Donald Trump's threats to withdraw US military capabilities from Europe were serious. The Pentagon has reported that it intends to reduce its presence on the European continent to the rest of NATO allies, and European countries are preparing and organizing to replace and fill the defense gaps that the North American power will leave, according to diplomatic sources from the Atlantic Alliance. In fact, several European allies have already put on the table what capabilities they can contribute and how they can contribute to Europe's security.

The official discourse of the European Union calls for a common defense, greater military autonomy, and less dependence on Donald Trump's United States. At this point, however, the reality is that the most pressing issue is unresolved. As community leaders admit in hushed tones, European allies still lack sufficient war industrial capacity to stop buying weapons from the North American power, a deficiency that has become evident again with the failure of the production of a latest-generation Franco-German fighter jet, which was also to have Spanish participation. the failure of the production of a fighter jet of Franco-German origin of the latest generation, which was also to have Spanish participation.

Before the last European elections on June 9, 2024, Ursula von der Leyen was already hinting during the election campaign about the new role that the far-right would play in the European Union. In order to secure the renewal of her mandate at the head of the European Commission, she repeatedly stated that not all far-right parties are the same and opened herself up to negotiations with formations like that of the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. Although she ultimately did not need their support, the relationship between conservatives and the far-right changed entirely. Without a sanitary cordon and with great electoral results, the far-right has consolidated itself in state governments and in the Eurochamber, and they are no longer just honking horns, but have also adopted a central and powerful role in the European Union.

The European Union has agreed to oblige airlines to show the prices of flights they offer with a carry-on suitcase included. And in case the consumer does not want to bring one, it will be deducted from the final bill. In this way, the European bloc wants to improve transparency and facilitate price comparison, and prevent consumers from finding themselves being charged a substantial amount of money to add a carry-on suitcase. As for backpacks or handbags that fit under the front seat – with a maximum size of 40x30x15 cm – they will continue to be free.

The same day that the European Union's major migratory reform enters into force, the community border control agency, Frontex, has published a report in which it assures that the arrival of irregular new arrivals has fallen by 40% during the first five months of this year, to 39,000 entries. The only migratory route that is growing is the one that culminates on the Iberian Peninsula: it increases by 40%, although it remains in absolute figures below routes such as the central Mediterranean or the eastern Mediterranean. "Algeria continues to be the main country of origin, and the Balearic Islands continue to be the most frequented destination," points out the Frontex report.

There is now a date for the final ruling of the European justice on the amnesty law. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) announced this Thursday that on July 16 it will rule on the preliminary rulings submitted by the Court of Auditors for the application of the amnesty in the case of expenses related to the referendum of October 1, 2017, and the National Court for the case of Operation Judes against the CDRs. The verdict from Luxembourg will be key to the judicial future of dozens of pro-independence leaders and activists, such as the leader of Junts, Carles Puigdemont, and that of Esquerra, Oriol Junqueras.

The migration reform is one of the main laws that was approved in the European Union in the previous legislature. From when the European Commission presented the first proposal until the member states and the European Parliament gave their approval, more than two years passed, but it has only entered into force this Friday. It is a very electorally attractive legislative dossier, especially for the far-right, and highly sensitive, which has been criticized by a multitude of non-profit organizations. We break down the most important points for you.

This Friday, the European Union's major migration reform comes into effect. It aims to reduce the entry of newcomers into EU territory and, among other measures, tightens policies on asylum applications, increases border controls, and accelerates and intensifies deportation processes. We discuss this with the head of migration and asylum in the European Union for the NGO Amnesty International, Olivia Sundberg.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has decided to make a move to try to curb the rise in inflation caused by the war in the Middle East initiated by the United States and Israel. The rate of price increase in the eurozone has been moving away from Frankfurt's goal of keeping it at 2% annually for months, and finally, the financial institution has decided to act to prevent this percentage from growing further and has raised interest rates by 0.25 percentage points, to 2.25%.

