European Union
In her State of the Union address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 16 September, with Prime Minister Mark Carney present, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen invited Canada to become the EU's first “associate member”. The status does not exist in the treaties and its content is undefined; it is reported to mean access to decision-making bodies without a vote, along the lines once floated for Ukraine. Ottawa is already in talks on Erasmus+, Horizon Europe and mutual recognition of qualifications. An economic and security summit in Montreal in October is to discuss the wider “Alliance for the Future”.
European Commission / Euronews
Speaking at Joint Base Andrews on 16 September, President Donald Trump called the associate-membership proposal laughable and Canada a terrible trade partner, and said that if the intention is bad, “we'll put very heavy tariffs on Europe”. He also raised cutting trade with the EU. Carney's office welcomed von der Leyen's proposal, saying Canada was deepening EU ties to strengthen its sovereignty.
Euronews
In an interview with Euronews on 17 September, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola described associate membership as a third way between full membership and candidate status and said she did not doubt it would come to include other countries, with others “knocking at our door”. She pointed to deeper trade, access to critical raw materials and aligned rules on questions such as social media and child protection, and noted the EU already has trade agreements with both countries. She stressed the discussions are preliminary, with no timeline.
Euronews
Eurostat, 17 September: euro area annual inflation was 3.2 percent in August, up from 2.9 percent in July and 2.0 percent a year earlier; EU inflation was also 3.2 percent, up from 3.0 percent. Services contributed 1.43 percentage points and energy 1.29, ahead of non-energy industrial goods (0.30) and food, alcohol and tobacco (0.22). The lowest rates were in Sweden (0.3 percent), Estonia (1.3) and Czechia (1.5); the highest in Romania (6.3), Lithuania (5.6) and Cyprus (5.2).
Eurostat
Eurostat, 16 September: seasonally adjusted industrial production fell 0.1 percent in the euro area and 0.3 percent in the EU in July against June. Against July 2025 it was stable in the euro area and 0.3 percent higher in the EU. Within the euro area, energy rose 0.9 percent and durable consumer goods 0.9 percent, capital goods 0.5 percent and intermediate goods 0.3 percent, while non-durable consumer goods fell 1.6 percent.
Eurostat
Eurostat, 18 September: production in construction was stable in the euro area in July against June and 0.3 percent lower in the EU. Year on year it fell 2.0 percent in the euro area and 1.8 percent in the EU. Building construction was down 6.4 percent on the year in the euro area while civil engineering rose 0.6 percent. Hungary had the largest falls, 4.7 percent on the month and 12.2 percent on the year; Belgium gained most on the month at 2.8 percent and Finland most on the year at 12.8 percent.
Eurostat
Eurostat, 16 September: hourly labour costs in the second quarter of 2026 were 3.1 percent above a year earlier in the euro area and 3.2 percent in the EU. In the euro area wages and salaries rose 3.0 percent and non-wage costs 3.2 percent. By sector, construction rose 3.9 percent, services 3.0 percent and industry 2.9 percent. The largest increases in hourly wage costs were in Bulgaria (9.9 percent), Lithuania (9.6) and Croatia (8.9); the smallest in Luxembourg and Romania (1.8 each) and France and Italy (2.1 each).
Eurostat
Eurostat, 15 September: the euro area recorded a 14.2 billion euro surplus in trade in goods with the rest of the world in July, against 10.7 billion in July 2025. Exports rose 9.0 percent year on year to 276.0 billion euro and imports 7.9 percent to 261.8 billion. The EU surplus was 8.0 billion euro, down from 9.8 billion a year earlier. Eurostat attributes the July improvement mainly to chemicals and related products, other manufactured goods, and food and drink.
Eurostat
Houthi and Iraqi attacks forced the temporary closure of Saudi Arabia's 1,200-kilometre East-West pipeline, the route that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz and carries up to 5.5 million barrels a day; Brent traded above 113 dollars, with as much as 4 percent of world supply at risk. Macron ordered a mobilisation to secure supplies, Meloni abolished stamp duty on small and medium-powered cars, Spain doubled its diesel tax cut to 20 cents a litre from 1 September and Merz said Berlin would present relief measures soon. Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Poland and Austria pushed for an EU-wide windfall tax on energy companies at the September finance ministers' meetings; the Commission has announced no action.
