A rare and intense superheat wave is sweeping across the entire European continent, while the penetration rate of air conditioning in this region is much lower than in other major economies around the world.
On June 27th local time, the air conditioning in the lower floors of the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium, was turned off. However, the air conditioning in the upper floors where senior officials such as European Commission President Vondra were located was not turned off.
According to the European version of Politico.eu, this move angered some ordinary employees working in the building. Some even said, "It's simply feudal."
On June 26, 2026, local time, in Grimbergen, Belgium, the thermometer showed temperatures of up to 45°C. Eastern IC
According to reports, on June 27 local time, employees working in the European Commission building received a notice stating that due to extreme weather conditions, the air conditioning systems on levels 1 to 7 of the building would have to be “forced to shut down” that day.
This 13-story building serves as the office space for Fondelaine, her 26 committee members, and about 3,000 staff members. Fondelaine works on the 13th floor, while most of the committee members have offices on the 8th floor and above.
An official working in the EU Commission building's lower levels, said this practice was "simply feudal" to politico.eu that day. Another official called this “truly shameful.”
An employee on the 8th floor stated that even after turning on the air conditioning, the indoor temperature still reached 25.7 degrees Celsius.
Earlier this week, the European Commission issued guidelines to its employees, which include avoiding going out during the hottest times, drinking water at regular intervals, and starting work early.
This week, many regions in Europe set temperature records. On June 24 local time in France, it was the hottest day on record, with temperatures reaching as high as 43.3 degrees Celsius in some areas; southern England experienced temperatures of 38.8 degrees Celsius, setting a record for the highest temperature in June in the country; Spain had an average daily temperature of 28.08 degrees Celsius in June, the highest level since 1950.
This heatwave has sparked a new round of discussions about the lack of air conditioning in households and offices across much of Europe. It is reported that only about one-fifth of European households are equipped with air conditioning.
According to reports, Spain’s MoMo monitoring system indicates that 327 deaths may be related to the high temperatures from the 21st to the 25th. In France, the number of drowning deaths has risen to at least 55 since the onset of the heatwave.
French President Macron stated on June 25 that France has done a great deal of work in adapting to climate change, but also acknowledged that this round of extreme heatwaves is unprecedented.
Macron pointed out that this high temperature has no precedent in European history. The "heatwave peak" not only lasts for a long time, but the temperature is also 15 degrees Celsius higher than the seasonal average. This kind of "heatwave peak" is a situation that has never occurred before, so we cannot simply use existing coping mechanisms to deal with it.
Mackron also said in his speech that over the past few years, France has continuously promoted energy transformation and climate-adaptive improvements in housing, public buildings, and infrastructure.
Macron also emphasized that extreme heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense. In this context, finding a balance between long-term emission reductions and adapting to the new normal is becoming a challenge that many European countries are working to address together.
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) weather forecaster Ben Rich said that extreme heat will continue throughout the weekend, with temperatures in some areas possibly exceeding 40 degrees Celsius by June 29th.
