Firefighters pushing to 'definitively encircle' east Belgium wildfire, authorities say

Copyright AP Photo

By Gavin Blackburn

Published on 18/08/2026 - EURONEWS

Europe has been swept by weeks of devastating wildfires fuelled by dry conditions and a historically hot summer, with France, Greece, Portugal and Spain also battling major fires.

Firefighters launched a potentially decisive push to encircle Belgium's largest wildfire in a century on Tuesday, despite wind and rain hampering air support operations over the High Fens nature reserve.

The blaze charring the vast expanse of boggy peatlands, pine trees and hiking trails grew over the weekend to half the size of Manhattan with hundreds of firefighters working night and day to wrestle it under control.

"We are trying to definitively encircle the fire today," regional government spokesperson Nicolas Yernaux told the AFP news agency.

In areas where firefighters could operate, he confirmed the fire was "under control and contained."

But a hard-to-access front towards the German border remains a concern, with some residents in the border town of Monschau already under evacuation orders due to the smoke hazard.

Firefighters worked through the night to make a crucial link-up between the eastern and northern fronts, under very difficult access conditions.

A helicopter prepares to dump a Bambi Bucket of water over a field as a wildfire burns near Waimes, 17 August, 2026 AP Photo

"We're talking about one or two kilometres and we're on the verge of achieving it," Yernaux told AFP, despite "sustained winds" blowing towards the German border.

Water-bombing aircraft from several countries have been deployed, with two Norwegian helicopters the latest to fly in on Monday night, but they have been repeatedly grounded by low cloud and rain. There are also aircraft from Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.

Yernaux said it was unclear given weather conditions when they would be able to take off again.

"There may be windows of opportunity this morning, but it may not be before tonight."

A huge area has been blanketed by a thick plume of yellowish smoke, with fumes detected as far as eastern France, where authorities issued an air-pollution alert.

The smoke triggered evacuations in one Belgian village and two hamlets of a second, with residents of the hamlet of Sourbrodt given the green light to return home on Monday night.

Farmers fill their tractor trailers with water at a local lake as they work to extinguish a wildfire burning near Sourbrodt, 17 August, 2026 AP Photo

The finish line

Europe has been swept by weeks of devastating wildfires fuelled by dry conditions and a historically hot summer, with France, Greece, Portugal and Spain also battling major fires.

The High Fens blaze broke out in an area that was ravaged by massive fires in 1911, during a similar period of heatwaves.

It is the country's largest wildfire since.

During a visit on site with King Philippe on Monday, Belgium's interior minister Bernard Quintin told media it could take "several weeks" of soaking and dousing the area to prevent the fire from reigniting, even once brought under control.

On-site operations have been made much harder by the fens' terrain, a patchwork of heath, peat bogs and raised wooden boardwalks where heavy vehicles risk sinking into the ground, and firefighters struggle to tackle the fire at close range.

Volunteers provide food and water to farmers and other volunteers working to extinguish a wildfire burning near Sourbrodt, 17 August, 2026 AP Photo

They have been counting heavily on aerial assistance to bring the situation under control.

Local farmers have also poured in to help, working shifts to oversee a ballet of tractors pulling in tankers of water from a nearby lake.

"We'll take it in turns as long as it needs, the team is all set," a farmer from nearby Waremme, told AFP. "We'll keep going until the finish line."

Like much of Europe, Belgium has experienced a new spell of intense heat and drought in recent days.

Temperatures reached as high as 37C in some parts of the country last week, creating conditions conducive to wildfire outbreaks.

Europe’s €2.5tn spending power could go green as business coalition presses EU to act

Copyright AP / Alvaro Barrientos

By Marta Pacheco

Published on 18/08/2026 - EURONEWS

A broad coalition of business and civil society groups is urging the European Commission to introduce mandatory purchasing criteria to create demand for low-carbon products, effectively making procurement part of Europe's industrial strategy.

