Gerardo Fortuna

Von der Leyen, Kallas and a growing EU foreign policy turf war The EU’s top leadership is responding in parallel rather than tandem — as the bloc scrambles to find a united front amid war in the Middle East.

Kallas and von der Leyen didn’t speak to each other directly this weekend. This is the story of how the war in the Middle East further exposed uncertainties in the EU’s foreign policy chain of command

Here we go: A meeting of EU-27 ambassadors has been scheduled for today at 4:30pm in restricted format (just ambassadors, no phones) to discuss EU-US trade relations following the newly announced tariffs, per a Cypriot presidency source

On today’s Playbook: An early ECB vacancy could collide with the broader EU re-appointment calendar... and that’s where the fun begins.
Brussels may drift into deal-making mode… though whether leaders really want to reopen that Pandora’s box is another matter

Potential institutional conflict in sight with António Costa being downgraded to President of the EU Council in the Commissioners' calendar 😱

Love in a cold climate: Winter Olympic village runs out of condoms after three days Free condoms for competitors at the Winter Olympics have run out within a record-breaking three days

The stock of free condoms (10,000) for fewer than 3,000 athletes ran out in just three days. (I wonder how long the same supply would last in the EU bubble)
www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/f...

(In case you don’t know what all that means and you still want to work in the EU bubble, you’re not quite there yet)

You’ve got to give it to Costa: This might've been the nerdiest post-summit presser ever, an orgy of EU jargon. The peak was probably von der Leyen arguing the EU needs fewer directives, more regulations, and far fewer delegated acts—while also floating "enhanced cooperation"

Brutal moment for EU jargon nerds: Nobody knows what "MFF" is, European Council president António Costa let it slip at the press conference following the EU leaders' retreat in Alden Biesen (and after momentarily forgetting the correct acronym himself)

"I'm freezing..." Italy's PM Giorgia Meloni discovers new parts of Belgium at the informal EU leaders' retreat in Alden-Biesen

Fortress Europe? EU leaders (once again) head to a castle for high-stakes talks. From Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to Brexit to 9/11, EU leaders have often used tough moments as a reason to head into the countryside.

Alden Biesen is not the easiest location logistically for an informal EU summit but it fits a pattern: when facing existential moments (from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to Brexit and 9/11), EU leaders seem drawn to castles to ponder the continent's fate
www.politico.eu/article/info...

Imagine how complicated American football must be when even after a full political rant about a singer using Spanish, Trump still couldn’t resist complaining about how stupid one rule is. Like… sorry, I just can’t unsee it

Men’s ski jumping hits crunch time (shall I say crotch time?) and I can’t stop thinking about the poetry of this 'penis injection' thing which is not doping, just pure aerodynamics: 3 cm here become 5 to 6 extra meters down there by landing. Nothing lost, everything transformed

An extraordinary 'power play' (yes, that’s the actual name of the move) by Italy’s Stefania Constantini has been crucial to seal a 7–6 win over the U.S. in mixed doubles curling.
Even more extraordinary given minister Salvini was in the stands—famously a walking jinx for Italian athletes

Don't feed 'el loco' new ideas, Benito

Samyukt Kisan Morcha demands Goyal’s resignation, asks Modi to refrain from signing deal with U.S. Samyukt Kisan Morcha demands Piyush Goyal's resignation and protests against the U.S.-India trade deal's impact on farmers.

It's the same all over the world: Indian farmers' leaders called India-U.S. trade deal a “total surrender” to American agricultural multinational corporations, demanding Trade Minister’s immediate resignation
www.thehindu.com/news/nationa...

“Injecting hyaluronic acid in your dong” deserves to be an EPSO AD5 test option for male candidates under the question: How far would you go to become a lifelong eurocrat?

It’s always kind of sad when the cruelty of having drawn the shortest straw is so plainly on display

Greenland effect on Eurobarometer? Asked if they would feel more worried if their country were not an EU member, Danes tops the list (76%). Views of the US are bleak too: 91% of Danish respondents say things are going wrong there, versus just 4% who think they’re going right

Today’s Brussels Playbook must-read is Enrico Letta's take: the run-up to the 12 Feb EU leaders' retreat is crucial. The goal is still to make 2028 Europe’s new 1992 (a Maastricht-style ambition then) by finally completing the Single Market

The EU's anti-coercion instrument for dummies

Commission therapy session: Von der Leyen tries to stamp out tensions in her top team A series of incidents involving commissioners has led to the president calling a crunch meeting.

#EUInstitutions - #Commission therapy session: #VonderLeyen tries to stamp out tensions in her top team, by @gerardofortuna.bsky.social | Politico
www.politico.eu/article/comm...

Just a meeting, or inter-institutional accusations in disguise? (Just in case, I know Commissioners’ work is often under investigation, but that’s not a very nice thing to say about OLAF)

Latest on EU and Epstein files: the Commission says it's not proactively checking if former or current EU officials appear in the files, nor can it exclude it. “These are millions of pages,” a spokesperson said, "we're also still discovering, as you are, what's being disclosed"

Still no deal on the €90bn loan to finance Ukraine, a Cypriot EU presidency spokesperson says. “Work will continue on a compromise text,” to be circulated among EU ambassadors “in the coming days.” Reminder: time is running out as Ukraine runs out of money from the end of March

Using the well-reputed (and so far accurate) Weyand snapshot barometer, the EU–India deal could be classified as a good one

For India's Republic Day Parade, Von der Leyen wore a sherwani (a coat-style garment quite popular for visiting international dignitaries). Not exactly sober with rich gold floral brocade, but the final look is stylish with the 'fusion' pairing with light-colored Western trousers

Literally every headline quoting this man takes on a whole new flavor the moment they use that sunglasses pic

Last week, BlackRock’s Mike Pyle shared a Davos panel with Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos — who offered another signal of the direction of travel, writing on LinkedIn that EU accession reforms have always been “at the top of the list” for Ukraine’s postwar prosperity
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Despite this, the coupling appears to be moving ahead. Here's a hint: BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, is advising on the reconstruction plan on a pro bono basis
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