Tech – X owner Elon Musk and Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg repeatedly intervened in European politics last week, overshadowing timid calls from EU politicians that US tech giants must comply with the EU’s digital rules.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's announcement last week it would phase out fact-checkers to adopt a ‘community notes’ approach, pioneered by X, is not prohibited under EU law.
Energy – A coalition of six northern European countries wants the EU to push for a more severe international price cap on Russian oil within the G7 framework, according to a letter seen by Euractiv.
Russia has succeeded in barring Ukraine from presiding over the 15th annual International Renewables Energy Agency (IRENA) meeting after long threatening to hold up the process with its veto.
EU bubble – Europeans want to make sure they have a seat at the table in any future Ukraine peace talks, but they run the risk of getting only a folding chair.
Across Europe
Germany – Alice Weidel’s election as the far-right Alternative for Germany's (AfD) candidate for chancellor this weekend was hardly a surprise. But it did end up exposing the tensions in a party split between its leadership and base.
Austria – Austria's caretaker Chancellor, Alexander Schallenberg, is expected to visit Brussels on Monday to reassure officials here that his country's likely far-right turn is much ado about nothing.
Serbia – Serbia, an EU candidate country, was the only European country apart from Russia and Belarus to attend the inauguration of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, which was boycotted by the vast majority of the international community.
Italy – Italian Justice Minister Carlo Nordio has blocked the extradition of Iranian national Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi in a case closely linked to the recent release of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala from detention in Tehran.
