| Welcome to the Brussels Edition, Bloomberg's daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union. Worried and disappointed. Those were the words from the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, as he accused the U.K. of failing to engage constructively in negotiations ahead of formal talks in London next week. His comments highlight the growing exasperation in Brussels, throwing into doubt the timetable both sides have accepted to get a deal done in time for the bloc's October summit. With Europe bracing for an upsurge in coronavirus infections this winter, a chaotic split at the end of the year would be far from ideal. — John Ainger What's Happening Nerve Agent | Tensions between the EU and Russia have dramatically increased after Germany said tests showed "unequivocally" that opposition leader Alexey Navalny was poisoned by a novichok nerve agent. That's similar to the substance used in the attempted murder of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in England in 2018. Chancellor Angela Merkel wants the EU to discuss a joint response in the coming days. Vaccine Update | The moment of truth for the front-runners to make a coronavirus vaccine is coming as soon as this month, with drugmakers having promised a quick turnaround. Here's what you can expect from the key players. French Support | The French government unveiled a 100 billion-euro stimulus plan, focusing on greening the economy, creating jobs for young people and cutting taxes on industry. The EU recovery fund will finance around 40% of the spending, which President Emmanuel Macron says will transform the economy in the next decade. Strategic Security | The European Commission today will stress the risks of relying on foreign countries such as China for key manufacturing materials. One idea to be floated in the strategy paper is the creation of a European raw-materials alliance that would focus initially on rare earths. Not So Lucky | Micheal Martin's dream job as Ireland's prime minister is in danger of turning into a nightmare. In just two months, he's lost one minister to a drink-driving offense and seen his government engulfed in a scandal dubbed Golfgate, which cost another minister and Ireland's powerful EU Commissioner, Phil Hogan, their jobs. Some are yearning for steadier times. In Case You Missed It Hungarian Spanner | Hungary may not ratify the EU's 750 billion-euro coronavirus fund until it gets reassurances it won't risk punishment over its sliding democratic standards. That poses a significant problem to the fund's progress, which has helped calm fears of the bloc breaking up. Chinese Hack | European government officials, diplomats, non-profits and other global organizations were targeted by a Chinese nation-state hacker group in a phishing campaign designed to gather intelligence about global economies reeling from the pandemic, according to cybersecurity experts. The WHO was targeted by hackers earlier this year. Selling Mercosur | In one of his last acts before resigning as an EU Commissioner, Phil Hogan appointed the first person to police the bloc's slew of commercial agreements with the rest of the world: veteran insider Denis Redonnet. Top of his list of priorities? Sell the draft accord with the Mercosur trade bloc to skeptics. Green Machine | Germany is on track to become the dominant player in the fledgling green bond market after selling 6.5 billion euros of debt to fund environmentally friendly projects — the first time it has done so. It's an area going from strength-to-strength, with the EU also set to issue its own green assets as part of the region's recovery fund. Tax Trap | More than 1 million people in Europe who live in one country and work in another and their employers face a potentially expensive headache should working from home become permanent. Chart of the Day  Italians failed to become more efficient over the last decade — on average total factor productivity growth subtracted 0.3 percentage point from potential GDP growth. Bloomberg Economics sees that figure moving toward zero and staying there for the foreseeable future. That would cause national income gaps with Germany and France to become substantially wider and threaten the sustainability of the monetary union. Today's Agenda All times CET. - 8 a.m. German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, Germany's head of economic policy Philipp Steinberg, and Pierre Wunsch, governor of the National Bank of Belgium, speak at Bruegel's annual event
- 9:05 a.m. German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier makes a presentation at the European Parliament on the trade priorities of the Council Presidency until the end of the year
- 9:15 a.m. Germany's Scholz takes part in virtual Handelsblatt banking conference
- 11 a.m. Eurostat to release retail trade reading for July
- 11 a.m. Press conference by Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic and Commissioner Thierry Breton on critical raw materials resilience in the EU
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