German coalition cracks deepen over Ukraine policy

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Don’t miss the launch of ERT’s 2024 Competitiveness and Industry Benchmarking Report this afternoon – with a debate on Rebuilding Europe’s Business Case featuring Outi Slotboom (DG GROW), Dr Martin Brudermüller (BASF), Diego Pavía (EIT InnoEnergy), Rebecca Christie (Bruegel & ThomsonReuters), Claes-Mikael Stahl (ETUC) and Tom Andersen (European Investment Bank).

Tune in at 14:00 CET today here.

In today’s news from The Capitals:

BERLIN

Germany’s governing coalition is increasingly divided over the country’s Ukraine policy, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) caught in the crossfire by its coalition partners due to softening its stance on support for the war-torn country. Read more.

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EU INSTITUTIONS

EU agrees to controversial €7.4bn migration deal with Egypt. European leaders and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi have struck a deal to curb migration from Egypt, with the EU bloc agreeing to provide €7.4 billion in aid until 2027 to help manage migrant flows and boost the economy – a move criticised across the political spectrum, especially in Italy. Read more.

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PARIS

French far-left vows to take on bloc’s ‘warmongers’ ahead of EU elections. French far-left party La France Insoumise (LFI) vowed to be the only party that can credibly secure “peace” amid a Europe of “warmongers” at its first EU election rally on Saturday. Read more.

France’s EDF faces uphill battle as Europe’s demand for nuclear reactors grows. EDF, the French state-owned energy giant faces criticism for rising costs and delays in its nuclear projects, its existing reactors have also been encountering problems. Euractiv looks at the implications of these challenges for EDF and the wider nuclear energy industry. Read more.

Macron: Russia will be asked for ceasefire during Olympics. Russia will be asked to observe a ceasefire in Ukraine during the Paris Olympics, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview from Paris shown on Ukrainian television on Saturday. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

MADRID

Catalan socialist leader to seek ‘reconciliation’ with Madrid ahead of May elections. Former health minister and Catalan Socialist Party candidate Salvador Illa has vowed to usher in a new era of ‘hope’ for the Spanish region and help it overcome its troubled relations with Madrid if he is to be elected in the regional elections on 12 May, he announced on Saturday. Read more.

EASTERN EUROPE

PRAGUE

Polish court sides with Czechs, cancels environmental assessment of controversial mine. A Polish court has come to the defence of Czech citizens by overturning the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Turów mine, a controversial Polish open-cast mine near the Czech border. Read more.

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WARSAW

Polish arms industry to receive funding for ammunition production, sparks criticism from opposition. The Polish arms industry will receive about €2 million for ammunition production under the European Commission’s decision, compared to €170 million for German companies, an issue the Polish opposition says the government needs to explain. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

SOFIA

Bulgarian nuclear experts question economic viability of new nuclear project. Bulgarian nuclear experts are questioning the economic feasibility of the country’s plan to build two US nuclear reactors at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant, raising questions on funding and whether the country has the means to purchase energy from these plants. Read more.

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PRISTINA

EU Commission chastises Kosovo, Serbia for lack of progress; says bloc integration ‘at risk’. The European Commission issued a statement ahead of the one year anniversary of the Ohrid agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, bemoaning both sides failing to implement their obligations, while Serbian President Aleksander Vucic doubled down on his opposition to Pristina joining the Council of Europe. Read more.

AGENDA:

EU: Foreign Affairs Council convenes to discuss Russian war against Ukraine, Belarus, situation in the Middle East, and more;
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hosts Swiss Confederation President Viola Amherd;
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell hosts UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths; Delivers keynote speech in opening ceremony of European Humanitarian Forum;
Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager speaks at 9th Clean Energy Summit;
Vice President Vĕra Jourová speaks at 3rd Summit for Democracy, in Seoul, Republic of Korea; Meets with Foreign Affairs Minister of the Republic of Korea Cho Tae-yul, Philippines Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology Ivan John E. Uy;
Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis meets with Philippines Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Alfredo E. Pascual;
Vice President Margaritis Schinas hosts European Investment Bank President Nadia Calvino; Meets with Council of Europe Executive Secretary of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes Stefano Dominioni;
Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič meets with UNICEF’s Executive Director Catherine Russell and Unicef’s Deputy Executive Director, Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations Ted Chaiban; Holds meetings with UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Mirjana Spoljaric, Executive Director of the World Food Programme Cindy McCain;
Budget and Administration Commissioner Johannes Hahn participates in 9th EU Strategy for the Danube Region Speakers Conference (EUSDR-SC);
Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmit hosts International Union of Tenants President Marie Linder; Participates in 10th European Summit of Regions and Cities, in Mons, Belgium;
Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson participates in annual energy conference CERAWeek, in Houston, United States; Meets with US Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm;
Home Affairs Commissioner Yliva Johansson meets with e-Safety Commissioner for Australia Julie Inman Grant, in Sydney; Visits International Centre For Missing and Exploited Children Australia (ICMEC);
Germany: Adaptation Forum United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; Panel discussion with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on strengthening democracy;
Russia: Sergei Lavrov meets Shanghai Cooperation Organisation secretary general;
UN: Security Council meets on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation;