EU Summit Thrown into Chaos by 'Breakgate' Snub; Leaders Arrive Late Amid Internal Rift

On February 12, 2026, an informal EU summit in Belgium aimed at bolstering European competitiveness descended into disarray over an uninvited pre-summit breakfast. The meeting, hastily organized by Italy, Germany, and Belgium at a hotel near Alden Biesen Castle, was attended by only 19 of the 27 EU leaders, sparking fury among the eight excluded nations. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez lodged a formal protest with Rome, while Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin sarcastically remarked he was enjoying "splendid isolation."

Compounding the embarrassment, host Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, along with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, all arrived late to the main summit, forcing European Council President António Costa to commence proceedings without the EU's three largest economies. Diplomatic sources revealed that the controversial breakfast produced no substantive outcome, with few attendees able to speak, leading media to widely deem it a failed gathering that underscored persistent internal divisions.