Dear readers,
The news lull of August officially never came and here we are back to school once more.
Below is a selection to catch you up on some of the themes we expect to be among the drumbeats of the autumn.
Wishing you a restful weekend,
Kate Day
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Macron’s stunned troops see no good way out of France’s impasse
Fascinating report from Paris which captures the disbelief among President Emmanuel Macron’s allies ahead of the almost certain fall of the government of Prime Minister François Bayrou in a Sept. 8 parliamentary vote of confidence. Read the story.
Lammy, Barrot and Wadephul: Why we’re moving to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran
Opinion: Foreign ministers from the U.K., France and Germany set out why they decided to trigger the so-called snapback procedure to hold Iran’s nuclear program on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council. Read the story.
Europe’s ‘century of humiliation’ could be just beginning
Donald Trump is using America’s military and technological superiority to force one-sided deals on Europe. Read the story.
Team Farage cozies up to Britain’s bankers behind closed doors
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has been riding high in the polls for months. London’s bankers and asset managers feel they can’t ignore the party any long — just don’t tell anyone. Read the story.
From Kyiv to the Suwałki Gap, bogs return as Europe’s defensive shield
Restoring the EU’s drained bogs could stop both Russian tanks and planet-warming pollution and a defense consultant is making the case. Read the story.
Macron wants EU to target US Big Tech after new Trump tariff threat
Exclusive: French President Emmanuel Macron has told his ministers that the European Union should consider retaliatory measures against the U.S. digital sector after President Donald Trump threatened additional tariffs over tech regulation and taxes. Read the story.
UK bars Israeli officials from London arms fair
Exclusive: The British government has blocked Israeli officials from attending a major defense conference in London amid continued criticism of the campaign in Gaza. Read the story.
YOUR WEEKEND PLAYLIST
EU Confidential: Limping through the Trump era. Can Europe lead again?
From a picturesque mountain resort in Austria, at the European Forum Alpbach, host Sarah Wheaton unpacks fresh threats by the U.S. to hit countries with tariffs over their digital rules — drawing instant reactions from the European Commission’s Sabine Weyand and Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz. She then sits down with former Spanish Foreign Minister — now dean of the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po — Arancha González Laya, to ask how Europe can move from “limping along” to setting the pace on trade, tech and alliances. Listen to the episode.
Westminster Insider: How to reset your government
With a very busy autumn of politics just around the corner, many in the government are looking at the polls and wondering how they turn their fortunes around. This week, host Patrick Baker explores how Labour might use the coming months to try to reset the narrative. Listen to the episode.
DECLASSIFIED
Read this week’s Declassified column.
Caption competition
“Hands up who doesn’t want to be French prime minister.“
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.
“It was because of that sofa that I argued with my wife Brigitte on the plane, but it’s so classy that it was absolutely worth it.“ by Giovanni Cellini.
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