European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will convene a meeting on competitiveness in Leuven, addressing both economic strategies and internal tensions among commissioners. The seminar includes IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and focuses on implementing the competitiveness report by Mario Draghi.

Lawmakers at the European Parliament are struggling to agree on the design of the digital euro, jeopardising its legislative path. Rapporteur Fernando Navarrete proposed an offline “e-cash” model, while some factions back user accounts on the ECB ledger. S&D’s Nikos Papandreou emphasised the need for payment sovereignty amid geopolitical change.

Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña urged the European Union to implement the recently signed free trade agreement with Mercosur without delay, warning that stalling it amid rising geopolitical tensions would be a strategic mistake.

Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, urged European leaders to heed Mario Draghi’s call for radical EU reforms amid challenges from global tariffs, as the bloc prepares for a crucial informal meeting next week in Belgium.

Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski accused Elon Musk’s SpaceX of “making money on war crimes,” citing allegations of Russian forces using Starlink for drone operations in Ukraine. This follows evidence suggesting a significant increase in Russian drone attacks enabled by the technology.

Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi confirmed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will support the Olympic delegation during the Winter Olympics in Milan. This matters now due to controversy surrounding ICE’s recent actions in the U.S.