Most member states and the European Commission want to apply the trade deal closed with the United States last summer as soon as possible to prevent Donald Trump from having any excuses to further increase tariffs against the European Union. However, some partners, especially France, and the European Parliament want to include a series of safeguard clauses in the pact with the White House. These disagreements are keeping the negotiations between European institutions to ratify the pact at a standstill, while the President of the United States pressures the EU to approve it definitively and threatens with new customs duties on European cars.

The return of Donald Trump to the White House and his constant threats against European states have led the European Political Community to unite not only against Russia, but also now against the United States. Emmanuel Macron promoted this alliance after the start of the war in Ukraine. It is an organization that goes beyond the territory of the European Union and includes, for example, countries like the United Kingdom, Turkey, and various states that lie between Russian influence and proximity to the European bloc, especially from the Western Balkans. Those not invited, however, are Belarus and Russia. And, in fact, the raison d'être of this organization is the desire to isolate Vladimir Putin's regime and promote –beyond the EU borders– a more sovereign European alliance with respect to the Kremlin. And now, also, with respect to Washington.

Viktor Orbán did not attend the last European summit and, instead, Volodymyr Zelensky attended in person as a guest. A change of pieces symptomatic of what the far-right pro-Russian leader's farewell could mean for the future of the European Union, and, above all, its relationship with Ukraine.

The European Central Bank (ECB) remains cautious. The banking institution has once again avoided making a move prematurely and, despite the war in Iran and the rebound in inflation, has decided this Thursday to keep interest rates at 2% for the seventh consecutive meeting. In this way, the financial entity chaired by Christine Lagarde keeps its powder dry in case the situation worsens and, in fact, has already warned of "the high uncertainty" of the Eurozone's economic future due to the war initiated by Donald Trump.

Green light to investigate Alvise Pérez (S'ha Acabat la Festa). The European Parliament voted this Tuesday in plenary session to withdraw the immunity of the far-right Spanish MEP and, therefore, the Supreme Court will be able to investigate him for the case of harassment of the delegate prosecutor for hate crimes in Valencia, Susana Gisbert.

Donald Trump has threatened NATO allies since returning to the White House. The President of the United States, who de facto controls the Atlantic Alliance, has not stopped humiliating European partners and has even recurrently questioned whether he is willing to comply with Article 5 of the entity's treaties. The point states that an attack on an ally is an attack on the entire alliance and, therefore, a joint response must be made, which is one of the main reasons for the military alliance's existence.

Cyprus is the only European Union member state that has received attacks of Iranian origin in the war initiated by the United States and Israel in the Middle East. The island is located about 200 kilometers from Lebanon – closer than to continental Europe – and is the easternmost community territory. Furthermore, due to its geographical location, it has great military importance. Even so, the country is not part of NATO and, therefore, does not have the military umbrella of the US army. A rare avis within the European club that serves as an excuse for EU leaders, who are meeting this Thursday and Friday precisely in Cyprus, to discuss how to defend themselves from potential attacks without relying on Donald Trump's US, which is increasingly distancing itself from European military interests.

European justice definitively invalidates Germany's multi-billion euro aid to the airline Lufthansa during the covid pandemic. The General Court of the European Union (CJEU) has overturned the European Commission's decision and, therefore, confirmed the annulment of the German state's rescue of the airline for 6 billion euros, as had been ruled by the General Court of the European Union (GCEU).

Weeks after the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the resulting energy crisis, the European Commission has presented the long-awaited plan to try to mitigate its consequences. The main point is the flexibility of aid that state and regional administrations can adopt to reduce electricity bills, as well as greater coordination between countries in the purchase and storage of fuel to avoid competing with each other. On the other hand, Brussels has ignored the request of Pedro Sánchez's government and rules out generalizing the imposition of an additional tax on what are known as the electricity companies' "windfall profits", the additional profits they make when fossil fuel prices skyrocket.

New ruling by European justice against Viktor Orbán's governments for violating EU legislation. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled this Tuesday that the Hungarian law against the LGBTIQ+ community approved in 2021 under the government of the acting Prime Minister infringes the fundamental rights of the European Union because it "discriminates on grounds of sex and sexual orientation" and "does not respect private and family life", as well as "freedom of expression and information". In this way, the highest court in the EU has sided with the European Commission, which was the one that brought the law of the current acting Prime Minister of Hungary to justice.

