Drought Pressure on Farms: Visegrad Four agriculture representatives (Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia) urged the EU to act fast as extreme drought cuts fodder yields and threatens livestock and food security. Swiss Forest Damage: Switzerland’s forests are taking irreversible hits as early leaf loss signals deep tissue damage, with many trees expected to die in coming years. Rail Baltica Cost of Delay: A new analysis argues that hesitation on Rail Baltica is getting more expensive as Europe shifts spending toward defence and infrastructure. Energy Corridor Expansion: North Macedonia and Serbia formally joined the Vertical Gas Corridor, widening supply routes via Greece and LNG access. Baltic Energy Initiative: ORLEN helped launch a Northern and Central Europe energy partnership focused on offshore wind, LNG/bioLNG, hydrogen, and grid resilience. Critical Infrastructure Under Strain (Germany): Reports describe a string of attacks and disruptions targeting power, rail and defence-linked sites, with investigators linking some suspects. NATO Submarine Watch: NATO says it is closely tracking Russia’s expanding nuclear submarine fleet. Heat and Maize Crisis: Central Europe’s maize belt is reshaping as drought shrinks harvests, pushing Hungary and Romania toward imports. Media Freedom Award: Belarusian journalist Andrei Aliaksandrau was named a Free Media Awards winner for press freedom under repression.