Tariffs – EU member states overwhelmingly approved retaliatory duties worth €22 billion on US goods on Wednesday, as global trade tensions soar following Donald Trump’s sweeping levies on US imports.
Environment – The European Parliament's Environment Committee split over whether to phase out PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," while weighing a draft strategy for how the EU should manage its water resources.
Artificial intelligence – Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen launched the EU's flagship AI Continent Action Plan on Wednesday, but there's little clarity on where funding will come from to cover the cost of massive new public data centres.
Energy – Speculation is rampant that the Nord Stream pipelines could be reactivated if Russia and Ukraine reach a peace deal. But is Europe really prepared to return to importing massive amounts of Russian gas?
Around Europe
Germay – Despite Merz's six-year-old boasts to cut support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), they're now more popular than ever, and have even knocked the Christian Democrats from atop at least one new poll.
Italy – A new Italian law aimed at shutting down illegal football streaming may run afoul of EU rules, because Rome failed to notify the European Commission about the changes to national piracy and copyright laws, a source told Euractiv.
Bulgaria – Nowhere in the EU saw a sharper rise in housing prices than Bulgaria, with a staggering 18.3% year-on-year rise in the final quarter of 2024, according to Eurostat data published on Tuesday. | 