Europe Today: Trump's tariff threat, Iran talks and Europe's heatwave

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Europe Today: Trump's tariff threat, Iran talks and Europe's heatwave  The US and Iran are set to resume talks in Qatar after a tense weekend of renewed threats, while Europe battles a deadly heatwave linked to more than 1,300 deaths. Attention also turns to growing EU-US trade tensions and the debate over how Europe should adapt to extreme temperatures.  READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/06/29/europe-today-trumps-tariff-threat-iran-talks-and-europes-heatwave  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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00:14Good morning, it is Monday the 29th of June. I'm Maeve McMahan and this is Europe Today,

00:21your morning dose of EU news and analysis. Thanks for joining us.

00:25Coming up, tensions temporarily on hold after the US and Iran agreed to halt strikes and hold talks

00:32in Qatar. This after Tehran said the Strait of Hormuz was under Iranian control and that further

00:38US tax will only escalate the crisis. Over the weekend, it looked like the two countries could

00:44be back on the path to war despite signing a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the

00:49conflict. Plus, Europe's early summer heatwave is turning deadly. According to the head of the

00:55World Health Organization, more than 1,300 deaths have been linked to extreme temperatures as record

01:02breaking heat continues to sweep across the continent. It comes as politicians debate over

01:07air conditioning versus climate action. Meanwhile, trade tensions between the EU and China are back

01:15in focus as the Chinese Commerce Minister, Wang Wentao, meets the EU Trade Commissioner,

01:21Mara Sefkovic, today in Brussels. EU officials are describing the talks as a, quote, make-or-break

01:27moment for the future of trade relations. And Serbian President Aleksandr Wucic said on Saturday

01:34he would be stepping down in the very near future, paving the way for early presidential and parliamentary

01:40elections. This announcement comes after 18 months of anti-government protests.

01:46But first, the US and Iran have said they will continue their talks in Qatar tomorrow, aimed at

01:52ending the Middle East war. This comes after a weekend of strikes that looked to undermine the

01:57interim peace agreement and prompted President Donald Trump to threaten violence. Taking to truth

02:02social, the US president said this weekend, quote, it's very possible that Iran will never learn.

02:08There may be a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable. If that happens,

02:13the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist. Meanwhile, Lebanon rejected the latest US-Israel

02:20Lebanon framework deal, calling it an agreement of dictates that fails to protect the rights of

02:25Lebanese people. For more, we can bring in Osama Rizvi, founder of Rizvi Insights. Good morning,

02:30Osama. Thank you so much for joining us. So it was a tense weekend, but now there does seem to

02:34be an

02:35agreement on the table to talk. Should we treat this announcement, though, with a degree of

02:39scepticism? Well, thank you so much for having me. I think, as we've discussed before, we will see

02:45this back and forth and the MOU will continue to be very fragile in its nature. It has to be

02:51like

02:52that. But when I look at it from a fundamental or practical point of view, even for the US side,

02:58the cost of inaction clearly outweighs that of the action. So if they go down further the path of

03:04escalation or a war, we will see a host of problems propping up from US treasury yields rising to 5%,

03:12which has never happened before. And every time they neared 5%, we saw some sort of good news being

03:17released into the market. We will see oil prices once again rising up, election a year and so on and

03:22so forth. Whereas the cost of inaction would only be a loss of political capital. And if you look at

03:27the figures recently, it has already been depleting. So I think a practical and more sane way would be

03:33to go down the inaction pathway. I think that is more probable, hopefully. And of course, we've seen

03:37the last couple of days tits for tat exchanges with Iran making it very clear, Osama, that they would

03:42be controlling the Strait of Hormuz. What's the biggest risk, do you think, in the next few days?

03:47I think, to borrow Bradford DeLong's word, this whole situation regarding Hormuz is a densely

03:53raided Gordian knot. So this ought to have such repercussions that nobody can understand.

04:00It will remain, unfortunately, as far as I see from a geopolitical point of view, it will remain

04:04under the control of Iran. Nobody will be able to open it from maybe other than diplomacy. But at the

04:12same moment, at the same time, I think shipments and tankers will continue to flow because it serves

04:18both the sides.

