Summary of the day
Four people drowned in the Channel overnight, French maritime police said.
Finnish lawmakers approved a bill that will allow border guards to turn away third-country migrants attempting to enter Finland from Russia.
Members of the Polish parliament rejected a bill that would have decriminalised the act of facilitating abortions.
Hungary’s far right prime minister, Viktor Orbán, met with Donald Trump in Florida yesterday. In a post this morning, the Hungarian leader wrote: “We continued the peace mission in Mar-a-Lago. President Donald Trump has proved during his presidency that he is a man of peace. He will do it again!”
The German foreign ministry said Hungary’s presidency of the Council of the EU, which began on July 1, has already caused damage.
Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders mocked Joe Biden’s gaffes.
The Kremlin said today that the whole world had paid attention to Joe Biden’s slips of the tongue at a Nato summit, but said it was for U.S. voters to determine the presidential candidates’ prospects.
The French Green leader, Marine Tondelier, said the risk of the far right rising to power in France has not disappeared after the snap election, and politics must urgently change to regain voters’ trust.
Polish MPs vote against bill decriminalising abortion assistance
Members of the Polish parliament rejected a bill today that would have decriminalised the act of facilitating abortions, AFP reported.
The draft law was rejected by 218 MPs against and 215 in favour.
The bill was the first of four draft texts to liberalise abortion access in Poland put forward by members of the ruling coalition.
Finland passes bill to turn away migrants crossing from Russia
Finnish lawmakers have approved a bill that will allow border guards to turn away third-country migrants attempting to enter Finland from Russia, the Associated Press reported.
The temporary law, valid for one year, was approved by 167 out of 200 lawmakers. Critics of the bill say it clashes with the country’s constitution and international rights commitments.
Updated
Coordinated networks of accounts spreading disinformation “flooded” social media in France, Germany and Italy before the elections to the European parliament, Dutch researchers have found.
After an in-depth analysis of disinformation on the platform X in four EU countries, the researchers concluded that many of the accounts had been set up after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but were cranked up in the weeks and days before the vote, with growth in their numbers of followers rocketing.
“The impact of these accounts is increasing at an alarming rate,” said Trollrensics, a specialist consultancy commissioned by the Dutch Socialist and Democratic parties in the European parliament. “We can conclude with absolute certainty that a large coordinated network of accounts was influencing the EU elections in Germany, France and Italy.”
At least two people were killed and nine injured when scaffolding collapsed off a building under construction in Lausanne, police said, AFP reported.
Hungarian EU Council presidency 'already caused a lot of damage,' German foreign ministry says
Hungary’s presidency of the Council of the EU has already caused damage, the German foreign ministry said today, Reuters reported.
Budapest took over the rotating presidency on July 1. The Hungarian far right prime minister, Viktor Orbán, fuelled controversy over the past days by travelling to Russia and China without backing from his EU counterparts.
Orbán also met Donald Trump in Florida yesterday.
“We have to see how the Hungarian council presidency continues,” a spokesperson for the German ministry said when asked how Berlin planned to respond to Orban’s recent diplomatic visits.
“We are now on day 12 and it has already caused a lot of damage,” the spokesperson added.
Updated
Late yesterday, Donald Trump thanked Viktor Orbán, after meeting the Hungarian prime minister in Florida.
“Thank you Viktor. There must be PEACE, and quickly. Too many people have died in a war that should have never started!” Trump wrote on social media.
The Kremlin said today that the whole world had paid attention to Joe Biden’s slips of the tongue at a Nato summit, but said it was for U.S. voters to determine the presidential candidates’ prospects, Reuters reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said however that Russia had taken note of what it called disrespectful comments Biden had made about Vladimir Putin.
“For us this was unacceptable. It (such behaviour) does not make an American head of state look good,” said Peskov.
Gitanas Nausėda, the Lithuanian president, has thanked Joe Biden “for a warm welcome in the United States of America & excellent organization of the NATO summit.”
Thank you, @POTUS Joe Biden, for a warm welcome in the United States of America& excellent organization of the #NATOsummit.
— Gitanas Nausėda (@GitanasNauseda) July 12, 2024
Lithuania appreciates the long-lasting friendship& trusted partnership with the U.S. We will continue to stand together for democracy& freedom.
🇱🇹🤝🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/u8EyOfhCQg
Risk of far right gaining power has not gone away, warns French Green leader
The French Green leader, Marine Tondelier, has said the risk of the far right rising to power in France has not disappeared after the snap election, and politics must urgently change to regain voters’ trust.
“It was a warning,” Tondelier said of this month’s election, where a spectacular rush of tactical voting in the final round held back Marine Le Pen’s far-right, anti-immigration National Rally. The RN’s first-round surge had brought it the closest it had ever been to a parliament majority and entering government.
“The Republic held on, but for how much longer?” Tondelier said in an interview in her Paris office, days after a left alliance including her Green party finished ahead in the election in a surprise result.
Talks are now under way over what type of government France could form and Tondelier, a 37-year-old environmentalist, is among names being suggested for prime minister – a prospect she has not commented on, saying policy is more important than personalities.
Updated
Wilders mocks Biden gaffes
Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders has mocked Joe Biden’s gaffes.
“President Putin meets vice-president Trump,” he wrote, posting photos of Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Kamala Harris.
Yesterday, Biden introduced the Ukrainian president as “president Putin” before correcting himself and saying “we’re going to beat Putin.”
The American president also misnamed Harris. “I wouldn’t have picked vice-president Trump to be vice-president, if she’s not qualified to be president,” he said.
President Putin meets Vice President Trump. pic.twitter.com/ZIMylo45ae
— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) July 12, 2024
Updated
Meanwhile in France…
Gabriel Attal, the caretaker prime minister and an ally of Emmanuel Macron, has formalised his candidacy to lead the Renaissance group in the national assembly.
🔴 INFO BFMTV
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) July 12, 2024
Gabriel Attal officialise sa candidature à la présidence du groupe Renaissance à l'Assemblée nationalehttps://t.co/LxTt2xIoBm pic.twitter.com/zSrw10sKaa
Trump 'man of peace' and 'will do it again', Orbán says after Florida meeting
Hungary’s far right prime minister, Viktor Orbán, met with Donald Trump in Florida yesterday.
In a post this morning, the Hungarian leader wrote: “We continued the peace mission in Mar-a-Lago. President Donald Trump has proved during his presidency that he is a man of peace. He will do it again!”
We continued the peace mission in Mar-a-Lago. President @realDonaldTrump has proved during his presidency that he is a man of peace. He will do it again! pic.twitter.com/8abVBW7f6r
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) July 12, 2024
Four people drown in Channel, French police say
Four people drowned in the Channel overnight, French maritime police said today, AFP reported.
The people drowned off Boulogne-sur-Mer on France’s northern coast while trying to cross to the UK.
Maritime police told AFP that a navy patrol boat went to the site after being alerted and that four people taken out of the water by helicopter were dead.
Others were rescued alive, the police said.
Reuters cited a French coast guard spokesperson as saying that a total of 67 people were aboard the boat and that 63 of them were rescued by an operation involving four ships and one helicopter.
Welcome to the blog
Good morning and welcome back to the blog.
Today we’ll be looking at the latest news and analysis from around Europe.
Send tips and comments to lili.bayer@theguardian.com.
