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On today\u2019s Brussels Playbook Podcast: Host Zoya Sheftalovich and senior European politics editor Ian Wishart talk about what\u2019s at stake as the European Parliament gears up for a reshuffle \u2026 and where to get the best coffee in Brussels.<\/p>\n
GOOD TUESDAY MORNING.\u00a0This is Nick Vinocur. **A message from Neste: The world needs to keep moving, but with reduced emissions. Neste\u2019s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel are available today. Let\u2019s fuel change. Learn more at neste.com\/change<\/a>.**<\/p>\n DRIVING THE DAY\u00a0 EU EDGES INTO TRUMP\u2019S GAZA PEACE MEETING: The European Union is sending a\u00a0top\u00a0official to the first formal meeting of Donald Trump\u2019s Board of Peace in Washington this week, the European Commission confirmed Monday<\/a> \u2014 but that doesn\u2019t mean the bloc is joining the board as a formal member.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka\u00a0\u0160uica\u00a0is set to\u00a0participate\u00a0as a non-member at the Thursday meeting, where the American president intends to announce $5 billion in pledges<\/a> to help rebuild Gaza. That likely means \u0160uica won\u2019t have a formal speaking slot, although the commissioner may be able to speak during the Q&A session reserved for non-members, per an EU official aware of the trip preparations.\u00a0<\/p>\n Why it matters:\u00a0\u0160uica\u2019s\u00a0attendance is remarkable given the reluctance of the EU and most capitals to have anything to do with the Board of Peace. Only Bulgaria and Hungary have formally signed up, with Italy and Romania voicing interest in attending as observers. But Germany and France have said no to Trump\u2019s invitations, as have Denmark, Sweden,\u00a0Norway, Slovakia and other European countries.\u00a0<\/p>\n The problem, these critics say, is that Trump\u2019s initiative has no basis in international law and undermines the authority of the United Nations in Gaza. Behind closed doors, EU diplomats also point to the fact that there are no term limits on Trump chairing the board and that he\u2019s entitled to name his own successor.\u00a0<\/p>\n But but but \u2026 for all their reservations about Trump\u2019s initiative, those EU critics also don\u2019t want to be cut out of conversations about Gaza\u2019s future and the wider region. \u201cWe\u2019re\u00a0not a fan of the Board of Peace,\u201d said one EU official, who was granted anonymity to discuss a diplomatically sensitive topic.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s hardly a body with peaceful members and [is] at odds with the U.N., yet we want to support Gaza\u2019s reconstruction and retain a say over how funds are used.\u201d<\/p>\n The EU has a vested interest in keeping a seat at the table \u2026 It\u2019s currently the Palestinian Authority\u2019s largest benefactor.\u00a0\u0160uica\u00a0may use her speaking time to plead for the authority to be included in any post-conflict security arrangement,\u00a0perhaps via\u00a0a role for the police officers who have been trained with EU funding. However, given Brussels\u2019 preferred partner has been left out of top-level decision-making in the new structure, its impact at this first formal meeting looks set to be limited. A spokesperson for \u0160uica had no immediate comment.<\/p>\n PARLIAMENT POWER STRUGGLE\u00a0 LET THE BATTLE BEGIN:\u00a0More than a year out from a planned midterm reshuffle that will see the European Parliament\u2019s leadership posts reallocated in early 2027, the plotting and maneuvering have already begun. My colleague Max Griera has a typically sharp take this morning<\/a> on the key flashpoints:<\/p>\n 1.\u00a0The fight for the presidency:\u00a0It\u2019s no secret that Parliament President Roberta Metsola would like a third term, which would make her the assembly\u2019s longest-serving president. But that puts Metsola and her European People\u2019s Party (EPP) on a collision course with the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), the Parliament\u2019s second-biggest group, which claims it should get the presidency as part of a power-sharing arrangement signed at the beginning of the term. The two groups\u2019 relationship is already at an\u00a0all-time low.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0Will the\u00a0far right\u00a0secure leadership positions?\u00a0The Parliament\u2019s centrist groups have traditionally sidelined far-right factions, but that unwritten rule no longer necessarily applies when it comes to passing legislation. EPP leader Manfred Weber insists that granting far-right\u00a0parties\u00a0key leadership positions\u00a0remains\u00a0his red line \u2014\u00a0but\u00a0center-left lawmakers fear that may not hold. Meanwhile, two lawsuits brought by the Patriots for Europe group before the EU Court of Justice could compel the mainstream groups to grant leadership roles to the far right.