Nine dates that will challenge Europe in 2026

Thursday, Jan 15, 2026

El Confidencial

Global politics feature Greenland’s potential US acquisition, EU trade deals, and upcoming European elections.

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[This is an automatically generated summary, for reference only]

The year begins with focus on Greenland following US military operations in Venezuela, as Donald Trump previously expressed interest in purchasing the island from Denmark for strategic reasons, a sentiment reiterated by the White House press secretary in January 2026. Danish experts suggest that while Denmark might not oppose independence, it would cease financial and security support if Greenland secedes, leaving it unsupported. US officials met with the Danish Foreign Minister to discuss this, leading Trump to state on Truth Social that Greenland would be more effective under his control. Separately, the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement was supported by a qualified majority in January, despite opposition from several member states and protests from European farmers concerned about competition. In Ukraine, President Zelensky stated at New Year’s Eve that the country is 90% ready for a peace deal to end the war. Upcoming events include municipal elections in France in March, which are seen as an indicator for 2027 presidential alliances, and parliamentary elections in Hungary in April 2026, which will test Orbán’s government amid broader European shifts toward right-wing nationalism. The G-7 summit was postponed to June 15-17 in France. Furthermore, the final year of the Recovery Fund implementation concludes on August 31, and immigration laws are key issues in upcoming general elections in Sweden and Denmark this autumn.

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