Hello, it’s Mared Gwyn writing from Brussels, where temperatures are slowly easing off as the heatwave which has gripped Europe in recent days moves eastwards. In store for you this morning: the still sizzling debate on whether Europe needs to bet big on air con to deal with climbing temperatures, the latest on the brewing trade tensions between Beijing and Brussels, and more.
Stars, Stripes, VIPs and Protests: But first, a flavour of the United States’ independence day bash hosted by the US embassy in Brussels’ Cinquantenaire Park last night.
Spotted among the thousands of VIPs in attendance were Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (described by the host, US Ambassador to Belgium Bill White, as the best NATO chief “ever”), and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
Guests tried their hand at baseball, rode a mechanical bull and participated in line dancing. The festivities also featured music (which many of our Brussels readers may have heard from afar), performances, a ceremonial flyover concluding with a drone and firework show. More.
To AC or not?: The brutal heat that has in recent days shattered previous temperature records from Denmark to the Czech Republic is again exposing the political fault lines around how Europe should respond to increasingly common heatwaves – and what role air con should play.
