Monday, 17 August 2026Europe · Analysis
Independent · Brussels & Berlin
Person
Prime Minister of Spain, Spanish Government
Around 50,000 Moroccan migrants crossed into the Spanish enclave in late July, leaving 88 dead and handing far-right parties across Europe a potent campaign issue ahead of a cluster of national votes in 2027.
Analysis argues the bloc's diminishing global influence stems from national capitals' unwillingness to take hard political choices rather than institutional design flaws.
The ruling party won just 18 seats in the 65-member assembly, its worst result in the region, while the far right surges and the PP falls short of a majority.
More than 150 tractors paralysed central Brussels while heads of government clashed over a 25-year negotiation that Brazil says must be signed this weekend or abandoned.
Twenty-seven heads of government meet after NATO summit to weigh an 18th sanctions package on Moscow, fend off Trump trade threats, and navigate a deepening split over Israel’s war in Gaza.
Allies gather amid Spanish rejection of the proposed target, Trump's contradictory demands, and uncertainty over Ukraine's place at the table.
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