Bulgaria could soon abolish COVID pass

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In today’s news from the Capitals:

SOFIA

A high-ranking government expert has said the green pass could be abolished by March as its political price is becoming too high for the new government. Read more.

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EU INSTITUTIONS

LEAK: Commission to propose EU-binding reduction targets for pesticides. The European Commission plans to set an EU-wide binding 50% pesticide reduction target by 2030 but leaves member states free to set their own national targets, according to a leaked proposal to revise the EU’s pesticide framework obtained by EURACTIV. Read the full story.

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BERLIN

Scholz to meet Biden amid rising dissatisfaction with German Russia policy. German chancellor Olaf Scholz will meet his US counterpart Joe Biden Monday amid increasing dissatisfaction with Germany’s reluctance to take a clear stance on Russia. Read more. Read more.

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PARIS

Macron flies to Moscow to meet Putin. French President Emmanuel Macron is in Russia on Monday to meet President Vladimir Putin to continue the work of leaders like US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Read more.

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VIENNA

Austrian town votes against large photovoltaics park. Residents of Wimpassing have voted against the construction of a 52 hectare solar park as Austria attempts to shed its reliance on Russian gas amid an energy crisis and tensions at the Ukrainian border. Read more.

UK AND IRELAND

DUBLIN

Irish government promises measures to tackle rising cost of living. Dublin has pledged upcoming measures to help those hit hardest by Ireland’s rising cost of living. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

ROME

Senator Renzi received €1.1 million from consultancies in Saudi Arabia. The leader of Italia Viva and ex-PM Matteo Renzi received €1.1 million from different Arab companies, a report from the Bankitalia anti-money laundering unit, sent to the police on 6 February, has revealed. Read more.

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MADRID

Commission made a ‘big mistake’ labelling nuclear, gas ‘green’, says Spanish minister. The European Commission made a “big mistake” labelling nuclear and gas as “green investments” in Europe, Spain’s Ecological Transition Minister Teresa Ribera has said. Read more.

VISEGRAD

WARSAW

Poland’s Duda meets Xi Jinping at Olympics amid boycott from other countries. Polish President Andrzej Duda met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Sunday, on the sidelines of the ongoing Olympic Games. Duda was the only EU leader who decided to visit the Chinese capital for the Olympics. Read more.

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PRAGUE

Czechia sends confusing signals to Kyiv. Czech President Miloš Zeman is eroding the positive support the Czech government has given Ukraine as tensions with Russia continue, with his most recent comments provoking condemnation from the country’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba. Read more.

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BUDAPEST

Hungarian government overrides court decision on press COVID access. A government decree that came into force on 5 February effectively overruled the decision of a Budapest district court on press access to hospitals during COVID, despite earlier promises to respect the judgement, Telex reported. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Most Slovaks reject idea of unvaccinated paying for COVID treatment. Two-thirds of Slovaks are not in favour of the unvaccinated having to pay for their COVID-19 treatment, a new survey published by the Focus agency shows. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

ZAGREB

Design of Euro coins in Croatia creates scandal. The winner of the design competition for the euro coin in Croatia allegedly used artwork from another designer, without their permission. Read more.

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LJUBLJANA

Opposition in Slovenia defeats government’s ‘anti-Huawei bill’. The opposition has defeated a government bill on electronic communications that would bar high-risk vendors from the market, a provision the opposition said was directed against China’s Huawei. Read more.

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BELGRADE

Vučić, Xi Jinping hail ironclad friendship between Serbia and China. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on 5 February in Beijing to discuss bilateral cooperation. Xi hailed the “iron-clad friendship” and the high-level mutual political trust between China and Serbia, saying bilateral ties have endured the test of time and they are the model of international relations, the Chinese media group CMG reported. Read more.

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SARAJEVO

OSCE condemns Republika Srpska. The withdrawal from state institutions such as the top state judicial institution, as announced by the authorities in the Republika Srpska (RS, Serb entity) goes against the Dayton Peace Agreement which undermines the fight against organised and other forms of serious crime, the OSCE Mission to BiH has warned. Read more.

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PODGORICA

Montenegrin MPs vote against government in no-confidence motion. The assembly on 4 February voted against the government of Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić in a no-confidence motion, with only 11 of 81 MPs favouring it. Read more.

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PRISTINA

Belgian constitution interesting for Kosovo, says ambassador. Belgium’s constitutional model cannot be copied in other countries but some of its elements may be interesting to consider in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Koen Adam, Belgium’s Ambassador to Serbia, told the Beta agency in an interview. Read more.

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TIRANA

Albania’s Ex-Interior Minister sentenced to prison following drugs trial. Former Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri has been sentenced to three years and four months in prison for abuse of office by Albania’s Special Court against Corruption and Organised Crime. Tahiri facilitated drug trafficking for a criminal group through his inaction and received gifts from its members during his term in office, according to the judge. Read more.

AGENDA:

EU: EU agriculture ministers meet in Strasbourg / US-EU Energy Council meeting in Washington / European Parliament’s SEDE Committee to hear French Minister of Armed Forces Parly / ECB chief Christine Lagarde appears before European Parliament
Germany: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meets US President Joe Biden in Washington. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv.
Poland: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg receive President of Poland Andrzej Duda in Brussels.
Croatia: The presidency of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and the presidency of the HDZ of Bosnia and Herzegovina to hold a joint meeting via video link.
Serbia: Prime Minister Ana Brnabić to visit the headquarters of the World Economic Forum in Geneva, where she will attend the signing of an agreement on establishing a centre of that organisation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Serbia. Meanwhile, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto will be visiting Serbia and will hold a press conference with his Serbian Counterpart Nikola Selaković.
Montenegro: Assembly to discuss the proposal for Speaker Aleksa Bečić’s dismissal in another extraordinary session.
Albania: Impeachment trial of President Ilir Meta to continue on Monday.
Ukraine: Czech, Slovak, Austrian foreign ministers visit.