A coalition of 26 businesses and civil society organisations representing more than 11,500 companies is urging the European Commission to make low-carbon criteria mandatory in EU public procurement rules ahead of a revision expected on 9 September.

In a letter sent to the Commission on 18 August and led by the Italian Climate Change think tank ECCO, the signatories say public authorities spend around €2.5 trillion a year on procurement, equivalent to about 16% of EU GDP.

However, they argue Europe is not using that purchasing power aggressively enough to create demand for cleaner products and technologies, creating a disconnect in Brussels’ approach: companies are being urged to decarbonise, while market conditions do not always reward those that do.

"Public procurement has the potential to send clear signals to the market, supporting the uptake of more sustainable technologies and production processes. However, this potential remains only partially exploited," reads the letter.

Spain has been building on its reputation in renewable energy to position itself as Europe's future leader in green hydrogen. But some energy sector experts urge caution about ramping up an industry that would rely heavily on massive increases in the availability of zero-carbon electricity from sources like wind or solar.

The signatories say procurement remains too heavily driven by the lowest price, while green criteria, introduced under the bloc's Net Zero Industry Act in 2024, are often voluntary and applied differently across member states. They argue that this fragmentation prevents public purchasing from becoming a reliable market signal for European industry.

If governments consistently favour cleaner steel, construction materials, technologies and other products, the coalition argues, suppliers will have a much stronger commercial incentive to invest in decarbonisation.

The letter comes as the EU co-legislators are currently discussing the divisive Industrial Accelerator Act, which introduced “Made in Europe” in public procurement and public support in a bid to curb US and China's dominant position and revive the EU's industrial sector alongside the energy transition.

Political demands to phase out lowest-price criteria

In a more political move, the coalition is asking Brussels to phase out lowest-price-only awards and make the broader "most economically advantageous tender" approach the norm. In practice, that would give public authorities greater scope to consider carbon emissions and other factors alongside cost.

The coalition suggests the Commission tie procurement to the EU's existing climate architecture by using methodologies already associated with existing climate rules, such as the EU's carbon market system rules or carbon border tax rules, which could make emissions data more comparable while avoiding a new reporting regime for companies.

"To facilitate market adaptation, ensure legal certainty and prevent fragmentation, these requirements should be introduced progressively and structured around a clear distinction between core mandatory minimum criteria, acting as eligibility thresholds, and additional reward criteria to incentivise over-compliance and continuous innovation," reads the letter.

The signatories also want procurement rules to prevent public contracts from going to suppliers that rely on poor working conditions or abuses further down global supply chains.

After Trump gave North Korea what it wants, a key senator accuses him of ‘appeasement’

Steve Benen
Mon, August 17, 2026 

MSNOW


President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stand on North Korean soil in the Demilitarized Zone on June 30, 2019, in Panmunjom, Korea.


Throughout Donald Trump's first term, the president went to bizarre lengths to cozy up to North Korea, a longtime enemy of the United States, while alienating South Korea, a longtime U.S. ally. In 2019, the Republican took steps to cancel U.S. military exercises near the peninsula while echoing Pyongyang's rhetoric, criticizing the exercises as "very provocative" and "inappropriate."

After losing his 2020 re-election bid and preparing for a White House comeback, Trump's belligerence toward Seoul by some measures managed to get worse. The Republican referred to South Korea as "an enemy" of the U.S. on matters of trade — despite the fact that his own administration struck a trade deal with South Korea — adding that he believed "it's time we stop" helping our Korean allies.

The antagonistic attitude hasn't improved. On Sunday afternoon, for reasons unknown, the American president published an odd message to his social media platform, which read in part:

Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, I am not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea. These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile, to a Country that, as long as Donald J. Trump has been President, has been unthreatening and respectful. Therefore, and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises!

Trump went on to complain about South Korea not participating in his war with Iran (he labeled it "the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran"), which ostensibly shouldn't even be necessary, given how often he's declared victory in that conflict.