<\/p>\n 3.\u00a0Plots to dethrone group leaders:\u00a0All political group chairs are up for midterm reelection. The EPP, S&D, Patriots, European Conservatives and Reformists and Europe of Sovereign Nations are unlikely to change leaders \u2026 but expect internal battles in Renew Europe, the Greens and The Left.\u00a0<\/p>\n 4.\u00a0Lawmakers on the move:\u00a0Lukas Sieper, from the German Party of Progress, announced last week<\/a> that he will be joining Renew Europe, pending confirmation by members of his party. He was joined on Monday by Elisabetta Gualmini, who is defecting from the Italian Social Democrats. It kicks off what is set to be a year of backroom bargaining, with all the groups seeking more MEPs to attract greater funding, more speaking time and increased prominence in meetings and debates.<\/p>\n 5.\u00a0A new political group\u00a0close to Russia:\u00a0Cypriot YouTuber-turned-politician Fidias Panayiotou \u2014\u00a0who stirred controversy last May when he attended Russia\u2019s \u201cVictory Day\u201d celebrations along with some German and Slovak MEPs \u2014\u00a0is planning to start a new group<\/a> with MEPs from Slovakia\u2019s Smer party. Although they currently lack the 23 MEPs from seven different countries\u00a0required\u00a0to start a new group, the midterm reshuffle could make it possible. They are \u201cpretty close\u201d to reaching the needed number of lawmakers, an official with knowledge of the talks told POLITICO.<\/p>\n RUSSIA SANCTIONS\u00a0 RACE TO FINALIZE NEW SANCTIONS: The EU is nearing the finish line on its 20th package of sanctions targeting Russia, with a final deal expected to be struck after two more meetings of ambassadors in the\u00a0Coreper\u00a0II format, three diplomats told Koen Verhelst and Playbook.\u00a0<\/p>\n Reminder:\u00a0Top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas has been pushing hard to get the sanctions package\u00a0ready for the fourth anniversary of Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. The short timeline means ambassadors are now likely\u00a0to meet\u00a0again on Wednesday and\u00a0possibly Friday, the diplomats said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Key detail:\u00a0Kallas is also trying to coordinate with the U.K. to give the sanctions maximum impact, our London-based colleague Esther Webber writes in to report. The aim is to align on sanctions targeting Russia\u2019s shadow fleet and a ban on maritime services that service the ships transporting Russian oil and gas.<\/p>\n Good to know:\u00a0Ambassadors heard Monday from sanctions envoy David O\u2019Sullivan,\u00a0who has\u00a0been working with third countries to close loopholes that allow Russia to keep its oil-transporting ships on the high seas. O\u2019Sullivan is soon headed to\u00a0Kyrgyzstan, Koen reports.\u00a0<\/p>\n Usual suspects:\u00a0Two other diplomats told Koen and Gregorio Sorgi that Hungary is pushing to delist top Russian sports officials \u2014 which could delay the package.\u00a0<\/p>\n BEYOND BREXIT\u00a0 HOW TO BRING U.K. ARTISTS BACK INTO THE EU?\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0what a delegation of six lawmakers from the European Parliament\u2019s Culture Committee will try to understand during a visit to London that runs until Wednesday, Max\u00a0Griera reports.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brexit shattered British artists\u2019 access to the coveted EU single market. The main victims\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0superstars like Ed Sheeran\u00a0but emerging indie bands.<\/a> Sandro Gozi, the liberal MEP who chairs the Parliament\u2019s delegation to the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly, said the lawmakers want to use the visit to better understand the obstacles these artists face, including visas and customs, and how to overcome them.<\/p>\n Talks about creative industries\u00a0are part of the EU and U.K.\u2019s ongoing discussions about a post-Brexit reset, following the U.K.\u2019s decision to rejoin the Horizon research and innovation program in 2023 and the Erasmus+ education scheme in December. Gozi said the lawmakers are keen to learn about the U.K.\u2019s plans for implementing the latter by 2027, including the budget and who will hold responsibilities in the government. <\/p>\n Repairing Brexit: Gozi praised the U.K. government\u2019s decision to rejoin Erasmus+ \u2014\u00a0for which it is expected to pay \u00a3570 million to take part in 2027 \u2014 as \u201ccourageous\u201d at a time when migration is highly politically charged. But he said Britain rejoining \u00a0is necessary to \u201crepair the incredible damage that Brexit has done, especially to youth.