04:19Well, you mentioned that word diplomacy. Is there any realistic chance now for diplomacy?

04:25I think it is. The longer we go on without any serious escalation, the better the chances become

04:32of this conflict being resolved through diplomacy. However, we have to look at the past. We have to

04:37look at Israel. We have to look at Lebanon. There are so many actors involved. So I think it will

04:41remain precarious. It is tenuous. And the situation will keep everyone and all the markets on the edge

04:48of their seats.

04:49Very much on their toes. And just regarding the markets, we saw oil prices spiking since the attacks

04:54actually resumed. What are you looking out for this week?

04:57Oil prices are actually an oddity at the moment. If you look at the fundamentals, US stocks are at 20

05:03years lowest point. There is no reality in which WTI can be where it is right now. So either oil

05:08prices

05:08will reassess the risks and rise or maybe remain rage bound. I don't see them following to levels

05:15like 40 or 50 anytime soon.

05:16Okay, Osama Rizvi there with his eye on the ball. Thank you so much for your insights as always. Now,

05:22the tension in the Middle East comes as the US celebrates 250 years of independence. Last night

05:28here in Brussels, more than 7,000 people were wined and dined in true American style. From hot dogs to

05:35mac and cheese against a backdrop of rodeo games and cheerleaders, the US embassy pulled out all the

05:40stops to dazzle the Belgian capital. The festival that finished with a fireworks display came as President Trump

05:46threatened to impose a 100% tariff on imports from any European country that levies a digital services

05:52tax on US companies. For more, we're joined by our very own Stefan Krobey. Stefan, never a dull moment

05:58really in the EU-US transatlantic tie. What's behind this latest attack?

06:03Yeah, that's right, Maeve. Good morning. Well, Maeve, just when many in Brussels thought that the

06:09transatlantic trade dispute had calmed down, Donald Trump has reignited it with one of his toughest

06:17threats yet. So the US president says any country imposing a digital services tax on American technology

06:23companies could face a 100% tariff on all exports to the United States. And he insists those tariffs

06:30would supersede any existing trade agreements. Now, the immediate targets here are European countries.

06:38For years, several EU member states, including France, Spain, Italy, have argued that US tax giants,

06:45such as Google, such as Amazon, Apple, or Meta, generate billions of euros in revenue in Europe while

06:54paying very little tax. And digital service taxes are designed to make those companies contribute

07:01more where they do business, which is actually here. Washington, however, sees these

07:07taxes as discriminatory because they disproportionately affect American tech companies. The European

07:13Commission has responded defiantly, saying the EU has every right to regulate and tax

07:21economic activity within its own market. And Brussels insists its rules are not discriminatory and has

07:29warned that it is prepared to respond if Washington follows through on its threat.

07:33The timing here is significant, Maeve, because only weeks after the US and the EU reached a broader

07:41trade understanding that capped most tariffs at 15%, digital taxation remains one of the most important

07:48unresolved issues. And Trump latest warning now risks opening an entirely new front in the

07:55transatlantic trade relationship.

07:57And Stefan, meanwhile, of course, that party that took place last night to celebrate 250 years of

08:02independence. Security, of course, was very tight, but there were protesters gathering nearby.

08:08Some NGOs like Greenpeace rolling out banners saying war, greed, energy crisis, what is there to

08:14celebrate? Now, of course, the motto of the gathering last night was 250 years of independence,

08:19building our future together. Stefan, that sounds almost ironic given President Trump's real feelings

08:25for Europe. You were at the party last night. Did you see bad feelings?

08:30Well, Maeve, you're right. Trump doesn't like Europe. He hates the European Union and he usually

08:37criticizes the EU in much harsher terms than, for example, Russia, China and North Korea, all countries

08:43without a liberal democracy. And on that motto, a building a future together. Look, it was a garden

08:53party to which US embassies in foreign capitals typically invite host country officials and diplomats

09:00around the American Independence Day. Only this time, it was much, much bigger. And you mentioned it,

09:08there were several thousands of what I call friends of America who were invited, people who in their day

09:16jobs deal with the United States one way or the other. And no, I did not register any bad feelings,

