Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap!
European leaders will tell the European Commission later whether they want a quick trade deal with the US, or favour a tough response to Donald Trump’s tariff threats.
Irish prime minister Micheál Martin said earlier today that ”every effort has to be made to get a landing zone that we can live with,” as he stressed the need to give businesses “certainty” on future trading rules.
The crunch talks come as part of the European Council meeting in Brussels, which also focuses on Ukraine, the Middle East, migration and competitiveness (9:42).
The leaders are also discussing the 18th package of sanctions against Russia, with Hungary and Slovakia threatening to block the measures as they demand concessions in other areas (9:45, 12:02).
The meeting is expected to run into late evening and could even continue on Friday.
And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at [email protected].
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
Germany under Merz joins EU's migration hawks
German chancellor Friedrich Merz took part in a meeting of EU immigration hawks in Brussels, participants confirmed, in a sign of Berlin’s hardening stance on migration.
It marked the first time a German leader has attended the gathering, which has become a stable fixture on the sidelines of EU summits of the bloc’s leaders over the past year, AFP noted.
Co-organised by Italy, Denmark and the Netherlands, the migration talks were attended by more than a dozen of the bloc’s 27 leaders as well as European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.
