Last night, Israel and Hamas agreed to a peace plan proposed by Donald Trump, paving the way for the release of hostages and an end to two years of war in Gaza.
Welcome to Rapporteur. This is Eddy Wax, with Nicoletta Ionta in Strasbourg. We love hearing from our readers – send us your feedback and news tips.
Need-to-knows:
- Parliament: Ursula von der Leyen’s Commission faces twin censure votes expected to fail
- Germany: Friedrich Merz under pressure as car chiefs arrive in Berlin for major summit
- Exclusive: New US ambassador to EU says Brussels and Washington ‘aligned’ on China
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From the capital
Two days of frantic consultations have once again laid bare the fragility of Emmanuel Macron’s presidency.
Last night, outgoing PM Sébastien Lecornu ruled out fresh parliamentary elections and said another – yes, yet another – prime minister will be appointed within 48 hours, the French leader appears to be navigating an ever-shrinking field of political options, my colleague Laurent Geslin reports.
By setting aside, at least for now, dissolving the National Assembly, Macron signalled a preference for continuity. But Lecornu’s careful wording, and his refusal to hint at either a name or a party affiliation, underscored just how few paths remain for a government struggling to command a majority.
Pressure is mounting on all sides. Far-right leader Jordan Bardella mocked what he called “backroom bargaining” to avoid a dissolution, National Rally’s Marine Le Pen vowed to “vote against everything,” and Mathilde Panot of the far-left La France Insoumise dismissed the process as a “farce of repetition.”
Merz under pressure as car chiefs arrive in Berlin
Germany’s chancellor is set to host a major summit of carmakers in Berlin today, after an eight-hour meeting with his Social Democrat coalition partners last night ended without announcing an agreement.
The government had hoped to settle internal divisions over the EU’s planned ban on new combustion engine cars by 2035 before consulting industry leaders and unions on ways to rescue Germany’s struggling auto sector.
The EU law, which requires a 100% reduction in CO₂ emissions from new cars and vans by 2035, would accelerate Europe’s shift towards electric vehicles. Though Germany accepted it at the time, increasing moves by Chinese electric car companies in Europe have put massive pressure on European manufacturers, which in turn has fuelled calls to weaken the law.
As Joshua Posaner wrote, the industry titans descending on the capital from auto cities Wolfsburg, Stuttgart, and Munich are taking part in a timeworn tradition: demanding Berlin shield them from Brussels.
New US envoy sees EU shift on China
European officials need little convincing to adopt a more adversarial stance towards China, according to America’s new ambassador to the EU.
Andrew Puzder told Euractiv in an exclusive interview that Beijing’s export controls on rare earths and deepening ties with Russia have led to a “general understanding” in Brussels that the world’s second-largest economy should be regarded as a “political” and “strategic” foe.
“One of the things that’s really been a surprise to me when I got to Europe – I really didn’t expect this – was how aligned the EU has become with the US on the issue of China,” said Puzder, a long-time Republican who was a major donor to Donald Trump’s campaign.
His remarks came a day after the European Commission proposed doubling tariffs on steel imports to 50% – a move widely seen as targeting China, the world’s top producer. Puzder said the measure could “make it easier” to negotiate adjustments to Trump’s own 50% blanket levy on EU steel and aluminium.
Von der Leyen’s numbers game
MEPs will take another swing at von der Leyen today, but no one’s betting on a knockout.
The two motions of censure against the European Commission from the far-left and far-right won’t bring it down, but the numbers will be closely watched for signs that the popularity of von der Leyen is slipping.
These are the numbers Parliament nerds will be using for comparison. Back in July, the last censuring attempt failed miserably: 360 voted against the motion. If she doesn’t get more than 360 no votes this time, questions will be asked. The trend is downward: she scraped through re-election with 401 votes in favour, 284 against, and 22 cast blank or invalid votes.
But the president can likely breathe easy. This time, her uneasy centrist allies have again closed ranks around her, buying her argument that toppling the Commission would only add to Europe’s political turmoil.
