Threads
Stories that unfold over weeks: where things stand, what has changed and what comes next.
Latest changes
Saturday 13 June
German government amends skilled immigration system
The German government agreed to amend its points-based skilled immigration system, lowering salary and qualification thresholds for non-EU workers in shortage sectors while slightly tightening family reunification rules.
Italian and US authorities block deepfake porn site cFake.com
Italian police, in cooperation with US Homeland Security, shut down the platform cFake.com, which hosted thousands of non-consensual fake explicit images and videos of female public figures, including PM Giorgia Meloni.
German economic institute projects increased labor shortage
The IW economic institute projects Germany will face a labor shortage of 4.3 million workers by 2036, an increase of 1.3 million from prior estimates, due to retiring baby boomers and reduced immigration.
Iran announces funeral schedule for Supreme Leader Khamenei
Iranian state media announced the funeral schedule for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, killed in US-Israeli strikes in February. Ceremonies will begin on July 4 in Tehran and conclude with burial in Mashhad on July 9, marking a leadership transition.
Russia formally lowers nuclear strike threshold
Russia adopted an updated nuclear doctrine that broadens conditions for nuclear weapons use, explicitly including responses to conventional attacks supported by nuclear-armed states. This change lowers the threshold for a potential nuclear response.
US Supreme Court expands president's foreign economic authority
The US Supreme Court issued a ruling broadly upholding the president's authority to impose tariffs and investment restrictions on national-security grounds, limiting judicial review and strengthening the executive's bargaining tools.
Southern Europe heatwave exposes limits of national health plans
A multi-week early-season heatwave in Spain, Italy, and Greece pushed temperatures above seasonal norms, leading to hospital admissions for heat stress exceeding planned capacity in Spain and power-grid strain in Italy.
Slovenia amends public broadcaster law after court ruling
Slovenia's parliament passed amendments to the RTV Slovenija law, strengthening civil-society representation on its supervisory council and introducing safeguards for editorial independence, following a Constitutional Court ruling.
EU Court of Justice holds first hearing on EMFA challenge
The Court of Justice of the EU held a first hearing in a case brought by Hungarian media companies seeking to annul key provisions of the European Media Freedom Act, arguing it interferes with national media regulation.
Iran denies fixed date for memorandum signing
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman responded to the US announcement by cautioning that no date has been fixed for signing a memorandum of understanding. The statement highlights ongoing disagreements over the terms and timing of a potential deal.
US pledges $4 billion loan for Poland as F-35 jets make inaugural flight
The United States will provide Poland with an additional $4 billion under the Foreign Military Financing programme, announced during the ceremony welcoming the first F-35 fighters into the Polish Air Force. This loan underscores the US's bilateral security engagements.
France launches national AI supervision hub
France established a national AI supervision hub to coordinate AI Act enforcement, bringing together regulators to build testing capacity and share expertise for high-risk and general-purpose AI systems.
Ukrainian drones strike oil facilities in Russia's Tatarstan region
Ukrainian long-range drones struck at least two oil processing or storage facilities in Russia’s Tatarstan region, extending Kyiv’s deep-strike campaign over 1,000 km from Ukraine. This action highlights a shift towards technological and strike competition.
President Trump halts Iran strikes, anticipates peace deal
President Trump cancelled planned strikes on Iran, stating that a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could be reached as soon as this weekend, leading to a market retreat for oil.
SpaceX rents Colossus 1 data center to Anthropic
SpaceX rented the full capacity of its Memphis data centre to Anthropic after latency and hardware mismatch issues prevented it from using the facility to train its Grok AI models. The deal brings in $1.25 billion a month.
Ukraine announces military overhaul and foreign recruitment
Ukraine launched a military overhaul, including plans to raise frontline infantry salaries, introduce fixed-term service contracts, and recruit foreign volunteers for up to half of infantry and assault roles.
Swiss voters decide on 'Swiss Brexit' population cap referendum
Swiss citizens are voting on a constitutional amendment to cap the population at 10 million, a measure that opponents warn could jeopardize the country's freedom of movement agreement with the EU.
Italy pursues new migration control deals with North African nations
Italy is pushing for expanded migration control agreements with Tunisia and Egypt, involving financial support, equipment, and training for local coastguards, alongside faster returns of intercepted migrants.
Switzerland votes on population cap referendum
Swiss voters are heading to the polls to decide on a constitutional amendment to cap the population at 10 million, a proposal that could affect the country's freedom of movement agreement with the EU.
Friday 12 June
Congress passes $50 billion foreign aid bill
Congress passed a $50 billion foreign aid bill, aiming to reinvest in humanitarian assistance and reassert legislative authority over the Trump administration's significant cuts to foreign aid programs.
