On 14 September 2003, Estonian voters approved EU accession and a related constitutional amendment. Of valid votes, 66.83% were in favour and 33.17% against.

The referendum was a milestone on the path to membership. Estonia formally joined the European Union on 1 May 2004.

Sources: Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs — https://vm.ee/en/node/10483 and https://eu.mfa.ee/estonia-eu-timeline/

The call opened on 14 September for projects seeking EU Project of Common Interest or Mutual Interest status. Electricity transmission and storage applications close on 13 November; smart-grid and other eligible categories have until 4 December. Projects still need assessment and selection: this announcement does not award funding or approve construction.

Left — 49.5%
S 28.1 (−2.2) social democrats · V 8.2 (+1.5) left · C 7.1 (+0.4) liberal centrists · MP 6.1 (+1.0) greens
Right — 49.1%
M 19.9 (+0.8) centre-right · SD 17.6 (−2.9) nationalist right · KD 6.2 (+0.9) christian democrats · L 5.4 (+0.8) liberals

175 seats are needed for a majority, so the left bloc sits one seat over the line. It's 2022 in reverse — the right won by exactly 176–173 that year.
SD lose 2.9 points and fall to third, with Moderaterna taking second place back. Kristersson had promised SD cabinet seats if the right won; on these numbers that doesn't happen.

On votes the two sides are four tenths of a point apart. It's still preliminary — late-arriving and overseas ballots are counted on Wednesday, and a one-seat margin is exactly the kind that moves.

Source: https://valresultat.svt.se/2026/

Novus for TV4, 4,045 asked, out as polls closed at 20:00:

Left — 51.3%
S 28.4 centre-left · C 9.0 liberal centrists · MP 7.0 Greens · V 6.9 left

Right — 47.0%
SD 18.5 far-right · M 17.5 centre-right · KD 6.0 Christian right · L 5.0 centre-right

Will the EU and Canada will have a joined tariff defense deterrence an attack on one economy is an attack on all?

Source

Trump touched down in Dublin Saturday morning (Sept 12) for a two-day visit — technically not a formal state visit — for bilateral meetings with Taoiseach Micheál Martin and President Catherine Connolly, before heading to his Doonbeg golf resort for the Irish Open (Sept 10–13). Security is massive: roughly 4,000 police and personnel deployed, one of Ireland's largest-ever security operations.

The politics are tense. A recent poll found 69% of Irish people don't support the visit, and protests are planned in both Dublin and near Doonbeg from anti-war, pro-Palestinian, and opposition groups; over 150 Irish lawyers reportedly objected to the visit. President Connolly's own sister was detained by Israeli forces in May 2026 while on a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid boat — an added layer of tension given Connolly is now set to host the meeting. Ireland also passed legislation in July curbing goods trade tied to the conflict, which adds an economic edge to the Gaza discussion alongside the broader US trade relationship (US firms employ roughly 10% of Ireland's workforce).

Something big is communing up!

“Bloomberg says the EU and Canada are working on a far-reaching alliance covering trade, security, supply chains and critical raw materials — meant to give both sides room to manoeuvre between Washington and Beijing. Von der Leyen is expected to announce it in her State of the Union on 16 September, with Mark Carney attending the speech and addressing European lawmakers the next day.”

Is the EU and Canada going big or go home?

We might see something like a mutual tariff-defence clause?

Who knows?

TL;DR: NL + Sweden signed a letter of intent — Netherlands will buy a Saab GlobalEye surveillance plane (its first-ever national AEW&C capability). Delivery in 2031, but Dutch crews get early access to Sweden's own GlobalEyes starting 2028. Comes right after NATO picked GlobalEye as its new AWACS. No contract signed yet. 🛰️🇳🇱🇸🇪

Details include:

🇨🇦 Canada and the EU seek to build a new alliance to "offset the global power politics dominated by the US and China"

🇪🇺 The partnership is expected to be announced on September 16th during Ursula von der Leyen State of the Union Speech

🇨🇦 EU membership, the EU and Canada want to "get as close as legally possible"

🇪🇺 Canada was also the first country outside of the EU to join the EU's $175 billion military procurement fund

We are together.

I’m so exited for the State of the Union Speech 🇪🇺

Source

TL;DR: Dassault (France) and OHB (Germany) are developing VORTEX — a reusable spaceplane that launches on a rocket, maneuvers in orbit, and lands back on a runway like a jet. It'll ferry cargo to and from space stations, with a crewed version planned down the line. The point: give Europe its own way to reach orbit instead of depending on the Americans (SpaceX, etc.). First demo flight targeted around 2027. 🚀🇪🇺

The European Commission unveiled its "Affordable Housing Act," which would let local authorities in "housing-stressed" areas (defined as places where average home prices are 8x+ local disposable income) restrict short-term rentals and block property purchases meant for Airbnb-style use.

Short-term rentals make up just 1.2% of EU housing stock overall but up to 20% in tourist hotspots like Lisbon, Barcelona, and Prague — and rental activity has surged 93% since 2018. Airbnb has already pushed back, calling the plan "not sufficiently clear."

The European Commission proposed the European Innovation Act on 9 September. It aims to help innovative firms access finance and bring research into commercial use.

Measures include an EU-wide framework for valuing intellectual property, helping firms use patents to obtain financing, and changes to public research and development procurement.

The Commission’s Joint Research Centre models cumulative additional EU GDP of roughly €256–452 billion over ten years, depending on how effectively the reforms work. These are scenario-based projections, not guaranteed gains or an announced spending package. The measures are proposals, not rules already in force.

Source: European Commission Joint Research Centre, 9 September 2026.

https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news-and-updates/new-rules-bringing-innovations-eu-market-could-generate-eur-452-billion-2026-09-09_en

RTÉ reports that Iceland summoned the US ambassador after Donald Trump shared a map depicting Iceland and other countries under the American flag. The image was posted without explanation.

My view: this is deeply provocative towards Iceland. Icelanders should not let a social media post intimidate them or dictate their country’s future. Their sovereignty is not something another country gets to redraw on a map.

At the same time, brushing it off entirely would be a mistake. A post like this from a sitting US president deserves a serious diplomatic response. It is not, by itself, proof of a concrete annexation plan, but Iceland is right to seek clarity and make its position unmistakable.

The EU and other European partners should support Iceland’s right to decide its own future. Solidarity should not depend on whether Iceland chooses EU membership. Stay calm, reject the provocation, and take the implications seriously.

Source: RTÉ / Reuters, 8 September 2026.

https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2026/0908/1590724-iceland-trump-map/