| Welcome to the Brussels Edition, Bloomberg's daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union. European energy prices are spiraling out of control. Gas prices have surged 60% in just two days, pushing industry in the region to the breaking point and rattling financial markets. The EU is sounding the alarm, with the Commission set to outline next week exactly what action member states can take to protect citizens from the soaring costs, without falling foul of state-aid rules. For their part, environment ministers across the bloc are getting jittery, with a number of countries expressing growing concern over the EU's plans to create a new emissions trading system for road transport and heating — something they deem will hit the poorest most. But Frans Timmermans, the EU's climate chief, is sticking to his guns, saying that rising carbon prices are only to blame for a fifth of the increase in electricity prices and that the solution is more renewables, not fewer. Whether he can keep the transition on track may depend on how quickly prices start to return to normal. — John Ainger EU Infighting | The divides between member states were in full view at a summit in Slovenia, with Dutch Prime Minster Mark Rutte and Hungary's Viktor Orban sparring over electricity prices. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron made the case for a more assertive EU foreign policy over a dinner on Tuesday and met with mixed reviews. Post-Merkel Haggling | Olaf Scholz will take a step toward succeeding Angela Merkel as German chancellor when his Social Democratic party starts exploratory coalition talks with the Greens and the Free Democrats today. But policy differences are vast, and haggling could last for months. Here's a look at the key issues. Russian Help | Russia is willing to help stabilize global energy markets and could export record volumes of natural gas to Europe this year, according to President Vladimir Putin. Some European officials have said that lower-than-anticipated supplies from Russia, the region's largest provider, have been a major cause of the crisis. Not Merkel though. Easy Fix | At least there's one cheap and easy thing we can do to help solve the climate crisis: tackling methane. Check out our deep data dive on one of the most potent greenhouse gases. Contactless Apple | Apple may see the Commission file formal charges over the company's refusal to allow rivals to use contactless payments on phones. At present, iPhone and Apple Watch users can only make them using Apple Pay. Banks and other competitors want the same functionality for their own iPhone apps but Apple refuses access to the chip. Mink Probe | Denmark's parliament begins hearings today on whether Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen knew she was issuing an illegal order last year when deciding to cull the country's entire mink population to prevent Covid-19 mutations. ECB Bond Buying | The European Central Bank is studying a new bond-buying program to prevent market turmoil when emergency purchases are phased out next year, we're told. The approach would replace the existing crisis tool and complement an older, open-ended quantitative-easing plan that's currently acquiring 20 billion euros in debt every month. Macron's Backing | President Macron nominated Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau for a second term, opting for stability. The decision is arguably the most significant in terms of ECB jobs due before 2026, when governments must pick a successor to Vice President Luis de Guindos. Moderna Halted | Sweden's public health authority has decided to halt immunizations with Moderna's Covid-19 shot for people aged 30 or younger because of concern over potential side effects. The authority cited indications of increased risk for heart inflammation, such as myocarditis and pericarditis. It's recommending the Pfizer/BioNTech shot instead. Amazon Appeal | Brazil will come to the upcoming climate summit in Scotland seeking extra support on protecting the Amazon rainforest as it offers more ambitious pledges on reducing carbon emissions, Foreign Minister Carlos Franca told us in an interview in Paris. President Jair Bolsonaro has publicly clashed with France's Macron over climate issues. Brakes On | The French government may step in to protect households if gasoline and diesel prices keep soaring, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said. The country — scarred by the yellow vest protests — has already announced a temporary freeze in regulated gas prices for households and a tax cut on electricity bills. Bulgarian Hurdle | North Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said there was no progress in talks with Bulgaria, which is blocking the start of EU accession talks. Progress has been held up by Bulgaria over its neighbor's name and the origin of its language as well as the two nations' shared history.  Severe material shortages and long delivery times are weighing on demand for German manufactured goods, signaling that the country's recovery may lose momentum in the final months of the year. Factory orders plunged 7.7% in August, exceeding all forecasts in a Bloomberg survey. Supply bottlenecks affected makers of cars and automotive parts in particular — they saw orders fall 12% from the previous month. All times CET. - 10 a.m. EU Sustainable Investment Summit, speakers include Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and climate chief Timmermans
- 1 p.m. Press briefing by Ylva Johansson, European commissioner for home affairs, following the EU High-level Forum on providing protection to Afghans at risk
- 2:05 p.m. German Chancellor Merkel, Italy Premier Mario Draghi hold news conference after talks in Rome
- 5 p.m. Statements after first meeting of exploratory talks between Germany's SPD, Greens and FDP about a potential governing coalition
- 5:30 p.m. Press conference by the Slovenian Presidency and the Commission after Justice and Home Affairs Council
- Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic delivers a speech via video conference on the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol at a webinar by the Institute of Internal and European Affairs
- Internal markets Commissioner Thierry Breton moderates via video conference a panel discussion at the Business Council meeting in San Francisco
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