Euronews
The final count from the 13 September election, published on 17 September, gives the centre-left bloc 175 of the 349 seats in the Riksdag against 172 for the right, a national margin of about 50,000 votes. The Social Democrats took 28 percent and remain the largest party but lost eight seats; the Sweden Democrats took 17.5 percent and lost eleven, their first loss since entering parliament in 2010. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has resigned and the speaker has begun talks; Magdalena Andersson is expected to form the next government, though the Centre Party opposes Left Party ministers and past coalitions have taken between five and twenty weeks to assemble.
Euronews
EPSO & EU careers
Announcement posted on 18 September. The first part of testing for the AD 5 graduate competition — verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning — is “planned to start in November 2026”. Candidates will be notified through their Single Candidate Portal account about three weeks before the first testing session; the invitation gives the testing week but not the date and time, which become visible on the testing platform at least two weeks before the test. EPSO asks candidates to check now that they can log in to the Portal. Details of the second part — EU knowledge, digital skills and the EUFTE essay — follow later, and the EU knowledge reference list is to be circulated about two months before that test.
EPSO
EPSO's open-for-application page lists one competition: the AD 8 competition for artificial intelligence and cybersecurity specialists, for Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg, closing on 13 October 2026 at 12:00. Candidates pick one of the two fields. Nothing else is taking applications this week, and EPSO published no news item between 12 and 18 September.
EPSO
EPSO confirmed on 9 September that testing for the AD 7 audit competition takes place on one day, Wednesday 30 September 2026. The date has not moved since. Candidates should expect the usual remote-proctored arrangements and check the Single Candidate Portal for their individual slot.
EPSO
The planner, still dated 8 September, gives 6 October 2026 for the notice of competition for assistants at AST 3 in data processing, librarianship and records management, with applications closing on 11 November. It is the first competition of the autumn and the next chance to apply after the AD 8 deadline.
EPSO
EPSO/AD/431/26, lawyer-linguists at AD 7 for the Court of Justice (Bulgarian, German, Greek, Spanish, Irish, Maltese, Dutch and Romanian), publishes on 21 October with a deadline of 25 November. EPSO/AD/432/26, lawyer-linguists and legal revisers at AD 7 for Parliament, Council and Commission (Spanish, Finnish, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Maltese, Portuguese and Swedish), publishes on 4 November for 8 December. EPSO/AD/433/26, administrators at AD 7 in AI law, criminal law, procurement and litigation, publishes on 9 December for 20 January 2027.
EPSO
World
The Bank of Japan lifted its benchmark rate by 0.25 percentage points to 1.25 percent, the highest in 31 years and the first increase since June. Core consumer inflation held steady near the 2 percent target in August, with energy prices and supply pressures driving the overall figure. The bank's rate remains below the European Central Bank's, and Governor Kazuo Ueda's briefing was expected to indicate the timing and pace of further increases, which analysts tie to the gap with US rates.
Al Jazeera
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had hit a Togo-flagged tanker that it accused of attempting illegal passage through the strait, and UK Maritime Trade Operations reported a second vessel struck by an unidentified projectile. Trump told US media he was nearing a major decision on whether to “annihilate” his Iranian opponents and that anything could happen.
Al Jazeera
Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said Italy will deploy warships to protect its merchant vessels through the Bab al-Mandeb strait and will act on its own rather than wait for an EU consensus, saying Italy has the capability and warning of severe economic consequences if the passage closes. The strait has historically carried 12 to 15 percent of world trade and has become more critical since Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz cut Gulf exports through that route; Houthi forces now hold Yemen's western Red Sea coast and nearby islands.
Al Jazeera
Voting runs from Friday 18 to Sunday 20 September for the 450 seats of the State Duma, half by party list and half in single-mandate races, with about 111 million eligible voters and electronic voting allowed; governors are chosen in 11 regions and legislators in 39. United Russia is expected to dominate against the Communists, the Liberal Democrats, A Just Russia, New People and five smaller parties. Yabloko, the only registered party opposing the war, was removed by the Supreme Court in August, which held that its antiwar stance amounted to seeking a violation of Russia's territorial integrity.
