Overnight, Israel launched fresh strikes on Iran as the US military said it had hit nearly 2,000 targets in the Islamic republic since the start of the offensive, while Tehran expanded missile and drone attacks across the Gulf. Follow our live blog today for the latest developments in the Middle East, and how Europe is responding.

You’re reading Rapporteur on Wednesday 4 March. This is Eddy Wax, joined by Nicoletta Ionta in Brussels.

Need-to-knows:

🟢 EU ambassadors convene to discuss the future of enlargement

🟢 Trump-Sánchez tensions rise

🟢 Commission poised to present ‘Made in Europe’ legislation

On the roundabout: A name is circulating for the bloc’s top religious freedom job

Ambassadors from the EU’s 27 countries have been summoned to a hastily arranged dinner at the Council tonight, where Björn Seibert, Ursula von der Leyen’s right-hand man, is expected to outline the Commission’s latest thinking on enlargement reform.

The meeting comes as the bloc grapples with how to adapt its achingly slow expansion process to a harsher geopolitical era and get countries like Ukraine into the club fast.

Recent breathless reports have suggested the Commission is exploring a radical overhaul: prioritising getting countries into the bloc without full voting rights and perhaps even before completing extensive internal reforms in areas such as anti-corruption and the rule-of-law. It’s being called ‘reverse membership’ or ‘gradual integration.”

But my conversations around town this week suggest little appetite among EU governments for a fast-track approach. The problem is, any accession treaty would still require unanimous ratification. Hungary will look sceptically at Ukraine’s entry no matter which government is in power after 12 April election, and in France there might even need to be a referendum.

Even though countries such as Albania, Serbia and Moldova are keen on the idea, the Commission will have to work very hard indeed to get countries on board with its newfangled model, with several capitals openly questioning such sweeping changes.

“I don’t think there is a strategy, to be honest,” said Engjellushe Morina, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin. “Apart from this idea that is half cooked, I don’t see other ideas that are going to fly.”

Marta Kos, the EU’s enlargement tsar turned star of British political podcasting, is in Berlin today, where one could expect her to face a tough crowd. Friedrich Merz has poured cold water on Kyiv’s hopes for joining by 2027. Austria, Sweden and France have also emphasised conditionality over speed.

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten struck a similar tone in Brussels last night. “We are very open minded to look into broader support,” he told journalists on a whistlestop day of meetings. “But moving too fast is I think not the way to move forward.”

“At the moment it’s not possible to set a date for enlargement with Ukraine,” he added, while pledging continued general support.

Von der Leyen publicly rejected Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s call for membership by 2027. Yet the Commission continues to explore ways to grant candidate countries a quick and dirty membership without all the bells, whistles, responsibilities and benefits of being in the club.

The Commission is motivated by the bigger picture: if a future peace deal brokered by the US were to include accelerated EU membership for Ukraine, Brussels would need options. For now, though, it doesn’t seem that peace is around the corner.

Macron sends carrier to eastern Mediterranean

Emmanuel Macron used a seven-minute televised address to announce the deployment of France’s sole aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, to the eastern Mediterranean as tensions mount in the Middle East. He said recent strikes fell “outside international law” but added that Iran bore primary responsibility, remarking that “history never mourns those who oppress their own people.”

Macron argued France’s credibility, and defence ties with Qatar, the UAE and Cyprus, were at stake. Paris is also sending a frigate, intercepting drones and joining a coalition to protect its economic interests in the region. He paired calls for peace with a warning that Israel’s ground operations in Lebanon risk “dangerous escalation.”

During the address, military decorations were arranged on his desk beside a rather sombre poetry collection by Pablo Neruda on the tragedy of conflicts, a small toy soldier and a lantern in the background.

EU steps up evacuations

Slovakia, Italy, Romania and Austria have activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, two EU officials told Euractiv, allowing the European Commission to co-ordinate assistance and access common funds. Seven chartered flights have so far repatriated EU citizens from the region, with more countries expected to follow.

Governments also convened on Tuesday under the Council’s IPCR crisis format to assess risks ranging from citizen safety to energy flows and supply chains. Belgium, Poland and France joined Germany, Czechia and Slovakia in launching national evacuations.

Iran on the menu

EU home affairs ministers will widen on Thursday a working lunch, initially focused on Syria and internal security, to include Iran, a senior EU diplomat said.

The discussion will focus on the internal security situation in the two countries. Migration fallout from Iran is not expected to feature prominently or be formally addressed, the diplomat added. Ministers will, however, review broader migration pressures, with a sharp focus on Lebanon and Libya, considered key hubs along the eastern and central Mediterranean routes.

‘Made with Europe’ debate deepens

Europe should avoid shutting out close partners in its industrial drive, EU economy chief Valdis Dombrovskis said, urging a shift from “Made in Europe” to “Made with Europe.”

His remarks come as the Commission prepares to unveil its long-delayed Industrial Accelerator Act today. The plan was held up amid concerns it could prove overly protectionist and fall foul of WTO rules. Three officials told Rapporteur it narrowly cleared approval at heads-of-cabinet level on Monday.