A day later, at an unrelated event in the Oval Office, Trump kept this going, telling reporters on Monday afternoon that he'd spoken to the North Korean dictator over the last 24 hours, before again complaining about our South Korean allies.

As part of the exchange, the Republican said he wants South Korea to pay $10 billion to cover the cost of the military exercises. (Trump made similar comments in 2019. Vipin Narang, an associate professor at MIT who follows the Korean peninsula, said at the time, "Nothing says 'I love you' like a shakedown.")

With recent history in mind, it's important to emphasize that we do not yet know for certain whether the president's rhetoric reflects reality. Trump said he'd directed the Pentagon to "substantially reduce" the U.S. role in the military exercises, but he claims all sorts of things, many of which prove baseless. Indeed, the long-planned exercises began Monday as scheduled, and it remains unclear whether and how much the Republican's post will affect the plans for the rest of the scheduled operations.

But if the online statement reflects reality in any meaningful way, it's another regressive step for a White House that's gone to breathtaking lengths to alienate U.S. allies. As The Atlantic's Tom Nichols summarized, "Scaling back the exercise is, of course, an insane decision, which does nothing but hurt an ally, and tempt an adversary to think — correctly — that American leadership is feckless. … The Chinese and the Russians and the North Koreans are certain to draw the appropriate lessons from this deranged policy. They have been shown, yet again, that when Trump fails, he hurts those he feels safe hurting."

Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, went further, accusing the president of "appeasement."

Reed's written statement added, "This is another inane, haphazard decision by President Trump and his chaotic administration. America's alliances are built on trust and strength. When President Trump cuts military exercises to flatter a dictator or punishes South Korea for declining to join a war he started, all of our allies — and adversaries — think that America's commitments are negotiable. Kim Jong Un has won a propaganda victory and South Korea, one of our strongest allies, has been punished for no reason beyond Trump's ego.

"China and Russia are watching how easily this president abandons America's allies, and they will remember it the next time they test us."

During his presidency, Joe Biden made major strides in strengthening ties between the U.S. and our South Korean allies. Trump is needlessly going out of his way to undo that progress in ways that can only benefit our enemies.

This article was originally published on ms.now

South Korea and Japan stress 'critical' US alliance as Trump slashes military drills

Copyright AP Photo

By Gavin Blackburn

Published on 18/08/2026 -  EURONEWS

Trump made the surprise announcement about the troop drawdown in a social media post just before US and South Korean soldiers began Monday's annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises.

South Korea’s president said on Tuesday that a solid alliance with the United States underpins national security, after US President Donald Trump’s abrupt order to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises left many South Koreans baffled and concerned.

In a regular Cabinet meeting, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung stressed the importance of a firm military alliance with the US, saying that “national security will be further strengthened when the alliance is solid.”

“When we build up our strengths, our value and importance as an ally will further grow,” said Lee, a liberal who has called for a stronger, self-reliant defence posture.

It was unclear which parts of the 11-day South Korea-US exercises were being downsized.

The South Korean and US militaries earlier said their drills this year would be similar in scale to previous years and incorporate lessons from recent conflicts such as North Korea’s battlefield experiences on the Russia-Ukraine front. They also said the drills are defensive in nature.

North Korea's Foreign Ministry accused South Korea and the US of plotting more provocative drills this year and vowed to respond with “a new level of a deterrent.”

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, 18 August, 2026 AP Photo

Support from Tokyo

Lee’s comments were echoed by Japan’s defence minister who, on a visit to Australia on Tuesday, supported security cooperation with key defence backer Washington and neighbour Seoul.

"As Japan faces the most severe and complicated security environment in the post-war era, the cooperation among Japan, the United States and South Korea is critical to the peace and stability of the region," Shinjiro Koizumi told journalists.