Al Jazeera
The House passed the sanctions package 262-159 on Wednesday, after the Senate approved it 86-11 last month. It targets Russia's energy and defence industries, Putin's inner circle and the shadow fleet of tankers used to evade restrictions, and lets the president impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on countries still buying large volumes of Russian oil and gas — aimed at China and India. Trump has said he will sign it. India said on Thursday it would keep buying Russian oil through diversified sourcing and on the basis of evolving market dynamics.
Euronews
Trump posted that Ukraine had agreed not to hit Russian energy targets and that Russia had agreed to do likewise, framing it as a response to the diesel shortage pushing up world oil prices. No timeframe was given and Russia confirmed nothing. President Zelenskyy indicated there was no concluded deal and set a condition: Ukraine would stop if its partners secured an agreement with Russia to end the destruction of Ukrainian power and critical infrastructure.
Euronews
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague convicted Hashim Thaçi on 16 September of murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention, and sentenced him to 25 years. Jakup Krasniqi also received 25 years, Kadri Veseli 18 and Rexhep Selimi 13; all four were held responsible for the arbitrary detention and torture of hundreds of people and for 96 murders, and were acquitted on six crimes against humanity counts. Prosecutors had asked for 45 years each. Thousands who had gathered in Prishtina expecting acquittal left the square within minutes; Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca called the ruling sad, unjust and undeserved.
Euronews
Between January and September 2026 about 60,000 people reached Europe by boat, against some 98,000 in the same months of 2025, a fall of 39 percent — yet 2,292 died or disappeared, against 1,999 a year earlier. On the central Mediterranean route arrivals more than halved while deaths rose from 844 to 996; on the route to Greece deaths rose from 284 to 417, and 879 people died or disappeared on the way to Spain. Director General Amy Pope said nearly every death and disappearance at sea is preventable.
IOM / Al Jazeera
Two closely spaced shafts at the Al-Zaraa mine near El-Nahud, in West Kordofan, gave way at the same time on Tuesday 16 September, killing at least 60 small-scale miners with more still missing. Survivors told AFP that recovery work was slow for lack of machinery. Artisanal gold mining has grown sharply since Sudan's civil war began in April 2023 and now underpins a war-damaged economy, but the sites have little safety equipment and workers dig and search with rudimentary tools.
AFP / Euronews
Indec reported on Thursday 17 September that GDP rose 2.0 percent in the second quarter against the same quarter of 2025, above the 1.6 percent expected by analysts polled by Reuters. Fishing led with 45 percent, followed by mining and quarrying at 16 percent and agriculture, livestock, hunting and forestry at 7 percent; exports of goods and services rose 14 percent while imports fell 9 percent. In seasonally adjusted terms GDP fell 0.6 percent against the first quarter.
Indec / CNN Brasil
Germany
Destatis release no. 328 of 18 September: producer prices for industrial products were 4.6 percent above August 2025 and 1.1 percent above July. Energy was 8.3 percent dearer year on year, intermediate goods 6.1 percent and capital goods 2.4 percent; excluding energy the rise was 3.1 percent. Mineral oil products were up 40.5 percent, heating oil 65.3 percent, motor fuels 37.7 percent, copper and precious metals 34.6 percent each. Butter fell 40.5 percent and pork 16.3 percent.
Destatis
Destatis release no. 326 of 15 September: wholesale prices in August were 6.8 percent above August 2025 and 0.9 percent above July. The office attributes the increase to the conflict in Iran and the Middle East, which raised wholesale prices of energy products and raw materials. Mineral oil products rose 36.1 percent year on year, non-ferrous ores and metals 27.4 percent, chemical products 13.6 percent and computers and equipment 11.1 percent. Live animals fell 18.3 percent, milk products 10.3 percent and meat products 6.7 percent.
Destatis
Destatis release no. 327 of 17 September: the stock of orders in manufacturing rose 1.5 percent in real terms in July against June, and 10.9 percent against July 2025. The range of orders reached 9.0 months, the highest since the series began in 2015. Other transport equipment gained 3.9 percent on the month and machinery and equipment 0.8 percent, while the automotive industry fell 1.7 percent. Domestic orders rose 3.0 percent and foreign orders 0.6 percent.
