Today's November 7, 2025, the global political focus is split between an urgent climate summit and deep domestic budget crises gripping major European capitals.

The UN Climate Summit (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, is a central, yet troubled, venue, marked by the absence of the United States after President Trump withdrew from the Paris Agreement and shifted foreign policy toward promoting American fossil fuels.

Against this backdrop, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is making his first appearance at a UN climate conference, though sources suggest he is heavily preoccupied with the "tense coalition climate" back home in Berlin and his many "Chancellor-problems".

Meanwhile, in Brussels, Commission officials are racing against a tight deadline to secure the unfreezing of €140 billion in Russian assets—a critical financial lifeline Ukraine needs by early next year.

This effort is running into a severe "Belgian political drama," as Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s government struggles to clinch a domestic budget deal involving €10 billion in spending cuts, and De Wever has warned that a 50-day extension granted for securing the deal, which expires on December 26, is a "maximum period".

Domestic political headaches are equally acute across France and the United Kingdom, dominated by contentious budget negotiations and internal party friction.

In Paris, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is engaged in delicate negotiations, aiming to find a point of "equilibrium" with the Senate to ensure France gets a budget without resorting to the constitutional provision of Article 49.3. Lecornu, described by senators as "clever" and "skillful," even met with Senate President Gérard Larcher to prepare for the budgetary debate.

However, the right and center majority in the Senate plan to significantly "unravel" the version passed by the Assembly, specifically targeting the reversal of €46 billion in tax increases before seeking a compromise in the joint mixed committee (CMP).

Across the English Channel, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer returns from Belém to face internal "angst" following reports that Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves has informed the OBR (Office for Budget Responsibility) of her intention to raise income tax.

This impending tax hike, seen as potentially breaking a manifesto promise, has fueled party splits, highlighted by Deputy Leader Lucy Powell’s public calls for the government not to break its pledges.

Simultaneously, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy continues to face "vicious briefing" from Cabinet ministers and MPs who criticized his "shockingly bad" or "cowardly" handling of a recent controversy involving the accidental release of prisoners.