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U.K. Green Party members are bracing for questions about their leader Zack Polanski’s future — and wider strategy — if they lose the upcoming Holborn and St Pancras by-election. 🔗 vist.ly/5kn6j

Man in suit speaking at a podium, smiling and gesturing with hands.

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EXCLUSIVE: Britain’s national armaments director — who oversees defense procurement — has sought German participation in the Global Combat Air Programme, according to internal German government documents seen by POLITICO. 🔗 vist.ly/5kmqd

Headline on red background: UK courts Berlin for fighter jet role after collapse of Franco-German project.

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It’s do-or-die in France as the specter of financial crisis looms. PM Sébastien Lecornu is hoping his proposed €43 billion in savings will win him support — and maybe even secure a lifeline from Marine Le Pen. Brussels Playbook Capitals has more 👉 vist.ly/5kmgx

Text discussing Marine Le Pen as an unlikely budget savior.

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COMMENTARY: Canada’s Mark Carney and France’s Emmanuel Macron have been giving as good as they get. But is it a good idea to go mano a mano with Donald Trump? 🔗 vist.ly/5km9w

Two men in suits shake hands and smile against a blue sky.

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Brussels has spent years rebuilding ties with Brasília. Brazil’s knife-edge election could change the equation. 🔗 vist.ly/5kkn2

Man in yellow shirt speaking into a microphone with text overlay.

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The European Commission has rolled out Element Pro as a “sovereign back-up to [Microsoft] Teams,” according to an internal staff memo seen by POLITICO. The new system is not exactly winning rave reviews. 🔗 vist.ly/5kj2j

EU flags in front of a building with text overlay criticizing Teams alternative.

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Short on interceptors, Ukraine is struggling to knock down Russia’s increasing number of jet-powered drones. The country’s problems don’t end there: Kyiv faces a cash crunch just as Moscow ramps up its effort to crush its economy. 🔗 vist.ly/5kjyb

A burning building with flames and black smoke.

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Ukraine’s PM is warning of a $20 billion defense funding gap as Russia intensifies its attacks. 🎙️ @zoyashef.bsky.social + @swheatonjourno.bsky.social discuss on #BrusselsPlaybookPod. + They unpack the brainstorming session on how a huge chunk of the EU’s next budget should work 👇

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In Marine Le Pen’s political world, family has a habit of finding its way back to the center of power. That could now matter more than ever for her party president, Jordan Bardella. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/mari...

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EXCLUSIVE: The EU will open its vast economy to countries waiting to join its ranks, provided they agree to stand with the bloc against hostile states and industrial rivals. www.politico.eu/article/ursu...

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Europe wants to favor domestic industry. Defining what counts as European — and who should bear the cost — is much harder. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/5-ba...

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The war in Iran’s dire impact on energy prices has turned many of Trump’s closest EU allies against him. Even the man described as “Portugal’s Trump” — populist leader André Ventura — is distancing himself. Brussels Playbook Capitals has more👇 🔗 www.politico.eu/newsletter/b...

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EU governments are preparing for the upcoming proposal on the bloc’s next long-term budget to include spending cuts of over €100 billion, four diplomats with knowledge of the discussions told POLITICO. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/eu-b...

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U.K. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has acknowledged pro-Gaza Labour supporters’ calls for stronger action to defend Palestinians, saying: “You were right.” But critics fear politics are trumping diplomacy. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/labo...

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A formal complaint says the European Commission is keeping data center energy and water use under wraps, breaching the public’s right to know. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/eu-c...

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France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen is surrounding herself with family and longtime loyalists as her party president, Jordan Bardella, faces a damaging new controversy. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/mari...

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EXCLUSIVE: Candidate countries will be offered unprecedented “gradual integration” into the EU’s single market, according to a draft European Commission proposal. But the benefits could be taken away if non-members backslide on democracy, the plan says. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/ursu...

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French far-right politician Jordan Bardella allegedly made antisemitic remarks in a private chat in 2013. But is this news enough to make a dent in Marine Le Pen’s presidential campaign? 🎙️ @zoyashef.bsky.social + Ian Wishart unpack it on #BrusselsPlaybookPod 👇 🔗 pod.link/1244862657/e...

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Far-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon is betting his blunt style and socially radical agenda will convince first-time to propel him into a runoff duel against far-right frontrunner Marine Le Pen. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/mele...

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As Labour grandees discuss reversing Brexit, our polling results show 70% of U.K. voters would welcome tighter ties with the European Union. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/the-...

