Ireland is facing the music over its continued sales of alumina to Russia. The scandal put a damper on the start of the country's EU presidency and raised uncomfortable questions that Dublin has yet to answer. #EuropeNews ➡️ https://l.euronews.com/Pofy

The start of Ireland’s presidency of the EU Council was meant to be a proud moment for the country to showcase its prosperity and diplomatic clout. But instead, the special occasion was overshadowed by a devastating scandal over alumina sales to Russia. My analysis on Ireland’s hard reckoning.

The European Union will retaliate if China misses October deadline to rebalance trade relations, Ursula von der Leyen says amid rising tensions. “We are basically prepared for everything, and we have all the instruments on the table.” Full story from Cork.

🚨 Accession update: all EU countries, including Hungary, have endorsed the screening letter to open Cluster 6 (External Relations) with Ukraine and Moldova. Ambassadors will send the invitation letters on Wednesday so that an IGC can happen on 14 July. @lucabertuzzi.bsky.social and I report.

Pressure is mounting on Ireland to end alumina sales to Russia. Dublin promises to work with the European Commission to tackle the "core issue," but it will not yet commit to approving sanctions. I bring you the latest on the scandal from Cork.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Hungary and Poland to allow Ukraine to move forward on his path to EU membership. https://l.euronews.com/Au0o

When I asked Zelenskyy about his dispute with Poland, he struck a rather conciliatory tone. He didn’t back down but he said his country was “ready to find answers” and focus on “the future” rather than the past. “Now we have one aggressor,” he said. “We have to think about security for our people.”

Zelenskyy says accession should be based on “rules” rather than “political emotions”, as resistance grows within Hungary and Poland to advance Ukraine’s bid. “It's in the interest of all the countries to have Ukraine in the EU as quickly as possible,” he said. My story from Dublin.

Zelenskyy addresses Ireland's alumina sales to Russia: "Every tonne of raw materials that ends in Russia is used against us in this war. This is what we understand. This is how we see it."

Ireland has kicked off its six-month presidency of the EU Council. From accession to the budget, here are the five most pressing tasks. #EuropeNews

From Kalimera to Maidin mhaith: Ireland has taken over the EU Council’s six-month presidency, succeeding Cyprus. I break down the five most pressing tasks for the Irish presidency ☘️☘️☘️

How Russia's Putin talks about the war: - Unscheduled maintenance = fuel shortages - Structural transformation = war economy - Closed for technical reasons = sanctions - Schedule adjusment = flight disruption - Air target = drone attack - Deprived of life = killed - Clap = explosion

It's a remarkable move for the EU to put a deadline on China to offer "tangible results". If Beijing fails to deliver, Brussels will have a strong case to convince the most hesitant member states that dialogue isn't working and harder action is required.

🚨 Just in: the European Commission sets October as the deadline for China to deliver "the first tangible results" to rebalance trade relations. "The trend is not sustainable, and the status quo is not an option," Maroš Šefčovic says after meeting Wang Wentao in Brussels.

Neither pro nor con: the European Commission has declined to take a stance on the increasingly contentious debate over air conditioning, saying it is not the role of the EU executive to dictate consumer choices.

Happening today: EU-China trade talks. Publicly, the European Commission wants to maintain an open dialogue with Beijing. Privately, officials complain dialogue always runs in the same circles and never delivers results. Focus now turns to action.

Vladimir Putin has admitted Russia is facing a "certain deficit" of fuel as Ukraine ramps up drone attacks against oil refineries.

Alarming: Europe has recorded more than 1,300 excess deaths since the heatwave began on 21 June, says the WHO director. “European homes, workplaces and schools were not built for these temperatures.”

🚨 The European Commission vows to respond “swiftly and decisively” if Trump goes ahead with his 100% tariff threat: “The EU and its Member States have the sovereign right to regulate economic activities on their territory, in line with our democratic values and international commitments.”

🚨 EU-US trade war heats up: Donald Trump threatens a 100% tariff on European countries that implement taxes on digital services. The 100% tariff, he says, will “supersede” any trade deal that he has signed.

The Russian-installed authorities of Crime have decreed a state of emergency as Ukraine ramps up its drone offensive. Power outages are spreading, water supplies are disrupted, gas stations have run out of fuel and summer camps have been cancelled.

Oil cap, cod imports and LNG tankers are among the friction points in the latest package of EU sanctions on Russia, still under negotiation. Meanwhile, Bulgaria is dead-set against sanctions on Patriarch Kirill and Vagit Alekperov. I explain why.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has approved a plan to launch a 40-day operation of long-range and medium-range strikes against Russia. Moscow and Crimea are the likeliest targets.

🚨 Just in: the European Commission proposes to extend temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees for another year, until March 2028. But in a key change, it proposes to exclude newly arrived Ukrainian men of military age (23-60), who are barred from leaving the country.

