Friday, July 25, 2025

The New Hot Topic in European Politics Is Air Conditioning

Rising summer temperatures have softened Europe's resistance to air conditioning and touched off a new political fight about the wisdom of installing the technology everywhere, U.S.-style.

Posted by lamplighter at 11:32 AM | 8 COMMENTS | permalink

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The European Parliament is getting hot and sweaty, and it's not because of the upcoming EU budget negotiations.

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-- POLITICO Europe (@politico.eu) Jul 2, 2025 at 6:39 AM

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More from the article ...

... A heat wave that hit Western Europe in June and July spurred a run on air conditioners in appliance stores across the region. The scorching temperatures came unusually early, before many Europeans had a chance to decamp to the beach for summer vacation, exposing vulnerabilities in the cities where most people live. More than 1,000 French schools closed partially or completely because they lacked air conditioning.

Criticism quickly arose from politicians on the right who said authorities have left the continent woefully under-air conditioned. Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's far-right National Rally party, proposed a major campaign to install air conditioning in schools, hospitals and other institutions. In the U.K., the Conservatives urged London's Labour Party mayor to eliminate rules that restrict how air conditioning can be included in new housing. In Spain, the far-right Vox party has been highlighting air-conditioning breakdowns to criticize the country's establishment parties.

"Public services are unable to function due to a lack of air conditioning, unlike dozens of countries around the world," Le Pen said. "The government is still out of touch." ...


#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-07-24 12:35 AM

Yeah, I remember, back when I had traveled to The Netherlands quarterly on business. I stayed (compliments of, and specified by, my company) in a four-star hotel in Rotterdam.

Back in 2005, those hotel rooms were not air-conditioned.

During one visit, the air temperature was in the mid-90's. Something that Rotterdam had not seen before.

Needless to say, my hotel room was brutally hot.

In subsequent visits to that hotel a couple years later, I noticed the hotel was replacing all its old windows with new double-pane windows and was installing an air-conditioning system.

Yeah, Europe does not seem to be accustomed to hot weather.

And, fwiw, I found the folk of The Netherlands to be an awesome people. So happy. Even when I was taken into the countryside by my Dutch business associates.

Everybody seemed to be so happy.


#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-07-24 12:44 AM

Just returned from a two-week trip to Italy, where we stayed exclusively in hotels rated 4 stars"per my wife's insistence. The country was in the grip of a heat wave during our visit, and unfortunately, the air conditioning in Rome and Florence barely held up. For our final two days in Venice, temperatures hovered around 90F, yet our supposedly air-conditioned room never dropped below 28C (about 82F). It was stifling. Locals kept saying how unusual the weather was for this time of year.

#3 | Posted by schmanch at 2025-07-24 12:03 PM

I don't ever remember any of my trips to Europe and staying somewhere that didn't have air conditioning, but they had the key cards for the doors early and for anything to work in the room you had to plug that thing in a receptacle.

#4 | Posted by lfthndthrds at 2025-07-24 12:56 PM

"I don't ever remember any of my trips to Europe "
#4 | Posted by lfthndthrds

That's because you're a brain-damaged idiot.

#5 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2025-07-24 04:21 PM

Glad the Europeans are getting a clue on the wonders of A/C. Everywhere I stayed in Spain last year had it which was nice.

#6 | Posted by Bluewaffles at 2025-07-25 12:57 PM

That's because you're a brain-damaged idiot.

#5 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2025-07-24 04:21 PM | Reply | Flag:

You should try getting out of that port-a-let once in a while.

#7 | Posted by lfthndthrds at 2025-07-25 06:24 PM

And, fwiw, I found the folk of The Netherlands to be an awesome people. So happy. Even when I was taken into the countryside by my Dutch business associates.

Everybody seemed to be so happy.

#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-07-24 12:44 AM

Yes, and of all of the European countries that I've visited (at least 15), The Netherlands is the most cosmopolitan in that they seem to be equality welcome to anyone from anywhere (Switzerland is a close second). One indication of that is that virtually everyone in the country is fluent in several languages. We once had a company instructor from Holland who had to teach a class for our engineering software to a group of customers from various European countries. There were about eight engineers in the class and between them, there wasn't a single common language, so he proceeded to teach the week-long class in four different languages, simultaneously, none of which were Dutch.

OCU

#8 | Posted by OCUser at 2025-07-26 12:37 PM

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