Crypto News: Brussels Edition: Back to the table

Welcome to the Brussels Edition, Bloomberg's daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union.

European diplomats may meet again today to try and find a compromise on capping Russian oil prices. A deal had been expected Friday night, but positions remained entrenched and talks were postponed. Poland and the Baltic States view the current proposal of $65 per barrel, above the level Russian oil is trading at, as too high and therefore too generous. Shipping nations like Greece favor a higher level that will help keep trade flowing. Despite the divide, a deadline is looming: EU sanctions on Russian oil are set to kick in on Dec. 5 and the risk of market disruption will be greater if the price cap isn't in place.

—Katharina Rosskopf

Spanish Aid | Spain is readying a new aid package for power-intensive companies including ceramics and fertilizer makers that are struggling due to mounting energy costs, we were told. The government is currently discussing the size of the package and may approve the measures as soon as next month.

Tax Delay | The German government will delay the start of a planned windfall levy for power producers, the Economy Ministry said on Friday. Instead of applying the tax retroactively from September, it will go into effect in December until the end of June next year. The decision came after energy lobby groups had criticized the planned levy.

Italian Debt | Italian companies have the most government-guaranteed debt yet to be repaid in the euro zone. That's putting the new government of Giorgia Meloni in a quandary: how and to what extent can it keep supporting companies now grappling with higher costs in a rapidly slowing economic environment?

French Inflation | France shouldn't see double-digit inflation this month or next because of price caps on power and natural gas, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told local TV. The government is still studying additional measures to help motorists cope with the high gasoline prices, he said: "We will not let down all of our compatriots who have no other choice but to use their car to go to work."

Amazon Deal | Amazon is poised to settle EU antitrust probes over how the U.S. ecommerce giant uses rivals' sales data and whether it unfairly favors its own products. The commission is likely to accept Amazon's binding proposals, including a commitment to stop using data on independent sellers on its marketplace for its competing retail business by the end of the year.

Dutch Buyout | The Netherlands laid out plans to buy out hundreds of farms near nature reserves, an attempt to quell the fury of farmers over its goal of halving nitrogen emissions by 2030. The cabinet has set aside €24.3 billion to fund the transition, but if not enough farmers sell, the government may have to force some of them out of business.

Backyard Coal | With energy prices skyrocketing and the uncertainty around gas supplies growing, coal, the dirtiest of fuels, is coming back into fashion. This is especially true in Poland, where it's used to heat 37% of homes. Here, so-called "poor man's pits", illegal coal mines, have sprouted up in forests, fields and shrubland. Learn more.

Crisis Averted | Slovakia avoided the potential collapse of its healthcare system as Prime Minister Eduard Heger reached an agreement with medical unions, days ahead of a planned walkout by doctors. The government agreed to significantly increase doctors' salaries and improve financing for hospitals and for the medical education system.

Polish women are taking on the ruling conservatives. Many of them are expected to take to the streets of Warsaw today, enraged by remarks from the country's most powerful politician, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who accused them of drinking excessively and keeping the birth rate low. Poland recorded 17,000 fewer births in the first nine months of the year compared with 2021. However, non-government groups attribute the drop to fear of getting pregnant as a consequence of a near-total ban on legal abortions imposed two years ago.

All times CET

3 p.m. ECB President Christine Lagarde speaks before the European Parliament's economic committee
4 p.m. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg holds news conference with Romanian President Nicolae Ciuca in Bucharest
5:30 p.m. EU climate chief Frans Timmermans speaks at Euractiv event
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen holds news conference with African Union Commission chair Moussa Faki
Commissioners Paolo Gentiloni, Valdis Dombrovskis and Kadri Simson speak at EU tax conference
Gentiloni and Belgian Finance Minister Vincent van Peteghem speak at Belgian Central Economic Council event
Kyiv Investment Forum held in Brussels

Don't keep it to yourself. Colleagues and friends can sign up here.

How are we doing? We want to hear what you think about this newsletter. Let our Brussels bureau chief know.