Author: Press Room
Italy has still not decided how much it will draw from its low-interest defence loans, as domestic factors hold up the decision. Brussels and other capitals are growing impatient, with the clock ticking to reallocate any unspent money elsewhere. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Security Action for Europe (SAFE) is the EU’s defence financing programme, offering European governments low-interest loans to fill critical gaps in military capacity, including support for Ukraine’s war effort. Italy requested €14.9bn in loans under SAFE, swiftly approved by the Commission and the Council. But Rome has yet to sign the loan agreement, unable to decide whether to confirm…
A proposal that could reshape the commercial future of the World Cup has sparked fierce opposition from football’s governing bodies. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT FIFA president Gianni Infantino unveiled plans on Tuesday to create a $20 billion (€17.5 billion) company to run the World Cup with private investors. The proposed commercial subsidiary, called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), would oversee competitions including the World Cup and Club World Cup, according to The Times of London. Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter voiced concern over the close ties between Infantino and US President Donald Trump, as one of the potential private investors is reportedly the…
Published on 29/07/2026 – 13:15 GMT+2 The European Union has joined the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) in criticising FIFA’s controversial plan to launch a new commercial company with external investment to sell a stake in the World Cup. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “The relentless commercialisation of football has become corrosive,” EU Commissioner for Sport Glenn Micallef wrote on X on Wednesday. He added that a possible alignment of FIFA’s regulatory powers with the financial interests of private entities is a concern for the European Commission. FIFA announced on Tuesday it plans to create a $20 billion (around €17.6 billion) subsidiary…
Thousands of residents who were forced to evacuate from the region of Madrid returned home on Wednesday as the wildfires had been stabilised. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT A day prior, Spanish authorities had lifted over a dozen evacuation orders for municipalities west of the capital of Madrid, where the fire had burned most fiercely. “24,000 evacuated individuals have been able to return to their homes, and another 20,000 have been released from confinement in the Community of Madrid,” central government delegate to the region Francisco Martin Aguirre said on X late on Tuesday. Regional authorities said weather conditions improved overnight, which helped…
A large wildfire on Paros is raging for a second day, with firefighting crews battling multiple fronts on the southern and southeastern side of one of Greece’s most popular holiday islands. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The operation was significantly reinforced at first light on Wednesday, after the fire flared up again overnight and authorities issued successive evacuation orders for residents and visitors in a total of ten areas. The authorities remain chiefly concerned about the strong northerly winds, which hamper access for ground crews and carry embers over long distances, sparking new outbreaks. Rekindling after sunset The fire broke out at midday…
By Alessio Dell’Anna & video by Léo Arnoux Published on 29/07/2026 – 7:30 GMT+2 Spain is the EU country that’s been worst hit by this year’s wildfires, recording the highest share of burned land in Europe relative to its size in 2026. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT That’s more than 200,000 hectares, or around 0.4% of the country’s territory, according to the EU’s Earth observation programme Copernicus. On Sunday, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned that difficult hours lay ahead, after more than 90,000 people were forced to evacuate areas around Madrid and Ávila. Neighbouring Portugal is also facing a severe fire season, recording the EU’s second-highest…
A deadly attack at Berlin’s Pride parade has renewed scrutiny of how EU member states share intelligence on suspected extremists and monitor their movements across borders. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The suspect, 21-year-old Abdul Ballout, had travelled outside the Schengen Area before returning to the EU, yet was not detained despite his known links to Islamist extremism. A German citizen of Lebanese descent, Ballout had been known to German police and intelligence services for several years because of his involvement in Islamist extremist activities. He had travelled to Turkey looking to enter Syria. The case has reignited questions over whether Europe’s intelligence-sharing…
The European Commission’s long-awaited wildfire strategy, unveiled in March, was presented as a major shift in approach: moving away from simply fighting fires once they break out towards prioritising prevention measures. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Four months later, Spain and France are facing one of their worst wildfire seasons in years, exposing the gap between Brussels’ ambitions and the limited progress made on the ground. As flames spread across southern Europe, the Commission is facing growing scrutiny over whether its promise to put wildfire prevention ahead of emergency response came too late to make any difference this summer. The strategy unveiled in…
Europe is facing one of its worst wildfire seasons in years, with France and Spain bearing the brunt of large, fast-moving blazes fuelled by repeated heatwaves, drought and strong winds. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Thousands of firefighters are battling fires that have forced mass evacuations, destroyed tens of thousands of hectares of forest and disrupted tourism during the peak summer season. Portugal, Greece, Italy, Turkey and parts of the Western Balkans are also at risk due to expected rising temperatures. Euronews has examined the latest wildfire trends, the factors driving their spread and the challenges Europe faces in preventing future disasters. Where…
Western Europe experienced its hottest June on record this years as prolonged periods of extreme heat pushed temperatures to unprecedented levels across multiple countries. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The impacts extended beyond discomfort, putting pressure on healthcare systems and damaging crops. These four figures help indicate the scale of the heatwave across the region. 20.74: The average temperature Western Europe recorded its hottest June since records began, with an average temperature of 20.74 degrees, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change service. This average temperature was 3.06 degrees above the June average between 1991 and 2020, surpassing a previous record set in…