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By KATE DAY
Dear readers,
A weekend of not-so-brief encounters. World leaders are in Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hoping to grab U.S. President Donald Trump for a quick word. Opportunities “will be seized,” as a Commission spokesperson put it to Brussels Playbook.
Also seizing opportunities will be Washington’s media set, eager for after-party invites to the hottest gatherings on this White House Correspondents’ weekend. With Trump a no-show, and no comedian, the dinner is expected to be a more tense, somber affair than is traditional.
Whatever your weekend plans, please enjoy the selection below.
All best wishes,
Kate Day
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Trump talks tariffs. The EU talks free trade with the rest of the world.
An eye-opening explainer on which trade deals Ursula von der Leyen’s Commission wants to get done with the rest of the world, to offset the retreat into isolation of the United States under Donald Trump. Read the story.
The Political Education of Karoline Leavitt
A fascinating look at how Trump’s press secretary rose to such a key White House position, and why her youth and inexperience — often deployed against her by opponents — allowed her to channel MAGA in ways her rivals couldn’t match. Read the story.
Ranked: The 10 most intensely lobbied EU laws
POLITICO looked at where EU lobbyists are spending most of their energy, pulling the data on 5,000 bills stretching back 20 years. Tech tops the list, with sustainability measures not far behind. Read the story.
Britain’s Tories brace for another electoral disaster
A look ahead to upcoming local elections in the U.K. which could prove a key test for party leader Kemi Badenoch. The piece includes a prediction from a Conservative election planner that she’d soon come under pressure “to be less useless.” Truly words to live by. Read the story.
Exposed: The links between world chess and Russia’s war machine
This stellar piece of investigative reporting shows in gripping detail how Russian leader Vladimir Putin uses the iconic, centuries-old game of chess to his political advantage. Read the story.
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Europe shows withdrawal symptoms after 75 years of addiction to US troops
POLITICO dug into the numbers to see whether Europe should be worried about U.S. troops being withdrawn from the continent and where the biggest gaps will be. Read the story.
UK in talks to buy back nuclear sites from French firm EDF
POLITICO revealed the U.K. government is in talks with its French counterparts about purchasing back three nuclear sites from state-owned energy giant EDF, as Whitehall looks to take control of the upcoming expansion of nuclear power. Read the story.
YOUR WEEKEND PLAYLIST
EU Confidential: A divorce and a birthday: Five years of Brexit, 10 years of POLITICO
Forgive our self-indulgence, we’ve been celebrating all week. With POLITICO turning 10 and Brexit hitting 5 earlier this year, this episode of EU Confidential takes stock of two milestones that shaped Brussels — in very different ways.
Host Sarah Wheaton kicks things off with Zoya Sheftalovich, editor of Global Playbook, reflecting on POLITICO Europe’s early days and its first big scoop: Jean-Claude Juncker’s kidney stones.
Then we head to Maastricht for highlights from a debate organized by Studio Europa Maastricht, where Sarah moderated a conversation on Brexit’s legacy with Joris Luyendijk, Fleur Launspach, Oliver Garner and Ferenc Laczó.
Finally, Sarah checks in with former MEP — and Nigel Farage confidant — Alex Phillips to ask: Did Brexit deliver? Listen to the episode.
Westminster Insider
Westminster Insider is on a break, but our episodes are not time-sensitive: Have a listen to our catalog here or via the links below.
Power Play: Why the next pope may be a ‘break’ from the past
As Catholics gather in Rome to mourn Pope Francis, those hoping to succeed him are preparing to engage in one of the world’s oldest and most intriguing electoral contests.
This week’s guest knows the inner workings of the Vatican and the key players involved as cardinals gather for the next conclave. Host Anne McElvoy talks to Francis Campbell, who served as Britain’s ambassador to the Holy See from 2005 to 2011. Campbell became ambassador not long after the death of Pope John Paul II and a few months into Benedict’s pontificate, which preceded that of Francis. He believes that the cardinals may opt for a break from the past, rather than for a continuity candidate.
Brought up in Northern Ireland, Campbell was the first Catholic to represent the U.K. in the Vatican. He was a foreign policy adviser to former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who converted to Catholicism after he left office. Campbell is now vice chancellor of the University of Notre Dame Australia. Listen to the episode.
DECLASSIFIED
Read this week’s Declassified column.
Caption competition
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“OMG Donald you can’t say that out loud about your wife, she’s right there!”
Can you do better? Email us at [email protected] or get in touch on X @POLITICOEurope.
Last week, we gave you this photo:
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Thanks for all the entries. Here’s the best from our postbag — there’s no prize except for the gift of laughter, which I think we can all agree is far more valuable than cash or booze.
“Raise your hand if you are against the 1 percent!”
by Anonymous
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