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In today’s news from The Capitals:
ROME
Italy has secured the support of nine EU countries for Business and Made in Italy Minister Adolfo Urso’s proposal to bring forward the revision of EU car emissions legislation from 2026 to 2025, with the minister saying there are now enough EU member states ready to back Italy’s call. Read more.
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VIENNA
Austria’s far-right on path to top national vote, unlikely to win chancellorship. Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) is projected to tie for first place with the ÖVP at a historic 28% in Sunday’s national elections, though hopes for a far-right chancellorship seem unlikely. Read more.
UK & IRELAND
LONDON
British Prime Minister Starmer to visit Brussels next week. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels next week as part of efforts to “reset” Britain’s relationship with the European Union. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
MADRID
CJEU upholds European Parliament’s decision to deny Catalan separatist leaders’ MEP seats. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on Thursday (26 September) ruled in favour of the former European Parliament president to deny former Catalan separatist leaders Carles Puigdemont and Toni Comín their MEP seats in Strasbourg in 2019. Read more.
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LISBON
Portugal approves new system to expulse irregular migrants. Portugal will introduce a new system for the return and expulsion of migrants staying in the country without authorisation and create the National Foreigners and Borders Unit within the police, the government announced on Thursday. Read more.
EASTERN EUROPE
WARSAW
Hungary’s chief prosecutor seeks to strip Orbán’s rival from MEP immunity. Hungary’s chief prosecutor has asked the president of the European Parliament to suspend the parliamentary immunity of Prime Minister Orbán’s main political rival, MEP Péter Magyar, the prosecutor’s office said on Thursday. Read more.
Poland faces renewed migration pressure at border with Belarus. The Polish-Belarusian border has come under increasing pressure in recent weeks, and the situation is becoming more serious, Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (PSL, EPP) said on Thursday. Read more.
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BRATISLAVA
Internal rift in Fico’s coalition as parties air grievances in public. The mounting rift between Slovakia’s ruling parties, SNS and Hlas-SD (NI), shows no signs of abating as parties air their differences in the media, and Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD/NI) refuses to intervene publicly. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
Bulgaria happy over EU blockade of North Macedonia accession talks. Parliamentary group leaders in Bulgaria have welcomed the EU’s decision to open accession talks with Albania and to block North Macedonia until it includes the Bulgarian minority in its constitution. Read more.
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BUCHAREST
Romanian PM rejects need to legally protect same-sex couples. Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has questioned the need to introduce civil partnerships, saying that LGBTQ citizens already enjoy equal rights despite the Strasbourg-based human rights court condemning Romania for failing to protect same-sex couples. Read more.
AGENDA:
- EU: High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell co-chairs 14th Global Counterterrorism Forum Ministerial Plenary meeting; Addresses the Council on Foreign Relations on “Navigating Europe’s Challenges, in New York, United States;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Alice Taylor-Braçe, Sofia Mandilara]
Source: euractiv.com
