Sweden boosts military ties with France as Macron repeats EU sovereignty call

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In today’s news from The Capitals:

STOCKHOLM| PARIS

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and French President Emmanuel Macron signed agreements to strengthen military ties on the first day of Macron’s two-day visit to the country, during which he has already repeated his call for greater EU sovereignty amid increasingly tense geopolitics and the chance of Donald Trump returning to the White House. Read more.

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EU INSTITUTIONS

EU liberal party ALDE’s manifesto targets ‘EPP-led’ Commission, vows single market revival. The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party (ALDE) seeks to “complete” the EU’s Single Market by boosting harmonisation and having the European Parliament scrutinise the implementation of legislation, according to a draft electoral manifesto seen by Euractiv. Read more.

EU’s diplomatic service faces staffing, feedback challenges, auditors say. EU diplomats working in Brussels and abroad face staffing challenges, not receiving enough guidance from headquarters and struggle with intelligence and information sharing due to slow and opaque computer systems, according to a new report by the bloc’s internal auditors. Read more.

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BERLIN

Cars v cows: German automakers call to split EU-Mercosur deal to bypass French ‘non’. The EU-Mercosur trade agreement should be split into two distinctive parts to circumvent French resistance based on agricultural issues, the German car industry has proposed, in a bid to boost export markets other than China. Read more.

German Greens push to water down EU party’s climate targets. The European Green Party is set for an internal battle over climate targets at a party congress this weekend (2-4 February), with the German Greens pushing to postpone the climate neutrality goals by five years and scrap parts of the gas and oil phase-out policies. Read more.

‘Will remain unignorable’: German climate activists abandon street blockades. German climate activist group ‘Last Generation’ will stop glueing themselves to the streets as their primary form of protest, instead opting for bigger events and more targeted interference. Read more.

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PARIS

France ‘hypocritical’ to blame Brussels for farmers’ problems – experts. In deflecting blame for farmers’ malaise to Brussels by pointing the finger at the EU’s trade policy and ‘red tape’, the French government risks coming across as “hypocritical” with little political gain. Read more.

UK & IRELAND

BELFAST

Northern Ireland deal: Significant change to Windsor Framework unlikely. The UK Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is expected to share details regarding the deal to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland on Wednesday, though the deal will not bear any major changes to the Windsor Framework. Read more.

NORDICS & BALTICS

STOCKHOLM| PARIS

Sweden boosts military ties with France as Macron repeats EU sovereignty call. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and French President Emmanuel Macron signed agreements to strengthen military ties on the first day of Macron’s two-day visit to the country, during which he has already repeated his call for greater EU sovereignty amid increasingly tense geopolitics and the chance of Donald Trump returning to the White House. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

ROME | BUDAPEST

Images of Italian teacher chained in Budapest court spark debate in Italy. Images of an Italian woman being shackled and chained at a court hearing in Budapest have sparked a huge debate in Italy, with leaders urged to do something about the situation, even though her family say they have already complained about the conditions of her year-long detention. Read more.

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MADRID

Spanish Parliament will continue talks on amnesty law after rejection by Catalan separatists. The Spanish Parliament will resume negotiations on a draft amnesty law for Catalan independence supporters responsible for the 2017 secession attempt after it was rejected by the lower house on Tuesday (January 30) when the Catalan party Junts demanded that its scope be broadened. Read more.

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LISBON

Portugal’s GDP recorded a 2.3% growth in 2023. The Portuguese economy grew 2.2% year-on-year and 0.8% quarter-on-quarter in the last quarter of 2023, escaping the technical recession and guaranteeing GDP growth of 2.3% for the whole year, Portugal’s national statistics institute INE revealed on Tuesday. Read more.

EASTERN EUROPE

WARSAW | BERLIN

Polish foreign minister: Germany no longer ‘inactive’ on Ukraine. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski praised Germany’s progress in supporting Ukraine during his trip to Berlin on Tuesday, recalling his famous speech on German inaction when he held the same position in 2011. Read more.

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PRAGUE

Czechia fumes as its truckers face attacks from French protesters. The Czech government, MEPs and the Czech Road Association are calling for an immediate response to incidents in which protesting French farmers stopped Czech lorry drivers, destroyed non-French agricultural products on board and, according to reports, sometimes assaulted the drivers. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

SOFIA

Bulgaria issues European arrest warrant for six Russian spies suspected of terrorism. The Bulgarian prosecutor’s office issued on Tuesday (30 January) a European arrest warrant for six Russian spies suspected of terrorist attacks targeting Bulgarian arms factories and warehouses. Read more.

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BUCHAREST | CHISINAU | KYIV

Chisinau inks EIB deal for highway to link EU with Moldova, Romania, Ukraine. Moldova signed an agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) on Tuesday to secure funding for the Iasi-Ungheni-Chisinau-Odesa highway, marking the first step towards the construction of what is set to become a vital corridor for Moldova’s connection to the EU. Read more.

AGENDA:

EU: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen chairs College of Commissioners meeting; Co-hosts Val Duchesse Social Partners’ Summit, with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo for the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU; Hosts ceremony of honour for Jacques Delors;
Commission Vice President Vĕra Jourová speaks at Parliament’s Conference of Presidents on fight against disinformation ahead of EP elections;
Vice Presidents Margrethe Vestager and Valdis Dombrovskis hold meeting with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, in Washington DC, United States; Participate in joint discussion on EU’s Economic Security Package, organised by the Center for Strategic and International Studies;
Vice President Margrethe Vestager participates in Transatlantic Green Marketplace stakeholder event; Holds meetings with National Security Advisor to US President Joe Biden Jake Sullivan, Director of the US National Economic Council Lael Brainard;
Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis participates in Transatlantic Initiative on Sustainable Trade (TIST) stakeholder event;
Vice President Maroš Šefčovič hosts Vice President of European Investment Bank (EIB) Nicola Beer;
Vice President Margaritis Schinas receives President of the Governement of Aragon Jorge Azcón;
Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides hosts high level World Cancer Day event “Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan: Joining Forces”;
Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski receives European Conservatives and Reformists Group marshals of regions; Hosts French Minister of Agriculture and Food Marc Fesneau;
Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni hosts President of European Investment Bank (EIB) Nadia Calviño;
Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmit attends “Towards a fairer CAP for working people” event, organised by EFFAT;
Parliament President Roberta Metsola hosts Prime Minister of Ireland Leo Varadkar;
Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) votes on replacing/amending framework on combating corruption involving European Communities officials or EU member states officials;