(Friday 11 July 2025) – Ursula von der Leyen survived her no-confidence vote with ease, after MEPs sought to oust her. The political fallout could still be significant, with the motion reigniting concerns about her leadership style, lack of transparency and political positioning.


Much of the European news has been dominated by the ongoing heatwave sweeping the continent, with the UK set for a third heatwave this week. Plenty of European countries have issued health warnings, whilst other European nations are battling wildfires amid the extreme heat.

The Euro 2025 is in full swing, with this Sunday marking the final matches in the group stages. England’s Chelsea and France’s PSG face off for the Club World Cup final.

Poland’s government has announced temporary border controls along its frontiers with Germany and Lithuania, beginning 7 July for 30 days.

France has established a “Diplomatic Reserve”, aiming to recruit 1,000 volunteers by year-end to support citizen services abroad, strengthen diplomatic outreach, and counter misinformation.

Germany recorded just 61,300 new asylum applications in the first half of 2025, almost half the volume compared with 121,426 in H1 2024.

From dancing in Austria to international workshops in computational chemical biology, there are some huge cultural and innovation events this week across the European continent. Check out what’s happening in the EU/ Europe this week.

Cliff Notes – Wildfire tears through southern Crete A raging wildfire tears through southern Crete…