Threads
Stories that unfold over weeks: where things stand, what has changed and what comes next.
Latest changes
Thursday 25 June
EU governments adopt legislation to remove US import tariffs
EU governments, meeting in Luxembourg, adopted secondary legislation to remove tariffs on selected US imports. This action fulfills the bloc’s obligations under the 2025 Trump agreement and aims to prevent renewed transatlantic trade disputes.
Anthropic accuses Alibaba of large-scale AI model distillation
Anthropic has accused Alibaba of extracting Claude AI capabilities through nearly 25,000 fraudulent accounts and over 28.8 million exchanges, marking the largest known distillation campaign against a US AI company.
Eurozone business surveys show cooling investment and hiring plans
New business surveys indicate eurozone private-sector activity lost momentum in late Q2, with firms reporting weaker order books and scaling back investment plans due to high costs and policy uncertainty.
EU corporate R&D growth slows to 2.9% in 2024
New data indicate that corporate research and development spending by EU-based firms grew only 2.9% in nominal terms in 2024, marking the slowest increase since the pandemic year 2020. This slowdown highlights concerns about the EU's innovation base and its ability to sustain productivity gains.
EU Commission designates Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure as digital gatekeepers
The European Commission announced Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure meet the conditions to be designated gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act.
Micron and Qualcomm forecasts boost semiconductor stocks
Micron Technology and Qualcomm delivered strong financial forecasts, contributing to a market value increase of over $400 billion for semiconductor stocks. This development helped revive investor confidence in the AI sector after a recent downturn.
Ukrainian parliament passes law to create National Pantheon
The Verkhovna Rada voted 287-0 to establish a National Pantheon, honouring those who fought for Ukraine's independence across centuries, a move that has drawn renewed Polish criticism regarding the potential commemoration of figures like Stepan Bandera.
Paris court orders TotalEnergies to account for client emissions
A Paris court has ordered TotalEnergies to include emissions from customers' use of its oil and gas products in its climate vigilance risk plan.
EU transfers first €3.2 billion loan tranche to Ukraine
The European Union has transferred the first €3.2 billion of a €90 billion loan package to Ukraine, announced Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at a reconstruction conference in Gdańsk. This initial transfer marks a concrete step in ongoing macro-financial support.
Saudi Arabia reiterates conditions for Israel normalization
Saudi officials reiterated that formal ties with Israel depend on a credible path to a Palestinian state, including Gaza reconstruction and a unified Palestinian governance framework.
Spain reports 212 heatwave deaths
At least 212 people have died in Spain since Sunday due to the brutal heatwave gripping Europe, prompting urgent calls for enhanced public health adaptation strategies.
France closes 3,500 schools
France has closed 3,500 schools across the country as temperatures soar and the nation records its hottest night ever, impacting education and daily life.
Trump praises Poland's President Nawrocki, criticizes other European allies
During an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, President Trump praised Poland's President Karol Nawrocki as a "fighter" while expressing deep disappointment with other European allies.
UN suspends Strait of Hormuz evacuation after Iran targets cargo ship
The International Maritime Organization suspended its plan to evacuate over 11,000 stranded sailors through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran attacked a Singapore-flagged cargo ship, according to US officials. This action directly impacts maritime safety and regional stability.
Spain receives over one million applications for migrant regularization
Spain's left-wing government received more than one million applications for its extraordinary regularization program for undocumented migrants as the three-month window closed, far exceeding initial estimates.
Spain sends asylum law reform to parliament and launches care migration pilot
Spain's government submitted a draft reform of its asylum law to parliament in late June to align with the EU Pact. Concurrently, it launched a 'Care Talent' pilot programme to recruit non-EU workers for the country's elder-care sector.
Paris court orders TotalEnergies to account for client emissions
A Paris court ordered TotalEnergies to include emissions from customers' use of its oil and gas products in its risk plan. This marks the first application of France's corporate duty of vigilance law to climate change.
Oil prices fall below pre-Iran war levels
Brent crude dropped beneath its late-February close of $72.48 a barrel. This reflects easing supply fears after the Iran conflict and a rebound in tanker passages through the Strait of Hormuz.
Secretary Rubio warns Iran over Strait of Hormuz during Gulf tour
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio concluded a Gulf tour in Bahrain, issuing a warning against Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz. His visit aimed to calm allies uneasy about the proposed US-Iran peace framework.
Former Polish PM Morawiecki attacks Tusk government over hospital deaths
Former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki released a video spot criticizing the Tusk government regarding alleged medical errors at Warsaw's Szpital Południowy, drawing political attention to the whistleblower's claims.
