Who’s who in the EU? The state of the union through its 27 leaders

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Meet the heads of government navigating domestic anger over living costs, aging populations and other major challenges ...

Less flashy than his predecessors, the conservative’s three-party coalition with Social Democrats and Liberals has generated fewer headlines, too, than his party’s previous alliance with the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ).

But political risks remain: recession, rising unemployment and a strained budget have forced spending cuts and business tax hikes to meet euro deficit limits.

Belgium’s first Flemish prime minister took over in 2025. However, the political instability that has plagued Belgium over recent years returned this month when De Wever tendered his resignation over the failure of his left-right coalition to agree austerity measures. Belgium’s king Philippe has given De Wever until next Monday to salvage his administration, failing which the country will be plunged into another crisis. De Wever skipped the summit in Dublin.

The president of his country until January this year, he quit to form a new centre-left political party, Progressive Bulgaria. It won parliamentary elections in April, breaking five years of political deadlock in Bulgaria after a series of repeatedly inconclusive votes.

Radev is accused by his critics of being too soft towards Russia and Vladimir Putin. The Bulgarian prime minister must balance this line with his country’s membership of the Nato military alliance, all while reviving growth in an economy mired in corruption and with popular protests over its budget.

Seen as a beacon of political stability in Europe, Plenkovic is Croatia’s longest-serving postwar leader. After just over a decade running his country, he is also currently the EU leader with the longest unbroken streak in power. The pro-EU Plenkovic frequently clashes with his country’s more populist president Zoran Milanovic. Croatia, meanwhile, remains economically resilient, but with severe housing and labour shortages.

A surge in left- and right-wing populist movements in parliamentary elections in May weakened the power base of the country’s pro-EU leader, Christodoulides.

An…

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