Political Europe has slowed down for August. Parliaments have adjourned, institutional corridors have emptied and European leaders have dispersed to their summer destinations. But on a continent grappling with the war in Ukraine, tensions in the Middle East, economic uncertainty, migration and wildfires, the holidays of heads of state and government are increasingly less about work breaks and more about temporary offices with a sea view.
Ursula von der Leyen: vacation away from the public eye
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has chosen to keep the details of her summer vacation from the public. She has traditionally preferred time with her family, while remaining in contact with her team in Brussels.
The Commission president's vacations have become a political issue before. In the summer of 2023, von der Leyen and her husband stayed in Crete as guests at the private home of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The visit raised questions about the ethics and independence of the Commission.
The case also ended up with the European Ombudsman. In November 2024, the Ombudsman found maladministration in the way the Commission had handled the request for travel documents and highlighted wider problems in the ethics and accountability mechanisms when the allegations relate to the Commission President himself.
Emmanuel Macron: at the presidential fortress on the Riviera
Emmanuel Macron has once again chosen Fort de Brégançon, the official summer residence of French presidents on the Côte d'Azur. But politics has not been far behind there either.
On August 17, after a few days of rest in Brégançon, Macron made a public appearance in Bormes-les-Mimosas, where he spoke about the state of France, security and military investment. He also referred to the severe fires that have hit the country, promising support for the affected areas.
So, even in one of France's most isolated presidential residences, the telephone and political files have not closed along with the parliamentary season.
Pedro Sánchez: vacation in Lanzarote, with Ceuta in the background
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has once again chosen La Mareta in Lanzarote, the official residence in Costa Teguise where he regularly spends vacation periods with his family.
Sánchez arrived in Lanzarote on August 1, just after visiting Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in North Africa, which is facing one of the biggest migration crises in recent years.
At the end of July, the border was hit by a massive influx from Morocco. Sources differ on the final figure, but the latest reports speak of over 72,000 crossings, while other sources put the number at around 80,000. Thousands of people remain in Ceuta and the local infrastructure is under immense pressure.
Sánchez's vacation has therefore become a political topic in Spain, where the opposition has criticized the government's response to the crisis and the fact that the prime minister is in Lanzarote while the situation in Ceuta remains unresolved.
Giorgia Meloni: return to Puglia
Giorgia Meloni has chosen the south of Italy again. The Italian Prime Minister has made Valle d'Itria one of her favorite destinations and this summer she has also planned a vacation in Puglia with her daughter, family and close friends.
According to Italian media, the preferred destination remains the area of Ceglie Messapica, near Brindisi, and Masseria Beneficio, where Meloni has stayed in previous years.
Puglia is no longer just a holiday destination for Meloni. It is in this region that she organized the G7 summit in 2024, while this year's stay also combines with official obligations: on August 21, she is expected in Taranto for the opening of the Mediterranean Games.
In practice, Meloni's vacations are a combination of time with family, informal meetings, and the government agenda.
Friedrich Merz: a little break and Pope Leo XIV as summer reading
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has chosen a relatively quiet vacation, away from the limelight. But one detail from his vacation has attracted more attention than the destination itself.
Among the readings that Merz has chosen for the holidays is Pope Leo XIV's encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, dedicated to the protection of man in the age of artificial intelligence.
The papal document addresses the dangers posed by artificial intelligence when technological development is disconnected from human responsibility, transparency and democratic control. The Pope argues that AI must remain at the service of humanity and not become a mechanism for domination, exclusion or irresponsible decision-making.
Merz's choice is not entirely coincidental: artificial intelligence and how Europe should compete technologically without losing control over its consequences have become one of the continent's main political and economic debates.
In the end, the picture of the European summer is somewhat paradoxical. Macron is in the presidential fortress by the Mediterranean, Sánchez in Lanzarote, Meloni among the olive groves of Puglia, Merz with his readings and von der Leyen away from the public eye.
But no one is really on vacation.
In the Europe of 2026, wars, immigration, fires, economic and political crises do not respect the August calendar. And for leaders, all it takes is a phone call from the capital — or a blundering photo from the beach — for the holidays to turn instantly into politics.
