European Union in March 2026: the most important developments in politics
EU politics in March 2026 centred on Hungary's block on a €90 billion loan for Ukraine. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said early in the month that Hungary would block every EU decision on Ukraine, citing what he called an "oil blockade" by Kyiv over the damaged Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian oil. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later accused EU allies of blackmail. At the 19-20 March summit in Brussels, leaders sharply criticised Orbán for the veto. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc had legal tools to bypass it but lacked the political will, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk vowed to push the aid through; some suggested a solution might come only after Hungary's elections. On 23 March the EU demanded an explanation from Budapest over reports that it leaked sensitive EU information to Russia, which Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó rejected as election interference.
The conflict involving Iran divided EU leaders. On 10 March European Council President António Costa said Russia was the "only winner" of the war, in a public disagreement with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who a day later stressed the EU's commitment to international law after lawmakers criticised her for not condemning US and Israeli strikes. On 16 and 17 March the EU declined US requests for a military mission in the Strait of Hormuz; Kallas said there was "no appetite" among member states and pursued a diplomatic plan with the United Nations.
Reported chat messages pointed to cooperation between the European People's Party, led by Manfred Weber, and the AfD in the European Parliament. Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the CSU demanded answers and consequences, while Weber said on 19 March he was open to forming majorities with parties to his party's right. On 25 March the EPP said there would be no personnel consequences.
Elsewhere, the EU and Australia signed a free trade agreement and defence partnership on 24 March. Iceland set an August referendum on resuming its EU membership bid, and Poland's president vetoed a law giving access to €44 billion in EU defence loans.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
Click a day in the chart above for that day's brief.