The Eurobeat · Monday 2 November 2026
Russian strikes cut power to Ukrainian homes
Welcome, Europeans. 🇪🇺
Russian strikes have left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian families without electricity. Elsewhere, Belgium’s budget talks have broken down and the EU and Canada have set a deadline for defining their partnership.
Today in Europe:
- ⚡ Russian strikes hit Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
- 🇧🇪 Belgium’s prime minister is set to offer his resignation.
- ⚖️ The Commission weighs in on Poland’s court dispute.
- 🇨🇦 The EU and Canada face a six-month test of their partnership.
- 🛡️ NATO diplomats fear renewed US pressure after the midterms.
⚡ Russian strikes leave Ukrainian families without power
Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have left hundreds of thousands of families without electricity, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday, according to Politico Europe. He said substations, transformers and power lines were targeted in Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr and Khmelnytskyi.
Ukraine’s air force also said its air-raid alert app appeared to have been hacked after it briefly displayed false nuclear and chemical warnings, The Guardian reports. Russia later said its own emergency warning app had suffered a cyberattack.
In southern Ukraine, a local ceasefire in Kherson expired Sunday. Ukraine’s military said it evacuated 167 people from areas of the region that day, according to The Guardian.
Why it matters: Keeping Ukraine’s lights on is a European security priority, not an optional extra. Russia is attacking the infrastructure that keeps families connected and homes supplied.
Europe should get more air defences and repair equipment to Ukraine before the next barrage.
🇧🇪 Belgian budget talks push government to the brink
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever is set to offer his resignation to King Philippe on Monday after coalition talks on a €10 billion budget gap failed, Politico Europe reports. Senior figures from the five-party government met over the weekend but left without a deal early Monday.
The budget still needs parliamentary approval before the end of the year. Belgium’s deficit was 5.2% of GDP in 2025, and De Wever wanted a deal to show markets the country was on track to meet its European obligations.
Disagreements centred on taxes on high incomes and a wider VAT reform. Deputy Prime Minister David Clarinval said there were still “far too many taxes on the table” but did not rule out further talks Monday.
Why it matters: A budget cannot be fixed by declaring every difficult option untouchable. Belgium needs a credible plan for its public finances, with the costs and choices put plainly before parliament.
Deadlines are not fiscal policy; a budget is.
⚖️ Brussels weighs in on Poland’s court standoff
The European Commission says Poland’s lower house has the power to appoint new Constitutional Tribunal judges, as a dispute over the court escalates, Politico Europe reports.
President Karol Nawrocki has refused to swear in some judges elected by the current parliamentary majority, while the tribunal’s leadership has prevented them from working. The dispute concerns efforts to reverse judicial changes introduced between 2015 and 2023 that drew criticism from European courts over judicial independence.
Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath said the tribunal must function in accordance with Poland’s constitution and EU court case law. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Saturday that on some matters “there can be no compromise”.
Why it matters: Judicial independence cannot survive if elected judges are kept from doing their jobs. The Commission should apply EU legal standards consistently and press Poland’s institutions to restore a functioning court.
A constitutional tribunal needs judges on the bench, not a permanent battle over the door.
🇨🇦 Canada and the EU put a deadline on closer ties
The EU and Canada have agreed to define a possible Canadian “associate membership” by their 2027 summit, following talks in Montreal, Politico Europe reports. The European Commission and Canada’s government plan to review progress in March.
Both sides describe the partnership as positive and not directed against any country. Politico reports that they also want to strengthen supply chains, pool expertise and reduce dependence on the United States and China.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the two sides should not adjust their plans to suit other powers’ reactions. Negotiations on the EU’s next seven-year budget are among the other demands on European governments’ attention.
Why it matters: A closer partnership with Canada can give both sides more room to withstand economic pressure. But “associate membership” is a label until governments agree what it actually delivers.
Six months is enough time to produce more than a handsome communiqué.
🛡️ NATO diplomats anticipate US pressure after midterms
European allies fear President Donald Trump could intensify his attacks on NATO if Republicans lose in Tuesday’s US midterms, five NATO diplomats told Politico Europe. Three said that could include the withdrawal of thousands more US troops from Europe.
The diplomats said a Congress that constrained Trump on domestic policy could leave him more focused on foreign affairs. The report follows a US cutoff of Starlink satellite services for Ukraine and a renewed rapprochement between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
White House spokesperson Olivia Wales cited agreements by allies to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 and said Trump had done more for NATO than anyone else.
Why it matters: European security cannot depend on guessing how a US president will react to an election. Governments need credible forces, industrial capacity and funding that make NATO stronger even when Washington’s priorities change.
Buy the capability first; argue over the press release later.
📰 In Other News
- 🚆 Spain’s train collision killed 69 people, including citizens of seven other countries, The Guardian reports.
- 📢 Youth-led demonstrations spread across Europe, with violence in several German cities, France 24 reports.
- 🎓 The UK is willing to spend up to £450 million a year on EU students’ fees if it can join an EU industrial programme, The Guardian reports.
- 🗂️ Hungary’s government will publish communist-era informants’ names on Wednesday, The Guardian reports.
- 🇪🇺 The European Commission is due to publish accession reports and roadmaps for candidate countries, EUobserver reports.
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Written with the help of AI from the reporting linked above.