Charlemagne columnist & Brussels bureau chief, The Economist. Past stints in Paris, Mumbai, London. Français. Personal feed. Bio 👇. https://medium.com/@spignal/stanley-pignal-bio-2acd9b705ceb Charlemagne@economist.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3mlvrypqc7k23Hahaha this truly is the dumbest thing. Cutting the school year by 15% because of the World Cup, whatever next. [contains quote post or other embedded content]15 May 2026 16:49 +0000at://did:plc:luw7pcqimp4xchky7hdkvzvd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlvrypqc7k23https://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3mltan26qc22tA generation ago, two-thirds of EU citizens lived in countries run by Socialist leaders. Now the figure is barely 10%, and could fall further if Mette Frederiksen is toppled in Denmark. What the hell happened? My Charlemagne on how Europe's left got left behind. https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/05/14/socialism-is-being-left-behind-in-europe14 May 2026 16:32 +0000at://did:plc:luw7pcqimp4xchky7hdkvzvd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mltan26qc22thttps://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3mlt6n6tknc25Excellent take on China-EU by my colleague @dsorennie.bsky.social, who travelled to both Beijing and Brussels (having lived in both previously) to gauge the rising trade frictions between them. *Very* sobering assessment of Europe by the Chinese. Nearing contempt, often. [contains quote post or other embedded content]14 May 2026 15:57 +0000at://did:plc:luw7pcqimp4xchky7hdkvzvd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlt6n6tknc25https://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3mlt5wy52us25Bit surprised to see Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, claim that EU commissioners "represent the 27 member states" (Le Point). The EU treaties basically say 100% the opposite, demand commissioners represent the EU & not their country, and asks governments not to try to sway them.14 May 2026 15:44 +0000at://did:plc:luw7pcqimp4xchky7hdkvzvd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlt5wy52us25https://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3mlt3ktatos25Live footage of European GDP falling behind America's. Poor French people on their four-day weekend look inconsolable.14 May 2026 15:02 +0000at://did:plc:luw7pcqimp4xchky7hdkvzvd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlt3ktatos25https://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3mlokjxsti22oIT'S HAPPENING12 May 2026 19:46 +0000at://did:plc:luw7pcqimp4xchky7hdkvzvd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlokjxsti22ohttps://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3mlodjqr5l22tThe The Beatles [contains quote post or other embedded content]12 May 2026 17:41 +0000at://did:plc:luw7pcqimp4xchky7hdkvzvd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlodjqr5l22thttps://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3mlksy6e2ms2vWell done NYT for making me click and scroll par four ad banners to get to the juicy bit. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/style/negarin-sadr-matt-sornson-canceled-wedding-redemption.html11 May 2026 08:07 +0000at://did:plc:luw7pcqimp4xchky7hdkvzvd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlksy6e2ms2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3mljf4pzz5k2yCopenhagen, we have a problem. Danish PM Mette Frederiksen fails to seal a coalition deal. Danish king has tasked her centre-right deputy with forming a government. Still a decent chance Frederiksen comes through in the end, but outcome looks far from certain. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/world/europe/denmark-frederiksen-right-wing-government.html10 May 2026 18:26 +0000at://did:plc:luw7pcqimp4xchky7hdkvzvd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mljf4pzz5k2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3mlbc4momzs2yMy Charlemagne this week is a report from inside the Brussels deep state. The EU is gaining power. But rank-and-file "eurocrats" who have spent their careers building the European project worry their influence is ebbing. https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/05/06/inside-the-brussels-deep-state07 May 2026 13:11 +0000at://did:plc:luw7pcqimp4xchky7hdkvzvd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlbc4momzs2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3mlbc4momzs2yMy Charlemagne this week is a report from inside the Brussels deep state. The EU is gaining power. But rank-and-file "eurocrats" who have spent their careers building the European project worry their influence is ebbing. https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/05/06/inside-the-brussels-deep-state07 May 2026 13:11 +0000at://did:plc:luw7pcqimp4xchky7hdkvzvd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlbc4momzs2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3ml3lbkxmvs2cA year ago I jokingly wrote that a sneaky NATO-member government intent on meeting its defence-spending target could include just about anything to hit the figure--including counting hospitals as military spending. Today's FT: "Slovakia classes hospitals as Nato defence spending to hit 2% target"05 May 2026 06:39 +0000at://did:plc:luw7pcqimp4xchky7hdkvzvd/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml3lbkxmvs2chttps://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3mkrsw4gmuk2pI try to find an ugly magnet to mark every reporting trip. It's quite the collection of horrors.01 May 2026 09:29 +0000at://did:plc:luw7pcqimp4xchky7hdkvzvd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkrsw4gmuk2phttps://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3mkpqvm4n5c2jI'll be on BBC Radio 4 at 4pm UK time to discuss tech sovereignty, and whether Europe can ever shake off its dependency on America. Fun panel with lots of disagreement, chaired by @davidsonofaaron.bsky.social. Tune in or link below. https://www.bbc.com/audio/play/m002vml630 Apr 2026 13:48 +0000at://did:plc:luw7pcqimp4xchky7hdkvzvd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkpqvm4n5c2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3mkozdrpap22nThis "finance writer" job is how I got into The Economist all those years ago. It is up for grabs again. No journalistic experience needed, just a keen interest in explaining what the hell market participants are up to. My top, top tip: write a killer sample article.30 Apr 2026 06:46 +0000at://did:plc:luw7pcqimp4xchky7hdkvzvd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkozdrpap22nhttps://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3mknmsh4jgs2dGood example here of the Trumpisation of PR. There is no way Citi would have denigrated the FT as a "tabloid" were it not for Trump & co's attacks on the media. It has completely shifted the social acceptability of bashing journalism just because you don't like a story. https://www.ft.com/content/e45c2c21-babe-4fd9-85f1-2b2b3aa38872?syn-25a6b1a6=129 Apr 2026 17:29 +0000at://did:plc:luw7pcqimp4xchky7hdkvzvd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mknmsh4jgs2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3mkinkwhlrc2kI'm just about maxx-maxxedout. Time to move on, headline writers.27 Apr 2026 17:59 +0000at://did:plc:luw7pcqimp4xchky7hdkvzvd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkinkwhlrc2khttps://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3mkhz36pqcc2rMy Charlemagne this week is The Road to Economic Serfdom, or how EU red tape worsened its dependency on America. Part of the reason we Europeans rely on Google, Visa etc is because they have no local equivalent. And that's in part due to the EU's regulatory zeal. https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/04/22/how-europe-regulated-itself-into-american-vassalage27 Apr 2026 11:53 +0000at://did:plc:luw7pcqimp4xchky7hdkvzvd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkhz36pqcc2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3mkffo2ohlk24Typical: you wait for decades for someone to run a marathon under 2 hours, then two of them arrive at once. #LondonMarathon [contains quote post or other embedded content]26 Apr 2026 11:00 +0000at://did:plc:luw7pcqimp4xchky7hdkvzvd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkffo2ohlk24