Merz's man for Europe

With coalition-building in full swing after Sunday’s election, several independent sources have told Euractiv that Germany’s likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is considering Christian Kremer, the former deputy secretary-general of the European People’s Party (EPP), as his future chief adviser for European affairs.

The chief adviser is responsible for negotiating policy details with European allies, including acting as a sherpa at European Council summits.

They are also responsible for the coordination of European policies within the German government and, if appointed, Kremer would also be responsible for the renaissance of the EU's Franco-German tandem that the Elysée has been hoping for after three years of moroseness under Olaf Scholz.

Largely unknown to the wider public, Kremer has no actual government experience and currently oversees the international relations file as head of the Christian Democrats' international office, having been hired as part of a wider reshuffle after Merz took over the CDU leadership.

Read more in Nick Alipour's exclusive story.

In other news from the Don. The US president’s reluctance to offer Ukraine security commitments in exchange for access to its minerals has led Kyiv to consider asking Europe for a "network of guarantees," Ukrainian officials told Euractiv.

Furthermore, Trump's 'reciprocal' tariffs on EU goods announced yesterday raise more questions as he cited EU charges that aren’t actually tariffs, Nicholas Wallace reports.

A European Parliament delegation visiting Washington held "constructive" talks with US representatives on tech policy amid a tense political climate.

Anna Cavazzini, in charge of the mission, told Euractiv that the lawmakers told their US counterparts that the Digital Markets Act (DMA) was "neither targeting US companies nor restricting market access".

The delegation was not the only one to take part in the EU-Washington diplomatic ballet, with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola praising EU-US relations and hitting back at JD Vance’s controversial Munich speech.

Defence of steel. The EU's ailing steel sector needs updated defences against cheap imports, a regulatory boost to internal demand and an anti-circumvention fix to the EU carbon border tariff, seven EU countries said after a meeting in Paris today, writes Stefano Porciello.

One report to rule them all. MEPs from across the political spectrum will draft a flood of amendments to overhaul French far-right MEP Sarah Knafo's report on EU tech sovereignty, five parliamentary sources told Euractiv, reports Théophane Hartman.

BERLIN

Merz mulls EPP insider Christian Kremer as his EU affairs chief. Germany’s likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is considering Christian Kremer, the former deputy secretary-general of the European People’s Party (EPP), as his future chief adviser for European affairs. Read more.

How the shattered German Liberals will be shaped from Brussels. After failing to secure seats in the German parliament, two factions are clashing over who will lead the liberal Free Democrats (FDP), with the party's MEPs set to play a key role. Read more.

Economy minister Habeck to stay in politics after 400,000 sign petition. German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said he will not retire from active politics, despite leading his Green Party to a disappointing election result. Read more.

German parties to start exploratory talks on forming a new government. Leading officials from the Christian Democrats, who came first in Sunday's election, will start talks on forming a government with the Social Democrats (SPD) today, German media reported.

The centre-right bloc and the SPD are currently seen as the only viable coalition with a majority in the new German parliament. Each side will send nine negotiators to see if there is enough common ground for official coalition talks. The CDU's lead candidate and likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, wants to form a new government by Easter. (Nick Alipour | Euractiv.de)

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VIENNA

New Austrian government to push for EU electricity market overhaul. Europe should abandon its traditional electricity price-setting mechanisms to achieve stability, the new government in Vienna has said. Read more.

VIENNA | BUDAPEST

EU court adviser backs Vienna in fight against Russian-built nuclear in Hungary. Austria's legal fight against Hungarian nuclear reactors built by Russian companies is valid, the adviser to the EU's top court ruled. Read more.

NUUK

Greenland flirting with Musk to get Starlink. Amid strained transatlantic ties, the autonomous country of Greenland's sole telecoms provider is negotiating a deal with Elon Musk's Starlink to connect some of the most remote towns on the vast island, Danish media TV2 reports. Read more.

ATHENS

Hundreds of thousands of Greeks are expected to take to the streets across the country and abroad today, accusing the centre-right government of covering up key details about a deadly 2023 train crash in central Greece that killed 57 people, mostly young people. Read more.

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ROME

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MADRID

Sánchez to Trump: EU not created to 'screw' anyone. The EU was not created to "screw" anyone, as US President Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Thursday, while stressing that the EU would defend its interests in the face of the Republican leader's trade threats. Read more.

EASTERN EUROPE

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WARSAW

Tusk and EU Commission deny screwing America. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and the European Commission today refuted Donald Trump's charge that the EU was founded to "screw" the US. Read more.

Poland's Morawiecki charged over failed 2020 postal election. Prosecutors have charged former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki in a case involving the failed 2020 presidential postal vote and decisions that led to a loss of PLN 70 million (€16.8 million). Read more.

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PRAGUE

Czech farmers protest against Mercosur, food imports from Ukraine. Czech farmers took to the streets across the country on Thursday, with hundreds of tractors to protest against food imports from non-EU countries. Read more.

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BUDAPEST

Hungary's opposition to EU decision on cannabis was illegal, says EU judge. Hungary, which voted against a ruling saying that cannabis is not a narcotic drug during a UN Commission, was in breach of EU law by turning its back on other member states, said an advocate general at the CJEU in an opinion today. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Fico’s coalition clashes over Slovakia’s pro-Ukraine UN vote. A row over Slovakia's UN vote on Russia's war in Ukraine has exposed another split within Prime Minister Fico's ruling coalition, with officials publicly disputing the country's stance. Read more.

Fico secures fragile ruling majority, waits for president’s approval. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has confirmed that he has managed to regain the slimmest of parliamentary majorities after months of coalition turmoil that left his government struggling for support. Read more.

SOFIA

Election vote recount looms large over Bulgarian politics. Boyko Borissov, leader of Bulgaria's largest political force, GERB, hinted at possible scenarios in the event that a new political party is likely to enter parliament following a recount of votes in the October elections. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Romanian government approves electricity and gas price cap extension. The government adopted an emergency decree on Thursday to extend the cap on electricity and gas bills. Read more.

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[Edited by Charles Szumski, Daniel Eck, Sofia Mandilara]