Trump made the surprise announcement about the troop drawdown in a social media post just before US and South Korean soldiers began Monday's annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, which are largely designed to sharpen readiness against North Korean threats.

Trump cited what he said was a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea's refusal to join the US war against Iran.

Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles with Japan's Defence Minister Koizumi Shinjiro in Canberra, 18 August, 2026 AP Photo

Trump’s move was apparently taken without consultations with South Korea and meant to reach out to Kim, deepening concerns about the reliability of the US-South Korean alliance forged in the turmoil of the Korean War.

A weakening of the US defence commitment could shake South Korea’s national security as it has no nuclear weapons and is under the US “nuclear umbrella” protection, which guarantees a devastating American response in the event of an attack on its ally by nuclear-armed North Korea.

The United States stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea to bolster the country's defences, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

Confidence in the US has already eroded among many South Koreans because of Trump's tariff war and last year's immigration raid in the US state of Georgia that led to the detention of hundreds of South Korean workers.

Trump's announcement “reveals the stark reality of a faltering Korea-US alliance, fuelling public anxiety,” South Korea's Hankook Ilbo newspaper said in an editorial on Tuesday.

“It's absurd that the US appears to treat North Korea more respectfully than its ally South Korea.”

Prospects unclear for reengagement between Trump and Kim

Trump on Monday insisted he was making the situation "much safer" through his ties with the North's Kim Jong-un, whom he met three times in his first term but has yet to encounter since his return to the White House.

He also said his ties with Kim have reduced tensions.

"Kim Jong-un has always treated me with great respect," Trump said. "I understand him. He understands me."

Kim has shunned any talks with the US and South Korea since his earlier high-profile diplomacy with Trump fell apart in 2019.

Experts say Kim likely won’t embrace Trump’s overtures and return to talks anytime soon unless he is promised bigger US concessions.

A screenshot of a post on US President Donald Trump's Truth Social account, 18 August, 2026 @realDonaldTrump

Kim has boosted his military and diplomatic credentials in recent years by enlarging his nuclear arsenal and aligning with Russia over its war against Ukraine.

Lee’s presidential office on Monday expressed hopes that a “friendly relationship” between Trump and Kim would lead to “meaningful dialogue” between their countries to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.

That invited a backlash from conservatives, who criticised Lee’s government for allegedly prioritising resumption of Kim-Trump diplomacy over security concerns.

“South Korea’s security bulwark is being shaken to its very foundations,” Park Chung-kwon, a spokesperson for the main conservative opposition People Power Party, said in a statement.

Doubts about US alliance grow in South Korea

In his social media post, Trump said the military exercises with South Korea are not only costly but “send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile” to North Korea, which he said “has been unthreatening and respectful” during his time in the White House.

Trump said he asked Lee if South Korea would join the US in the “denuclearisation” of Iran, “and they said, ‘No thanks!’”

Lee's office said South Korea and the US are closely discussing practical and military contributions that South Korea can make to help restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

A poster showing US President Donald Trump displayed to demand the strength of the South Korea-US alliance near the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, 30 December, 2019 AP Photo

“Trump thinks of an alliance as an investment that should pay regular dividends, or a rainy-day fund he can withdraw from when another project isn’t going well,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

“South Korean leaders understand that relations with the Trump administration will be a constant renegotiation linking economic and security issues. Seoul is thus cautiously responding to recent developments within that framework,” Easley said.

 

Sophie Adenot becomes first French woman to conduct spacewalk at ISS

French President Emmanuel Macron and former French astronaut Claudie Haignere speak 

with French astronaut Sophie Adenot in Paris, 5 February, 2026 AP Photo

By Nathan Joubioux & Gavin Blackburn

Published on 18/08/2026 - EURONEWS

The goal of the six-and-a-half hour spacewalk is to replace a space-to-ground antenna on the orbital complex, according to NASA.

