Good morning from Brussels.

After months of introversion due to significant political instability at home, the Germans seem to have finally woken up.

Germany’s election frontrunner Friedrich Merz said Europe is waiting for Berlin to develop a joint strategy toward Donald Trump and show a united front in the face of upcoming challenges. 

Meanwhile, Trump confirmed late last night that the EU will “be in for tariffs” as the Europeans are treating the US “very, very badly”. 

For her side, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Europe is ready to negotiate and reminded the Americans of their interdependence with Europe.  

She criticised China—the Trump administration’s main target—but also saw a chance to expand trade and investment ties with Beijing.  

An EU official told Euractiv that Trump's lack of understanding of how Europe works, is the main fear, as he could make decisions without understanding the consequences.

In Athens, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called on Europeans to let the dust settle and expressed his optimism that a transatlantic trade war would be avoided.

Dutch company Mosa Meat has applied to sell its lab-grown beef fat in the EU, claiming it could be a game-changer in making plant-based products tastier for meat lovers. 

In Brussels politics, Manfred Weber confirmed that he will run for re-election as president of the European People’s Party, while in Davos, von der Leyen revealed details of the upcoming ‘action plan on affordable energy’, due next month.

PARIS

Paris' internal struggles over environmental checks on farms intensify. Farmers' attacks against environmental compliance controls on French farms are intensifying, sparking political infighting within the government. Read more.

ATHENS

Donald Trump’s return to the White House is a wake-up call for Europe to move into action and warned that the era of outsourcing our security guarantees to Washington is over, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said. Read more.

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ROME

Meloni’s visit to Washington and the Trump meeting that didn’t happen. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was the only EU leader at President Donald Trump's inauguration, but a much-anticipated private meeting did not take place. Read more.

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MADRID

Trump targets Spain with tariffs in BRICS blunder. Spain has a meagre contribution to NATO and as a consequence, it could face 100% tariffs from the US, according to President Donald Trump, who unfortunately confused it with a BRICS country. Read more.

WARSAW

Poland is preparing diplomatic missions to protect Poles from possible expulsion, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in response to US President Donald Trump's plans to crack down on illegal immigration. Read more.

A visit to Poland’s last line of defence. Poland’s fortified buffer zone against Belarus and Russia could see a surge in migrants in the coming months, officials here warn, as spring temperatures encourage more people to attempt border crossings. Read more.

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PRAGUE

Europe must remain attractive to the US, warns Czech MEP. Europe must be a credible partner and maintain the transatlantic link with the US, Czech MEP Alexandr Vondra said, adding that Donald Trump's first steps after returning to the White House were not a surprise. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Orbán and Fico find common ground ahead of Davos. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán agreed to push the Commission to adopt their 'philosophy' on Russian gas in Bratislava on Tuesday, but showed some divergence on Ukraine's EU bid. Read more.

BELGRADE

Serbia is ‘uniquely positioned’ to host Trump-Putin talks, said Foreign Minister Marko Đurić said on Tuesday, adding that Donald Trump entering the White House for a second presidential term is good news for Serbia. Read more.

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SOFIA

Bulgarian president blames EU for Ukrainian death in counter-offensives. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev on Tuesday blamed EU leaders for Ukraine's counter-offensive, claiming it had resulted in ‘hundreds of thousands’ of casualties. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Antonescu confirmed as PSD’s presidential candidate as tensions remain high. National Liberal Party member Crin Antonescu has been confirmed by the PSD leadership as its presidential candidate for the upcoming elections, marking a significant milestone in securing his official candidacy on behalf of the PSD-PNL-UDMR governing alliance. Read more.

European Court of Human Rights rejects appeal of Romania vote annulment. The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday rejected far-right candidate Călin Georgescu's appeal against a Romanian court decision to annul the 2024 presidential election after he won the first round amid claims of Russian interference. Read more.

• EU: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen participates in Parliament’s plenary debate on European Council meeting of 19 December 2024 conclusions; Meets with Prime Minister of Bulgaria Rosen Zhelyazkov;
• High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas delivers speech at European Defence Agency annual conference “New horizons in EU defence”; Meets with Princess Rym Ali of Jordan;
• Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera participates in Green Deal 2.0 event in Davos, Switzerland; Delivers keynote speech in “Unlocking Impact at COP 30: Climate Action for Healthier Societies - Public and Private Solutions for Climate and Health Emergencies” event;
• Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos holds meetings with First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko, Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Borjana Krišto in Davos, Switzerland; Participates in stakeholder dialogue “Enlarge the Prosper: Will Europe Grow?”;
• Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy Commissioner Jessika Roswall gives address at stakeholder dialogue on “Water at a Tipping Point” in Davos, Switzerland;
• Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Šuica participates in Parliament’s plenary debate on “Addressing EU demographic challenges: towards the implementation of the 2023 Demography Toolbox” and “Uniting Europe against actors hostile to the EU: time to strengthen our security and defence”;
• Parliament President Roberta Metsola meets with Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk; Gives opening remarks at World Economic Forum high level Europe Dialogue;
• Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk presents to Parliament plenary Polish Presidency of the Council’s priorities;

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Alice Taylor-Braçe]