What Metsola’s ambitions mean for S&D
Our scoop about Roberta Metsola’s ambitions for a third mandate as Parliament president went around Strasbourg – and Malta – like wildfire on Wednesday. But what does it mean for the Socialists? Informed sources tell Rapporteur that it could make it more likely that Iratxe García remains as group leader until 2029. Her calculation would be that if there is no opening for the Socialists to lead Parliament, nothing else should change either. However, García’s main internal obstacle will be the powerful German delegation.
Weber tries to put brakes on budget rebellion
With furious EPP lawmakers clamouring to send the Commission back to the drawing board over its long-term EU budget proposal, EPP chief Manfred Weber this week has been making rather different sounds.
On Monday, he froze talks with the S&D and Renew about making a joint demand for the Commission to rethink its proposal. On top of that, a key meeting scheduled for this afternoon – where the different parts of the budget were to be allocated to different committees – has been called off.
If Weber wants to go head-to-head with von der Leyen, however, it seems that he would have the votes from other groups. The S&D is already on board. ECR lawmaker Carlo Fidanza told Rapporteur: “If they propose it, we can support them.”
Naturally, he said this would not be about criticising the work of Commissioner Raffaele Fitto, though, who hails from Fidanza’s own Brothers of Italy. Fitto “improved” the proposal before it came out, Fidanza said.
Von der Leyen’s argument has been that the Commission merely hasn’t communicated enough about the budget, and that Parliament will gain powers over the annual budget procedure. Analysts are also wary about the effectiveness of such a move, they told Jacob Wulff Wold. But MEPs might make the calculation next week that the only moment they can truly influence the talks is now.
Talking of reasons for caution about this budget proposal … The EU’s spending watchdog has warned that a last-minute rush to spend €283 billion of pandemic recovery cash before the end of 2026 risks misuse of EU funds. The watchdog has been very vocal about the risks of the Commission’s move to replicate the design in the next EU budget, which is exactly what the MEPs, regions, and farmers are rebelling against.
Lara Wolters falls on her sword
The threats worked. Last night, the EPP bullied the Socialists into submitting to their revamp of two corporate sustainability laws, which were first on the chopping block on von der Leyen’s “simplification” drive.
After a tense day of talks in Strasbourg, the Socialists agreed to the EPP’s original lowball offer, winning only minor concessions. Why? The alternative was worse, they argue. The EPP spent the day threatening to push the tweaks through, Stefano Porciello reported. Left high and dry, the Dutch MEP, Lara Wolters, who shepherded the file into existence last term, resigned from her role as a negotiator.
The most immediate impact? A one-on-one dinner between Iratxe García and Manfred Weber in Strasbourg last night was cancelled.
EU leaders on the defensive
When leaders gather in Brussels on 23–24 October, they will urge the bloc to ramp up its defence readiness by 2030, speed up joint procurement, and crank out more kit at home, according to a draft of the conclusions seen by Euractiv Chief Correspondent Sarantis Michalopoulos.
Air and anti-drone systems are high on the list after recent airspace scares. The text also links the green and digital transitions with a push for industrial competitiveness, teeing up a big discussion on how to hit the EU’s 2040 climate target without hobbling industry.
In a first for EU leaders, housing makes it onto the top table – with a call for an ambitious European Affordable Housing Plan – alongside a familiar nudge to speed up migration reform.
MEP anger over Commission’s Morocco deal
Twenty-nine MEPs have urged Roberta Metsola to rebuke the Commission for provisionally applying the EU–Morocco trade deal without Parliament’s consent, Jeremias Lin reports.
Lawmakers accuse the Commission of watering down EU court rulings on Western Sahara and blurring labelling rules that give Moroccan tariff preferences to goods from the disputed territory. The backlash follows Monday’s fiery trade committee meeting.
The capitals
ROME 🇮🇹
The governing Brothers of Italy party has proposed a sweeping law banning full-face Islamic veils in public spaces and tightening scrutiny of mosque finances, part of what PM Giorgia Meloni calls a fight against “cultural separatism.” The bill would impose fines for face coverings, demand financial transparency from unrecognised religions, and toughen penalties for coerced marriage – measures critics say risk stigmatising Muslims under the guise of security and social cohesion.
