BERLIN

Dying German government musters majority for solar panel restrictions. A majority of German parties agreed on Monday to adopt fixes to the country's energy policy framework, including cuts to solar subsidies during negative price periods. Read more.

OSLO

Norway balks at EU's energy integration drive. Norwegian politicians are resisting attempts to implement critical EU energy laws, which would integrate the country more tightly into European power markets. Read more.

///

STOCKHOLM

A complicated friendship: Kristersson’s security adviser resigns. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's security adviser, Henrik Landerholm, resigned on Monday amid an investigation into his suspected negligence with classified information.

Landerholm, a close childhood friend of Kristersson, was appointed in 2022 to navigate the country's increasingly complex security landscape.

But recent revelations in the Swedish press have cast doubt on his ability to handle sensitive information, putting the Swedish leader in a difficult position. (Charles Szumski | Euractiv.com)

WARSAW

Polish Sports Minister Sławomir Nitras has called for a consumer boycott of Tesla cars after billionaire Elon Musk played down Germany's Nazi past hours before the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. Read more.

///

BUDAPEST

Hungary lifts blockade on EU Russia sanctions renewal. Hungary removed its veto on the EU's six-month extension of Russia sanctions on Monday, but it may not be its last standoff. Read more.
///
BRATISLAVA

Fico shuns mounting political crisis, unveils plans to change constitution. Shortly after mass protests across the country called for his resignation and the government de facto lost its majority, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico presented a proposal to amend the country’s constitution. Read more.

LONDON

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is under pressure to respond to nightmarish crimes against children that horrified his country and exposed state failures. Read more.

Trump calms nerves in Downing Street after he praises Starmer. In the first phone call between US and UK leaders since Donald Trump's inauguration on Sunday, the Republican president offered some relief to Downing Street, praising Prime Minister Keir Starmer for "doing a very good job". Read more.

///

DUBLIN

Irish president’s Holocaust memorial speech reignites antisemitism row. Ireland's antisemitism controversy flared up again on Sunday after President Michael D. Higgins raised Gaza during a speech to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, sparking protests. Read more.

ROME

Meloni strengthens strategic ties in the Gulf. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has laid the groundwork for renewed ties with the Gulf states after a three-day mission to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain yielded deals worth around $10 billion. Read more.

///

MADRID | LISBON

Spain, Portugal double down on 2% defence target. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares and Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro reaffirmed their countries' commitment to spending 2% of GDP on defence by 2029, with the latter signalling that this could happen sooner than expected. Read more.

SOFIA

Bulgarian shipping company denies cable sabotage in Baltic Sea. The Bulgarian company BMF, which owns the ship Vezhen arrested by Swedish authorities for damaging an underwater cable, has denied suspicions of sabotage, blaming bad sea weather. Read more.

///

BUCHAREST

Romanian far right uses stolen antiques incident as fuel for conspiracies. Far-right groups in Romania are using the theft of valuable Romanian cultural artefacts from a Dutch museum to promote conspiracy theories as the incident has escalated into a political blame game in Romania. Read more.

***

[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Anna Brunetti]