The Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Michael O'Flaherty has raised concerns with the German government regarding its handling of pro-Palestinian protests related to the war in Gaza. O'Flaherty warned that Berlin's approach is impacting freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly, urging respect for these rights amid ongoing restrictions on demonstrations. Meanwhile, Amnesty International has documented human rights violations by police during mass protests in Turkey in March 2025, some of which may amount to torture. These findings highlight issues of excessive police violence and unlawful restrictions on assembly in both Germany and Turkey during politically charged protests.

Europe’s passport-free Schengen zone marks its 40th anniversary this week, four decades after Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and West Germany signed the accord on 14 June 1985 in the village of Schengen. The agreement, which has since expanded to 29 countries and now covers more than 450 million people, abolished systematic border checks inside much of the European Union and became one of the bloc’s most tangible achievements. The celebrations are muted. Temporary border controls—re-introduced by several governments in response to irregular migration, terrorist threats and, more recently, the Covid-19 pandemic—have become increasingly common. “Schengen is melting before our eyes,” an EU lawmaker warned, reflecting growing concern that ad-hoc checks risk becoming permanent and undermining the principle of free movement. Despite the criticism, the European Commission insists the system remains a cornerstone of the single market and has pledged to strengthen both security cooperation and the right to free movement. National leaders face the challenge of balancing calls for tighter external borders with the economic and social benefits of an open internal frontier as the bloc weighs how to preserve one of its signature achievements for the next four decades.

Spain’s state meteorological agency AEMET placed roughly half the country under weather alerts on 10–11 June as a pulse of Saharan air drove temperatures close to 39 °C while triggering severe thunderstorms. Eleven autonomous communities, including Aragón, Cataluña, Castilla y León and the Basque Country, moved to orange alert, later joined by the Community of Madrid after an afternoon hailstorm sent golf-ball-sized ice onto roads and temporarily paralysed traffic. Forecasters expect the heat to intensify, with some areas approaching 40 °C by the end of the week. Across the Pyrenees, Météo-France recorded 36–37 °C in the Landes and Périgord on Wednesday—10 °C to 12 °C above seasonal norms—and issued an orange thunderstorm warning for Gironde, Lot-et-Garonne, Landes and Gers from 16:00 local time. Although the alert was lifted by nightfall, eight south-western departments remain on yellow notice for heat, and the agency warns that Friday could bring widespread highs of 30–35 °C before another round of storms. The UK Met Office announced successive yellow thunderstorm warnings stretching from early Thursday through Saturday morning for Wales, South-West England, Northern Ireland and parts of southern and eastern England. Britain’s first heat-health alerts of 2025 were activated simultaneously. Met Éireann followed with thunderstorm warnings covering most of Ireland, cautioning of heavy rain, lightning and localized flooding overnight into Thursday. In North America, Mexico’s national water commission Conagua kept an orange alert in effect for Mexico City after back-to-back storms on 10–11 June flooded districts such as Álvaro Obregón and Cuajimalpa and deposited significant hail. Authorities say further intense downpours are likely through 13 June, sustaining the risk of flash flooding and traffic disruption in the capital.

Czech President Petr Pavel has urged the United States to provide Europe with more time and realistic objectives to enhance the continent's security and address the growing threat posed by Russia. Ahead of the upcoming NATO summit, Pavel emphasized the necessity of sustained American support to ensure lasting peace in Ukraine and cautioned against pressuring Europe into rapid defense spending increases that could destabilize the region. While supporting higher military expenditures, including a target of 5% of GDP, Pavel warned that replacing U.S. security guarantees will take years and called for a measured approach to rearmament. He also expressed disappointment with former President Donald Trump's reluctance to demonstrate stronger commitment to European defense.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky convened the Fourth Ukraine–Southeast Europe Summit in Odesa on 11 June, welcoming leaders from Greece, Croatia, Montenegro, Moldova, Romania and other regional states. Zelensky warned that “Moscow doesn’t see Ukraine as a country, just as a source of resources and a military base for its future invasions,” adding that security in the Black Sea and Southeast Europe is “indivisible.” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis used the gathering to reaffirm that Athens “will continue to support Ukraine” and met with Zelensky to discuss defence needs, reconstruction and energy cooperation. Addressing regional security, he said any country wishing to join the EU’s SAFE defence programme must align with the bloc’s Common Foreign and Security Policy—a remark interpreted as a signal to Ankara. Mitsotakis is travelling on 12 June to Moldova and Sweden, becoming the first Greek premier to visit Chisinau. Talks with Moldovan President Maia Sandu will centre on energy security, with Athens offering gas supplies through the Revythousa LNG terminal and the planned Alexandroupolis floating storage and regasification unit. A subsequent meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will focus on bolstering the EU’s collective defence and competitiveness.

A widespread drought is affecting multiple regions across Europe, with some areas experiencing the most severe conditions on record. The Rostov region in southern Russia has declared a state of emergency due to drought impacts on grain production. Southern Russia, Belarus, and much of Ukraine remain under drought warnings, according to the European Drought Observatory's late-May report. Europe is witnessing the lowest spring river flows since records began in 1992, indicating persistent dry conditions across the continent. Poland is also facing dramatic drought conditions in certain regions. In the United Kingdom, Yorkshire has declared a drought following one of the driest springs on record, becoming the second region in the country to do so after similar conditions were reported elsewhere. These developments highlight the extensive nature of the drought affecting Europe in 2025.