The governments of the European Union are raising their tone against Benjamin Netanyahu for Israel's continued attacks on Palestine and Lebanon, but they avoid applying any sanctions to him. Member states have opted not to increase diplomatic pressure on Tel Aviv and, once again, the proposal promoted by Pedro Sánchez to suspend the European bloc's association agreement with the Israeli country has failed in the Council of EU Foreign Ministers this Tuesday. As usual, the main countries that have opposed it have been Germany, which leads the bloc of the most pro-Israeli European partners, and Italy, governed by the ultra-conservative Giorgia Meloni. "It has not had the necessary support," confirmed the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, at a press conference, who also assured that "it is probably not true" that applying the diplomatic pressure measures proposed by Moncloa would stop Israel from expanding the occupation of the West Bank.

Pedro Sánchez does not stop pressuring the European Union to apply sanctions against Israel, but with rather moderate success. Kallas recalled that the approval of Spain's request, which it has submitted along with Ireland and Slovenia, is a measure that requires unanimity among member states and that, in any case, before "other measures to pressure Israel should be evaluated" that can be approved by qualified majority, which have also not obtained sufficient support so far. Among other measures, member states can opt to partially suspend the EU-Israel association agreement – which would mean an increase in tariffs or a reduction in imports – as proposed by the European Commission last September.

The Barcelona City Council received European backing this Monday for its intention to act against tourist apartments. In a press conference alongside the mayor, Jaume Collboni, the European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jorgensen, stated that "there is no doubt" that short-term rentals have become a "major problem" in many European cities, not just in large capitals. He also explained that he is visiting the Catalan capital to "learn" about what is being done in housing matters.

A week after Viktor Orbán's defeat, pro-Russian and Eurosceptic candidate Rumen Radev has won the elections in Bulgaria. The departure of Hungary's current acting prime minister was met with great enthusiasm in Brussels, but in no case was it a definitive blow to leaders who hinder the proper functioning of the European Union and are close to the Kremlin. Although Radev remains committed to the European bloc and NATO, he has often railed against the aid the community club provides to Ukraine and the sanctions it has imposed on Russia. He is also critical of the euro's entry into Bulgaria, which has been part of the eurozone since January, and is opposed to the European green agenda and community regulations on LGBTIQ+ rights. Furthermore, he has openly declared himself a follower of Orbán.

Donald Trump's return to the White House seemed poised to further boost the growing European far-right. Leaders such as Giorgia Meloni, Marine Le Pen, Santiago Abascal, or, among many others, Geert Wilders, celebrated the New York magnate's victory with great fanfare. However, the constant threats and humiliations from the President of the United States against the member states of the European Union and the war in Iran have been met with great animosity in the community bloc, leading voices of the European far-right to advocate for maintaining distance from the American leader. An electoral strategy that has intensified this week, after the Trump administration's explicit support for Viktor Orbán did not, in any way, contribute to avoiding the electoral defeat of the acting Prime Minister of Hungary.

The European Commission will propose to member states that they encourage companies to establish one mandatory remote working day for workers and that public buildings be closed "when possible", as reported by the newspaper El País and confirmed by ARA. In the package of measures to alleviate the energy crisis caused by the war in Iran, Brussels also advocates for administrations to reduce public transport prices and for them to be free for certain groups.

European justice once again rules against Spain for the abuse of long-term temporary staff in public administrations throughout the State. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled this Tuesday that the measures provided for by Spanish legislation to sanction and compensate the "abusive use" of these workers in the public sector are insufficient. Specifically, the Luxembourg court concludes that measures such as the transformation of these temporary contracts into an indefinite but not permanent employment relationship, the payment of compensation to the worker at the time of contract termination, or the call for selection processes that take into account the worker's previous experience do not remedy the fact that Spanish regulations violate EU law.

Ursula von der Leyen wants to avoid more potential cases like Viktor Orbán's. The acting Prime Minister of Hungary has continuously blocked measures that have broad consensus in the European Union, especially those related to helping Ukraine and sanctioning Russia. The fact that unanimity is mandatory for processing foreign policy measures has given the far-right, pro-Russian leader the opportunity to single-handedly veto regulations that the rest of the European partners wanted to approve. For this reason, after the victory of the conservative Péter Magyar in the Hungarian elections, the President of the European Commission has advocated for removing unanimity in fields such as foreign affairs.

The European Union celebrates the defeat of Viktor Orbán and the victory of Péter Magyar. Community leaders and those from a large part of the member states took only a few minutes to react to the definitive results of the Hungarian elections. One of the most enthusiastic was the President of the European Commission herself, who tweeted unusually quickly and euphorically. "Hungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary. A country reclaims its European path. The Union becomes stronger," wrote the German conservative.

The European Union celebrates the defeat of Viktor Orbán and the victory of Péter Magyar. Community leaders and those from a good part of the member states took only a few minutes to react to the definitive results of the Hungarian elections. One of the most enthusiastic was the President of the European Commission herself, who tweeted unusually quickly and euphorically. "Hungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary. A country claims its European path. The Union becomes stronger," wrote the German conservative.