Destatis
The ifo business climate in retail stood at minus 29.0 points in August, virtually unchanged on July. ifo expects the German economy to grow 1.4 percent in 2026 but private consumption to rise only 0.4 percent after inflation. Food and non-alcoholic drinks were 0.1 percent dearer than a year earlier and clothing and footwear 0.4 percent, against an overall consumer price rise of 2.9 percent. Industry expert Patrick Höppner: many retailers have hardly benefited from the recovery, and rising energy prices will drive inflation in 2026.
ifo Institute
The business climate in residential construction improved from minus 29.0 to minus 22.7 points in August, with the expectations indicator up from minus 35.6 to minus 23.3. Firms reporting a lack of orders were 41.3 percent and project cancellations 13.4 percent; material bottlenecks fell to 2.9 percent from 8.5 percent in July. Klaus Wohlrabe, head of surveys: companies can increasingly see light at the end of the tunnel, but approved projects must now turn into actual orders.
ifo Institute
An ifo study of 56,188 rulings from 45 Swedish district courts between 1992 and 2021 finds that fathers granted joint custody earn higher incomes and that their use of antidepressants falls by 17 percentage points. Children improve their test results and are more likely to attend better schools; for mothers the study measures neither positive nor negative effects, and it finds no increase in domestic violence. Helmut Rainer, director of the ifo Center for Labor and Demographic Economics, says joint custody strengthens families' economic stability after a separation.
ifo Institute
Clemens Fuest argues that the economic damage of a war would far exceed the cost of defence spending, citing the 1980s NATO Double-Track Decision as a precedent for investment that preserved prosperity. He warns against treating defence spending as economic stimulus, because it draws skilled workers away from other sectors, and names research and development as the area with the greatest macroeconomic return thanks to its dual military and civilian use. The statement answers AfD and BSW campaign calls to cut defence in favour of social spending.
ifo Institute
On 16 September the Deutsche Bundesbank's Executive Board was consulted, as section 7(3) of the Bundesbank Act requires, on the nomination of Dr Philipp Nimmermann as a member of the Executive Board, recommended by the Bundesrat's Financial Committee. The Board raised no objections and communicated that to the Bundesrat. It will decide on the allocation of portfolios once he takes office.
Deutsche Bundesbank
At the European Arctic Summit in Rovaniemi, Finland, on 15 September, Chancellor Friedrich Merz met European leaders on Arctic security. He said that here in Europe's far north it is visible how vulnerable European peace really is, and that Europe must together defend its freedom and keep the peace. The summit covered expanding Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic, the new shipping routes opened by a changing climate, and access to raw materials.
deutschland.de
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul travelled to Budapest on 14 September for political talks, the first such visit in nearly seven years. Germany is seeking better bilateral relations after Hungary's change of government in May from Viktor Orbán to Peter Magyar, whose administration has shifted course on Russia and on rule-of-law questions. Wadephul stressed the scope for economic cooperation, noting that German companies provide some 250,000 jobs in Hungary.
deutschland.de
Brazil
Decisão unânime de 16 de setembro: corte de 0,25 ponto percentual, de 14% para 13,75% ao ano. O comunicado aponta um ambiente externo incerto por causa dos conflitos armados no Oriente Médio, moderação gradual da atividade e mercado de trabalho ainda aquecido. O IPCA de agosto teve deflação de 0,32% e acumula 4,22% em 12 meses, contra 4,44% em julho; o BC projeta 5,2% para 2026 e o Focus, 4,9% — ambos acima do teto de 4,5%.
Banco Central / Agência Brasil
A CNI falou em “excesso de prudência do Copom”, e o presidente Ricardo Alban pediu continuidade do ciclo de queda sem comprometer a convergência para a meta de 3%. A CUT, pela presidenta Neiva Ribeiro, classificou a redução como “um passo importante, mas insuficiente”. A Força Sindical chamou o corte de “muito tímido” e “balde de água fria para a economia”. A CBIC considerou a decisão positiva, mas lembrou que a taxa segue em patamar elevado.
Agência Brasil
Decreto assinado por Lula em 17 de setembro e publicado em edição extra do Diário Oficial, com efeitos financeiros a partir de 1º de outubro. O reajuste corresponde ao INPC acumulado entre março de 2023 e agosto de 2026. O piso sobe de cerca de R$ 600 para R$ 691 e o benefício médio de R$ 675 para R$ 777, alta nominal de cerca de R$ 100 por família. A Renda de Cidadania passa a R$ 164 por integrante, o Primeira Infância a R$ 173 e o Variável Familiar a R$ 58.