09:24au contraire, mainly because the organizers kept it apolitical. It was a rather timeless celebration

09:31of Americana that people, especially in Europe, love about the country, like line dancing,

09:37like mechanical bull rides, like baseball and American football. And because it was so apolitical,

09:44people had a good time. America is about more than Donald Trump. And Donald Trump as president,

09:52he is what he is. But throughout American history, there have been presidents who were considered

09:57unfit for the job. You know, the James Buchanan's, the Andrew Johnson's, the Herbert Hoover's,

10:04they come and they go. The same with Trump. So political differences should not stop us from

10:11celebrating American values and the friendship that many people on both sides of the Atlantic

10:17still cherish and hold dear.

10:19And as you said, people had a very good time leaving with bags, of course, of American candy. Thank you

10:25so

10:26much for your analysis there. Now, moving on, the World Health Organization has said almost 1,300

10:32deaths have been recorded since the deadly heat wave in Europe that began on the 21st of June. This

10:38weekend saw record temperatures hit Germany, Czechia, Poland and Hungary, with police in Berlin using water

10:44cannons to cool people down, and German rail urging people to cancel their travel plans.

10:49For more, we can bring in Karla Buntempo, director of the COVID-19 climate change service.

10:54Thank you so much for coming on Europe today. Just tell us how unusual is this heat wave for late

11:00June? And can we expect this heat to continue into July?

11:03Well, I mean, what you were describing is the answer to your question, in a sense, because the conditions are

11:09extremely unusual. We see temperature 12, 10, 12 degrees above the normal averages for France,

11:18for part of the UK. We've seen recent days. And as you said, now that the peak of the heat

11:22wave is

11:23moving east, we are seeing record-breaking temperature affecting eastern Germany, affecting Czechia and

11:28Poland. So this is very unusual. And at the moment, it doesn't necessarily look as the end is near. The

11:36peak maybe in Western Europe has been reached. But looking at the forecast, and for the forecast,

11:41the national med services are the best place to look at. There is not a clear sign for rain coming

11:48in or a massive reduction in temperature. And based on your expertise, is it climate change making these

11:55extreme heat events more frequent and more intense? Well, you know, as always, it's a combination.

12:00These events, high-pressure regions extending over Europe have existed throughout history. We have

12:05seen many heat waves before this one, starting from the famous or infamous 2003 heat wave. But this

12:11same weather pattern are now operating in a world that is much, much warmer. And Europe is warming faster

12:17than the global average. And we see this heat wave becoming more frequent, more intense, lasting longer

12:23and starting earlier in the season. And what are the biggest health risks, especially for vulnerable

12:28people? We've already seen the deaths that have been announced from this.

12:31Yeah. And there is actually a paper that came out last week from a colleague of ours at the ECNWF,

12:38Rebecca Emerton, that was published in Nature. And she looked at the heat stress. And heat stress has

12:43gone up all over the globe, not just in Europe. And heat stress is a cause of death for many

12:50humans. And

12:51actually, the heat-related mortality in Europe, as the Lancet countdown pointed out a couple of years ago,

12:56has gone up 30% in the last 20 years. So having more heat waves means that actually our own

13:02risk of

13:02facing the consequences of heat stress has gone up very significantly and will continue to go up,

13:10unfortunately, as the temperature rises, not just in Europe, but across the world.

13:13Okay, Carlo, buen tiempo. Thank you so much for your analysis, as always, and for joining us here

13:18on the programme. Now, this latest heat wave that is, as we heard set to last, has triggered a fiery

13:25debate across Europe about the lack of infrastructure when it comes to air conditioning in homes,

13:29schools, public transport and workplaces. Europe's air conditioning issues is quite low compared to other

13:35continents, particularly North America and Asia, with only around 19% of households having air conditioning

13:40here. And in France, we've seen politicians laying the groundwork for their campaigns ahead of the

13:45elections next year, seizing upon the air conditioning debate. For more, we can bring in Diana Urgevors.

13:50That's the Vice Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Good morning. Just tell us,

13:55what's your view here on this political debate over air con for all versus long-term climate policies?

14:00Is this just addressing the symptoms and not really the root causes?

