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In today’s news from the Capitals:
PRAGUE
Defence industry renaissance could change weapons labelling in EU taxonomy. As EU member states increase defence budgets due to the war in Ukraine, the European defence industry is gaining momentum. While some European banks have already announced their willingness to invest in defence, the EU is mulling whether to label weapons production as socially harmful activity in its planned social taxonomy. Read more.
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BERLIN
Germany wants to be at ‘core’ of new EU rapid response capacity. Berlin aims to provide the backbone of the EU’s planned rapid response capacity, a new EU military force of 5,000 soldiers set to be launched in 2025, German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Monday. Read more.
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PARIS
France welcomes sick Ukrainian children for treatment. Ukrainian children with leukaemia and cancer who were previously in a Polish clinic arrived in France on Monday to receive treatment. Read more.
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THE HAGUE | WARSAW | VILNIUS
Rutte to meet soldiers in Lithuania, refugees in Poland. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will be travelling Monday to meet ministers in Lithuania and Poland and will take the time to meet with Dutch soldiers and Ukrainian refugees.
In Vilnius, the prime minister will meet President Gitanas Nausėda and Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė. He will also have the chance to speak with Dutch soldiers who have been stationed in Lithuania as part of their NATO mission.
Rutte will continue his trip to Warsaw to meet Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Ukrainian refugees. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, two million Ukrainian refugees have fled to Poland.
(Sofia Stuart Leeson | EURACTIV.com)
UK AND IRELAND
LONDON
No ticket to the summit. The prospect of Boris Johnson attending his first EU leaders’ summit this week appears to be receding. Read more.
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DUBLIN
Ireland will not reintroduce restrictions despite new wave. Ireland will not reintroduce restrictions despite experiencing a new COVID-19 wave, Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Sunday. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
More Finns ready to take up arms since Ukraine war. The number of Finns who are ready to fight to defend their country in case of an attack has increased since Russia invaded Ukraine, a new survey published Monday shows. Read more.
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STOCKHOLM
Sweden does not need radiation protection, says climate minister. There is no reason for Sweden to introduce special radiation protection measures because of the Russian occupation of several Ukrainian nuclear facilities, two officials have said. Read more.
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COPENHAGEN
Danish far-right local council dissolves, members slam party door. The local council members of Hjørring in North Jutland have resigned from their party, the Danish People’s party (DPP), after the DPP decided that a prominent member should not be the party’s parliamentary candidate. Read more.
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VILNIUS
Lithuania asks EU ministers to agree on oil, energy sanctions against Russia. The EU should agree on sanctions covering the oil and energy sectors, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landzbergis urged EU counterparts who discussed the fifth sanctions package for Russia at the foreign affairs council on Monday. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ROME
Thousands march against Mafia in Naples. Thousands took to the streets in Naples on the National Day of Remembrance and Commitment against Mafias, a date the country has celebrated annually since 2017. Read more.
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MADRID
Macron backs Spanish proposal to decouple electricity and gas prices. French President Emmanuel Macron supports Spain’s proposal to decouple electricity and gas prices ahead of this week’s crucial EU Council summit in Brussels, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez cofirmed. Read more.
Spanish PM urged to clarify new position on Western Sahara. Key Spanish political parties called on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday to provide explanations before parliament about the historic stance change Spain adopted last week on Western Sahara. Read more.
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LISBON
Portuguese president says EU must accelerate capacities in crucial sectors. The EU should accelerate the strengthening of its capacities in energy, trade, food security, and industrial and technological competition given the vulnerabilities exposed due to war in Ukraine, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said Monday. Read more.
VISEGRAD
WARSAW
Poland could amend constitution to confiscate Russian oligarchs’ assets The government will propose changes constitutional changes to seize the assets Russian oligarchs have in Poland, government spokesman Piotr Müller announced after Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki met opposition leaders on Monday. Read more.
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BUDAPEST
Budapest rent prices surge as Ukrainian refugees look for homes. Hungarian rents rose by 2% nationally compared to January, partially due to the increased demand of refugees fleeing Ukraine.
This represented a 16.1% increase year-on-year, according to the KSH-ingatlan.com rent index. In March, the market’s continued high activity was helped by demand for housing from refugees fleeing from Ukraine, especially in the capital and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, bordering Hungary’s war-torn neighbour.
Earlier comments by experts had suggested the Russian-Ukrainian war could affect the Hungarian rental market, as most Ukrainian citizens arriving are solvent and “appear on the Hungarian property market as temporary rent-seekers”, Duna House reported. (Vlagyiszlav Makszimov | EURACTIV.com with Telex)
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BRATISLAVA
European Investment Bank becomes major investor in Slovakia. The European Investment Bank (EIB) invested a total of €469 million in Slovakia in 2021, meaning it doubled its investments in the country compared to 2020. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
LJUBLJANA
Slovenia to send diplomats back to Ukraine. The Slovenian government has announced it was sending diplomats back to Kyiv this week to provide Ukraine with diplomatic support and convince the EU to do the same. Read more.
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SOFIA
EPPO to investigate top Bulgarian officials following ex-PM Borissov’s arrest. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) confirmed that it has received several reports from Bulgaria of serious allegations of fraud with EU funds and systemic corruption, involving top officials. Read more.
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BUCHAREST
Venice Commission criticises changes in the Romanian judiciary, again. Romania’s hurried decision to dismantle the section for investigating offences within the judiciary does not allow a more effective investigation of offences – particularly corruption – committed by judges or prosecutors, says the Council of Europe’s advisory body on constitutional issues. Read more.
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ZAGREB
HNB expects banks to provide Ukrainian refugees with access to basic accounts. The Croatian National Bank (HNB) has notified commercial banks that it expects them to provide Ukrainian refugees legally residing in Croatia with access to a basic account and ten national and cross-border transactions free of charge, the central bank said in a statement on Monday. Read more.
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BELGRADE
Serbians give shelter to Ukrainian refugees. There are approximately 3,200 Ukrainian refugees in Serbia, most living with relatives, friends, or business partners, or have found their own accommodation, Vladimir Cucić, Serbia’s Commissioner for Refugees and Migrations, said on Monday. Read more.
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SARAJEVO
US Embassy to Bosnia: Elections must be held on time. It is up to BiH leaders to achieve a compromise, the US Embassy told N1 on Monday when asked to comment on the election reform talks that collapsed over the weekend, adding that the country’s parliament must pass these compromises. Read more.
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TIRANA
Albanian PM and government officials called to organised crime court. The Albanian opposition has reported Prime Minister Edi Rama and 49 other individuals to the country’s specialist corruption and organised crime court, set up during the EU-backed justice reform. Read more.
AGENDA:
- EU: General Affairs Council meeting in Brussels / European Court of Justice rules in Poland case over judges who become subject of disciplinary procedures / Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson meets Moldova’s Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu / Commissioner Margrethe Vestager speaks to the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade
- Germany: Chancellor Scholz to host European Parliament President Roberta Metsola in Berlin and attend the opening of Tesla’s new gigafactory in Brandenburg.
- Austria: State parties to Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons hold first meeting.
- Italy: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses Italian parliament by video link.
- Romania: Poland’s President Andrzej Duda visits Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis in Bucharest.
- Moldova: WHO Europe director Hans Henri Kluge holds press conference.
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Alexandra Brzozowski, Daniel Eck, Benjamin Fox, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson]
Source: euractiv.com
