5 things to watch at the Dublin EU leaders’ summit

DUBLIN— It’s becoming a familiar pattern at European Council summits: EU leaders are summoned to discuss one big strategic issue, only for another political crisis to steal the show. Friday’s gathering in Dublin appears unlikely to break that trend. While EU leaders are ostensibly meeting for their first dedicated discussion on artificial intelligence, the agenda is already crowded with more immediate fights over Ukraine, the ongoing splits over the bloc’s next budget, and who will take the helm at the European Central Bank. Formal talks begin at 9:45 a.m.

followed by lunch around 1 p.m. and a press conference provisionally scheduled for 4:15 p.m. Here are the five issues that really matter — and what to watch for. 1.

AI: Can Europe compete at the frontier? Leaders will debate how Europe can build its own AI capacity, from computing power and cloud infrastructure to chips and models. European Council President António Costa framed the discussion around sovereignty, asking leaders to consider “how Europe can become a leading and sovereign player” across the AI value chain.