CBC/Radio-Canada has become a full member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). This means Canada can now participate in Eurovision.

The €6 billion for drone production will be exempt from the "Made in Europe" requirements because Ukraine needs to buy cheap components from China. In principle, Ukraine could also tap into the €90 billion loan to buy US-made weapons through NATO's PURL programme. But that's up to Kyiv to request.

France has intercepted yet another tanker from Russia's shadow fleet, this time near Sicily. "We will not allow the shadow fleet to evade sanctions and fund Russia's war effort," Macron says.

Ukraine has received €3.2 billion as the first payment under the European Union's €90 billion support loan, Ursula von der Leyen announced on Thursday. "This is solidarity in action," she said. https://l.euronews.com/h0Up

The wait is over: six months after EU leaders agreed on the €90 billion support loan, Ukraine has received the first payment, worth €3.2 billion. A second tranche of €6 billion, destined for drone production, is expected in the coming days.

Faced with renewed resistance from Hungary, the EU has been forced to change plans and now aims to open two, rather than five, accession clusters with Ukraine and Moldova before the summer break. https://l.euronews.com/Gxmx

Péter Magyar confirmed on the record that Hungary has refused to sign the letters necessary to unlock the clusters with Ukraine. But he said Hungary was not "the only one" that has reservations about the original goal of opening all five remaining clusters already in July.

Not so fast: the EU has scaled down the timetable of Ukraine's accession due to Hungary's renewed resistance. Instead of opening all remaining five clusters in July, as was the original ambition, Brussels now aims at clusters 6 (external relations) and 2 (internal market) if things go well.

The Taliban asked EU countries to resume consular services for Afghan nationals as part of the technical talks on deportations. Commissioner Magnus Brunner treads carefully: "That's a member state's competence. It's an international obligation for the Taliban to take their people back."

Brexit, then and now.

Officials from the European Commission and 15 EU countries discreetly met with the Taliban in Brussels to discuss ways to speed up deportations of Afghans who have been accused of serious crimes. Here's why the outreach is so controversial.

Brussels issues a stark warning as tensions between Nawrocki and Zelenskyy escalate. "There is only one happy observer in this type of situation, and that's the aggressor in Ukraine, so we shouldn't be playing into their hands."

The EU-UK Summit scheduled for 22 July is officially postponed, but not cancelled. "We all agreed that, at this point in time, we should best postpone our summit," a Commission spokesperson says. It will take place "as soon as the possibilities are there".

🇩🇪 Friedrich Merz will host 🇫🇷 Emmanuel Macron, 🇬🇧 Keir Starmer, 🇮🇹 Giorgia Meloni and 🇵🇱 Donald Tusk on Wednesday, 24 June, in Berlin, to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine and follow up on the G7 summit. Mark Rutte will join via VTC.

The European Commission warns the spiralling row between Nawrocki and Zelenskyy is "not helpful", undermines political unity and "plays into the hands" of Russia. "There's only one happy observer, and that's the aggressor," the Commission spokesperson says.

As the EU prepares to correct its trade imbalance with China, it faces a new formidable challenge: an artificially cheap yuan that makes the problem even worse. @peggycorlin.bsky.social explains.

Brussels is "re-assessing" the EU-UK summit planned for 22 July following Keir Starmer's resignation. @maredgwyn.bsky.social has more.

Going on separate ways: the EU carefully sets the stage for decoupling Moldova's accession process from Ukraine's, a decision that many consider to be inevitable at this point. The latest on enlargement.

The European Commission leaves the door open to financing return hubs with EU funds. "The next steps when it comes to return hubs and to operationalising them are now with member states. We have put up the (legal) framework. We will look and be able to assess any proposal that is mature."

Starmer says a new prime minister should be in place before Parliament returns in September. Starmer is supposed to attend a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing on 13 July and the EU-UK Summit on 22 July.

Just in: Keir Starmer announces his resignation as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom as the Ode to Joy, the European anthem, plays in the background.

Iran has once again closed the Strait of Hormuz, citing Israel’s attacks on Lebanon and “bad faith” from the United States.

France's Emmanuel Macron and Spain's Pedro Sánchez have issued a blistering rebuke against deportation camps outside Europe, setting their countries on a collision course with a growing political majority. "What world do we live in?" Macron said. https://l.euronews.com/MQNF

🚨 Emmanuel Macron and Pedro Sánchez slam "ineffective, worthless" return hubs for migrants after a coalition of 19 EU countries, led by Denmark and Italy, made a new push in favour of outsourcing. "I am not sure this is our Europe," Macron said. "What world do we live in?"

#EUCO has come to an end.

Ursula von der Leyen told EU leaders that the time has come to prepare and consider a mandate for direct negotiations with Russia. But she also insisted that Ukraine must remain in the driving seat at all times. It's her way of backing Costa amid the fallout.