European Union
Brussels vs capitals: EU integration
Updated 3h ago·Update
3/5
Sovereignty within the European Union is not static; it is continuously contested and renegotiated through legal rulings, treaty interpretations, and political crises, with competences shifting between Brussels and national capitals.
Iceland's EU membership referendum puts a Nordic state's accession question to voters, adding a new dimension to the enlargement debate.
State of play
Border and Migration
Seven states are applying or planning Dublin transfers to Italy under the Pact. Italy accepted 3 of over 50 requests and claims 80,000 blocked since 2023. Salvini on 23 August refused German returns, citing foreign-flagged NGO vessels. France and Spain decline to participate. Mirrored Schengen controls run through 31 August.
Security and Defense
The €6.1 billion defence tranche for Ukraine draws from a €90 billion facility. Kallas targets roughly 1,600 new Russia sanctions designations for October. Four states wrote on 27 August urging the Commission to revive work on repurposing immobilised Russian central bank assets for Ukraine beyond interest alone.
Budget and Fiscal
Six net contributors met in Berlin to oppose the Commission's €2 trillion draft MFF for 2028-2034, demanding cuts of several hundred billion euros and rejecting new EU-level taxes. Ireland, holding the Council presidency, is preparing a compromise draft to table before a mid-October leaders' summit.
Enlargement
Iceland is holding an EU membership referendum with polls too close to call, testing whether a Nordic state will bind itself to EU treaties and shared competence.
Key events
Full chronicle264
This week
- Iceland holds EU membership referendum with polls too close to call
- Ireland prepares MFF compromise draft for mid-October leaders' summit
- Six frugal states reject Commission's €2 trillion budget and new EU taxes
- Four states urge Commission to reopen frozen Russian assets debate