Overview
- Transatlantic friction has intensified as Brussels enforces digital and competition rules and the United States threatens retaliatory tariffs and visa denials, including actions targeting former commissioner Thierry Breton.
- European and U.S. views on the endgame in Ukraine diverge, with coverage saying the EU has ceded initiative to Washington and now follows President Donald Trump’s lead.
- Hungary’s April parliamentary vote looms large for EU policy on Kyiv, since both Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz and the leading challenger TISZA oppose sending weapons to Ukraine.
- China’s expanding export surplus, reported at about $1 trillion in 2025, and its ongoing ties to Russia are heightening commercial and geopolitical pressure on Europe.
- Years of weak growth — averaging roughly 0.7% to 1.3% annually since 2007 — are fueling regulatory recalibration and raising warnings that higher defense outlays will compete with health care and pensions.