14:05Thank you very much. It's a very important question. Not only addressing the symptoms,

14:11but in fact, really aggravating climate change and aggravating even local warming in the cities.

14:16Because air conditioning, what it does is actually puts the local indoor heat out on the streets.

14:22Actually, it makes the urban heat even worse. And also global warming,

14:26because cooling is expected to add 25% more electricity demand until 2030 than even data centers,

14:37which means that if we only compare to artificial intelligence, this is about five times as much.

14:42We talk a lot about the energy from artificial intelligence, but not so much from cooling.

14:47At the same time, of course, it is very important that we are providing thermal safety to our residents,

14:54because heat is killing in Europe. It can kill as much as 40,000 to 60,000 excess deaths. So

15:02people

15:03in a hot summer all over Europe. So it is crucial. But I would consider more taking the Swiss approach,

15:10which means that we provide access, allow access to the elderly or the vulnerable groups. And otherwise,

15:17we try to implement measures that in the few really extreme days, such as what we are experiencing

15:22now in some countries, and some countries are already over. We'd rather take temporary measures

15:27to provide safety, for example, in cooling centers during those days, which happen just a few days

15:33about every year. So far, for a while, it would really only hurt us a few days every couple of

15:40years. But then

15:42we have to take these measures, for example, cooling centers, or also have to accept that perhaps there will be

15:48temporary reductions in productivity. And perhaps home office and other measures can help in these

15:55difficult situations.

15:57I'm not sure if you've seen, but the European Commission is under criticism for turning off

16:00the AC for some of its staff and leaving it on for others higher up in buildings. I guess this

16:05shows

16:06really the wider problem we have across Europe, as you're describing, regarding access.

16:11Exactly. So access to air conditioning is a crucial issue. At the same time, it is also, again, important

16:18that to understand that the solution is not universal access to everywhere, everything, because right now,

16:24exactly the very reasons why it had to be turned off is because of capacity shortages. And if they suddenly

16:30try to provide access to everyone, that means that our capacities won't be able to survive,

16:37because we are now already jeopardizing the success of the green energy transition. Because what we see

16:44is that we are now adding more energy demand that we are able to provide with new sources of renewable

16:52power, despite our unexpected success with the deployment of renewable energy sources. But certainly,

16:59of course, it doesn't mean that the elites of the elites will have to have access and the others don't.

17:05So we

17:05do have to look at everyone's needs. But again, I do believe that perhaps temporary measures where

17:13everyone has a temporary arrangement for these few days to get by and still be able to work,

17:18but even more to be able to stay healthy is more important than the solution to have full access

17:25immediately to everyone to air conditioning. Because the problem is once you have access to air conditioning,

17:31the culture also changes. We have a lot of cultural adaptations to hot days and how we get by

17:38in heat. And we would lose all of this if we suddenly have all air conditioners.

17:45Okay, Diana Urgevorsas, thank you so much for your insights there and for joining us.

17:49And now it's time for an update on the FIFA World Cup results.

17:58Well, it was a busy weekend with matches with Austria qualifying in dramatic fashion after

18:03a 3-3 draw with Algeria on Sunday morning, becoming the last European team to book a place in the

18:09knockout stage. Three of the 16 teams heading home after the group stage are European, Czechia,

18:15Scotland and Turquia, with Turquia's exit probably the biggest surprise. That means 13 European teams

18:21are still fighting for glory. From now on, there are no more excuses. Meanwhile, after host nation

18:27Canada secured their place in the round of 16 last night, Germany and the Netherlands are both in

18:33action tonight. The Mannschaft takes on Paraguay, while another blockbuster will of course be

18:38Netherlands versus Morocco at 3am. With a large Moroccan community in the Netherlands, the stakes are high.

18:45Firebrand politician Geert Filders added to the tension by posting a photo of himself dressed as a

18:51referee showing Morocco a red card. Also on the menu, Brazil versus Japan at 7. May the best teams win.

18:59But that brings this edition of Europe Today to an end. Thank you so much for your company. As always,

19:05of course, you can go to euronews.com for more news and analysis, or you can drop us a line

19:09at

19:09europetoday at euronews.com with your feedback. Take care, see you soon, and stay with us on Europe News.

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