Sophie Adenot has become the first French female astronaut to venture outside the International Space Station (ISS) for a spacewalk on Tuesday, accompanied by American astronaut Anil Menon.

The spacewalk is scheduled to last six and a half hours, with the goal of replacing a space-to-ground antenna on the orbital complex, according to NASA.

Adenot, 44, is the second European woman to conduct a spacewalk, after Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti's mission in 2022.

The French astronaut had been preparing for the operation for several days aboard the ISS, in orbit 400 kilometres above the Earth.

"A successful (spacewalk) starts long before the hatch opens and that's where my focus has been these past few days: rehearsing, preparing and focusing," Adenot said in a post on X on Sunday.

The antenna being replaced is key to high-speed communications and data transmission between the ISS and mission control in Houston, she added.

Flight engineer Jack Hathaway and station commander Jessica Meir are monitoring the spacewalkers and operate a robotic arm from inside the ISS, NASA said.

"While the spacewalkers are the ones out in the spotlight, (extravehicular activities) are very much a team effort and it's always a privilege to support the crew from within," Adenot wrote after the previous spacewalk, when she supported Meir and Menon.

An engineer by training and a former test pilot, Adenot became in February the second Frenchwoman in history to fly into space, after pioneer Claudie Haignere.

The last French person to walk in space was Thomas Pesquet, who did so six times over two stays aboard the ISS.

 

Panathenaic Stadium's marble regains its shine: First cleaning of Greek arena in a century

By Ioannis Karagiorgas

Published on 17/08/2026 

It was rebuilt for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and now serves as the ceremonial departure point for the Olympic Flame, including ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

The Panathenaic Stadium has welcomed marathon runners, rock stars and the athletes of the first modern Olympic Games. Built entirely of white marble, it is undergoing its first comprehensive cleaning in more than a century.

Reconstructed for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, it also serves as the venue for the Olympic Flame handover ceremony, including ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

The cleaning process requires special care, as the stadium is made from the same gleaming marble used on the Acropolis, making the endeavour particularly delicate and demanding.

"The Kallimarmaro is a unique monument for the global Olympic movement, as this is where the modern Olympic Games were revived in 1896," said Isidoros Kouvelos, the president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee. "It was essential to remove everything that has built up over the years. In this way, the Panathenaic Stadium will once again reveal all its splendour."

Panathenaic Stadium AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis

The cleaning work is revealing the marks left on the historic monument by the passage of time, the weather and the millions of visitors.

Crews are moving along the stadium's 47 tiers of seating, using spray equipment that delivers clean water at controlled, low pressure.

At the same time, specialised machines suck up the water produced by the cleaning, so that the whole process is carried out with the greatest possible care and without stressing the marble.

"The aim of the cleaning is not to make everything dazzling white," said antiquities conservator Dimitris Selemis. "The goal is to remove pollutants and the first layers of organic matter that build up on the surface. Weeds and vegetation in general are a serious problem for monuments, as they grow and spread. In some cases, they even leave residues that stain the marble surface."

Cleaning crews at the Panathenaic Stadium AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis

The crews also use steam to remove chewing gum residues that have turned black over time.

According to stadium officials, chewing gum, high heels and soft drink stains are among the main causes of soiling and damaging the marble.

As the work progresses, the stadium's original sheen is gradually re-emerging. Its brilliant white marble is, after all, what earned the stadium its widely known Greek name Kallimarmaro, meaning "beautiful marble".

 

New Spanish nanomaterial cools surfaces by up to 12.9C without electricity

Copyright IMN - CSIC

By Cristian Caraballo

Updated 18/08/2026 -  EURONEWS

Researchers at Spain's CSIC have developed a polymer nanostructure that sheds heat into outer space using solar radiation, potentially cutting reliance on air conditioning in buildings, vehicles and electronic devices.