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Lawmakers are urging the Commission to block EU firms and banks from applying U.S. sanctions — namely on the ICC. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/bloc...

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Antisemitic comments from National Rally President Jordan Bardella’s youth have come back to haunt the French far-right party — and hit Marine Le Pen’s campaign like a bombshell. Brussels Playbook Capitals has more👇 🔗 www.politico.eu/newsletter/b...

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The EU’s 2035 phaseout of tailpipe emissions was once a key part of the European Green Deal. But last year the Commission backtracked, agreeing to allow a small number of CO2-emitting engines beyond 2035. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/comm...

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French far-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon believes that young voters and those with immigrant roots can propel him to the runoff, where he’d likely face off against Marine Le Pen. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/mele...

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For the best part of a century, the biggest threat to the residents of Svalbard was polar bears. Increasingly, it now comes from Russia. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/russ...

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EXCLUSIVE: A U.S.-based tech surveillance company accused of being secretly run from Russia was used in at least two EU-funded law enforcement projects, according to documents we reviewed. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/russ...

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A new EU proposal will seek to clarify who’s in charge of managing fires and floods — and stop the blame game when disaster strikes. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/how-...

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Companies fear Europe’s push to rebalance trade with Beijing could trigger retaliation against critical raw material supply chains. Germany is already stockpiling. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/germ...

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A U.S. state Attorney General has intensified his fight with OpenAI and its founder by asking a Florida court to stop the tech giant from further developing its AI technology while their legal battle plays out. 🔗 www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

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EXCLUSIVE: A U.S.-based software company was charged with concealing that it was owned and operated by Russians. Documents reviewed by POLITICO show the firm was used in at least two EU-funded law enforcement projects. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/russ...

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Russia’s rising hybrid activity on Svalbard is sparking fears that Moscow could spark an incident that tests NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense clause. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/russ...

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Today’s the day for Italy’s far-right former General Roberto Vannacci as a regional election tests voter turnout for his new National Future party. The risk: Splitting the right could hand victory to the left. Brussels Playbook Capitals has more 👇 🔗 www.politico.eu/newsletter/b...

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As European People’s Party chair Manfred Weber launches a task force to shape the EPP’s 2029 platform, internal records reveal the party’s defining choice: hold the center or move further right. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/euro...

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POLITICO Europe @politico.eu · 27/09/2026

The U.K. government announced sanctions on Israel’s illegal settlements earlier this month. Will the move help bring the Labour Party together? We’re discussing it live with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband later today at #POLITICOPub. Join us online 👉 www.politico.eu/the-politico...

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After four years in opposition, Sweden’s former PM Magdalena Andersson is about to retake power. She aims to use it to fortify Europe’s place in an unstable world. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/magd...

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Eight months after Donald Trump almost destroyed NATO by threatening to annex Greenland, he has signed what he called a “fantastic” new deal giving the U.S. all the control it needs over the Danish territory. But what exactly is in the document? 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/dona...

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EXCLUSIVE: Moscow is moving to expand its capacity to make tens of thousands of the killer drones it deploys in attacks on Ukrainian cities, according to plans from a Russian state company obtained by POLITICO. 🔗 politico.eu/article/russ...

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A new report shared with POLITICO shows that Russia-linked military recruitment relied on advertising and tracking technology from Meta and Google to reach potential recruits in some of the world’s poorest labor markets. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/how-...

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A push by U.S. energy companies to deepen their influence in the Western Balkans is fueling EU concerns that the region could end up hooked on American fossil fuels. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/us-p...

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The U.K. town of Piddington’s symbolic independence referendum presents real questions for PM Andy Burnham’s asylum seeker challenge. It also emboldens critics who want to quit the European Convention on Human Rights. 🔗 politico.eu/article/rebe...

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For the first time since Brexit, Britain’s international development minister will attend an EU summit as the U.K. and EU ramp up cooperation on aid. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/uk-e...

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Swiss voters will soon decide whether to make the country’s historic neutrality even more legally binding. A “yes” vote would effectively prevent Switzerland from imposing sanctions on Russia. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/swis...

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EU officials fear growing dependence on American fossil fuels in candidate countries could undermine the bloc’s climate goals. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/us-p...

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EXCLUSIVE: The EU’s new AI envoy wants Brussels to focus on using artificial intelligence to lift productivity, rather than chasing U.S. and Chinese models. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/eu-a...

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