Morning opening: South-eastern Europe braces for heatwave, energy crunch
Jakub Krupa
The latest heatwave seen in western Europe last week are now moving eastwards, with large parts of central and southern Europe set to experience extreme temperatures near ۴۰C, and putting countries at risk of an energy crunch.
Hungary was forced to shut down most of its sole nuclear power plant, which generates a large part of the country’s energy supply, for the first time in ۴۴ years as the drying out of the Danube made it impossible to cool safely. The nuclear plant is expected to be completely powered down later this week as water levels on the Danube river are projected to fall further.
On Monday, many digital advertising screens will be turned off to save energy, as part of a broader push to seek savings wherever possible.
Hungarian prime minister Péter Magyar warned on Monday that “the hardest five days are ahead.”
Romania and Serbia also reported their lowest-ever water levels, causing issues with hydropower generation.
Budapest and Vienna will see temperatures of up to ۳۷C today, with Zagreb at ۳۶C, Tirana at ۳۵C, and Bucharest at ۳۳C, and these temperatures are expected to last for up to five days.
But that doesn’t mean it will be necessarily much cooler in the west, with ۳۶C in Rome and ۳۴C in Paris.
Elsewhere, I will keep an eye on the political fallout from the migration crisis in Ceuta last week, with EU ambassadors meeting this morning for what is likely to be a fierce discussion on what’s next ahead of tomorrow’s talks between interior ministers.
I will bring you all the updates from across Europe as the day progresses.
It’s Monday, ۳ August ۲۰۲۶, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
Key events
Two helicopters collide outside Athens as Greece battles to control wildfires
Two firefighting helicopters have collided west of Athens on Sunday, killing the two-person crew of one of the aircraft, as efforts to control a massive wildfire barrelling towards the outskirts of the Greek capital intensified.
Footage showed one of the helicopters losing control in the face of gale-force winds that have pushed flames towards settlements on Athens’ western fringes.
“The pilots … were taken unconscious to hospital, where their death was confirmed,” said the fire department’s director of communications, Vassilis Vathrakogiannis.
The Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said the two dead were a Dane and a Greek. The two crew members of the second helicopter were rescued.
Morning opening: South-eastern Europe braces for heatwave, energy crunch
Jakub Krupa
The latest heatwave seen in western Europe last week are now moving eastwards, with large parts of central and southern Europe set to experience extreme temperatures near ۴۰C, and putting countries at risk of an energy crunch.
Hungary was forced to shut down most of its sole nuclear power plant, which generates a large part of the country’s energy supply, for the first time in ۴۴ years as the drying out of the Danube made it impossible to cool safely. The nuclear plant is expected to be completely powered down later this week as water levels on the Danube river are projected to fall further.
On Monday, many digital advertising screens will be turned off to save energy, as part of a broader push to seek savings wherever possible.
Hungarian prime minister Péter Magyar warned on Monday that “the hardest five days are ahead.”
Romania and Serbia also reported their lowest-ever water levels, causing issues with hydropower generation.
Budapest and Vienna will see temperatures of up to ۳۷C today, with Zagreb at ۳۶C, Tirana at ۳۵C, and Bucharest at ۳۳C, and these temperatures are expected to last for up to five days.
But that doesn’t mean it will be necessarily much cooler in the west, with ۳۶C in Rome and ۳۴C in Paris.
Elsewhere, I will keep an eye on the political fallout from the migration crisis in Ceuta last week, with EU ambassadors meeting this morning for what is likely to be a fierce discussion on what’s next ahead of tomorrow’s talks between interior ministers.
I will bring you all the updates from across Europe as the day progresses.
It’s Monday, ۳ August ۲۰۲۶, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
