Castles in the sky – POLITICO

On today’s Brussels Playbook Podcast: Our Chief EU Correspondent Zoya Sheftalovich is joined by policy editor Sarah Wheaton to unpack the competitiveness retreat at Alden Biesen castle. Listen and subscribe via your favorite platform.

CIAO THERE. It’s Gerardo Fortuna back with you this Thursday morning.

DRIVING THE DAY

STORM THE CASTLE, SAVE EUROPE: It may be a curtain-raiser for the European Council in March, but there’s a lot riding on today’s informal gathering at Belgium’s historic Alden Biesen castle.

Top European Union leaders and officials, while receiving some tough love from the two former Italian prime ministers invited to address the gathering, will brainstorm on competitiveness behind closed doors. There are likely to be few hard outcomes today, but we should receive some real clues about whether the bloc is truly serious about shifting gears on Europe’s place in the world.

**A message from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion: The European Employment and Social Rights Forum is back on 3-4 March, at The EGG in Brussels and online. This year’s focus: how to empower people in times of modify. Register now to take part.**

Lower the drawbridge: Doorsteps will start at 9:30 a.m. The meetings will kick off at 10:30 a.m., featuring the customary pre-summit exmodify with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. Mario Draghi will speak at 11 a.m. But will the former European Central Bank president pull his punches? Or will the dragon roar, letting loose another “whatever it takes” moment with national leaders and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the houtilize?

Sconclude a Letta: The same question applies to the other former Italian prime minister, Enrico Letta, who will address the meeting after a working lunch. Letta is set to outline his single-market vision at 3 p.m. — pitching 2027 as the year in which key goals must be reached. If his recent comments to Playbook are anything to go by, he will state there’s not a moment to waste.

The meeting of the 27 leaders will continue after that, with proceedings expected to wrap up by 6:30 p.m. Von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and some national leaders are expected to attconclude a press conference at the conclude of the gathering. And it’s then that the real signals of how the day has panned out are likely to emerge.

Several leaders are expected to appear (some possibly in clusters) at the presser, offering clues about which elements of the competitiveness agconcludea they want to elevate. (Livestream here.) Also watch the standard post-meeting remarks from von der Leyen and Costa. The emphasis — and the omissions — will matter.

What to view out for: The pre-meeting scuttlebutt suggests the future of the Savings and Investment Union and the controversial “Europe Inc.” concept may rate a mention. But the broader themes of the meeting go beyond individual policies and initiatives. Here are a few themes to watch:

1. Only the fax: Brussels bristles at being blamed for overregulation. Just yesterday, von der Leyen shot back in Parliament, pointing to national practices as the true culprit. She declared that “some member states, for example, only accept correspondence by fax.” Will she repeat that message in front of leaders?

2. Competing Europe(s)? France is pushing “Made in Europe,” deeper integration and possibly eurobonds — with Spain broadly falling in line. Meanwhile, closer ties between Germany’s Friedrich Merz and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni hint at another power axis (for lack of a better term). Will these tribal lines appear in the final statements?

3. Better toreceiveher? The recent Ukraine funding workaround — with three countries opting out — revived the concept of “enhanced cooperation.” It’s a Pandora’s box that has now been opened. Smaller coalitions, like the so-called Big Six, are increasingly active. Does this mean a quicker, multi-speed Europe — and a less overbearing Commission?

4. Is Parliament back? At the informal summit in Copenhagen in October, some leaders criticized the European Parliament for being too slow. But interinstitutional coordination has improved since then. Metsola’s cabinet notified Playbook it doesn’t expect a blame-game on this front. “There’d be very little reason to do so, and everyone is interested in delivering.”

5. Ukraine envoy? Rumors continue to swirl about the appointment of an EU envoy for Ukraine. One EU official declared the topic “might come up,” even though it’s unrelated to the meeting. Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker signaled in a press briefing ahead of the retreat that he’s open to dialogue, adding: “If [Vladimir] Putin is interested in nereceivediations, he will nereceivediate with someone equipped with a mandate.”

FOLLOW IT HERE: POLITICO will be there through the day and covering all the developments in our live blog.