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The EU\u2019s Culture Commissioner Glenn Micallef told POLITICO: \u201cThe European Commission has never closed the door to the United Kingdom, not on culture and not on youth. Creative Europe and Erasmus+ remain open and we stand ready to work together whenever the U.K. chooses to engage. Cultural and youth exchanges strengthen both sides, and that spirit of cooperation\u00a0remains\u00a0firmly in place.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n More talks coming:\u00a0Lawmakers from both sides will meet in Brussels on March 16-17 for the seventh EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly to discuss trade, economic security and defense cooperation.<\/p>\n Another Brexit snag: The FT reports<\/a> that the U.K. has \u201cquietly shelved\u201d plans to build a frictionless post-Brexit trade border after spending \u00a3110 million on a contract. <\/p>\n IN OTHER NEWS\u00a0 BELGIUM PROTESTS ANTISEMITISM CLAIMS: Belgium\u2019s foreign ministry has summoned the American ambassador over his \u201cunacceptable\u201d social media posts accusing the country of antisemitism, POLITICO\u2019s Ketrin Jochecov\u00e1 reports<\/a>. <\/p>\n FENDING OFF THE FAR RIGHT: Emmanuel Macron is racing to put guard rails around a potential far-right president of France, accelerating key appointments and putting loyalists in top positions to prevent the National Rally from executing its populist agenda. My colleagues in Paris have the inside story<\/a>.<\/p>\n GROK PROBE:\u00a0The Irish Data Protection Commission has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk\u2019s X over the alleged use of its AI bot Grok to spread potentially harmful and sexualized non-consensual images, including of children, the watchdog said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the European Parliament has disabled AI features on the work devices of lawmakers and their staff because of security concerns, POLITICO\u2019s Ellen O\u2019Regan and Max Griera reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n DIGITAL PARIAH:\u00a0Nicolas Guillou, the International Criminal Court judge sanctioned by the Trump administration after issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is in Brussels Tuesday to discuss his case with the European Commission. Guillou\u00a0says the sanctions have deprived him of access to essential services and made him a kind of digital pariah. \u201cIt has a fear-inducing effect,\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0what\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0after,\u201d he told my colleague Marion Solletty<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n BIG SIX READOUT:\u00a0Monday\u2019s Playbook<\/a>\u00a0noted\u00a0that the EU\u2019s six largest economies, whose finance ministers have started meeting regularly, haven\u2019t\u00a0put out any position papers or put their thinking into words. That changed after their gathering on the sidelines of the Eurogroup meeting Monday. <\/p>\n Germany\u2019s Finance Minister\u00a0Lars Klingbeil\u00a0lauded action on how to move faster on the Savings and Investments Union (the successor to the ill-fated Capital Markets Union) and improving the resilience of supply chains for critical raw materials. The next \u201cE6\u201d meeting, planned for March 9-10, will focus on strengthening the international role of the euro and making defense investments more efficient.<\/p>\n But Dublin\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0a fan:\u00a0Ireland sounded the alarm<\/a> over the E6 Monday, warning that smaller countries\u2019 interests could be bulldozed.\u00a0\u201cI am conscious, and I say this very respectfully, a lot of the countries in that E6 will have different views on some fundamental issues,\u201d Irish Finance Minister Simon Harris said.<\/p>\n AGENDA\u00a0 \u2014 Economic and Financial Affairs\u00a0Council\u00a0meeting.\u00a0Commissioners Raffaele\u00a0Fitto,\u00a0Valdis Dombrovskis\u00a0and\u00a0Maria Lu\u00eds Albuquerque\u00a0attending.\u00a0Press conference at\u00a01 p.m.\u00a0Watch<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014 European Council President\u00a0Ant\u00f3nio Costa\u00a0meets the NATO Parliamentary Assembly\u2019s\u00a0Joint Committee\u00a0at\u00a02 p.m.\u00a0\u2026 and\u00a0Culture Commissioner\u00a0Glenn Micallef\u00a0at\u00a03 p.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u00a0Defense\u00a0Commissioner\u00a0Andrius Kubilius\u00a0meets Lithuanian Prime Minister\u00a0Inga\u00a0Ruginien\u0117\u00a0in Vilnius.