Southern Europe in June 2026: the most important developments in politics
Southern Europe in June 2026 was dominated by a dispute between US President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. After the G7 summit, Trump said Meloni had 'begged' him for a photo. Meloni called the story 'totally invented', and Trump repeated it at a campaign event. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani cancelled a planned trip to the US, and Italian leaders including Matteo Salvini condemned Trump's remarks. Trump also criticised Italy over NATO commitments and Iran. On June 23 Meloni was reported to be considering early elections; on June 25 she and Trump met for a private dinner at Mar-a-Lago.
Italy's foreign policy moved on several fronts. Meloni said on June 11 that Italy would back sanctions on Israeli settlers and on minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. She called the US-Iran deal an opportunity for peace and mentioned a possible mission to the Strait of Hormuz within 60 days, while Tajani said Italy would reopen its embassy in Tehran and had never authorised the use of its bases for acts of war. Rome rejected NATO's PURL programme for Ukraine, and Meloni called for strengthening NATO's European component. The EU approved a migrant return regulation modelled on the 'Albania model'.
On the Italian right, Roberto Vannacci, a retired general and member of the European Parliament, saw his group become a party. A poll put it at 6%, ahead of the League, and it joined a group in the European Parliament that includes the AfD. Meloni said on June 29 and 30 that the time had come for a president from the Right.
In Spain, the Supreme Court sentenced former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos to 24 years in prison for corruption on June 22. Former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is under investigation for influence peddling, and Begoña Gómez, the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, faces a corruption trial. Congress passed a non-binding motion calling on Sánchez to resign. Elsewhere, Malta's Labour Party won a fourth consecutive term.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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