The Kremlin has stated that Europe remains focused on war and is engaged in what it describes as "militaristic bravado." Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov emphasized that Russia has not detected any signals from Europe indicating a willingness to find common ground on security issues. Furthermore, the Kremlin indicated that there is currently no basis for a strategic agreement between Russia and Europe, highlighting the ongoing security tensions between the two sides.

LaLiga, Spain's top football league, has implemented a new strategy to combat piracy by blocking IPTV websites en masse and targeting consumers using devices such as Amazon Fire TV. This approach, supported by European authorities, aims to make free illegal streaming of football matches nearly impossible across Europe. The league's president, Javier Tebas, highlighted that low-cost Android devices, including Amazon Fire TV, contribute to millions of euros in piracy-related losses. Traditionally focused on disrupting content distribution networks, anti-piracy efforts are now expanding to address end-user devices that facilitate illegal streaming. This shift reflects growing concerns over how inexpensive streaming hardware can turn home networks into platforms for piracy.

Western Europe has been experiencing its largest diphtheria outbreak in 70 years, primarily affecting vulnerable populations such as migrants and the homeless since 2022. Research indicates that the epidemic has spread along migration routes, with a genetic link identified between the 2022 strain and a recent outbreak in Germany in 2025. The outbreak has drawn attention from multiple health organizations and has been documented in a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. This resurgence of diphtheria marks a significant public health challenge for the region.

European leaders are confronting a shift in U.S. policy under President Donald Trump, who has launched trade wars, threatened tariffs on European goods of up to 50%, and begun reducing the U.S. military presence in Europe. These moves have heightened concerns over economic growth and security, with U.S. tariffs projected to reduce EU GDP by up to 0.5% and increased defense spending to compensate for diminished American support potentially requiring an additional 1.5% of GDP per year. In response, Europe is considering measures such as the ReArm Europe Plan, which includes €150 billion in defense loans, and Germany's €500 billion stimulus for defense and infrastructure. The EU currently spends 1.8% of GDP on defense, or about €325 billion, but may need to increase this to 3.5% of GDP. Aid to Ukraine stands at €38 billion annually, and the bloc is weighing the use of over €200 billion in frozen Russian central bank assets to fund further support. Economic reforms are also on the agenda, including proposals for Eurobonds totaling up to €3 trillion, as suggested by economists Blanchard and Ubide, and recommendations from the Draghi and Letta reports to complete the single market and invest in strategic sectors. The IMF estimates intra-EU trade barriers are equivalent to tariffs of 44% for goods and 110% for services, highlighting the need for greater integration. The EU is exploring ways to enhance the euro's international role, with the ECB's Christine Lagarde noting that increasing the euro's global presence would allow Europe greater control over its destiny. The euro's share of global reserves is 20%, compared to the dollar's 57%. The STOXX 600 has returned about 10% this year, while the S&P 500 is flat and the dollar has declined by nearly 10%. Transatlantic negotiations are complicated by the risk that the U.S. may link support for Ukraine, NATO, and trade concessions. Internal EU divisions, such as Hungary's veto threats, and debates over social policies, including the Samoa Agreement, add further complexity. Nonetheless, the EU has demonstrated capacity for collective action, such as sanctioning 300 Russian ships, and is considering reforms to streamline decision-making and strengthen coordination among member states.

The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine remains a focal point of international concern, with Russia demanding territorial gains and opposing any Western military presence in Ukraine. Cenk Uygur, CEO of The Young Turks, characterized Russia as an aggressor with an "insatiable appetite for conquest," led by a dictator who suppresses freedoms domestically and in invaded territories. He emphasized that the war could end immediately if Russia withdrew and returned to negotiations, while cautioning that escalating NATO involvement could worsen the situation for Ukraine and Europe. Sergei Markov, a former adviser to Putin, warned that Russia views any Western troop presence in Ukraine as an act of war and predicted a possible Russia-NATO conflict as early as this summer. European countries are responding by significantly increasing defense spending, with Europe announcing an EUR 800 billion rearmament plan. Germany's decision to rebuild its military was defended as a necessary response to Russian expansion. However, some analysts, such as Cesar Vidal, criticize the European rearmament effort as ineffective against Russia. Meanwhile, Major-General Jonathan Shaw highlighted that Europe's continued energy purchases from Russia effectively fund the war, prompting calls for tougher sanctions. William Alberque, former Director of NATO’s WMD Non-Proliferation Center, warned that even if the Ukraine war ends soon, Russia's military buildup means Europe must prepare for prolonged security challenges. The gap in missile production between Russia and Europe, with Russia producing 700 short-range ballistic missiles annually compared to Europe's zero, underscores the urgency for Europe to enhance its defense industries.

European leaders are urged to increase public investment and coordination in defense and strategic sectors such as critical technology in response to a more hostile stance from the United States under the Trump administration. Analysts argue that Europe faces an existential choice to unite as a global heavyweight competitor or risk marginalization amid deteriorating transatlantic relations. Despite potential overtures from Beijing, experts caution that China is not a reliable partner for Europe, especially given its support for Russia's war against Ukraine, which threatens European security. The European Union is encouraged to leverage other strategic options, including forging advantageous trade agreements beyond China, to counterbalance U.S. trade tensions. Discussions also highlight the delicate balance Europe must maintain between economic interests and security concerns in its relationship with China. European leaders, including EU President Costa, emphasize that the primary issue in transatlantic relations is not trade but defense burden-sharing, calling for full commitment from the EU in this area. These perspectives were shared in recent analyses and interviews by Foreign Affairs, the Council on Foreign Relations, and other policy experts.