IN QATARGATE’S WAKE

FIRST MEETING SINCE SCANDAL: At 9:30 a.m. today, the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula holds its first formal meeting with Qatar since diplomatic ties were frozen after the 2022 Qatargate cash-for-influence scandal. (The Belgian judicial case remains ongoing).

Nowhere to be found: Don’t go viewing for details of the meeting or its agconcludea on the Parliament’s website — there’s nothing there. But the lead lawcreater on Arab Peninsula relations, Reinhold Lopatka, confirmed the meeting to POLITICO. “I am confident that we can strengthen dialogue and cooperation with our partners from Qatar for our mutual benefit,” he declared.

Popcorn emoji: While this particular meeting was not publicly advertised, interparliamentary events are typically open. So …

On the table: According to the agconcludea obtained by POLITICO, discussions will cover EU-Qatar interparliamentary cooperation, “enhanced cooperation” amid global and regional security tensions (read: from Washington to Sudan) and bilateral economic ties “with particular focus on trade, investment, renewable energy and sustainable development.”

The Qataris are also likely to push for a bilateral visa liberalization, one official declared.

Who’s in the room: The Qatari delegation is led by Youtilizef bin Ali Al-Khater, chair of the internal and external affairs committee of the Shura Council, an advisory assembly. On the EU side, Lopatka and several MEPs will attconclude, alongside Mathieu Briens, director for the Gulf at the Commission’s DG MENA.

Restrictions lifted: After Qatargate erupted, Qatari lobbyists were barred from Parliament’s premises, with access for diplomats and officials tightly restricted and monitored. Those measures were lifted in February 2025 by Parliament’s leadership.

EU–GULF DIPLOMACY — RELOADED: Heads of state and government, senior policycreaters and business leaders will gather from May 15 to May 17 for the first-ever Europe-Gulf Forum. Playbook can exclusively reveal some of the large names: Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, Qatari PM Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi.

More than a gabfest: The first-of-its-kind Europe-Gulf Forum was launched on the margins of the 80th U.N. General Assembly in New York, with backing from numerous governments. The initiative is spearheaded by Theodore Kyriakou, chairman of Antenna Group, a Greek media company, and Frederick Kempe, president and CEO of the Atlantic Council, a U.S. foreign-policy believe tank.

PARLIAMENT’S TRANSFER WINDOW

MIDTERM RESHUFFLE: Lawcreater Lukas Sieper, from the German Party of Progress, is joining the European Parliament’s liberal Renew Europe group, he notified POLITICO. The relocate officially kicks off what promises to be a year of internal horse-trading ahead of the midterm reset in January 2027, when Parliament’s top jobs are renereceivediated and groups scramble to bulk up.

Why Renew? Sieper states the group’s ideological diversity is part of the appeal. “Joining a group that is not, at least from the outset, seen as one-on-one representing a certain political ideology is the best thing for us,” he declared, highlighting the mix of liberal, green-leaning and more conservative strands within Renew. That diversity, he argues, leaves room for pragmatic deviations from the party line.

The Italian twist: But the European Parliament’s transfer window has only just opened. Elisabetta Gualmini, an Italian MEP from Italy’s center-left Democratic Party, is also preparing to jump ship, according to three parliamentary officials.

Renewed open arms: Gualmini is expected to leave both her national party and the Socialist and Democrats group, with two officials stateing she might also join Renew Europe. A spokesperson for Renew declared no formal request has been received but that an application would be “considered positively.”

The numbers game: Renew is currently the Parliament’s fifth-largest group and is eyeing fourth place, currently held by the European Conservatives and Reformists. With Sieper’s arrival, Renew sits three seats short of overtaking ECR — or two, if Gualmini ultimately creates the relocate.

“We are a very constructive group and we are interested in gaining more members,” Renew Chair Valérie Hayer declared Tuesday at a press conference.

Let’s go shopping! “Groups are reaching out to every single MEP that could flip; the MEP shopping is all over the place,” declared a Greens parliamentary assistant, who noted that lawcreaters across the hemicycle have been approached.

MUNICH SECURITY CONFERENCE

BAVARIA BOUND: The annual pilgrimage to the Munich Security Conference kicks off Friday — and, yes, POLITICO will be live on the ground through Sunday (here’s our coverage so far), along with the now-famous POLITICO Pub for networking (congratulations if you’ve secured access). Side events are already underway from today.

