🍽️🇪🇺 Pre-summit breakfast sparks Spain protest over EU exclusion

Oneliner

A pre-summit breakfast meeting on February 12, 2026, involving 19 EU leaders has led to diplomatic tensions, particularly from Spain, which protested its exclusion. Organized by Italy, Germany, and Belgium, the informal gathering delayed the main summit and raised concerns about transparency in EU decision-making. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed dissatisfaction, while Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever denied any intent to form a rival clique. The incident highlights ongoing challenges within the EU regarding inclusivity and cooperation.

Key points

• A pre-summit breakfast meeting delayed the main EU summit and raised concerns about transparency.
• Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez protested his exclusion from the informal gathering of 19 leaders.
• Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever denied any intent to form a rival clique within the EU.
• The breakfast meeting, organized by Italy, Germany, and Belgium, was criticized for lacking inclusivity.

Links

• Politico: The messy breakfast that delayed an EU summit
• Europa Press: Bélgica enfría el choque con España y asegura que no querían imponer su voluntad en la reunión previa
• Público: España traslada su malestar a Italia por convocar una reunión previa a una cumbre que "mina" los principios de la UE
• El Mundo: Sánchez va al choque con Meloni tras su exclusión del nuevo núcleo de decisión de la UE y en pleno auge de Vox
• Público: Bélgica enfría el choque con España y asegura que no querían imponer su voluntad en la reunión previa a la cumbre europea
• ANSA: Costa, 'pre-summit Meloni-Merz? Riunioni ristrette non sono una novità' - Altre news - Ansa.it
• Europa Press: Feijóo lamenta que Sánchez se quedase fuera de la minicumbre económica de la UE y ve la "decadencia política" de España

Facts

• The breakfast meeting took place on February 12, 2026.
• Nineteen out of the EU's 27 leaders attended the informal gathering.
• Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez lodged a protest over his exclusion.
• The meeting delayed the start of the main EU summit.

Quotes

• We don’t want the perception that there is a large group of countries that wants to impose its will on other countries, like Spain. That is not the intention. — Bart De Wever
• I don’t get the necessity of a private club convening separately. — Micheál Martin

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