Ursula von der Leyen

Rule Changes

Says wider security talks should follow a ceasefire

European leaders rejected a US-Russian plan to rewrite Europe's security rules, saying Moscow should not hold a veto over NATO. Their rejection came before the first direct Russia-Ukraine talks in nine months, held in Abu Dhabi and ending on November 11 with a prisoner-exchange deal but no ceasefire.

Updated 1 hour ago

Rule Changes

Oversaw the October 2026 interim deal with China and has called the country's export surge 'China shock 2.0'

In October 2026, the EU and China defused the trade war that Emmanuel Macron threatened in December 2025. The interim deal caps Chinese hybrid and plug-in hybrid car exports to Europe at 350,000 a year for four years. China, in turn, will cut tariffs on €4 billion of European goods from January 2027 and fast-track rare-earth export licences for EU buyers.

Updated Nov 2

Rule Changes

Signed the summit package on behalf of the EU

Canada and the European Union closed a two-day summit in Montreal on Oct. 30 by launching an "Alliance for the Future" and declaring Canada the bloc's first "associate member." The phrase has no legal basis in EU law and is contested by some member states. What does have text is a concluded Digital Trade Agreement, a lending framework for Canadian critical minerals, and Canada's entry into the EU's support loan for Ukraine.

Updated Nov 1

Rule Changes

Kept publicly promoting associate membership for Canada at the Montreal summit on October 29, after member states removed the term from the joint declaration.

The joint declaration issued at the end of the Montreal summit on October 30 does not use the term "associate member." It pledges an "ever closer association" and commits both sides to define it by the 2027 summit. The term was removed after Germany, Italy, France and Greece objected to it in the draft.

Updated Nov 1

Money Moves

Commission reached an understanding with Italy on the bills decree; Meloni's request for added flexibility will be examined in the coming months.

On 28 October the cabinet approved a €26bn budget for 2027, which Rome says is about €2.5bn more than planned because Brussels allowed extra energy spending. Italy will pay for part of it with higher taxes on banks, insurers, energy firms and gambling operators. Banks' corporate tax (IRES) rises to 30.5%, and the deficit is projected at 3.4% of GDP in 2027.

Updated Oct 29

Rule Changes

Commission president, whose administration proposed the climate resilience framework on October 27, 2026

The European Commission's proposed climate resilience law would require member states to plan for up to 3°C of warming and to run national climate risk assessments every five years, starting in 2029. Agence Europe's first read calls the proposal more descriptive than prescriptive, with the specifics of heat, drought and flood protection left largely to national capitals.

Updated Oct 29

Rule Changes

Said the Commission is working on a 22nd sanctions package and that no sanctions will be lifted unless Russia stops its war

The European Union added 1,569 Russian companies and executives to its sanctions list on October 12, its largest single expansion since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The targets supply parts such as semiconductors, radars, satellite systems and explosives for the missiles, drones and aircraft Russia uses in the war.

Updated Oct 28

Rule Changes

Trying to contain the dispute between two member states

Italy and Spain agreed on October 22 to end the border checks they had imposed on each other. The decision followed a phone call between the interior ministers, Fernando Grande-Marlaska and Matteo Piantedosi.

Updated Oct 27

Rule Changes

Provisionally applied the trade agreement on May 1, 2026, without European Parliament consent; Parliament is contesting the step at the Court of Justice

Negotiations between the EU and Mercosur began in 1999. Twenty-six years later, on January 17, 2026, representatives signed a comprehensive free trade agreement in Asunción, Paraguay—the same city where Mercosur itself was founded in 1991. The deal eliminates tariffs on more than 90% of bilateral trade and creates the world's largest free trade zone, covering over 700 million consumers and roughly a quarter of global GDP.

Updated Oct 23

Force in Play

Leading EU response to U.S. tariff threats and Greenland crisis

The United States has operated military bases in Greenland since 1941, under agreements with Denmark. On January 15, 2026, NATO allies deployed troops to the island to counter U.S. pressure after American-Danish talks collapsed. On January 17, President Trump announced 10% tariffs on eight European countries: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The tariffs will rise to 25% by June unless 'a deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.' On January 20, Trump declared on Truth Social that 'there can be no going back' on Greenland, calling it 'imperative for National and World Security.' That same day, Denmark deployed its Army Chief, General Peter Boysen, alongside 58 additional troops to Greenland, bringing total Danish military presence to approximately 178 personnel for Operation Arctic Endurance.

Updated Oct 23

Rule Changes

As of June 2026: Backing the package as a pillar of her second-term industrial agenda

The European Union depends on non-EU suppliers for more than 80% of its core digital products. On 3 June 2026, the European Commission proposed two laws to change that: a Chips Act 2.0 to boost semiconductor production, and a Cloud and AI Development Act to triple the bloc's data-centre capacity within five to seven years.

Updated Jun 3

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Negotiating ratification under deadline pressure

Trump and von der Leyen announced a US-EU trade framework at Turnberry, Scotland, in July 2025. The deal still isn't ratified, nearly ten months on. On May 8, Trump gave Brussels until July 4 to close it, threatening tariffs above the 25% levy already on European cars.

Updated May 31

Money Moves

As of May 2026: Leading EU response to Ukraine war

The European Union approved a €90 billion loan package for Ukraine on February 4, 2026—the largest single financial commitment in the bloc's history to a non-member state. Two-thirds of the money, €60 billion, will purchase weapons and ammunition; the remaining €30 billion covers government operations. Ukraine will only repay the loan if Russia agrees to war reparations, meaning the EU expects to carry this debt indefinitely.

Updated May 27

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Leading EU sanctions coordination

Since late 2022, the Group of Seven and allies have capped Russia's seaborne crude price using dominance in shipping and insurance. In February 2026, the EU and UK reduced the cap to $44.10 per barrel while the US kept its own $60 ceiling.

Updated May 26

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Led EU delegation at India-EU Summit

India and the European Union became strategic partners in 2004. At the 16th EU-India Summit on January 27, 2026, they signed a Security and Defence Partnership, making India the third Asian country (after Japan and South Korea) to gain formal access to European defence initiatives. They also concluded a historic free trade agreement (covering 2 billion people and a $27 trillion combined market) that enters force in 2027, giving Indian firms access to the EU's €150 billion SAFE rearmament programme.

Updated May 23

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Announced €90B Ukraine loan, called for European independence

This year's World Economic Forum (the first in 55 years without founder Klaus Schwab) became an emergency diplomatic summit when Trump's tariff threats over Greenland drew record attendance from 60+ heads of state. By week's end, a NATO 'framework deal' had defused the immediate crisis, and Canadian PM Mark Carney declared to applause from European and middle-power leaders that the U.S.-led rules-based order is over.

Updated May 22

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Successfully concluded and announced EU-India FTA as chief guest at India's Republic Day 2026

After 19 years, 14 formal rounds, and a January sprint that defied skeptics, India and the European Union concluded their free trade agreement on January 26, 2026. EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa, attending India's Republic Day as chief guests, jointly announced the deal with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 27.

Updated May 20

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Backing a ‘reparations loan’ structure tied to immobilised Russian reserves

Russia's central bank sued Euroclear in Moscow on December 12, seeking €193.7 billion in damages. Six days later the plan that triggered the lawsuit—using frozen reserves to back Ukraine loans—collapsed at the European Council. Belgium refused the legal risk; the EU pivoted to a €90 billion conventional loan backed by its own budget instead.

Updated May 15