In psychology, frustration is an emotion arising from perceived obstacles to fulfilling one’s will or goal. In EU politics, frustration is today’s special. A peace conference was held in Switzerland over the weekend with the aim of putting an end to the horrendous Russian aggression against Ukraine, but peace is no nearer as it takes two to tango, and Russia wasn’t invited. To add insult to injury, from Moscow, President Vladimir Putin made unacceptable “peace proposals”, equivalent to a threat that things may worsen, and a dozen countries from the so-called Global South refused to sign up to the final communiqué. Meanwhile, tonight, EU leaders meet for dinner in Brussels to agree on who will head EU institutions for possibly the most important five years as humanity decides its future, wrestling with galloping climate change, geopolitical instability, and the rise of artificial intelligence. But we don’t know what the future holds for France and Germany, regarding who will be running the two most important EU countries over the next few years. The family photo from the G7 meeting in Italy, combined with each of the seven leader’s disapproval ratings, says more than a thousand words. Each is beset with a plethora of problems. The personalities of the Commission and the Council chief are important, but it is just as important to know who will be calling the shots in the biggest EU countries and, therefore, also in the EU Council. A peace conference without peace in sight, new leaders of the EU institutions without certainty over the leadership in the capitals: This is not very reassuring for the wider public. | 
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