Trump’s Return Triggers Soul-Searching in Europe

Welcome to the Brussels Edition, Bloomberg’s daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union.

The EU is getting ready for some soul-searching. Leaders want to address Europe’s place in the world and that means a reassessment of the bloc’s relationship with its closest ally: the US. They will do so over lunch at a summit in Brussels on Dec. 19, we’re told, the first to be led by incoming Council President Antonio Costa. The conversation will also touch on how to reinvigorate relations with the UK. Following Donald Trump’s election victory, Europeans know they might have to fight alone: in terms of their own defense and their backing for Ukraine, but also on trade. And although the EU has pledged to keep helping the government in Kyiv, it also made a last-ditch appeal to President Joe Biden to boost American support before the handover in January. — Andrea Palasciano