STOCKHOLM 🇸🇪
Sweden is challenging a wave of national bans on nicotine pouches across Europe. The tobacco-free “white snus” has soared in popularity, especially among teenagers, alarming regulators from France to Spain. EU officials now face mounting calls to consider a bloc-wide ban in next year’s tobacco directive overhaul – a move Sweden says would punish one of the few tools proven to cut smoking rates.
MADRID 🇪🇸
The opposition Popular Party said Wednesday it would summon PM Pedro Sánchez to testify before a Senate committee investigating the so-called “Koldo case,” a widening corruption scandal involving alleged kickbacks, rigged tenders and influence peddling linked to his Socialist Party. “You are ultimately responsible for everything; you are just as implicated as they are,” Popular Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo told Sánchez, in remarks that underscored growing political tension ahead of the hearings.
LISBON 🇵🇹
Luís Montenegro, Portugal’s prime minister, said he was “astonished and disgusted” by reports that prosecutors in the Spinumviva case want a criminal inquiry opened against him. Speaking outside a campaign stop in Albufeira, he condemned the leak as “shameful” and “intolerable,” accusing unnamed figures of trying to influence voters just days before the election. He said he had given all necessary clarifications and would await the public prosecutor’s decision.
WARSAW 🇵🇱
The European Commission on Wednesday said it would refer Poland to the EU Court of Justice for failing to submit the final version of its updated National Energy and Climate Plan, which was due on June 30, 2024. Poland last filed an NECP in 2019 and sent only a preliminary draft in March 2024. The climate ministry in this capital has since released a new draft for public consultation, in October 2024, followed by an environmental impact assessment in February 2025.
Schuman roundabout
Correction: Tuesday’s newsletter incorrectly linked a Parliament court ruling to the Qatargate scandal. The case instead concerns a separate EPPO investigation into an alleged fraudulent scheme involving up to €150,000 in fake jobs and kickbacks tied to parliamentary assistants.
Also on Euractiv
Slovakia’s anti-LGBTQ+ constitutional reform tests EU red lines
BRATISLAVA – Slovakia’s newly adopted constitutional amendments are fueling tension between Bratislava and Brussels, with…
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Slovakia’s government has picked a fight with Brussels by rewriting its constitution to assert national law over EU rules and to restrict LGBTQ+ rights. The Commission warned that EU law supremacy is “non-negotiable,” and some legal experts say infringement proceedings are likely. The conservative KHD party is celebrating the change as a national triumph, while liberals accuse Robert Fico’s coalition of using culture wars to deflect from its economic woes.
Greenland’s PM ready to ‘move with EU’ amid US annexation scare
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the island is committed to Europe but ruled out…
2 minutes
Greenland’s PM Jens-Frederik Nielsen told the European Parliament that his island is “committed to Europe” but not shutting out “other cooperations” – including with Trump.
Washington’s growing interest in the Arctic, including talk of investment and military expansion, has unsettled Copenhagen. Nielsen, in traditional dress, used his Strasbourg address to press for EU funding to revive Greenland’s faltering mining sector, warning that “action needs to be taken fast.”
Agenda
➡ Eurogroup meets in Luxembourg
➡ European Parliament plenary in Strasbourg, with debates on: gender equality, the 2024 work of the Petitions Committee, World Mental Health Day, and the seasonal clock change
➡ Votes on motions of censure against von der Leyen from 12 p.m.
➡ Von der Leyen and Kallas speak at the Global Gateway Forum 2025; von der Leyen makes a press statement with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa
➡ Virkkunen attends informal TTE Council in Denmark
➡ Serafin appears for a hearing in the Parliament’s Budgetary Control Committee
➡ Séjourné appears for a hearing in the Housing Committee
Contributors: Jacob Wulff Wold, Stefano Porciello, Niko J. Kurmayer, Jeremias Lin, Martina Monti, Magnus Lund Nielsen, Thomas Møller-Nielsen, Elisa Braun, Thomas Mangin, Charles Cohen, Alessia Peretti, Inés Fernández-Pontes, Sara Madeira, Aleksandra Krzysztoszek
Editors: Christina Zhao, Sofia Mandilara
