Europe is already preparing for the end of the war in Ukraine. Once the conflict is over, the Arctic will be the new security scenario on which the great powers will focus, and especially the Russian threat, community sources state. "With Russia and China increasing their footprint and ambition, the Arctic has become the new frontline of global power competition," summarized the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, who insisted that this "new reality" has forced a rethink of European strategy and made security a priority.

The Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Rob Jetten, has announced that he and his fiancé, the Argentine hockey player Nicolas Keenan, are expecting their first child and that they will have it through surrogacy, a practice popularly known as a rent-a-womb. "We are waiting for someone very special. See you in 2027, little one," Jetten wrote on Monday on his Instagram account.

Andorra takes another step to get closer to the European Union. The head of the Andorran government, Xavier Espot, has celebrated the start of a "new stage" after sealing the association agreement with Brussels this Monday, which should allow the principality to integrate into the bloc's market.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants Brussels to step up aid for the war, now that support from the United States is faltering. After Donald Trump lifted sanctions on Russian diesel, the Ukrainian president asked European partners to contribute to the war effort with 70 billion euros more in order to "contain Russia".

New setback for the European Union's climate goals. The continent's economic engines, France and Germany, reached an agreement this Friday to soften the climate requirements for the automotive sector and maintain the manufacturing of combustion vehicles beyond 2035. This was announced by the French government in a statement, in which it details that the pact also includes tools to strengthen production conditions within Europe. This proposal has been a major demand from European manufacturers, who are currently working hastily to electrify in the face of strong Chinese competition.

The confrontation between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy is becoming more evident with each passing day. The US president continues to pressure his Ukrainian counterpart to stop attacking Russian refineries, while he negotiates the lifting of sanctions on Russian hydrocarbons and cuts military aid to Kyiv. Ukraine resumed its bombings this Thursday against these types of Russian facilities, after three days of suspension following Trump's announcement of an alleged immediate energy truce, which Moscow neither accepted nor complied with. "Enough is enough," said Zelenskyy in an interview with the Financial Times in which he announced that the blockade on attacks against Russian energy infrastructure was over. Hours later, Trump reacted by stating that "it is a disgrace".

If Pedro Sánchez's stance on immigration was already dissonant with the rest of the bloc, his distance from his partners has widened following the Ceuta crisis to the point of appearing irreconcilable. This Friday, the Spanish executive president was the target of criticism from his partners in a "difficult" debate on immigration in which he was left alone, according to sources present in the room speaking to ARA. The focus of the reproaches was the regularization process for thousands of immigrants that a group of states, led by Denmark, Italy, and Poland, consider a "pull factor" for immigration to the continent.

When it comes to money, states do not budge. The next European Union budget, which will set spending priorities for the 2028-2034 period, remains blocked and, despite the tug-of-war of this Thursday's negotiations—which have been going on for hours—the position of the capitals has moved very little.

The Twenty-seven are concerned about the trade deficit they have with China, which they have estimated at 1 billion euros per day. Until now, the European Union, which accuses Beijing of unfair competition practices by subsidizing its industries, had focused on the automotive industry with instruments to reduce this trade imbalance. Now the European Commission is studying developing these trade instruments to impose them in other sectors, such as chemicals and machinery, and potentially pharmaceutical products. Member states, meeting in Brussels at a leaders' summit, have urged community leaders to study imports in these sectors to assess taking measures, according to diplomatic sources who informed this newspaper.

A clear message from the European Union to Donald Trump. Community leaders disapprove of the US administration's decision to relax sanctions on Russia with the release of Russian diesel. Trump's move, which aims to lower fuel prices with one month to go before the US midterm elections, has landed like a bucket of cold water in Europe, as it puts their entire sanctions architecture on the ropes.

The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, has stood by the spokesperson for the PSOE executive, Montse Mínguez, following the controversy over her partner's real estate properties. When asked from Brussels about the real estate management companies of Mínguez's partner, Sergi Vélez, the socialist leader stressed that he "of course" supports her. Mínguez was ratified this Wednesday as the lead candidate for the socialists for Lleida.

Pedro Sánchez "arrives prepared" in Brussels to face the migration rebukes from his partners, including those from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, according to diplomatic sources. This week's leaders' summit will be the first time the Spanish Prime Minister has met with the Italian Prime Minister since the Ceuta crisis this summer. At the time, the leader's response to the massive influx of immigrants opened the floodgates for a confrontation over migration. Italy suspended free movement with Spanish travelers –a measure replicated by the Spanish government– and initiated a spiral of confrontation that has served to vindicate its model of external border control.

A thousand farmers paralyzed the heart of Barcelona this Wednesday with their tractors as well as buses and private vehicles in a demonstration to demand immediate solutions to the "structural crisis" situation the sector is experiencing. The demonstration, called by Unió de Pagesos, mobilized around 200 tractors—according to the organizers' data—coming from various points of the Catalan territory that gathered in front of the headquarters of the State government delegation, the Department of Agriculture, and the Palau de la Generalitat. The march blocked a large part of Passeig de Gràcia and Via Laietana for more than four hours—with impacts on different bus lines—and also caused slow-moving traffic in both directions of the Ronda Litoral when the farmers were returning home.

The major trade unions are calling for a minimum wage (SMI) increase of at least 7% by 2027, placing it above 1,300 euros per month. In a joint press conference held by the UGT and CCOO in Madrid, both organizations defended an increase that would update the threshold to at least 1,306 gross euros paid over 14 installments, or 1,524 euros over twelve. Currently, the state minimum wage is 1,221 gross euros in fourteen payments, which is equivalent to 1,424 euros in twelve monthly installments.

Salvador Illa has returned to Brussels. He maintains a busy international agenda and this week will be the fourth time that, as president of the Generalitat, he travels to the Belgian capital. The two most notable meetings he is expected to hold on Wednesday will be with the President of the European Council, António Costa, and the Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera, according to sources from the Catalan executive.

NATO claims to be prepared for an attack from Russia. NATO leadership has reiterated several times that it will not back down in the face of Moscow's threats and that it will defend "every inch of allied territory" against any aggression, but until now it had avoided detailing what this defense might consist of.

While Donald Trump eases the pressure on Vladimir Putin with a deal to put millions of barrels of Russian diesel on the market and demands that Volodymyr Zelensky call elections in Ukraine, the European Union reaffirms its support for Kyiv and urges Washington to do the same. The head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, announced this Monday the broadest sanctions package deployed so far against the Kremlin. The EU is incorporating nearly 1,600 names linked to the Russian military-industrial complex into the list of sanctioned individuals and entities.

Drones on the battlefield, drones in hybrid attacks... and also maritime drones. This week, two commercial vessels were attacked simultaneously with drones in the Black Sea. One of them sank and there were fatalities. The escalation of maritime drone attacks adds to the air strikes that continue to hit Ukraine. On Thursday, unmanned devices left six dead and 17 injured in Kyiv.

In the corridors of the European Parliament this week, a "very palpable concern" can be felt, asserts Jaume Asens. "There is a shared anxiety," agrees former European Commissioner László Andor. "All week I have received messages from colleagues on the left," explains Compromís MEP Vicent Marzà. "Everyone is asking about the issue," summarizes Javi López, also a socialist MEP.

The European Union is taking a giant step to prevent capital flight to the United States and to boost the continent's companies. The bloc's Economy and Finance ministers have agreed on a legislative package to unify and simplify financial rules across all EU countries with the goal of making it easier for the savings of EU citizens to be allocated to European companies and innovation projects.