Southern Europe in February 2026: the most important developments in society
Southern Europe in February 2026 was shaped by a succession of severe storms over Spain and Portugal. Portugal pledged 2.5 billion euros for recovery after Storm Kristin, and Storm Leonardo then brought flooding and evacuations of thousands of people in Andalusia and Portugal, with at least one death reported in Portugal. Storm Marta followed on 7 February, hitting areas already flooded, and later storms including Nils and Depression Oriana brought further flooding, red alerts in the Valencia region, at least three deaths in France and Spain, and a motorway collapse in Portugal. Portugal prepared to evacuate 9,000 people in Coimbra, and pig farmers there called it their biggest crisis ever. A climate attribution study found that climate change intensified the deadly floods in Portugal, Spain and Morocco. Severe weather also brought landslides, flooding and evacuations in Greece and Italy, where the government approved more than one billion euros for reconstruction after a cyclone.
The Milan-Cortina Winter Games drew protests. Demonstrators booed the Israeli team and US Vice President JD Vance at the opening ceremony on 6 February, police used tear gas at anti-Olympic protests, and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the protesters "enemies of Italy". Avalanches in northern Italy killed at least four people, including two Finnish tourists. On 28 February a tram derailed and crashed into a building in Milan, killing two people.
Migration and housing were debated in Spain and Italy. Spain's government planned to legalize 500,000 undocumented migrants by decree, and housing conflicts between owners and squatters intensified. Spain's government rejected a proposed burka ban. Italy's cabinet approved an anti-immigration package and planned a law against antisemitism, and the interior minister announced 10,500 work visas for Pakistanis. Meloni expressed outrage over a ruling that Italy must compensate migrants under its agreement with Albania.
In Greece, farmers planned a tractor protest in Athens, taxi drivers went on strike, and nationwide strikes and rallies on 28 February marked the anniversary of the Tempe train disaster. In Cyprus, 13,000 animals were to be culled because of a foot and mouth disease outbreak, and residents were asked to cut water use amid a drought.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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