A fresh transatlantic row is exposing how little room Europe has when Washington decides to play hardball. The Politico report centres on a blunt warning from Donald Trump’s ambassador to the EU: stop reopening the deal, stop delaying implementation and honour what was agreed.

Four years after Russia’s gas squeeze sent Europe into economic shock, Brussels is bracing for another energy mess – this time driven by war in the Middle East and the threat of disrupted oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz. The CER commentary and wider Reuters reporting paint a grim picture of a continent still dangerously exposed to events it cannot control.

The commentary delivers a brutal diagnosis of how Europe now talks about itself – and why it is doing real damage. Europe’s leaders increasingly frame the EU as helpless, late and outmatched, not because it is always true, but because humiliation has become a communications strategy. The piece argues that this habit, meant to shock publics into accepting reforms or sacrifices, is backfiring badly.

France still sees itself as a leader, but this study questions how far that ambition can travel in today’s Europe. Paris has military assets, diplomatic reach and strategic instinct. What it lacks is a stable platform to turn intent into sustained leadership. Capability exists. Consistency does not.

Germany thought it had migration under control. This working paper shows otherwise. Flows through the Western Balkans remain a quiet but persistent pressure point, feeding Germany’s asylum system and exposing gaps between policy promises and reality. The system is not collapsing, but it is creaking under strain that politicians prefer not to spotlight.

Germany is pouring billions into military space, and this commentary asks whether the bet will pay off. Berlin wants satellites, resilience and strategic relevance, but the analysis makes clear that money alone will not fix deep capability gaps. Space is becoming central to modern warfare, and Germany is starting late in a crowded, unforgiving race.

The European Commission wants to be seen as Europe’s strategic brain. This report asks how much steering power it actually has. The answer is uncomfortable. Brussels can frame debates, launch initiatives and warn about risks, but when hard choices appear, control slips back to national capitals. Strategy is talked up, not locked in.