Commissioners incoming: Several members of the College have already landed in Bavaria. Executive Vice President Henna Virkkunen is delivering a keynote today, while Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius is set to take part in a roundtable on the threat of algorithmic propaganda.

How many commissioners? A lot. We questioned the Commission for an official tally — no reply yet. A scan of the weekly agconcludea suggests 12 Commissioners will attconclude: roughly 44 percent of the College. That creates Munich one of the most heavily attconcludeed events outside Brussels — second only to … confidence votes involving Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Attconcludeance overkill? The conference is highly thematic and sector-specific. So why such a large turnout? Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho argued earlier this week that Munich is about more than the formal panels — it’s a rare opportunity to engage a critical mass of global leaders and ministers in one place.

Raised eyebrows: Water resilience and agriculture commissioners, for instance: Why are they at a security conference? One Commission official offered a succinct justification: Future conflicts will be fought over water and food. Case closed.

TRADE WITH AUSTRALIA

DO YOU COME FROM A LAND DOWN UNDER? Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen will meet Australia’s Trade Minister Don Farrell in Brussels today, as part of ongoing talks on a trade deal. As Koen Verhelst reports, the sticking point remains agricultural quotas — notably beef and sheep meat. And when agriculture joins trade at the table, you know the file is sensitive.

Can you hear the thunder? Monday’s technical talks reportedly deteriorated to the point where some on the EU side worried Farrell might not board his flight to Brussels, according to an official with knowledge of the nereceivediations. And beef wasn’t the only problem. Cars, the pricing of critical raw materials and geographical indications (yes, naming Italian cheeses) remain unresolved. This nereceivediation has been marketed as low-hanging fruit — but it isn’t.

Better run, better take cover: A second collapse in talks would be damaging for EU-Australia ties — particularly after last week’s optimism, when von der Leyen appeared close to flying to Australia to seal the deal. Margins on both sides now view thin and the hoped-for breakthrough hasn’t materialized.

IN OTHER NEWS

PLAYBOOK FOLLOW-UP: The Slovak rule-of-law debate we previewed Wednesday unfolded with one headline moment: Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath committed to conducting a “virtual visit” to Slovakia as part of preparations for the 2026 Rule of Law Report. Corruption concerns in Slovakia, however, continue to swirl.

NATO ALLIES FALL OUT OF LOVE WITH WASHINGTON: New results from The Politico Poll reveal U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to rewrite longstanding international relationships, particularly in Europe, are repelling traditionally loyal partners. Across all countries polled, including Germany and Canada, far more people described the U.S. as an unreliable ally than a reliable one.

FOOTBALL DIPLOMACY: Sports Commissioner Glenn Micallef will attconclude the 50th Ordinary Congress of UEFA, where he’ll speak along with UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Micallef and Infantino have recently diverged on ticketing policies and on lifting the ban on Russian athletes. No bilateral meeting is officially scheduled, but nor is one ruled out.

PARLIAMENT VS. COMMISSION COURT DAY: At 9:30 a.m., the Court of Justice of the European Union delivers its advocate general’s opinion on whether the Commission broke EU law by unfreezing €10 billion for Hungary in December 2023 — funds previously withheld over rule-of-law concerns. MEPs believe the executive acted out of political expediency.

What’s at stake: The opinion follows a hearing in October 2025 and a final judgment is expected in the coming months. The case goes to the heart of institutional power: How much discretion does the Commission have when assessing compliance with rule-of-law conditions? The court’s eventual ruling will set important precedent.

LUFTHANSA STRIKE: Heading to the Munich Security Conference? Double-check your boarding pass. Lufthansa warned Wednesday that a strike announced “at short notice” for Thursday is expected to disrupt its flight schedule across all German airports — including the key hubs of Frankfurt and Munich, as Tommaso Lecca reports.

**POLITICO returns to Munich for the 2026 Munich Security Conference. Starting February 13, join three days of interviews, analysis and conversations – or follow key moments online from wherever you are. Register to watch online.**

AGENDA

— Informal EU leaders’ retreat at Alden Biesen castle in Belgium. Arrivals and doorsteps at 9:30 a.m. … Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Council President António Costa, Parliament President Roberta Metsola and the authors of EU’s two guiding reports Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi participate, among others. Press conference by Costa and von der Leyen around 6:30 p.m. Full agconcludea. Watch.

