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The European news you deserve to read. Welcome to The Capitals by EURACTIV.
In today’s news from the Capitals:
A sharp rise in COVID-19 cases across Europe and the fear over the still unknown Omicron variant has put the EU COVID certificate to the test, as a growing number of countries have imposed additional travel restrictions, which in practice cancel its raison d’être.
As European Commission hopes for a coordinated approach are dashed, EURACTIV has learnt that the EU Parliament will return to teleworking. Read more.
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BERLIN
Germany expels Russian diplomats over state-sponsored assassination. A Berlin court has ruled that a 2019 assassination of a Georgian citizen in Berlin was ordered by Russia, resulting in two employees of the Russian embassy being declared “persona non grata.” Read more.
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PARIS
Thousands of French people could spend their Christmas in intensive care. Up to 4,000 citizens might need intensive care treatment over the holiday season, government spokesperson Gabriel Attal told the press on Wednesday. As the number of COVID-19 cases increases and the Omicron variant spreads, 2,800 patients are currently being treated in intensive care units. Read more.
UK AND IRELAND
LONDON
Ease visa rules for care workers, government told. The government has been urged to relax its visa requirements for EU workers to allow the social care sector to overcome a potentially crippling labour shortage. Read more.
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DUBLIN
Additional checks on Irish goods entering UK delayed. The introduction of additional post-Brexit checks on goods entering the UK from Ireland has been postponed, UK Brexit Minister David Frost said on Wednesday. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
Russia increases pressure on Finland over possible NATO membership. Russia wants “international legal security guarantees” that rule out “NATO’s further movement eastward”, said President Vladimir Putin in a statement released by the Kremlin. Read more.
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STOCKHOLM
Police staff will be relocated to Stockholm to help fight gangs. A number of police officers will be temporarily transferred to Stockholm – a region heavily exposed to serious gang crime – to assist with ongoing investigations and operational work, the police wrote in a press release. Compared to the transfer of staff and resources made to the region in 2021, this will be the biggest relocation yet. Read more.
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VILNIUS
Taiwan will support Lithuania in face of intimidation from China, envoy says. Taiwan will deepen economic ties with Lithuania in a “cycle of goodwill” as it faces pressure from Beijing, Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States said on Wednesday after Lithuania’s diplomatic delegation hastily departed China. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
MADRID
Spanish children get vaccinated in show of ‘solidarity’. Spain on Wednesday began a new vaccination campaign against COVID-19 targeting children aged 5-11, in a significant logistical effort to prevent infection. The aim is not just to increase individual coverage but to protect the elderly during Christmas. Read more.
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LISBON
Leave for grieving parents extended to 20 days in Portugal. The president of Portugal has signed the extension of parental mourning from five to 20 consecutive days, ending a legislative process initiated by a petition that had generated a broad consensus among the parties. Read more.
VISEGRAD
BRATISLAVA
Slovak MEP Wiezik leaves EPP after conservative group shuts down his green ambitions. Michal Wiezik recently left the European People’s Party (EPP) to join the Renew Europe group. In an interview for EURACTIV Slovakia, Wiezik expressed his dissatisfaction with the EPP’s position on environmental topics. Read more.
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WARSAW
‘No Christmas in Poland’ over rule of law issues. “The European Commission considers that there is a serious breach of the rule of law in Poland”, said EU Commissioner for Promoting the European Way of Life Margaritis Schinas during a debate in the European Parliament on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Polish opposition MEPs accused the government of depriving Poland of money it would have from the Next Generation EU fund. Read more.
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BUDAPEST
New, short constitution top priority for Hungarian joint opposition candidate. A new, short constitution is needed, and it should stipulate that a prime minister should serve no more than two terms, Márki-Zay Péter, the independent mayor running as the joint opposition candidate Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in next year’s elections told mfor, according to Telex. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
BELGRADE | SKOPJE | TIRANA | PRISTINA
North Macedonia’s president warns Open Balkans cannot survive without other members. North Macedonia’s President Stevo Pendarovski said that the Open Balkan initiative could not succeed without the participation of all six Western Balkan countries. The next meeting between Tirana, Skopje, and Belgrade will be held in Albania later this month. Read more.
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SOFIA
Bulgarian parliament bans rise in energy prices for households. Bulgaria’s Parliament imposed a moratorium on rising electricity prices for households, central heating, and water supply until the end of March 2022. The decision was backed by the newly formed ruling coalition but was proposed by former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s GERB opposition party. Read more.
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BUCHAREST
Romania’s digitalisation minister resigns after plagiarism accusations. Florin Roman, vice-president of the centre-right party PNL, resigned from his position as research, innovation and digitalisation minister on Wednesday after journalists found several irregularities in his resume and proof he plagiarised his academic work. Read more.
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ZAGREB
Croatia adopts new laws amid ugly scenes in Parliament. Croatian parliament has adopted the new Budget Act, which includes penalties ranging from 10,000 to 50,000 kuna (€1,333 to €6,666) for local government officials failing to present their budget spending transparently. Read more.
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BELGRADE
Citizens place ecology fourth on the list of Serbian priorities. According to Serbian citizens, the environment is the fourth most important area of life in Serbia, with nine out of 10 respondents concerned about climate change and willing to get involved in addressing the issue, says an environmental survey presented by the Belgrade office of the Heinrich Boell Foundation on Wednesday. Read more.
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SARAJEVO
EU and US envoy for electoral law reform cancel visit to BiH. The visit of Matthew Palmer, a senior US State Department official in charge of electoral reform in BiH, and Angelina Eichhorst, director of the European External Action Service (EEAS), to Bosnia and Herzegovina has been cancelled, MP Damir Arnaut said, adding that the two announced that they would “suspend” the negotiations until further notice, N1 reported. Read more.
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PODGORICA
Montenegro’s Abazovic and minority parties agree on cooperation agreement. Leaders of the Civic Movement (GP) URA (United Reform Action), the Citizens’ Union Civis, the Socialist People’s Party (SNP) and parties of Albanian and Bosniak minorities have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation, aimed at reconciliation in Montenegro and economic development. Read more.
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TIRANA
Albania must ensure media law meets Venice Commission standards. The European Council has called on the Albanian government to bring the draft amendments to the media law in line with Venice Commission recommendations, something it has failed to do so far, reports Exit.al. Read more.
AGENDA:
- EU: EU leaders meet for their last summit of the year, overshadowed by Russia-Ukraine and a rise in COVID-19 infections / Mayor of Paris and French presidential candidate Anne Hidalgo visits / NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg meets Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy / EU-US Justice and Home Affairs officials gather in Washington.
- Germany: Health Minister Karl Lauterbach and RKI chief Lothar Wieler hold press conference on Covid vaccines for children.
- France: Senate President Gérard Larcher, is going on an official visit to Lithuania from Thursday to Friday, accompanied by the presidents of the Senate’s committees on foreign affairs, European affairs and Franco-Baltic friendship.
- Italy: Italy tightens border rules for EU arrivals / Trade unions strike over government budget.
- Croatia: Defence Minister Mario Banožić visits Kosovo.
- Serbia: Foreign Minister Nikola Selaković visits France, where he will meet with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian, and representatives of both houses of the French Parliament and the Serbian Diaspora.
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Alexandra Brzozowski, Daniel Eck, Benjamin Fox, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor]
Source: euractiv.com
