Talks have begun in Abu Dhabi regarding the future of Ukraine, and they have done so with a notable absence. Although the delegations from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and the European Union have been able to meet with those from Ukraine, the United States, and NATO to coordinate, Europe has no presence at the negotiating table. The Old Continent – which the Kremlin has excluded from this round due to its support for Kyiv – has demanded to have its say, especially regarding security guarantees. But, who should lead these demands?

Spanish households are among those that invest the least in capital markets (stocks, bonds, pension plans, and investment funds). The average per adult is 31,039 euros, 36% below the European Union (EU) average, which is 48,290 euros. And at a much greater distance from Denmark (116,334), Sweden (114,028), and the Netherlands (113,248). All three are countries with much more tradition for these investments and higher living standards than in Spain. These figures come from a study conducted by the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME, which brings together banks, brokers, and financial institutions), where it highlights the need to boost the participation of households in European capital markets to mobilize savings towards productive investment and reinforce the European commitment to strategic autonomy.

The international context does not favor a United Kingdom that decided to distance itself from the European Union, slamming the door shut with Brexit. Its most traditional partner, the United States, is now unpredictable and does not generate any kind of trust. Competition from China, having become a technological superpower, is intensifying in more and more sectors. And few doubt that the ambition of Putin's Russia goes beyond Ukraine. Furthermore, Brexit did not boost the British economy as its defenders promised; on the contrary, it is now in recession. Faced with this situation, the EU can once again be the reliable and close ally that the British need and, from Downing Street, Andy Burnham is seriously considering it. Turning back, at least in part, is no longer seen as impossible in London. But now it is the EU that holds the key to a possible Breturn.

The way of approaching tourism is also starting to shift in Brussels. If until now the incipient European guidelines revolved around the competitiveness and resilience of the sector, the community executive now speaks of "growing pressure" on certain destinations that have difficulties managing the influx, especially in summer, and points to low wages as a widespread problem.

What if the main threat to the European Union was not Russian aggression, Chinese exports, or US President Donald Trump, but rather came from within the bloc?

Starting this Sunday, receiving a package from companies like Shein, Temu, or AliExpress will cost two euros more. On November 1st, the two-euro (2.5 dollar) tax that Brussels has imposed on all shipments from countries outside the European Union comes into effect to try to curb the influx of Chinese products. The new customs management tax arrives on the eve of particularly intense commercial dates, such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the Christmas shopping fever.

During her State of the Union address, European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, announced with great fanfare that Canada would be a "new associated member" of the European Union. The rapprochement between Brussels and Ottawa was evident, both by the presence of Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, in the chamber and by the previous talks to strengthen ties. But the announcement caught the member states off guard, as they did not expect the initiative to be presented with that label.

Brussels wants to give more powers to Frontex, the European Union agency in charge of border management. The European executive proposes to strengthen the body's role in deportations so that it can return immigrants to their country of origin from non-EU territory. Thus, for example and according to the planned reform, the agency could return a person from Mali who is in Morocco. To carry out these operations, however, it will be necessary for the third country in question to have previously signed a specific agreement with the EU.

The riots in Barcelona are fully entering the campaign, and the vast majority of parties are using the unrest to attack their political rivals. The harshest has been the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who has linked the president of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, to what he considers to be a “barbarity.” “How dare they pontificate about peace in the world in the morning and not guarantee it in their own country at night? Stop giving lessons, if you have dynamited it in Spain,” the popular leader said at a rally in Salamanca, from where he also accused the PSOE of “minimizing” and “justifying” the riots. “Sánchez wants to see the fire grow,” he added.

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.

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.

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.

Vladimir Putin is intensifying both his full-scale war against Ukraine and his shadow war against the rest of Europe. His main goal against Europe is to end the support that the continent gives to Ukraine, in order to be able to subjugate the country, a milestone he considers existential both for the future of Russia and for his own future. While in Europe we must prepare as well as we can to defend ourselves against all kinds of hybrid attacks, the central axis of our response should be to redouble support for Ukraine. Ukraine is his main target. It is there – and only there, not in a struggle of a thousand small hybrid attacks – where Putin's Russia can be defeated and effectively deterred.

Justice must not kill. This idea is part of the European legal consensus built around human rights. In the 46 member states of the Council of Europe, no one has been executed since 1997, when the last execution took place in Ukraine. Abolition is today a condition for membership. The exception on the continent is Belarus, outside the Council of Europe, which maintains capital punishment. But this legal consensus coexists with a certain social erosion. According to the 2025 Barcelona Social Values Survey, 35.7% of Barcelona residents believe that the death penalty can be justified always or in some circumstances; among young people aged 15 to 24, the percentage reaches 47%. The trend is not only local. In several countries of the European Union, support for capital punishment is around 50% or higher. In the United Kingdom, in recent months, far-right groups have proposed reinstating it, also appealing to opinion polls. All of this is part of a broader context in which the European populist right advocates for increasingly harsh penal policies.

The 2015 refugee reception crisis represented a turning point for Europe. From then on comes the fear of a new migration crisis at its borders. The perception of threat is such that the overreaction is immediate, regardless of how many there are (with the Aquarius there were 630, 106 when the ship arrived in Valencia) and whether they have actually arrived (let us remember that in Ceuta they were still on the African continent).

It is the last opportunity to negotiate. Brussels already has ready trade defense measures in case China does not agree to limit its exports to Europe and reduce the trade deficit, which the European Commission estimates at 1 billion euros per day. European Commissioner for Trade, Maroš Šefčovič, meets this Thursday in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Wentao, who is to present his counter-proposal.

Brussels wants to accelerate the entry of new partners into the European Union. Faced with growing geopolitical instability and the commercial competition posed by actors such as China, the EU executive sees the expansion of the bloc as "an investment in peace, security and stability". But this process has been almost paralyzed for years due to the various blockades imposed by member states and their reluctance.

Having a powerful residential stock at an affordable price requires not only financial resources, which it does, but also consistency and continuity in policies, according to the different models and strategies regarding housing in the European Union (EU). Paris, the city of light, has 17 times more social housing per 1,000 inhabitants than Barcelona, according to data on this type of property in both cities. Maintaining this proportion, since the municipality of the French capital has around 22% more inhabitants than the Catalan capital, in the former there are 127 social apartments per 1,000 inhabitants compared to 7.6 in Barcelona, although in recent years the drive for this type of housing has increased.

Far-right nationalist populist parties are leading the way everywhere, from Washington to Warsaw. Why, then, be so alarmed by the small electoral victories of one of these parties, Alternative for Germany (AfD)? “Because it’s Germany!” is the almost instinctive answer in many heads around the world.