European Media Freedom Act core obligations begin applying
The European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) began to apply across the EU, establishing a harmonised framework to protect media pluralism and safeguard editorial independence.
EU General Court rules DSA supervisory fee calculation must be revised
The EU General Court in Luxembourg ruled that the method for calculating the Digital Services Act supervisory fee must be revised within 12 months, though platforms must retain their 2023 payments. This decision forces regulators to redesign how they charge very large platforms.
EU Commission finds Meta breached law by failing to keep under-13s off platforms
The European Commission published preliminary findings that Meta breached EU law by inadequately assessing and mitigating risks to minors' wellbeing and failing to keep under-13s off its Facebook and Instagram platforms. Fines up to 6% of global annual turnover are possible.
EU leaders mandate convention-style process for treaty change
European Council conclusions formally mandated work on possible treaty change, linking it to defence fiscal capacity, foreign policy reform, and enlargement. This moves treaty reform from theoretical discussion to a concrete agenda item.
Commission warns of AI Act enforcement gap for general-purpose models
The Commission confirmed that meaningful enforcement for new frontier models under the AI Act will only begin in August 2026, with existing models having until August 2027 to comply.
Poland sets 2027 deadline for second nuclear plant partner
Poland's energy ministry updated its national nuclear programme, outlining a path to 6–9 GW of capacity and setting a 2027 deadline to select a partner for its second nuclear power station. A site decision is expected by 2028.
Italy approves strengthened national water security plan
The Italian government approved its Piano Acqua 2.0, accelerating investment in reservoirs, inter-basin transfers, and leakage reduction as drought conditions become structural in the Po Valley.
US releases revised national security strategy emphasising bilateral deals
A revised US national security strategy released by the Trump administration in late 2025 places unprecedented emphasis on allies' financial contributions and willingness to strike bespoke bilateral agreements.
EU negotiators agree on softened 2040 climate path
EU governments and MEPs reached a political agreement on a 90% net greenhouse gas reduction target by 2040, allowing up to five percentage points to be met with international carbon credits. The deal also delays ETS2 for buildings and transport to 2028.
Commission details plans for AI 'factories' and 'gigafactories'
The European Commission detailed plans for at least 19 AI 'factories' and up to 5 AI 'gigafactories' to expand supercomputing and data-centre infrastructure. This initiative aims to triple EU data-centre capacity within seven years.
Commission eases CAP green requirements
The European Commission loosened environmental conditionality in the Common Agricultural Policy, capping inspections, allowing conversion of natural areas, and exempting small farms from certain green requirements. This follows widespread farmer protests across member states.
EU AI Office opens first systemic-risk probe under AI Act
The European Commission's AI Office launched its first formal investigation into a frontier general-purpose model over alleged systemic cyber-risk, triggering the AI Act's capability-based supervision regime for the first time.
Constitutional courts signal scrutiny of new treaty agenda
Constitutional courts in at least three member states indicated they will scrutinize any major shift of powers to Brussels arising from the new treaty agenda. This revives tensions between national constitutional law and EU primacy.
Iran and US signal imminent peace deal memorandum
Washington and Tehran signal a memorandum of understanding is imminent, yet their public statements reveal sharp disagreements over sanctions relief, nuclear dismantlement and the inclusion of Lebanon.
Spain offers legal status to 500,000 undocumented migrants
Spain concurrently moved to offer a path to legal status for up to 500,000 undocumented migrants, with a draft law sent to parliament for approval. The initiative aims to formalize labour in agriculture, domestic work, hospitality, and care.
US state attorneys general launch investigation into OpenAI
A coalition of US state attorneys general, led by New York, served OpenAI with a subpoena demanding records on advertising, user engagement, data handling, and AI model impact.
Poland inducts first F-35 'Husarz' fighter jets
Three Lockheed Martin F-35A 'Husarz' jets were officially inducted into the Polish Armed Forces at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask. This follows a morning flyover of Gdańsk, Warsaw, and Kraków.
Italy tightens controls on NGO rescue ships
The Italian government introduced new rules limiting the operations of NGO rescue vessels in the central Mediterranean, requiring them to sail directly to assigned ports after a single rescue. This move aims to manage irregular arrivals.
Commission unveils Savings and Investment Union strategy
The European Commission set out a Savings and Investment Union strategy, building on Letta's proposals to better connect Europe's high household savings with long-term productive investment. The initiative aims to deepen the Capital Markets Union.
EU opens first accession cluster for Ukraine and Moldova
All 27 EU member states agreed to open the first cluster of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, with the first intergovernmental conferences scheduled for Monday in Luxembourg. This follows the lifting of a Hungarian veto.