Technical but important step - for the first time since Croatia joined in 2013, the EU has today started drafting an accession treaty, with Montenegro:

Somewhat crazy that Syriza is polling even below that Varoufakis party.

ICYMI:

I appreciate the afford of Ukraine to introduce new German words into the EU wortschatz.

"Ersatz membership"

Sie wird in den Futur-II-Forscher-Grift eingestiegen sein.

National Parliament Election in Bulgaria today 🇧🇬 🇪🇺

Latest exit poll data (continuously updated). #Bulgaria

Explore:
europeelects.eu/2026/04/14/election-dash...

Almost 40% for Rumen Radev. Uff.

A whale stranded on German shores, got rescued, then stranded again on a different shore and is now dying and will be processed into biodiesel.

I think this is material for a traditional German fairytale somehow.

Warum nur Freitags Eis? Gar kein echter Linker!!1! 😤

Excellent point by @bxlthor.bsky.social -- over the 2022-23 energy crisis, EU government's emergency measures cost them *three* times the current EU annual budget.

Maybe he can visit Bulgaria next week too

Congratulations to Member of @europarl.europa.eu Péter Magyar on the victory in today's national elections in Hungary.

Hungary's place is at the heart of Europe 🇪🇺🇭🇺

Nemzeti Választási Iroda - Országgyűlési képviselők választása Választási szervek - Nemzeti Választási Iroda

🇭🇺

Vote count has begun

vtr.valasztas.hu/ogy2026

Sit tight

Especially with the Hungarian electoral system that hands over wasted votes from districts to the list votes. But i can't really think of a better way to present the voting process.

Hungary’s Election Could End Orbán’s Rule -- But Will It End His Power? Hungary's election will test Prime Minister Orban's strength, as well as whether a change could successfully undo 16 years of autocratic rule.

🇭🇺 Hungary’s parliamentary election on April 12 is becoming the most consequential since Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party returned to power in 2010.

In her op-ed for @justsecurity.org, GMF’s @veghzsuzsanna.bsky.social outlines the stakes for Hungary, the US and the EU.

Read it: https://bit.ly/3OusZOG

3m ago 16.56 BST Jakub Krupa It is absolutely baffling how JD Vance is determined to insist that he is absolutely not telling the Hungarians who to vote for as he literally speaks in Budapest, five days out from the election, and delivers a straight stump speech / laudation for Viktor Orbán, including everything he (says) he has achieved in government, and how well he sees his actions in sharp contrast to what he believes is corrupt and rotten Europe and the EU. Oh, and he repeatedly directly said he wants him to win the election, too. It is obviously highly unusual for a senior US leader to intervene in a foreign election like this, and it would have once been unthinkable. But I think we know really well by now that the world has changed since January last year beyond any recognition. But since he is doing it anyway, why not lean in, but instead keep pretending he is not doing the very thing he is doing?

This on The Guardian's live blog about Vance in Hungary by @jakubkrupa.bsky.social

www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

Yep

And just imagine the uproar had von der Leyen gone to a rally and call for a Magyar / Tisza victory!

🇯🇵 🇫🇷 French president, Japanese PM strike 'Dragon Ball' pose

French President Emmanuel Macron shared a moment with Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo, turning to each other and cupping their hands in a gesture known as a kamehameha, taken from manga, anime and video game franchise "Dragon Ball"

No matter what Trump’s response is (and we have a pretty good idea what it will be), no defense secretary has ever so elegantly denied the U.S. commitment to Article 5.

Interesting forecast model for Hungary's upcoming election.

www.szazkilencvenkilenc.hu/forecast-202...

“I said, my friend, you are not right, because the Europeans contribute much more… it's not only the Slovaks and us who are buying gas and oil from Russia directly but all of you who are buying the same from them through…India, Kazakhstan.”

Interest in news is declining sharply across all age groups

A guide to the Danish election.
179 members of the Danish Parliament – the Folketing – are to be elected.
175 members from Denmark, two from Greenland and two from the Faroe Islands.
You need 90 seats to have a majority in the Danish Parliament. 1/

Exit poll Slovenia

Golob 2% ahead of Janša! 🎉 #Slovenia www.rtvslo.si/slovenija/pa...

Finally one step closer to settle the English vs French as working language debate in the EU - we go for Canadian French as a compromise

Further cracks in the 'von der Leyen' Platform - as the EPP has allied with the far-right on steps against NGOs, the centre-left has voted down a report on the EU ombudsman.

Interpret this as a warning shot that centre-left votes for the EU budget are not guaranteed:

Es wäre sehr spannend wenn die Rohdaten der Umfragen öffentlich wären.

Es handelt sich dabei ja um eine Selbstordnung der Befragten als "Arbeiter". Dieses Zugehörigkeitsgefühl hat allerdings in den letzen Jahren stark abgebaut, z.B. laut Eurobarometer in DE:
2025: 16% "Arbeiterklasse"
2012: 30%

Iceland locks in on date for EU referendum | Euractiv As a member of the European Economic Area, Iceland is already aligned with much of the bloc's legislation

The Iceland referendum on EU accession is now slated for 29 August this year.

Note: The referendum will first only be on restarting the negotiations, but clearly a sign of shifting geopolitical thinking.

Interesting is also the long-term trend. The UK had a real Brexit low, and is now back up, whereas France was consistently the most trusted partner.

For the US, clear movement following the Presidency - trust in the Obama & Biden US, little trust in Trump's US:

Government-aligned pollsters show Fidesz with a 6pt lead while opposition-aligned and neutral pollsters show Tisza with a 13pt lead. It's the first time since Orban came to power that there's been such a clear split between pollsters

“US game platform Roblox may soon be designated as a Very Large Online Platform, or VLOP, under the Digital Services Act, marking the first time a gaming platform would face additional systemic risk obligations” www.mlex.com/mlex/article...