It is a fateful week for the European Union.<\/p>\n
By Friday, we should know whether EU countries will come together to back Ukraine\u2019s continued fight by leveraging Russia\u2019s frozen European assets for a \u2018reparations loan\u2019<\/a>. We should also have clarity on whether the Mercosur trade deal<\/a>, after a quarter-century of on-again-off-again negotiations, will finally go into effect.<\/p>\n While the collapse of either wouldn\u2019t trigger an immediate implosion, both deals are crucial for Europe\u2019s long-term future \u2013 the reparations loan for security and Mercosur for the economy.<\/p>\n Alas, not all capitals see things that way. Bridging the gap has proved fraught \u2013 in large part because what Europe needs most at this perilous moment is what it most lacks: leadership.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no exaggeration to say that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen\u2019s failure to lead Europe of late is the reason we now find ourselves at this do-or-die juncture.<\/p>\n By failing to take Belgium\u2019s reservations over the reservation loan seriously and then failing to address them, she has left both Ukraine and Europe on a knife edge.<\/p>\n This column has been more than critical of the Commission president this year. Amid the continued erosion of Europe\u2019s standing in the world in recent months, we see no reason to revise our opinion.<\/p>\n We say that not with\u00a0schadenfreude, but with a healthy dose of foreboding.<\/p>\n Von der Leyen surely means well. Unfortunately, that\u2019s not enough. At crucial moments, she has failed the leadership test, most disturbingly last week with her refusal to stand up to the Trump administration\u2019s brazen attempt to undermine European democracy.<\/p>\n Instead of drawing a line in the sand, von der Leyen donned a ball gown for a gala to celebrate Trump\u2019s declaration of himself as \u2018The Man for Europe\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n When asked about Trump\u2019s attacks on the EU, a smiling von der Leyen offered an explanation that bordered on delusion.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course our relationship to the United States has changed. Why? Because we are changing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n In most families, such crazy talk would trigger an intervention.<\/p>\n Whatever happens this week, it\u2019s high time for \u2018Europe\u2019 to have a serious chat about von der Leyen.<\/p>\n Roundup<\/strong><\/p>\n Parliament\u2019s legal affairs chair faces immunity test \u2013 <\/b>The European Parliament announced a request to lift the immunity<\/a> of Ilhan Kyuchyuk, the Renew lawmaker who chairs the Parliament\u2019s legal affairs committee that oversees such cases. The move, first reported by Euractiv\u2019s flagship newsletter Rapporteur, puts Kyuchyuk in the unusual position of explaining himself under the very procedure his committee is tasked with managing.<\/p>\n Using Russian assets for Ukraine loan \u2018increasingly difficult\u2019, says EU top diplomat \u2013 <\/b>The EU\u2019s plan to use frozen Russian sovereign assets to fund Ukraine\u2019s war effort is facing growing challenges, the bloc\u2019s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said<\/a> on Monday. This comes just days after multiple countries supported Belgium\u2019s calls for alternatives to the so-called \u2018reparations loan\u2019. While the loan remains the \u201cmost credible option,\u201d she acknowledged progress is difficult ahead of Thursday\u2019s crunch leaders\u2019 summit. \u201cWe are not there yet, and it is increasingly difficult, but we\u2019re doing the work.\u201d<\/p>\n EU meets Ukraine ammunition target as overall aid plummets \u2013 <\/b>An EU target to send two million rounds of large-calibre ammunition to Ukraine in 2025 has been fulfilled on time, Kallas also said<\/a> today. But in a context of declining support from the US, experts warn European aid alone isn\u2019t offsetting Washington\u2019s withdrawal.<\/p>\n Across Europe\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n US-Ukraine peace talks leave territorial questions \u2013 <\/b>Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continued high-stakes talks with US President Donald Trump\u2019s envoys in Berlin on Monday, but thorny territorial questions<\/a> remained unresolved. Later tonight, several European heads of state and government will review the outcome of the talks, including Italy\u2019s Giorgia Meloni, Poland\u2019s Donald Tusk and France\u2019s Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO chief Mark Rutte.<\/p>\n Athens warns of \u2018agricultural Grexit\u2019 \u2013 <\/b>The Greek government has called on farmers<\/a> to end their widespread protests and return to dialogue in a bid to find a solution in a furore over unpaid EU funds. Farmers and livestock breeders have now entered a third week of protests, blocking highways and ports across the country. More than 40,000 farmers are not receiving EU support due to a major scandal involving the national payment body.<\/p>\n