Southern Europe in July 2026: the most important developments in politics
In Southern Europe in July 2026, the dominant political story was Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's relationship with US President Donald Trump. Trump posted a 'restraining order' meme about her on the eve of the NATO summit, reviving a feud that began with a dispute over a G7 photo. Meloni sought to avoid escalation and said on July 8 that ties with Trump remained cordial despite provocations.
At home, Meloni faced a run of setbacks. On July 14 and 15 she lost a vote on her electoral reform in the Chamber of Deputies, and Giuseppe Conte said she had lost her majority and should resign. By July 25 she and opposition leader Elly Schlein had reportedly reached a deal on electoral rules, and on July 26 she was pushing the reform forward. A poll put trust in her government at 34 percent, and General Roberto Vannacci demanded a written agreement with her. Fierce protests followed the death of a man arrested in Bologna, and Meloni called for 'truth'. On July 30 her government threatened to suspend Schengen free movement with Spain over the migrant crisis in Ceuta; Spain called the proposal 'demagogy' and declined to declare a state of emergency there.
In Spain, Trump ordered a halt to US trade with the country on July 8, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called relations with Washington positive. The Senate, where the right-wing parties hold sway, blocked a friendship treaty with France on July 9. Former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero faced a jewelry case, and a judge indicted the former head of the Civil Guard in the 'cloacas' case. The EU's top court backed the Spanish law paving the way for an amnesty for Carles Puigdemont, and the border controls between Spain and Gibraltar were removed.
Israel and Lebanon held a sixth round of US-brokered talks in Rome, where Italy proposed a plan for Lebanon. On Cyprus, UN Secretary-General António Guterres met both sides on July 28 to assess resuming peace talks, and a poll found 65 percent of Turkish Cypriots support a solution.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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