| Good morning from Brussels. It’s a trap. “If we are talking about peacekeepers, then we are walking into the Russian trap because they don’t want peace,” the EU’s top diplomat told Euractiv’s Alexandra Brzozowski in an exclusive interview. Top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas warned in an interview with Euractiv that Europe's discussion over a possible peacekeeping force in Ukraine risks playing into a "Russian trap". Meanwhile, Paris is set to host a second virtual meeting on Ukraine and European defence today, the Elysée announced, with EU member states and third countries that did not take part in Monday’s first iteration, reports Euractiv's Théo Bourgery-Gonse. Norway, Canada, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Finland, Romania, Sweden and Belgium are expected to show up. The Elysée did not confirm the final list of participants. United in disagreement. Monday’s first informal meeting laid bare disagreements on the sending of troops in Ukraine as a security guarantee in a possible future peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow. Left out. Several member states that were not invited on Monday had expressed their frustration: “Europe must speak with one voice, a goal that is not served by selective formats of leaders' discussions,” Greece’s Kyriakos Mitsotakis said. |
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| EU top diplomat Kallas on ‘Russian traps’ and European red lines In this episode, Euractiv’s chief diplomatic correspondent, Alexandra Brzozowski, sat down with the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas. Listen here. |
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| Click on the picture to read the story | [© European Union 2025 - Source : EP] |
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| Communication breakdown. “There has been a communication on [spyware] already,” said EU Commission’s Executive Vice-president Henna Virkkunen. Only this wasn’t true – the European Commission has never published a communication on spyware, writes Euractiv's Vas Panagiotopoulos.
Unreasonable? The Commission has rejected criticism from outgoing EU Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly that their refusal to grant public access to a 2023 risk assessment report by Elon Musk's X “constituted maladministration,” writes Euractiv’s Théophane Hartmann. Clean Industrial Deal. Brussels is gearing up to unveil a bold six-step plan to shield heavy industry and stake its claim in clean-tech, according to a draft seen by Euractiv. More plans. Brussels is set to propose a four-pillar plan next week which will break with established policy to drive down energy prices, writes Euractiv’s Nikolaus J. Kurmayer. Meanwhile, life expectancy in European countries fell slightly between 2011 and 2021, according to a new study, writes Euractiv's Emma Pirnay. Size does matter. Europe's four biggest porn platforms, Pornhub, XNXX, StripChat, and XVideos, all recorded major drops in traffic in the latest transparency reports that EU law requires them which, if true, would exempt them from some of the most arduous requirements of the Digital Services Act (DSA) as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs), writes Euractiv’s Anupriya Datta. |
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| Today's edition is powered by the European Commission. |
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| EU Social Forum: Skills for a competitive Europe
How can we equip people with the skills needed to thrive in a rapidly changing economy? Join policymakers, businesses, academics, civil society, to discuss how to tackle the labour and skills gaps to shape a new vision for a competitive Europe.
Find out more. |
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| BERLIN German minister backtracks on derogation from organic pasture rules. German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir has backtracked on the end of the national exemption from grazing rules for organic livestock farms, which he negotiated. Read more. /// PARIS French court throws shade at government’s proposed telecoms land-restriction rule. Limiting property rights on land with installed towers may be unconstitutional and "undoubtedly constitutes an obstacle to fair competition", the Court of Appeal of Aix-en-Provence said in a decision seen by Euractiv. Read more. /// BRUSSELS Strong US investment in Flanders continues, pharma remains a leading attraction. Belgium's Flanders Investment & Trade agency has reported a record-breaking influx of foreign investments in Flanders, with the United States leading the charge. Read more. |
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| Click on the picture to read the story | [Matias Chiofalo/Europa Press via Getty Images] |
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| MADRID Spain has invited EU finance ministers to an informal meeting on 13 March in Valencia to launch a ‘competitiveness laboratory’, the Iberian country’s Economy Minister, Carlos Cuerpo, told a Ecofin press conference on Tuesday. Read more.
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ROME
Forget the critics— Matteo Salvini is ready to crown US President Donald Trump with the Nobel Peace Prize. The Italian deputy prime minister is praising Trump’s knack for “bringing Putin, Zelensky, Netanyahu, and Arab leaders together”. Salvini's remarks come in response to Marina Berlusconi, the daughter of late former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who recently warned that Trump’s aggressive tactics could divide the West. Speaking in Genoa, Salvini blasted the naysayers, claiming Trump is accomplishing more in a few weeks than Biden did in four years. Far from being a “bully,” Salvini called him a peacemaker, adding that anyone who criticises Trump either “doesn’t understand” or is simply “clueless.” (Alessia Peretti | Euractiv.it) |
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| Click on the picture to read the story | [EPA-EFE/MARTIN DIVISEK] |
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| BRATISLAVA | PRAGUE Czech and Slovak foreign ministers sought to mend strained relations, but fresh tensions arose after Bratislava once again accused Prague of meddling in its internal affairs. Read more. /// WARSAW US won't withdraw forces from Europe, Trump envoy assures Poland. The Trump administration has no plans to withdraw its forces from Europe, Polish President Andrzej Duda said after meeting with Keith Kellogg, the special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, in Warsaw on Tuesday. Read more. |
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| SOFIA Bulgarian politicians firmly oppose deployment of troops to Ukraine. President Rumen Radev and former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, who is the leader of the largest party GERB (EPP), sharply rejected any possibility of sending Bulgarian soldiers as peacekeepers to Ukraine. Read more. /// BUCHAREST Romania’s interim president calls for balanced compromise to end Ukraine war. Interim President Ilie Bolojan delivered several foreign policy messages on Tuesday during a speech at the annual meeting with the heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Romania. Read more. |
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- EU: Commission President Ursual von der Leyen participates in CARICOM (Caribbean Community) Conference, in Bridgetown, Barbados;
- Commission Vice President Roxana Mînzatu participates in structured dialogue with Parliament’s Committee for Employment and Social Affairs; Receives representatives from SGI Europe enterprises association;
- Agriculture and Food Commissioner Christophe Hansen presents vision on Agriculture and Food;
- Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maros Šefčovič meets with US Director of National Economic Council Kevin Hassett, US Secretary of Commerce (designate) Howard Lutnick, and US Trade Representative (designate) Jamieson Greer, in Washington D.C., United States;
- Energy and Housing Commissioner Dan Jørgensen meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte;
- Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Šuica meets with UN Office on Drugs and Crime Executive Director Ghada Waly;
- Defence and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius hosts European Economic and Social Committee President Oliver Röpke;
- Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection Commissioner Michael McGrath meets with European Network of National Human Rights Institutions Chairperson and Secretary General;
- Parliament’s Committee on International Trade debates latest developments on export controls, including US trade restrictions on artificial intelligence chip exports.
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| *** [Edited by Vas Panagiotopoulos, Daniel Eck, Sofia Mandilara] |
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