US tightens AI chip export controls to China
The US government tightened restrictions on high-end AI accelerators and cloud-based compute services to China, targeting performance thresholds. This move accelerates EU efforts to support local production of advanced GPUs.
EU AI Office launches first systemic-risk probe into frontier model
The EU's AI Office has initiated its first systemic-risk investigation under the AI Act, targeting a frontier model's cyber capabilities. This marks the first major test of the new capability-based regulatory trigger for high-impact AI systems.
EU AI Office initiates systemic-risk probe into frontier model
The European Commission’s AI Office opened its first systemic-risk investigation into a frontier model’s offensive cyber capabilities, using the AI Act’s new capability-based trigger for high-risk general-purpose systems.
Brent crude dips below pre-war mark as tanker traffic doubles
The price of Brent crude fell below its pre-conflict closing level of $72.48 a barrel, driven by a doubling of tanker movements through the Strait of Hormuz and a temporary US sanctions waiver on Iranian oil.
Trump publicly warns NATO allies on conditional security guarantees
President Trump publicly warned in late June that the US "cannot guarantee" full protection for allies that "refuse to pay their fair share," explicitly naming several European states below the 2% of GDP benchmark.
Trump administration threatens new tariffs on EU autos and agriculture
The Trump administration revived threats of new or higher tariffs on EU autos and selected agricultural products, explicitly tying them to concessions on digital taxes, defence spending, and market access in ongoing US-EU talks.
France breaks all-time heat record for second consecutive day
France broke its all-time heat record for the second day in a row, with the national thermal indicator reaching 30°C, as a blistering hot air mass enveloped Western Europe.
Wednesday 24 June
EU publishes Code of Practice for AI-generated content labelling
The EU published a Code of Practice operationalizing Article 50 of the AI Act, detailing rules for marking and disclosing AI-generated and manipulated content. Transparency obligations take effect on August 2, 2026.
European employers announce AI-related job restructurings
Several large European banks and business-services firms have announced AI-related job restructurings, including cuts to back-office and customer-service roles, explicitly linking these moves to generative AI deployment.
Romania's post-election deadlock fuels debate on far-right influence
Romania's post-election government formation has stalled, prompting discussions about constitutional changes to address the deadlock and the role of the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) in potential minority cabinets.
Germany experiences flash floods and landslides
Heavy convective storms triggered flash floods and landslides in parts of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, disrupting transport and forcing evacuations. This prompts renewed criticism of slow progress on flood defense upgrades since the 2021 Ahr valley disaster.
France records its hottest day amid widespread heatwave
France recorded its hottest day with the national temperature average hitting 29.8°C, as a widespread heatwave prompted alerts across Italy, the UK, Ireland, and eastern Europe, with temperatures potentially exceeding 40°C.
China expands export permit requirements for chipmaking equipment
Beijing has expanded licensing or customs scrutiny on select semiconductor manufacturing equipment, specialty chemicals, and industrial software exports.
Warsaw mayor calls for probe into hospital patient deaths
Warsaw's mayor, Rafał Trzaskowski, has asked prosecutors to investigate claims by a former head of surgery at Szpital Południowy that patients died due to medical errors. The accusation targets a young doctor and follows a public statement by the whistleblower.
German Chancellor Scholz calls for EU treaty changes and expanded QMV
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged EU leaders to agree on a new treaty framework to expand qualified majority voting (QMV) to foreign policy and tax decisions, citing the need for governability with new members. He argued that unanimity has become a "veto weapon."
European Commission escalates legal action against Hungary
The European Commission advanced infringement proceedings against Hungary's "sovereignty-protection" law, sending a reasoned opinion after Budapest's initial response was deemed unsatisfactory. This move intensifies the dispute over national competences.
EU member states deploy technical experts to Gaza monitoring cell
Several EU governments, including Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and Greece, confirmed deployments of additional customs, border-management, and maritime-security experts to support the Egypt–Qatar mechanism and related EU missions.
OpenAI unveils custom AI chip developed with Broadcom
OpenAI launched Jalapeño, its first custom AI chip, developed in partnership with Broadcom. This move aims to lower costs for large language model inference and reduce the company's dependence on Nvidia GPUs.
France reconsiders air conditioning policy amid record heatwave
A record-breaking early summer heatwave, comparable to the 2003 event, has prompted France to reconsider its long-held resistance to air conditioning. Political parties across the spectrum now accept its role in protecting vulnerable populations from extreme temperatures.
Iran’s chief negotiator calls US peace memorandum a 'declaration of defeat'
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Tehran’s lead negotiator, declared the Islamabad memorandum a defeat for Washington, hours before US Secretary of State Marco Rubio began a tour to reassure Gulf partners rattled by the war.