In a week defined by a renewed sense of shared purpose, EU leaders gathered at the historic Alden Biesen Castle in Belgium to chart a resilient course for the continent’s economic future. The summit marked a significant milestone, with member states coalescing around a “Buy European” framework designed to bolster strategic sectors such as clean tech, artificial intelligence, and defence.
While the nuance of implementation remains a topic of healthy debate of balancing the “Made in Europe” vision with an “open free trade” ethos—the overarching sentiment was one of constructive cooperation. President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted the “enormous sense of urgency” that is currently moving mountains in Brussels, promising an ambitious action plan to streamline regulation and integrate capital markets by March.