Dear readers,
A week of firsts for POLITICO in Europe.
On Sunday we opened the doors to the POLITICO Pub at Labour Party Conference, surprisingly, the first pub inside a U.K. political party’s secure zone and the first time we’ve hosted an all-day events space at these annual jamborees. It was made to look just like a Westminster pub and we welcomed British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, several Cabinet ministers and both contenders to be Labour’s deputy leader.
Good news for the small number of you — I assume?! — who are making the trek to Manchester this weekend for Conservative Party Conference. Our pub will be there to greet you and I promise to leave the pint pulling to the professionals. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told our Anne McElvoy that her job is like “picking up a distressed asset and turning it around.” Which may serve to illustrate at least one reason why she is having such a hard time doing so.
In Brussels, we hosted our Competitive Europe Summit, our annual rendezvous for key players in Europe’s critical sectors as they grapple with a rapidly changing landscape in light of U.S. President Donald Trump’s reelection. You can catch up on all the key themes via our live blog.
Plenty below to make you think, and set you up for next week.
Until then,
Kate Day
EDITOR’S CHOICE
5 things we learned from the EU’s summit in Copenhagen
Russian assets remain frozen, a proposed “drone wall” wasn’t agreed to and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz went into the summit wanting to talk about competitiveness — and failed. Read the story.
Ursula von der Leyen’s communications breakdown
The European Commission president’s critics blame her leadership style for some media missteps. A deeply-reported look at von der Leyen’s “spokesperson’s service.” Read the story.
How to watch the Czech election like a pro
Here’s everything you need to know about the high-stakes vote that could catapult billionaire tycoon Andrej Babiš back into office. His opponents say a Babiš win could tip the Central European balance away from Brussels and mainstream European sentiment on Ukraine. Read the story.
New rock-star economist Gabriel Zucman’s wealth tax transfixes France
He’s a baby-faced economist and he’s the most polarizing figure in French politics. Read the story.
Top US researchers rush to relocate to Europe
U.S.-based applicants to a prestigious EU research scheme have increased five-fold. Read the story.
UK closes in on critical minerals deal with Greenland
The self-ruling Danish territory, coveted by Donald Trump, has vast caches of rare earth elements. Read the story.
The battle over the EU’s Big Tech rules begins. Here are 5 fights to watch.
The European Union’s digital competition rules, loathed by U.S. President Donald Trump, are being reviewed to see what’s working and what’s not. Read the story.
YOUR WEEKEND PLAYLIST
EU Confidential: Humiliating Europe — Trump’s culture war and the EU’s response
What do Donald Trump’s culture war, Moldova’s EU ambitions, and Czechia’s parliamentary election have in common? They all reveal how Europe is being tested — and sometimes humiliated.
In this episode of EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton speaks with Paweł Zerka, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, about his new report. It argues that Trump is waging a deliberate culture war against Europe — trying to weaken the continent, polarize its politics, and strip it of its dignity. Listen to the episode.
Westminster Insider: Postcard from Liverpool — is Starmerism over already?
Host Sascha O’Sullivan goes behind-the-scenes of Labour Party conference in Liverpool, talking to senior politicians and advisers as she tries to hunt for Keir Starmer’s ideology – once dubbed “Starmerism.”
She tracks down Andy Burnham as the threat of a leadership challenge from the Manchester mayor fades into the distance.
And she speaks to Lucy Powell as she runs to be deputy leader of the Labour Party. Listen to the epsiode.
DECLASSIFIED
Read this week’s Declassified column.
Caption competition
“I don’t want to frighten you, but they’ve started disguising drones as sunflowers.”
Can you do better? Email us at [email protected] or get in touch on X @POLITICOEurope.
Last week, we gave you this photo:
Thanks for all the entries. Here’s the best from our postbag — there’s no prize except for the gift of laughter, which I think we can all agree is far more valuable than cash or booze.
“He’s coming! Quick, be a statue.”
by Willem Callens
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