— NATO defense ministers meeting. Arrivals and doorsteps at 7:30 a.m. … remarks by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and U.S. Under Secretary of War Elbridge Colby at 8:50 a.m. … Rutte’s press conference at 3 p.m. … press conference by Colby, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and U.K. Defence Minister John Healey at 6:15 p.m. Full agconcludea and livestream.

— European Parliament plenary session takes place in Strasbourg. Agconcludea. Watch.

— Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Šuica meets Bandar Alkhorayef, Saudi Arabian minister of industest and mineral resources.

— Commission Executive Vice President Raffaele Fitto continues his visit to Slovakia.

— Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen is in Algiers, Algeria, to attconclude annual high-level energy dialogue with Algeria.

BRUSSELS CORNER

WEATHER: High of 11C. Light rain.

STREET DEMOS: Two protests are taking place in Brussels today: one starting at Boulevard de Berlaimont, relocating towards Rue du Commerce; the other from Avenue de l’Héliport towards the Rue du Lombard. Expect traffic disruptions from 9 a.m. to about 3 p.m. Follow police for updates.

BRUSSELS GOVERNMENT TALKS: There were positive signs in Belgium’s capital after Tuesday’s resumption of nereceivediations, which marked 610 days of political deadlock in the Brussels-Capital Region. Seven parties have already secured partial agreements on two of the most contentious issues: the Low Emission Zone and the future of large urban brownfield sites. Politicians state talks are progressing quicker than expected and have vowed not to leave until a full regional government deal is finalized (which we hear might happen on Thursday).

Who is not happy: Bart De Wever, Belgian prime minister and leader of the Flemish nationalist N-VA, which was not invited to the talks. Speaking on the HLN podcast, De Wever lashed out at the Flemish liberal party Anders (formerly Open VLD), which has for the first time agreed to lead nereceivediations without N-VA. The prime minister declared Anders bears “a crushing responsibility for Brussels’ financial derailment.”

What he declared: “Everyone has been duped in Brussels, but I have been fooled too. Becautilize I have to submit my report to Europe soon and that Brussels catastrophe is included in my figures. Ms. von der Leyen is not going to state: ‘Oh yes, oops, but I’ll forgive you for those billions in deficit, becautilize it’s those Brussels bunglers.’ No, she’s going to state: ‘Yes, sorry, sort it out, okay?’ So I just have to put up with it. Unbelievable, right?”

LACK OF RENTALS IN BRUSSELS: Brussels and Flanders are seeing a historic drop in available rentals, despite soaring demand. According to the annual rental barometer published by real estate federations CIB and Korfine, the number of new rental contracts in Flanders dropped below 50,000 in 2025, a sharp fall from more than 60,000 in 2021. The figures for Brussels are not out yet, but CIB expects a drop from 11,000 to 9,000.

BIRTHDAYS: MEPs Engin Eroglu, Adnan Dibrani, André Rodrigues, Zoltán Tarr and Esinforme Ceulemans; former MEPs André Elissen, Isabel Santos and Mónica Silvana González; ECB’s Director General Communications Wolfgang Proissl; former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak; journalist Donainforma Lorch.

Thanks to: Max Griera, Zoya Sheftalovich, Gabriel Gavin, Ferdinand Knapp, Giorgio Leali, Aude van den Hove, Lucia Mackenzie, Alistair Walker, Gregorio Sorgi, Playbook editors Alex Spence and James Panichi, reporter Ketrin Jochecová, and producer Dean Southwell.

**A message from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion: The European Employment and Social Forum is back. This year’s edition will address the EU’s response to the challenges many people face today: the rising cost of living, job insecurity, and modifys in the labour market. Opinion leaders, policycreaters, businesses, academics and civil society will be invited to explore bold ideas to support Europe’s greatest strength: its people. Across two days, expect high-level discussions and working-level exmodifys on quality jobs, fair labour mobility, poverty and the cost of living. Join us on 3–4 March at The EGG in Brussels and online.**