
Von der Leyen pushes to streamline EU business rules to sharpen bloc's competitiveness
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Lagarde to present a concise reform checklist to EU leaders to shore up bloc resilience
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde will deliver a targeted list of measures to EU leaders aimed at strengthening the monetary and fiscal architecture of the bloc. The document frames near-term priorities for economic coordination, supervisory convergence and crisis preparedness without prescribing immediate policy moves.

EU leaders set June test for financial-market integration as faster-track option looms
Senior EU figures have given a June deadline to show progress on creating a Capital Markets Union and signalled that a smaller group of countries may press ahead if the full bloc stalls. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has pitched a coordinated single‑market roadmap while the ECB is preparing a technical checklist, and industry groups are warning that restrictive rules for tokenised markets risk shifting activity to the United States.

ECB's Elderson urges a decisive push toward a true bank union
ECB executive Frank Elderson told policymakers that completing the banking union — notably joint deposit insurance and resolution backstops — is essential to protect the euro area's policy autonomy and prevent national-level firefighting. His intervention aligns with broader ECB work to translate integration debates into a short, technical checklist for leaders, raising political pressure ahead of upcoming decision windows.
Industry warns EU could cede tokenization leadership to the U.S.
A coalition of eight Europe‑based digital‑asset firms warned EU officials that narrow permissions, a low transaction ceiling and a six‑year pilot license cap risk sending tokenized liquidity and infrastructure to U.S. rails. They propose widening eligible assets, lifting the pilot cap toward €100–150 billion and removing the sunset on licenses while urging stronger supervisory and technical standards to keep activity on‑shore.

Macron urges EU to convert economic weight into strategic power
President Emmanuel Macron urged EU leaders to pool resources and treat the bloc as a geopolitical actor, proposing mutualised borrowing to finance roughly €1.2tn a year for defence, clean energy and AI. He also plans to raise the euro’s recent appreciation at the European Council and signalled a tougher posture on digital regulation with the United States, framing fiscal, currency and regulatory levers as a connected strategic toolkit.
Macron urges firmer EU response as U.S. readies pressure on trade and digital rules
French president Emmanuel Macron warned that Brussels must adopt a firmer posture toward Washington as tensions rise over digital regulation and possible trade penalties, and he will also raise the euro’s recent appreciation at next week’s European Council as part of a broader push to coordinate EU responses. He signalled an expectation of a confrontation this year that could produce U.S. countermeasures such as tariffs if the EU proceeds with stricter tech rules, and argued that currency moves and competitiveness are linked to those regulatory choices.

EU Proposes Critical‑Minerals Pact with U.S. to Curb China’s Dominance
The European Commission has proposed a structured transatlantic partnership with the United States to secure supplies of critical minerals for batteries, electronics and defense. The plan aims to coordinate procurement, co‑finance mine and processing projects and align standards — dovetailing with recent U.S. moves such as a sizable federal reserve effort and Project Vault-style financing to boost allied supply capacity.
Europe's bid for economic autonomy collides with entrenched U.S. links
European leaders are pressing for greater economic independence after a cycle of abrupt U.S. diplomacy exposed strategic vulnerabilities, but practical decoupling would be costly and slow. In addition to diversification through trade pacts and energy sourcing, capitals are quietly weighing financial and regulatory levers — from tighter procurement rules to trimming sovereign exposures — even as those tools carry significant economic and legal risks.