Paris AirShow opens with 2,400 exhibitors amid Airbus-Boeing rivalry
The event is the world's largest and most prestigious showcase for the aerospace and defence industry.
The ongoing rivalry between Europe's Airbus and US-made Boeing aircraft manufacturers is set to further intensify at the event as both companies announce significant new orders.
Boeing expects global demand for air travel to increase by more than 40% by 2030.
However, global tensions, trade tariffs and the Air India crash have cast a shadow over the event.
Last week's crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner passenger jet minutes after takeoff put the spotlight back on the beleaguered US manufacturer. However, it was not immediately clear why the plane crashed.
Meanwhile, France has shut down the four leading Israeli companies' stands at the Paris show for apparently displaying offensive weapons, a decision Israel has condemned.
'The French are hiding behind supposedly political considerations to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from an international exhibition — weapons that compete with French industries,' Israel said in a statement on Monday.
Three other Israeli stands, which are not showing weapons, remain open.
A French appeals court had ruled Friday against activist groups who sought to block Israeli companies from participating in the show due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Europe's fading Green parties met in Brussels to learn from their electoral setbacks and prepare for a comeback.
Speaking about their future, they said they wanted to focus on a "just transition" that responds to citizens' concerns, and to support a green investment plan at the European level.
"What we definitely need is to give concrete answers to people's everyday concerns about the cost of living," Vula Tsetsi, co-president of the European Green Party, told Euronews.
"We think it is very important not to pit the defence and security budget against the just transition, the cost of living and a more social Europe. But this requires investment and political courage", she added.
Meanwhile, at a time when "simplification" is the watchword of the European Commission, Ciarán Cuffe, co-president of the European Green Party, said he is "concerned" about the future of the Green Pact, the EU's roadmap for achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
He warned against "throwing the baby out with the bathwater".
"If we simplify European legislation, we cannot lose sight of why these laws are there. So, for example, on corporate sustainability due diligence, it's about trying to stop modern sweatshops in Bangladesh and elsewhere," he said.
The Greens have suffered several electoral setbacks over the past year. While they were the fourth largest group in the European Parliament during the previous legislature (2019-2024), they lost 18 seats in June, dropping from 71 to 53 MEPs.
In the German federal elections in February, the Greens led by Robert Habeck obtained 11.61% of the vote, losing 33 seats in the Bundestag.
Meanwhile, the Greens have also seen a decline in Austria. After being part of the country's government with the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), they received 8.24% of the vote in the 2024 parliamentary elections and lost 10 seats in the National Council.
"When you're in government, you have to make compromises. So it's not easy to win over voters," said Tsetsi.
Cuffe blamed the defeats on the party's inability to grasp the issue of defence.
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