Sweden to condition foreign aid on expulsion cooperation

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In today’s news from the Capitals:

STOCKHOLM

Receiving foreign aid from Sweden will soon depend on whether the recipient country accepts the repatriation of its citizens, such as asylum seekers and migrants deemed a security risk, according to the centre-right government and its parliamentary ally, the far-right Sweden Democrats, on Thursday. Read more.

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EU INSTITUTIONS

Hungary’s Orbán blocks EU aid for Ukraine after membership talks agreed. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Friday blocked €50 billion in EU financial aid for Ukraine, throwing into doubt Europe’s ongoing support after the bloc’s leaders side-stepped his opposition to agree to open accession talks with Kyiv. Read more.

EU leaders approve accession talks with Ukraine, Moldova, bypassing Hungary. In a historic step, EU leaders agreed on Thursday (14 December) to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova and grant candidate status to Georgia, despite an earlier threat from Hungary to veto the deal. Read more.

EU strategic autonomy: A fine line between geopolitics and protectionism. Increasing calls for Europe to boost its autonomy and decrease its dependence on others in strategic fields amid rising global competition have divided EU stakeholders. Read more.

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BERLIN

German industry fumes over new EU corporate rules. The German industry blasted the agreement on the EU’s new due diligence law and warned that the new corporate rules would undermine Europe’s competitiveness and stifle its economy. Read more.

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PARIS

French Greens eye left-wing alliance for 2027 elections but reject it for EU vote. French Green Party leader Marine Tondelier said on Thursday that many left-wing voters favour presenting a joint left-wing candidate for the 2027 presidential elections even though left-wing parties are now campaigning separately ahead of the EU elections in June next year. Read more.

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VIENNA

Austria’s centre-left aims at the country’s CO2 price. Austria’s centre-left SPÖ wants to suspend the country’s carbon price to soften the blow of persistently high inflation, echoing a previous demand from the far-right. Read more.

NORDICS AND BALTICS

STOCKHOLM

One in three Swedish politicians targeted by violence, threats. One in three Swedish elected officials say they experienced one form of threat, violence or damage from ordinary citizens and more frequent perpetrators dubbed “systemic threat actors” in the previous year, while one in 10 said systemic actors threaten or cause damage against them each year, the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention revealed on Thursday. Read more.

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COPENHAGEN

Denmark arrests three people for allegedly planning terrorist attacks. Denmark’s National Security and Intelligence Service detained three people suspected of planning terrorist attacks, Flemming Drejer, the body’s head of operations, announced at a press conference on Thursday. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

MADRID

Spain’s Sanchez denies setting up meeting with Puidgemont to ‘normalise relations’. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has denied plans to meet Carles Puidgemont, leader of the Catalan pro-independence party JxCat, to ‘normalise’ relations, despite the latter’s party saying on Thursday that such a meeting would be held. Read more.

EASTERN EUROPE

PRAGUE

European Defence Agency chief backs EU Defence Commissioner idea. The head of the European Defence Agency, Jiří Šedivý, backed the idea of a future European Commission that would include an EU Defence Commissioner, in an interview with Euractiv Czechia. Read more.

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WARSAW

New Polish government eyes legalisation of same-sex civil partnerships. Poland should legalise same-sex partnerships, Poland’s new Deputy Justice Minister Arkadiusz Myrcha said after a European Court of Human Rights ruling condemned Poland for failing to recognise and protect same-sex couples. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Slovakia’s Fico slams Commission’s threats to freeze EU funds. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has hit out at EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders for saying the Commission would take action if Slovakia changed its criminal legislation that breached EU law after the government ignored calls to take a slower approach last week. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

SOFIA

Pro-Russian parties block Bulgarian parliament over Soviet monument demolition. Pro-Russian parties Vazrazhdane and BSP blocked the work of the Bulgarian parliament on Thursday in protest at the dismantling of the Soviet Army Monument in Sofia. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Romanian Foreign Ministry summons Russian ambassador over drone incident. Romania’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Valeri Kuzmin on Thursday in response to the latest incident involving a Russian drone that fell on Romanian territory overnight. Read more.

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LJUBLJANA

Slovenia to regulate AI use in media. Slovenia plans to regulate the use of generative artificial intelligence in the media by ensuring all media outlets label content created using AI, according to a draft media bill released this week. Read more.

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BELGRADE

Serbia formally refuses to abide by EU-brokered agreements with Kosovo. Serbia has formally refused to comply with the various agreements made between Kosovo and Serbia, brokered by the EU to normalise relations, with Prime Minister Ana Brnabić sending a letter to this effect to the European External Action Service on Thursday. Read more.

AGENDA:

EU: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hosts Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk;
Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas participates in Horn of Africa Initiative ministerial meeting; Hosts Ethiopian Minister of Finance Ahmed Shive;
Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič delivers the EU plenary intervention at the Global Refugee Forum 2023;

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Sofia Mandilara]