EU Reports

Paris, France — France experienced its hottest day in history on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. According to the national temperature indicator, 30 different meteorological stations around the country recorded 30°C. French capital Paris hit 40°C, breaking the record set only a day before when, on Tuesday, temperatures exceeded the peaks seen during the heatwaves of July 2019 and August 2023.

Spanish banks have a retention problem, and the numbers are only getting worse. According to a 2026 Nickel study, in fact, 82% of Spaniards are seriously considering switching banks this year. This would be cause for alarm across any industry, but for Spanish banks, the driver behind the exodus are the bigger concern.

Most dogs alive today never see the inside of a home. An estimated 75% of the world’s roughly 900 million dogs are strays, and the shelters that exist to help them are usually one missed donation away from running out of food – the single largest line item on any shelter’s budget, and the first thing cut when money is tight. Azerbaijani pet-care platform Dosty, however, has found a low-friction fix: turn the walk people are already taking – with or without pets – into shelter donations.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has today announced his resignation following less than two years in office. His successor will be the country’s seventh prime minister in the last 10 years. Starmer confirmed that he would also resign as leader of the governing centre-left Labour Party in a speech made in front of 10 Downing Street early on the morning of June 22, 2026.

Staffordshire, UK – Since Labour’s landslide victory in the 2024 election, the rise in popularity of Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK has sent shockwaves through Britain’s traditional two-party system. Reform, which only won five seats at the last general election, has led national opinion polls consistently since early 2025 and would, according to current projections, become the largest party at the next UK general election.

MAKERFIELD, ENGLAND – Polls opened in the Greater Manchester constituency of Makerfield earlier today, where voters will decide whether to send former Mayor of Greater Manchester and potential Labour leadership contender Andy Burnham to parliament. Burnham faces stiff opposition from the right-wing Reform UK Party who, represented by local councillor Robert Kenyon and led by Nigel Farage, are seeking to gain their ninth seat in the House of Commons.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on June 15, 2026 that access to social media platforms such as X, Snapchat, Tiktok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X will be banned for British users under 16 years old. The measures, which will reportedly be implemented from early 2027, will also affect gaming apps and streaming platforms: under-16s will not be allowed to livestream, and the option to chat to strangers while gaming will also be removed for minors.

Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, faces a major European setback as its Greek Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) licence application reportedly nears rejection before the deadline. The EU’s MiCA transitional period is set to conclude on July 1, 2026. Under this new framework, any exchange operating in the Union must hold an authorized license from at least one EU member by that date; without it, firms cannot legally serve EU customers.

Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was reelected as the leader of the Hungarian Civic Alliance (Fidesz) party on June 13, winning the endorsement of 729 out of the 737 delegates – and running unopposed. Fidesz governed Hungary from 2010 until the election held in April 2026, where it lost by a landslide to Péter Magyar’s centre-right Tisza Party following four consecutive terms; Orbán has led the party consecutively since 2003, and from 1993 to 2000.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through Rome on Saturday, June 13, to both protest and support migration. The marches were prompted by the Remigration and Reconquest citizens’ initiative bill, which was put forward to Parliament by the people following 50,000 petitioner signatures.