New blow from European justice against the migratory policies of the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. The Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has issued an opinion this Thursday against the creation of Italian centers outside of EU territory to deport newly arrived migrants living irregularly in Italy.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has been holding its fire for months. It did not want to make a misstep and prematurely use the main tool at its disposal to curb inflation caused by the war in Iran initiated by the United States and Israel. However, the price increase remains upward and is moving further and further away from the goal of keeping it at an annual rate of 2%. For this reason, experts and markets anticipate that the body led by Christine Lagarde has already loaded its ammunition and will raise interest rates by 0.25 percentage points, to 2.25%, at this Thursday's meeting.

The animosity and distrust of Europeans towards Donald Trump's United States continue to grow. Following the US president's threats to raise tariffs on the European Union, abandon NATO, invade Greenland, and start a war in the Middle East, at least a quarter of European citizens consider the North American power as "a rival or an adversary," according to a survey by the think tank European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) published this Wednesday.

The European Commission has announced that it is giving Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, five working days to open access to competing companies in the sector and allow other artificial intelligence (AI) assistants to provide services on this messaging application. In this way, the Community executive says in a statement released this Tuesday that it will prevent the US technology company from committing "irreparable harm" to competition in a rapidly expanding sector. "There is a risk of harming competition at a key moment for the development of this market, where smaller players and new competitors can challenge large established companies," the Community executive points out.

The European Union is getting to work after Viktor Orbán's departure as Prime Minister of Hungary. The European bloc was able to approve the twentieth sanctions package because Budapest lifted the veto and, just a few weeks later, Ursula von der Leyen's European Commission has already presented the twenty-first. In this set of restrictions, Brussels proposes to prohibit entry to any person who has worked in the Russian army since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, an increase in export bans to Russia of key elements for the manufacture of drones and defense equipment and, among others, more control over ships of the so-called ghost fleet, which distribute Russian fossil fuels hidden from the authorities of the EU member states.

The European country where the largest quantity of the two most consumed drugs on the continent is seized is Spain. The 2026 European Drug Report, published this Tuesday, indicates that the Spanish state accounts for up to 75% of marijuana plant seizures in Europe and 38% of cocaine, although the total tons seized have decreased substantially.

New warning from the European Commission to Spain over the legislation the Spanish government used to block the failed public takeover bid (OPA) launched by BBVA against Sabadell. Brussels has sent a new letter to the State reminding it, as it already warned last summer, that it is not complying with European regulations on banking acquisitions, mergers, and spin-offs. This is Brussels' prior warning before what is known as a reasoned opinion, which, if not heeded, will lead to the case being brought before the European justice system.

Brussels always pushes for more integration between European markets and to prevent, for example, different regulations in each autonomous community in Spain. However, the European Commission this Wednesday goes a step further in the economic and social assessment of Spain presented semi-annually by the European Commission and directly attacks the labeling in Catalan on products sold in Catalonia.

New warning from the European Commission to Spain. Although the State is the largest economy growing the most in the European Union, it complies with deficit limits and is reducing debt, Brussels warns that it may slightly exceed the net spending cap and urges it to increase revenue through value-added tax (VAT) on bars, restaurants, and hotels. Specifically, sources from the Community executive recommend that the VAT for the hospitality sector rise from 10% to 21%, which they calculate – with data from Airef for 2024 – represents approximately 7 billion euros annually and the equivalent of 0.4% of the State's gross domestic product (GDP).

The European Union went from looking with suspicion at Giorgia Meloni's rise to power to embracing her discourse and her measures against immigrants living in the community bloc. The latest step that has confirmed this plot twist in the European institutions is the migration reform agreed this week, which in various aspects is inspired by the policies of the Italian Prime Minister, especially the camps in third countries to deport migrants living irregularly in the EU. This is a regulation that has stirred up a lot of dust among NGOs and centrist and left-wing European parties. Let's review the most controversial points of the new law.

The European Union does not want to start building the house from the roof. Community leaders and those from the vast majority of member states avoid answering every time they are asked about the carousel of names to mediate potential negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Brussels and European partners want to lay the foundations first. Both the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, and various Foreign Ministers and sources from the European Council agree in emphasizing that, above all, it is necessary to agree on what should be negotiated with Moscow and how, and then decide who leads a European delegation that in no case is intended to have the role of a neutral mediator, but rather as a party, and clearly in favor of Ukraine.