European Union politics is currently shaped by a mix of transatlantic tensions, internal rule of law concerns and efforts to safeguard social rights. European leaders are responding to Donald Trump’s renewed “war on science” in the US with calls for Europe to attract talent and reduce dependence on Silicon Valley, arguing that if France could lead the world with Minitel in the 1980s, surely Europe can free itself from Silicon Valley’s shackles now. At the same time, the European Union is opening up funding to guarantee abortion rights across the bloc, with a focus on women from countries with near total bans on terminations who will be given help to access services elsewhere.
Brexit’s legacy remains central to United Kingdom and European Union relations, with the British business secretary Peter Kyle stating that the British public want deeper economic ties with the European Union and signing a cooperation deal on competition while insisting it is not a case of being nostalgic for the pre Brexit past. Trade tensions are intensifying as Trump threatens “obnoxious” tariffs while the United Kingdom and the European Union seek clarity on trade deals, and questions mount over what “powerful” trade weapons are at the US president’s disposal. United Kingdom officials say they are working with the US to analyse the impact of the supreme court’s ruling against tariffs, while a Trump trade representative insists the US will not back out of its tariff deals with the United Kingdom and others.
Within the European Union, geopolitical and economic pressures are converging around Ukraine and Russia. European leaders accuse Hungary of “political sabotage” and say Hungary is undermining support for Ukraine, while the bloc fails to agree on new sanctions on Russia ahead of the fourth anniversary of the war. Editorial commentary stresses that Ukraine is exhausted, but not broken, and highlights Ukraine’s economic resilience as evidence of a potential model for “progressive membership” and new European Union business tie ups. China overtakes the US as Germany’s top trading partner, adding to debates over a “made in Europe” industrial strategy that, according to a United Kingdom minister, could hit supply chains, create unnecessary United Kingdom European Union trade barriers and increase costs.
Climate and industrial policy are increasingly contested. A major feature asks whether Europe is drowning out the climate crisis, noting that even as weather extremes worsen, voices calling for the rolling back of environmental rules have grown louder and more influential. Another editorial warns that an emerging Berlin Rome axis between Friedrich Merz and Giorgia Meloni is threatening the European Union’s green deal and describes their deregulation agenda as economically and ethically flawed. Corruption is recast as a matter of which actors Washington is shielding or sacrificing, rather than envelopes of cash, reflecting broader concerns over governance in an era of geopolitical rivalry.
Regulation of digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence has become a key arena for European Union policymaking. French president Emmanuel Macron defends European Union Artificial Intelligence rules against US criticism and links them to a broader pledge to crack down on child “digital abuse”. At a gathering where António Guterres and Narendra Modi also speak, leaders warn about child safety and Artificial Intelligence monopolies, underscoring Europe’s bid to combine tech regulation with protections for minors. Across these issues, from abortion access and climate policy to tariffs and technology governance, European institutions and member states are testing how far they can assert a distinct path between US pressures, internal divisions and a shifting global economic landscape.