Diário Oficial / Agência Brasil
Pesquisa Produção Agrícola Municipal do IBGE, divulgada em 17 de setembro. O volume de cereais, leguminosas e oleaginosas somou 345,4 milhões de toneladas, 18,2% a mais que em 2024, e a área colhida passou de 100 milhões de hectares pela primeira vez, chegando a 100,6 milhões. A soja respondeu por R$ 315,2 bilhões, 34% do valor total, com 165,2 milhões de toneladas; o café somou R$ 100 bilhões. Mato Grosso lidera com R$ 165,6 bilhões, seguido de São Paulo (R$ 124 bilhões) e Minas Gerais (R$ 109,4 bilhões).
IBGE / Agência Brasil
Lei sancionada em 16 de setembro, acompanhada de decreto que cria o Conselho Nacional para Industrialização de Minerais Críticos e Estratégicos. O texto prevê até R$ 7 bilhões em incentivos para processamento e transformação e um Fundo Garantidor da Atividade Mineral com R$ 2 bilhões iniciais da União, podendo chegar a R$ 5 bilhões. O orçamento do Serviço Geológico do Brasil sobe de R$ 8 milhões para R$ 300 milhões. O foco são minerais com risco de abastecimento e as 17 terras raras usadas em turbinas eólicas, smartphones, carros elétricos e defesa.
Agência Brasil
O aumento vale a partir de 19 de setembro, mas a Petrobras aderiu ao programa de subvenção econômica do diesel A rodoviário, e a Portaria MF 2.813/2026 concede desconto de R$ 1 por litro por 30 dias. Como o desconto anula o aumento, o combustível continua a ser vendido pelo mesmo valor nas refinarias. A empresa afirma manter a estratégia comercial orientada por participação de mercado e rentabilidade sustentável.
Petrobras / Agência Brasil
Levantamento do Dieese divulgado pela Federação Única dos Petroleiros: margem de 29,15% no primeiro semestre de 2026, à frente da Saudi Aramco (25,48%), Chevron (18,01%), ExxonMobil (16,33%), BP (14,83%), Equinor (12,84%), Shell (9,94%) e TotalEnergies (9,44%). É a primeira vez que a Petrobras lidera esse ranking. O lucro líquido do período foi de R$ 85,1 bilhões, ou US$ 16,6 bilhões — o terceiro maior em dólar, atrás de Saudi Aramco e ExxonMobil.
Dieese / FUP / Agência Brasil
Assinatura em Abidjan, em 17 de setembro, sob regime de partilha de produção. São os blocos CI-513, CI-600, CI-601, CI-602, CI-603, CI-605, CI-701 e CI-702. A Petrobras Netherlands B.V. fica com 90% e a operação; a estatal marfinense Petroci Holding, com 10%. Valores de investimento e prazos de exploração não foram divulgados.
Petrobras / Agência Brasil
Na comparação com junho, o PIB recuou 0,4% — segunda retração consecutiva. Contra julho de 2025 houve expansão de 1,3%; o trimestre móvel encerrado em julho cresceu 1,6% e o acumulado em 12 meses, 1,8%. A coordenadora da pesquisa aponta enfraquecimento das três grandes atividades, com retração da agropecuária e estagnação da indústria e dos serviços, num quadro de tarifas dos EUA, petróleo em alta, juros elevados e endividamento das famílias.
FGV / CNN Brasil
Protocolo aberto em 17 de setembro para empresas atingidas por tarifas internacionais: R$ 13,5 bilhões do Tesouro Nacional e R$ 9,1 bilhões do BNDES. São três grupos de elegibilidade — exportadores aos EUA e seus fornecedores com pelo menos 1% do faturamento bruto em exportações; empresas de setores industriais relevantes (têxtil, químico, farmacêutico, automotivo, máquinas e minerais críticos); e exportadores para Arábia Saudita, Emirados e Catar, também com o mínimo de 1%. As linhas cobrem capital de giro, exportação, aquisição de máquinas e projetos de investimento e inovação.
BNDES / CNN Brasil