A team of researchers at the Institute of Micro and Nanotechnology (IMN-CNM, CSIC) has developed a nanomaterial capable of cooling sun-exposed surfaces without using electricity, an alternative that could ease the growing energy bill for cooling, which already accounts for nearly 20% of global electricity consumption.

The research, led by the Functional Nanoscale Devices for Energy (FINDER) group and published in the journal Nanophotonics, is based on daytime passive radiative cooling, a technique that exploits a peculiarity of the Earth's atmosphere: there is a band in the infrared spectrum, between 8 and 13 micrometres, through which heat escapes directly into space without being trapped.

A material that emits well in that window and also reflects solar radiation can end up colder than the surrounding air, with no plug or compressor involved.

A polymer with just the right properties

The scientists opted for polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a polymer already known for its ability to emit heat in the infrared.

Cristina Vicente, a researcher at IMN-CNM and leader of the COOLed project, explains that this material "brings together a combination of properties" that make it ideal: as well as emitting heat efficiently, it withstands ultraviolet radiation and repels water, which gives it a self-cleaning effect, and stands up well to the elements.

The key to the breakthrough lies less in the material itself than in how it was shaped. The team infiltrated the polymer into nanoporous templates of anodised aluminium oxide, creating three-dimensional structures whose internal geometry they can control with great precision, something that is crucial because the optical performance of these coolers depends on their design at the nanometre scale.

The numbers back up the promise: the optimised version of the material, treated with ultrafast cooling after the polymer infiltration, reflects on average 82.4% of solar radiation and emits 96.7% of heat in the infrared window from 8 to 13 micrometres, the band through which that heat escapes into space.

On paper, this combination translates into a cooling capacity of 182.3 watts per square metre under solar irradiance of 1,000 W/m². The rooftop test in Tres Cantos, with a peak solar irradiance of 962 W/m², confirmed that figure in the field.

Almost 13 degrees cooler on the rooftop

The theory was put to the test last summer, with outdoor trials on the centre's rooftop in Tres Cantos, Madrid.

After the material was subjected to ultraviolet light treatment that whitens it and improves its solar reflectance, the results came in: on the hottest, driest and sunniest days, the treated surface stayed up to 12.9°C cooler than a sample without coating.

The researchers themselves stress that the technology is still under development, but emphasise that the manufacturing process is relatively cheap and compatible with existing industrial processes.

That opens the door to applications ranging from façades and roofs of buildings to electronic devices, vehicles and even personal cooling systems, all with the same goal: reducing dependence on air conditioning and the emissions that come with it.

 

Stellantis recalls 955,000 cars: New setback for group's credibility

By Stefania De Michele

Updated 18/08/2026   EURONEWS

Stellantis is recalling 955,000 vehicles over a fault with the rear-view camera, further fuelling questions over the carmaker's credibility.

Another mass recall, once again linked to software and safety. Stellantis is recalling around 955,000 vehicles from the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram brands because a problem with the infotainment system software may prevent the rear-view camera images from being displayed correctly when reversing.

The recall covers around 848,000 vehicles in the United States, 83,000 in Canada, 8,000 in Mexico and roughly another 15,000 in markets outside North America. It affects various 2026 and 2027 model-year vehicles, including the Chrysler Pacifica, Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid and Voyager, Dodge Charger, Jeep Cherokee, Compass, Gladiator, Grand Cherokee, Grand Wagoneer and Wrangler, as well as Ram models. Stellantis plans to resolve the issue through an over-the-air software update. The group says it is not aware of any crashes or injuries linked to the defect.

The direct cost of this campaign should be relatively limited precisely because the solution is digital and can be delivered remotely. But the real issue for Stellantis may be another one: the group’s credibility on quality.

This is not the first recall over the rear-view camera

The latest case has a particularly sensitive aspect. In June 2024 Stellantis had already recalled around 1.16 million vehicles in North America over a very similar problem: at that time the radio system software could also prevent the rear-view camera image from appearing.

