European Union

The head of ACI Europe saying publicly that the Entry/Exit System is not working is significant precisely because airports have financial and diplomatic incentives to stay quiet on this. The EES was designed to replace passport stamping with automated biometric checks at Schengen borders, but the rollout has been plagued by infrastructure gaps at major hubs and processing speeds that create queues even at low passenger volumes. For UK travellers, this is directly relevant: British passport holders now require EES checks when entering the Schengen zone post-Brexit, meaning delays are not an inconvenience but a structural feature of every European trip. Airlines with heavy intra-European routes, including easyJet and Ryanair, face the passenger experience liability if this continues through the summer peak.

Hungary is seizing back oil and pharmaceutical company shares from a pro-Orbán academic foundation, marking a rare reversal of the prime minister's decade-long asset redistribution strategy. The move suggests either EU pressure is finally working or Orbán is consolidating control ahead of political uncertainty. Either way, billions in state assets are changing hands again — Hungarian oligarchs should be watching closely.