
AI-generated summary
EU budget negotiations are ongoing amid differing views on fiscal policy, while migration pressures at Ceuta have tested EU solidarity.
In Berlin, six governments will discuss pushing for a smaller EU budget, while António Costa continues consulting other governments — many of which don’t want reductions.
EU ministers close ranks behind Spain after Ceuta migration crisis
Madrid emerged vindicated as governments shifted from assigning blame to preventing a repeat.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
EU ministers will continue negotiations to reach a compromise on the EU budget.
Likely · Within weeks
EU will maintain a unified stance on preventing future migration crises at Ceuta.
Very likely · Within months

Ursula von der Leyen's upcoming State of the Union address will emphasize climate, artificial intelligence, and migration, according to officials briefed on a meeting of commission chiefs of staff in Jodoigne, where departmental priorities were pitched for inclusion in the Sept. 16 speech.

Belgium's Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot summoned US Ambassador Bill White for a second time this year after he posted an Instagram story mocking Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke with an AI-generated image and insulting caption. The summoning follows a similar incident in February over White's comments on an antisemitism probe. Belgian officials condemned the post as unacceptable, while the US embassy did not respond to requests for comment.

Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, leader of Iceland's Centre Party and former prime minister, argues that the upcoming EU membership referendum's wording is so vague that asking the EU what it would offer Iceland could satisfy a 'Yes' vote, even if negotiations do not proceed. He downplays Trump's Greenland annexation threats as hyperbole and discusses Schengen zone concerns with his deputy chair, who warns of losing demographic control due to immigration.

Deputy Pentagon chief Elbridge Colby met NATO ambassadors in Brussels to gauge support for U.S. defense objectives amid an ongoing review of American military forces in Europe, focusing on defense spending and base access constraints.

Qatar’s PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met with Iran’s FM Abbas Araghchi in Tehran to discuss de-escalation efforts and a proposed plan to secure the Strait of Hormuz, which has seen a sharp decline in oil and LNG transit since the war began.

US President Donald Trump stated he believes Iran's Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is alive but severely injured following strikes. Despite widespread speculation and a lack of public appearances since his March appointment, Trump cited Iranian negotiators' conduct as evidence.