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u00a0Rule of Law\u00a0Commissioner\u00a0Michael\u00a0McGrath\u00a0meets\u00a0Montenegro\u2019s Prime Minister\u00a0Milojko\u00a0Spaji\u0107\u00a0in Podgorica.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u00a0Agriculture\u00a0Commissioner\u00a0Christophe\u00a0Hansen\u00a0visits\u00a0storm-affected<\/a>\u00a0agricultural sites in Portugal \u2026 meets Portuguese Agriculture Minister\u00a0Jos\u00e9 Manuel Fernandes\u00a0in Lisbon.\u00a0<\/p>\n BRUSSELS CORNER\u00a0 WEATHER:\u00a0Rain with sunny intervals. High 7C.\u00a0<\/p>\n THE NEW REGIONAL GOVERNMENT\u2019S FIRST CHALLENGE? That would be Brussels South station, which has made headlines for all the wrong reasons, from its less-than-pristine state to theft and drug trafficking, Hanne Cokelaere reports.\u00a0\u201cA train station is a gateway to the city,\u201d Brussels\u2019\u00a0brand new\u00a0Minister-President Boris\u00a0Dilli\u00e8s\u00a0told RTBF Monday<\/a>, adding that the safety of Brussels residents will be a key issue for the new government.\u00a0<\/p>\n First\u00a0political backlash:\u00a0The new leader has already come under fire for his poor knowledge of Dutch \u2014\u00a0a highly sensitive\u00a0issue in Belgium\u2019s political system, which carefully balances the interests of different language groups. Dilli\u00e8s\u00a0acknowledged to RTBF that someone in his position must speak French and Dutch and said he\u2019d\u00a0put \u201ca series of mechanisms\u201d in place to hone his language skills. But in the short time between accepting the job and facing the media, he said, \u201cI\u00a0hadn\u2019t\u00a0had the time to immerse myself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n COST OF LIVING SQUEEZE:\u00a0Bouche, the coffee shop favored by Commission spokespeople and diplomats, bumped up its prices on Monday, citing the rising cost of coffee beans,\u00a0rents\u00a0and staff wages. A latte is now \u20ac5.20 and a tea \u20ac4.80, Gabriel Gavin writes in to report.\u00a0Luckily\u00a0most of its clientele have healthy expense accounts.<\/p>\n BABY NEWS:\u00a0Fabrice Jacobsen, the indefatigable Danish perm rep spokesperson, and his wife Tilde have just welcomed a baby into the world \u2014 their third. Velkomst!\u00a0<\/p>\n SCHUMAN SHOW DATE CHANGE:\u00a0The EU\u2019s favorite comedy, the Schuman Show, is back next week \u2026 but the performance on Thursday Feb. 26 has been canceled. A new date has been added: Tuesday Feb. 24. If you had already bought a ticket for Thursday\u2019s show, check your email for details on exchanges\/refunds. More information here<\/a>.<\/p>\n BIRTHDAYS:\u00a0Former MEPs\u00a0Annie\u00a0Schreijer-Pierik\u00a0and\u00a0Josefa Andr\u00e9s Barea; Europol chief\u00a0Catherine De Bolle. Independence Day in Kosovo.\u00a0<\/p>\n THANKS TO:\u00a0Playbook reporters\u00a0Ferdinand Knapp\u00a0and\u00a0Hanne\u00a0Cokelaere,\u00a0editors\u00a0Alex Spence\u00a0and\u00a0James Panichi, and producer\u00a0Dean Southwell.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n **A message from Neste: Join us in redefining how the world moves. Neste\u2019s sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel are available today, with production capacity in Europe increasing for tomorrow. Let\u2019s fuel change. Learn more at neste.com\/change.<\/a>**<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE to the POLITICO newsletter family: Brussels Playbook<\/a> | London Playbook<\/a> | London Playbook PM<\/a> | Playbook Paris<\/a> | Berlin Playbook<\/a> | POLITICO Confidential<\/a> | Sunday Crunch<\/a> | EU Influence<\/a> | London Influence<\/a> | Berlin Bulletin<\/a> | D.C. Playbook<\/a> | D.C. Influence<\/a> | Canada Playbook<\/a> | POLITICO Forecast<\/a> | All our POLITICO Pro policy morning newsletters<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"image\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/bppod17-2.jpg\")
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JUST IN \u2014 COSTA HEADS TO NORWAY: European Council President Ant\u00f3nio Costa will travel to Norway for an official visit Thursday, Playbook\u2019s Gabriel Gavin reports. He\u2019ll meet Prime Minister Jonas Gahr St\u00f8re and visit a medical center at Oslo University Hospital where Ukrainians evacuated from the war are being treated. Costa and St\u00f8re will hold a joint press conference at 1:15 p.m. The visit comes against a background of talks about closer integration between Oslo and Brussels.<\/p>\n![\"Share](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/icon-twitter.png\"\/){kind=icon}
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