Industry chief Stéphane Séjourné backs the more protectionist approach championed by Paris. Von der Leyen has endorsed "Made in Europe" rules in strategic sectors, while cautioning it is "a fine line to walk.” Merz has instead called for a ‘Made with Europe’ model.

'EU Inc’ won’t cut rights, VDL says

Von der Leyen sought to reassure trade unions that the proposed “28th regime” would not dilute European labour standards, telling the European Employment and Social Rights Forum the initiative would not undermine workers’ rights.

Unions have warned the project could encourage forum shopping and weaken protections. Details remain sparse: the Commission has yet to publish its proposal, and an impact assessment seen by Euractiv sets out no major changes to employment law – though that could still change during drafting and negotiations.

Comeback, part two? After becoming president of EPP Women, former European Commissioner Mairead McGuinness is being floated as the EU’s next special envoy for freedom of religion, we hear from two clued-in people. No decision has been taken. Frans van Daele, a veteran Belgian diplomat, held the role until last year, but it’s lain empty since then. Von der Leyen pledged to appoint a successor after a campaign from MEPs and religious groups.

🇩🇪 BERLIN

On his second official visit to Washington, Friedrich Merz struck a note of alignment with Donald Trump, presenting a united front against Iran’s clerical regime. “The regime must fall,” he said, arguing now was not the moment to “lecture allies” after joint US-Israeli strikes. Trump, calling it an “honour” to host his “friend,” thanked Merz for his support. Asked about tariffs, Trump joked: “I think we should hit them hard,” nodding towards the German leader.

– Björn Stritzel

🇫🇷 PARIS / 🇬🇧 LONDON

Keir Starmer said Britain will send helicopters equipped with counter-drone systems to Cyprus and deploy HMS Dragon, an air-defence destroyer, to the region. France will also dispatch a frigate with anti-ballistic and anti-drone capabilities, Cypriot government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Tuesday. The move follows Greece’s deployment of four F-16 fighter jets and two frigates to the island.

– Charles Cohen

🇩🇰 COPENHAGEN

Mette Frederiksen has faced a backlash from Danish business leaders after proposing a 0.5% annual wealth tax on assets above 25 million DKK as part of her election campaign. Danfoss CEO Kim Fausing called the plan “populist,” while Vestas chief Henrik Andersen said he would consider leaving Denmark if it were enacted. The proposal is aimed at reclaiming left-leaning voters before the 24 March snap election.

– Lucas Harder Anderschou

🇪🇸 MADRID

Donald Trump blasted Spain as a “terrible ally” and threatened to cut off all trade after Madrid barred the US from using the jointly operated Rota and Morón bases in Andalusia to support strikes on Iran. Pedro Sánchez’s decision has triggered a diplomatic rift with Washington, which has since relocated some US aircraft. Sánchez, who has condemned the US-Israeli strikes as unlawful, is due to address the crisis on Wednesday amid concerns the move marks a break with Spain’s traditional NATO alignment.

– Inés Fernández-Pontes

🇵🇱 WARSAW

Donald Tusk said Poland faces “no problem whatsoever” with fuel reserves despite the Middle East conflict, adding the conflict has no direct impact on supplies. State energy group Orlen does not import Iranian crude or rely on the Strait of Hormuz, and storage sites are more than 73% full, above the EU average. While global price rises may lift pump costs, Orlen will use financial tools to cushion the effect.

– Charles Szumski

🇨🇿 PRAGUE

Seznam, the Czech Republic’s largest internet company, has filed a lawsuit against Andrej Babiš, accusing him of harming its reputation through repeated public attacks. The company said Babiš falsely alleged it had failed to pay taxes and targeted journalists at its outlets. Babiš said he stood by his remarks, claiming Seznam’s media had long “lied and manipulated” coverage of him and his government.

– Aneta Zachová

🇲🇰 SKOPJE

NATO is not involved in the conflict with Iran but will defend “every inch” of allied territory, Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Tuesday alongside North Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova. Rutte said Washington had not sought NATO assistance and that EU states could decide individually whether to support the US and Israel. He added the Western Balkans would not become a “security vacuum.”

– Bronwyn Jones

Cyprus has gone on high alert over potential Iranian-linked threats in the Turkish-occupied north as Middle East tensions spill onto EU territory, according to officials, after a British base on the island was struck by a Hezbollah-launched drone and Tehran warned of further missile attacks.

Germany is weighing sending a frigate to help protect the island, Euractiv has learned, as Greece and France bolster military support and Brussels steps up internal security monitoring.

In a new op-ed, Euractiv columnist Chris Kremidas-Courtney argues that the clash between Anthropic and the Pentagon over limits on AI use in warfare highlights a deeper dilemma for democracies as the technology moves closer to autonomous targeting and mass surveillance.

He warns that while the EU promotes itself as a defender of digital rights, the bloc’s AI Act excludes defence and national security, leaving the most consequential uses of AI largely outside its safeguards.

Contributors: Elisa Braun, Magnus Lund Nielsen, Thomas Møller-Nielsen, Maximilan Henning, Sarantis Michalopoulos, Inés Fernández-Pontes

Editors: Christina Zhao, Sofia Mandilara, Charles Szumski