Emmanuel Macron goes to Brussels on Thursday June 18 for a two-day European Council, in a tense geopolitical context. Leaders will hear from Volodymyr Zelensky on the situation in Ukraine; according to President Costa, the European approach, which combines support for kyiv and pressure on Moscow, is bearing fruit. They will also discuss the opening of the first group of chapters of the accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, presented by Costa and von der Leyen as recognition of the reforms of the two countries and a signal of the attractiveness of the European offer.
On competitiveness, the Twenty-Seven will take stock of the “One Europe, One Market” agenda, which covers the simplification of rules, the single market, trade, energy and digital transformation and artificial intelligence. They will also address the next European budget 2028-2034, on the basis of the “negotiation box” presented on June 11 by the Cypriot presidency, with a view to an agreement before the end of the year.
In the Middle East, the summit will address the conflict in Iran and its impact on energy prices, the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as support for the ceasefire in Lebanon. In terms of defense, recent drone incursions into European airspace, including the crash in Romania of a Russian drone loaded with explosives, have underlined the urgency of strengthening the eastern flank of the EU, while migration and illicit drugs are also on the agenda.
2 – Jordan Bardella’s trip to Poland
Jordan Bardella will travel to Warsaw on Thursday June 18 for his first trip to Poland, where he will meet officials from the Law and Justice (PiS) party of President Karol Nawrocki, second in the polls for next year’s legislative elections. Monday June 15, he wrote on “Poland is a country that counts a little more every day on the European scene”welcoming the clear commitments made by Warsaw to the issues of border protection, immigration and strategic autonomy.
This trip is part of a strategy of alliances with European nationalist parties, starting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, to build a new European architecture based on nations and cooperation between states. Faithful to his new motto of changing everything without destroying anything, the president of the RN has also reaffirmed his intention, in the event of a presidential election in 2027, to halve the French contribution to the next multi-annual budget of the EU, of which he judges the negotiation schedule designed to lock in an agreement before a possible change of majority in France.
3 – François Bayrou publishes his book Alert on France coming
François Bayrou publishes his book on Thursday June 18 Alert on France coming (L’Observatoire), nine months after leaving Matignon. The former Prime Minister sounds the alarm on the explosion of French debt, the impoverishment of the country and the situation facing young people, a recurring theme that he already denounced at the head of government. The work looks back on his months at Matignon, external influences having caused the conclave on pensions to fail, as well as on the Bétharram affair. He also mentions another subject of concern, the war of generations.
In retreat since his defeat in the municipal elections in Pau, the Béarnais had devoted himself to writing this essay, expected with a major promotional campaign. He hopes to give substance to the debate before the 2027 presidential election, while keeping his distance from the common base, and believes that several personalities, from Jean Castex to Thierry Breton, from Bernard Cazeneuve to Yaël Braun-Pivet or Dominique de Villepin, could still emerge. On the eve of the release, he gave an interview to Point in which he criticizes candidates judged to be in denial of over-indebtedness and explains why he will not be a candidate.
4 – Opening of Hellfest
Hellfest, a metal and hard rock music festival, opens Thursday June 18 in Clisson (Loire-Atlantique) for four days, until Sunday, to mark its 20th anniversary. Expected headliners include Iron Maiden and The Offspring. Last year, the event attracted 280,000 festival-goers. The most impacted are the residents of Piteau, a housing estate which adjoins the site. Many of them say they are attached to the atmosphere of the festival: some, like Mickaël, have become metal fans over the years, while others welcome festival-goers into their homes, in their gardens or as paying guests.
The mayor of Clisson, Laurence Luneau, says she is attentive to nighttime noise pollution and welcomes the good consideration of these constraints by the organizers, who also offer two passes to local residents to compensate for traffic disruptions.
5 – The good news of the day
Steven Spielberg’s new science fiction film, Disclosure Daytook first place at the North American box office on its opening weekend, with $44 million in 3,824 theaters. Internationally, $48.9 million was raised across 73 countries, bringing the global total to $92.9 million. Written and directed by Spielberg, the film stars Josh O’Connor as a whistleblower and Emily Blunt as a weather presenter confronted with unexplained phenomena, nearly half a century later. Encounter of the Third Kind.
This start exceeds initial forecasts – around 35 million dollars – but remains below the 50 million considered necessary for a film of this scale (the budget reaching 115 million for production and 80 million for marketing). In France, the film attracted 72,600 spectators on its first day. Behind Spielberg, independent horror films Obsession And Backrooms continue their rise, becoming the biggest hits in the history of Focus Features and A24.