That recall involved around 1.03 million vehicles in the United States and another 126,000 in Canada, including the Dodge Durango, Chrysler Pacifica, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ram and Wagoneer. There too the solution was a software update.

The recurrence of a problem from the same family, just two years later, therefore makes the new recall more significant in reputational terms.

And the issue goes well beyond cameras.

13.4 million vehicles recalled in 2025

Figures in the latest financial report point to a situation that Stellantis itself considers problematic. In 2025 the group decided to recall around 13.4 million vehicles, compared with 7.3 million in 2024.

The increase was driven in particular by two major campaigns covering a total of 5.6 million vehicles: one concerning 1.5-litre DV5R diesel engines and another linked to the software for the onboard diagnostic system. These came on top of campaigns already under way, including those relating to Takata airbags.

The figure is particularly striking because Stellantis, in its Annual Report 2025, spells out the possible reputational impact of recalls: they can damage the group’s reputation and prompt consumers to question the safety and reliability of its products.

So this is not an outside interpretation: Stellantis itself acknowledges that recalls can turn into a problem of customer trust.

The cost of quality is already very high

The issue becomes even more sensitive when you look at the money.

In the second half of 2025 Stellantis booked a charge of around €5.3 billion after revising its estimates for provisions covering contractual warranties. The company explained that the new assessment took into account rising costs and a "deterioration in quality" attributed to previous operational choices that had failed to deliver the expected results.

In other words, the problem is not just how much it costs to repair recalled cars. The problem is how much poor quality over time costs.

According to Warranty Week’s analysis of European carmakers’ accounts, in 2025 Stellantis set aside around €11.65 billion for warranties, 84 percent more than in 2024. Actual payments on warranty claims amounted to around €6.26 billion.

These figures need to be treated with caution: provisions do not equate to an immediate cost and are not all directly linked to recalls. But they give a sense of the pressure that quality problems are exerting on the group’s finances.

How much could the 955,000-car recall cost?

There is still no separate official figure for the latest campaign. And it would be misleading simply to multiply the number of vehicles by an average cost: an over-the-air software update has a completely different cost from replacing a mechanical component in a workshop.

In this case, then, the direct industrial cost should be far lower than for a recall that requires millions of physical interventions.

The bigger economic risk is indirect: repeated campaigns mean more inspection and service work, more customer management and potential lost sales. And Stellantis explicitly admits this in its report, warning that recalls can have negative effects both on reputation and on sales.

Credibility is the real test

The new recall also comes as Stellantis is trying to prove it has changed course.

In February 2026 the group announced a deep "reset" of its operations after booking around €22.2 billion in charges in the second half of 2025. Of that total, €5.4 billion related to other operational changes, including €4.1 billion due to changes in the estimate of warranty provisions.

Management insists, however, that the quality situation has already started to improve. According to Stellantis, since the start of 2025 the number of problems reported on vehicles in their first month of service has fallen by more than 50 percent in North America and by more than 30 percent in wider Europe.

The new recall therefore does not, on its own, prove that the improvement process has failed. But it makes it harder to convince customers and investors that the worst phase is definitively over.

The issue is not a million cameras

Ultimately, the point is not the 955,000 cars involved in the latest campaign, nor, above all, the cost of the software update.

The real problem is the accumulation of warning signs: 7.3 million recalls in 2024, 13.4 million in 2025, more than a million vehicles involved in the previous rear-view camera recall and, in June 2026, more than 1.3 million Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators recalled over a fault in the wiring for the electric power-steering pump that could cause a fire. In that case Stellantis had recorded at least 72 potential fires and one injury.

For a carmaker, quality is not just a line in the accounts. It is one of the key factors on which customers base their decision to buy the same brand again

That is why today’s recall may be manageable economically but far more costly in reputational terms. The challenge for Stellantis will be to prove that mass recalls belong to the previous phase and that the new course announced by management really can put reliability, quality and trust back at the heart of the group.