On 9 September, the European Commission decided to allocate a provisional budget of €150 billion to strengthen defence preparedness across the European Union. This step, which is part of the 'Securing Europe's Future' (SAFE) instrument, aims to strengthen the European Union's defence capabilities and help Member States fill critical gaps, as well as to carry out joint acquisitions of defence products.

On 10 September, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) rejected Austria's appeal seeking the annulment of the European taxonomy regulation, which aims to direct financial flows towards sustainable activities in order to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. In 2022, the Commission adopted a delegated regulation including certain activities related to nuclear energy and fossil gas as activities that would contribute to climate change mitigation or adaptation. Austria criticised the European Commission for including nuclear and fossil gas in the taxonomy of sustainable investments.

Until 12 October, the Domaine départemental de Sceaux is hosting a new edition of the Festival de l'Orangerie. True to its identity, the event offers an eclectic programme, combining classical music, jazz, contemporary creations and hybrid art forms. The concerts are held in several venues, including the Orangerie, the Château and the church of Sceaux.

Flowers by Soutine, Chagall and Pisis are on display until 1 November at the Roberto Casamonti Collection in Florence. The exhibition of these three masterpieces is part of the initiative: 'The Return of the Masters of the 20th Century'.

To mark the 300th anniversary of his birth, the Petit Palais in Paris is paying tribute to Jean-Baptiste Greuze until 25 January 2026. The exhibition offers a chance to rediscover the artist's work through the prism of a central theme in his painting: childhood. With empathy, the artist questions the place of children in 18th-century society, their future and their emancipation. He reflects the major issues of his time.

On 12 September, Denmark decided to invest 58 billion Danish kroner (€7.76 billion) in a new air defence system following the Russian attack on Poland on 9-10 September. For long-range systems, Denmark opted for the Franco-Italian SAMP/T developed by MBDA and Thales, rather than the American Patriot, against a backdrop of diplomatic tension between the two countries.

On 11 September, the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced that it will commit €17.5 billion to support energy efficiency improvements by European small and medium-sized enterprises. This commitment, supported by the European Commission, aims to encourage energy savings in more than 350,000 businesses to reduce their energy bills and strengthen their resilience and competitiveness. The initiative is expected to mobilise a total investment of more than €65 billion by 2027 to support energy savings by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

On 9 September, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the European Union's financial markets regulator and supervisor, published its second risk monitoring report for 2025. During the first half of 2025, securities markets experienced marked volatility as global uncertainties intensified, particularly with the escalation of trade conflicts. Investor risks also increased in crypto-asset markets, where tension was fuelled by political developments in the United States and the emergence of new high-risk business models.

'To overcome the current difficulties, Europe has no choice but to reform, strengthen and assert itself. It seems to have realised this in the face of urgent circumstances.' The Schuman Report 2025 is available in bookshops, on the Foundation's website, and in digital format in French and English. This reference work addresses the major challenges of the new geopolitical era facing the European Union, such as the prospects for enlargement, European competitiveness and investment in the space sector. As every year, it brings together leading contributions, original maps and annotated statistical studies. Order your copy now!

'Europe remains a true economic power, with a gross domestic product that still rivals that of China and the United States, but the outlook is much bleaker. Growth is sluggish, and is undermining social peace as well as political stability and fuelling extremism.' For Jean-Dominique Giuliani, Europe must not only think of itself as a geopolitical power: it must also reassert its economic and financial power in order to build and maintain a military force and genuine diplomatic influence.

On 15 September, tank and armoured vehicle manufacturer Rheinmetall announced its acquisition of military shipbuilder Naval Vessels Lürssen (NVL), a company belonging to the family-owned Lürssen Group.

On 10 September, MEPs adopted changes to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). These amendments are an example of simplification efforts aimed at reducing red tape for SMEs and occasional importers as part of the Omnibus simplification package presented on 26 February. The new CBAM threshold exempts the vast majority (90%) of importers from taxation (mainly SMEs and individuals).

On 11 September, MEPs adopted a resolution aimed at strengthening the single market by simplifying its rules. Its objectives include reducing red tape by 25% for all businesses and 35% for SMEs by 2029, improving harmonisation to avoid regulatory fragmentation, and providing greater support for SMEs and start-ups through targeted exemptions and the development of digitalisation and artificial intelligence.

On 9 September, the OECD published its report 'Education at a Glance', focusing specifically on higher education. The report analyses educational pathways, disparities in labour market integration by field of study, success rates, and the skills of adults with higher education qualifications. The edition highlights persistent inequalities in access to higher education. Furthermore, despite a general rise in educational attainment, adults' reading and numeracy skills have stagnated or even declined in most OECD countries between 2012 and 2023.

On 9 September, the European Commission presented its Strategic Foresight Report 2025, which includes a section entitled 'Resilience 2.0', a proactive approach aimed at ensuring the European Union's prosperity in times of turmoil, enabling it to anticipate new challenges and creating a safe space for citizens and businesses. The report identifies areas of action in which Europe can strengthen its resilience: enhancing internal and external security with a technological approach, strengthening long-term economic resilience to absorb shocks and support growth, harnessing the power of technology and research to support prosperity and values, and preserving democracy, media freedom and social cohesion.

On 10 September, the report by the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee was adopted. MEPs are encouraging the Ukrainian government to continue implementing reforms and reaffirming the European Union's commitment to a just and lasting peace. They are also calling on the European Commission to open negotiation centres to help Ukraine's application for EU membership progress as quickly as possible.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb visited Kyiv on 11 and 12 September. He held talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. The discussions focused in particular on the peace process and cooperation between Finland and Ukraine. They discussed the Russian drones shot down in Polish airspace on 10 September.