Overview
- EU leaders meeting in Brussels this week instructed the European Commission to evaluate and possibly design new trade‑defence measures aimed at unfair practices by China.
- Governments are split over the scale of action with France, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium pushing for tougher tools while Germany and Spain favour cautious dialogue to avoid a commercial confrontation.
- The summit formally opened the first chapters of EU accession talks with Ukraine, a political boost for Kyiv backed by recent battlefield shifts and renewed G7 support.
- António Costa confirmed that his office opened a low‑level diplomatic channel to the Kremlin, a move he defended as preparatory diplomacy but one that has provoked clear disagreement about mandates and who may legitimately engage Russia.
- The push for new tools is driven by an annual EU trade deficit with China exceeding €350 billion and aims to protect key supply chains such as semiconductors while keeping Brussels as the lead authority on trade policy.