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Story summary
- The European Commission switched off the air-conditioning system on floors one through seven on 26 June 2026.
- President Ursula von der Leyen and the 26 commissioners remained on the eighth floor or higher where cooling continued.
- Lower-floor staff said the shutdown was a disgrace and likened it to feudalism.
- The heatwave pushed temperatures up to 18 °C above normal and triggered blackouts and train cancellations across Europe.
