During a visit to Tokyo, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposed a new international alliance to defend and strengthen rules-based global trade. The alliance could coordinate responses to unfair tariffs and economic coercion while supporting reforms of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The proposal follows Merz's call for closer trade ties between the EU and the Pacific region.

Škoda’s Elroq led Europe’s battery-electric ranking in July, followed by the Volkswagen ID.4 and Renault 5. Fully electric cars accounted for almost one in four new registrations.

Czech, German and French brands filling the podium is a European manufacturing success worth talking about. The competition is giving buyers more European options across different sizes and budgets.

Nuclear Energy: Italy and France Strengthen Cooperation Visit by a delegation to the EDF and Orano facilities

https://www.ansa.it/english/news/news_from_embassies/2026/10/27/nuclear-energy-italy-and-france-strengthen-cooperation_a2b83bf2-fbef-4ffd-b6df-cb18c0bcd1dd.html

Infineon plans to expand its Villach site, with production scheduled to begin by the end of 2027. The company says it will establish the world's first high-volume manufacturing of gallium nitride (GaN) power chips on 300mm wafers.

These chips control and convert electricity with less energy lost as heat. Their uses include AI data centres, electric vehicles and energy infrastructure. Infineon says the larger wafers yield 2.3 times as many chips as 200mm wafers.

The European opportunity is more domestic manufacturing of technology that can improve energy efficiency. The €1.1bn is planned investment through 2034, with capacity expanding in line with demand.

Where should Europe focus its next semiconductor investments to build on its existing industrial strengths?

Source: Trending Topics, 27 October 2026; figures cross-checked against Infineon.

The 21st EU-Canada summit will take place in Montreal on 29 and 30 October 2026. António Costa, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, will represent the EU.

The summit is set to mark a major milestone in EU-Canada relations, paving the way for an even broader and deeper political partnership. At the summit, the leaders are expected to launch an 'alliance for the future', a framework for shared prosperity and economic security, underpinned by concrete new initiatives to strengthen people-to-people ties, deepen economic relations and reinforce their joint stance on the global stage. Leaders are expected to issue a joint statement at the end of the summit.

During the summit, the leaders are also expected to take stock of the progress made since the last EU-Canada summit in June 2025.

The agenda of the summit will cover a wide range of topics, including trade, digital, critical raw materials, defence and security, cooperation in education, research and innovation, and youth.

The EU and Canada are longstanding strategic partners, united by shared values, including democracy, respect for the rules-based international order, and a commitment to free and fair trade.

The EU and Canada are expected to confirm their commitment to multilateralism and the rules-based international order and to cooperating in promoting international peace and security as reliable and responsible partners.

The EU and Canada have consistently expressed their unwavering commitment to supporting Ukraine, including through political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support, and increasing pressure on Russia.

Leaders will also discuss other international issues, including the situation in the Middle East, cooperation in the Arctic and shared priorities in the EU's neighbourhood, the Indo-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The EU and Canada share one of the world’s most successful free trade agreements.

In 2025, EU-Canada trade in goods and services was worth around €130 billion, an increase of more than 80% compared to 2016. Together, the EU and Canada make up almost one fifth of global GDP and approximately 19% of global trade in goods and services.

At the summit, leaders are expected to commit to further deepening economic cooperation, including by strengthening economic security, continuing to support open and rules-based trade, connecting industries and pursuing further alignment through the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

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At the summit, the EU and Canada are expected to agree on an ambitious agenda to strengthen cooperation in a wide range of areas, including:

• competitiveness, economic security and supply chains (including critical raw materials)
• digital cooperation
• climate action and energy
• countering hybrid threats and foreign information manipulation and interference
• justice and home affairs
• people-to-people contacts

The EU and Canada also have a strong, long-standing partnership on security and defence, further reinforced by the security and defence partnership agreed at the EU-Canada summit in June 2025. Canada is also the only non-European country participating in the EU’s €150 billion Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument, which supports investment in European defence production through joint procurement.

Digital Services Act study on financial scams on online platforms and ways to counter them

Volkswagen Group and NXP team up on next-generation vehicle chips

https://www.eenewseurope.com/en/volkswagen-group-and-nxp-team-up-on-next-generation-vehicle-chips/

The agreement signed on 19 October could widen market access under shared rules and help Andorra diversify its economy. It is an association agreement, not EU membership, and is not yet in force.

El País reports opposition over housing, migration and governance. A referendum and further approvals remain ahead.

What would make the economic benefits of closer integration tangible for ordinary residents?

Source: El País, 27 October 2026; agreement status checked against Andorra's government.

European tech just raised €27,8 billion in Q3.
Up 32% vs Q3 2025!

For all of 2025, European VC was only €66,2 billion.

Great news, but here’s the number rarely talked about:
In the same 3 months EU governments spend around €500 billion on public contracts.
Software, cloud, infrastructure, services, etc

That’s 18x all European VC.
And it’s not investment, it’s revenue!
So no dilution, no board seat. Just a BIG customer.

In the US, governments buy from their own startups:
- SpaceX was saved by a NASA contract
- Palantir’s first customers were the CIA, the NSA and the FBI
- Anduril was built on Pentagon contracts

And European governments are switching to European tech.
Someone has to win those contracts.

So why aren’t more European startups winning them?
Because most never even see the tenders.
Right now, more than 16.000 EU-wide tenders are open... Spread across 300+ portals in 24 languages. So the same big players win again and again!

That’s why we built Polytender.
It bundles 300+ procurement platforms across Europe in one place.
Enter your website, and every morning you get the tenders that fit your company.
Next, we want to cut the time it takes to prepare a bid by up to 80%.

Founders are switching to European tools.
Governments are switching to European tech.
Let’s make sure European startups win the contracts!

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7520880206027444226/