EU leaders urged to address energy prices ‘industrial emergency’

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BRUSSELS

As EU leaders pack their bags and head to Brussels for Thursday’s EU summit, opposition parties and industry leaders are piling on the pressure to come up with solutions to the energy price crisis.

With the war in Ukraine continuing, an “industrial emergency” is developing, as Spain’s largest electrical consumer association AEGE put it. Across most of Europe, industrial sectors are buckling under the pressure of record energy prices.

EU governments have put measures in place to soften the blow, but businesses continue to struggle. Read more.

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BERLIN

Berlin promises money for ‘Marshall Plan’ to help rebuild Ukraine. Germany is earmarking funds for a long-term ‘Marshall plan’ to help rebuild Ukraine after the war ends, Finance Minister Christian Lindner announced on Tuesday during his presentation of the national budget for 2022. Read more.

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PARIS

Zemmour wants to create ministry to expel unwanted foreigners. Eric Zemmour, a far-right candidate in the April presidential election, has come up with a new radical measure, a “ministry of immigration” to expel “foreigners we no longer want”. Read more.

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VIENNA

Austria to make public transport free for conscripts. All young men serving in Austria’s military and civil services as part of the country’s mandatory military service will be able to travel free of charge from 1 April when using the so-called “climate ticket”. Read more.

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THE HAGUE

Dutch workers struggle with rising energy costs. Thirty per cent of employees in the Netherlands are finding it hard to make ends meet while dealing with the rise of energy bills, housing costs, and fuel costs. Read more.

UK & IRELAND

LONDON

No work for asylum seekers. UK lawmakers on Tuesday rejected plans to allow asylum seekers work if they were still waiting for a decision on their application after six months. Read more.

NORDICS AND BALTICS

TALLINN

Russian minority in Estonia turns its back on Putin. Many ethnic Russians in Estonia who used to be loyal to Vladimir Putin are now questioning their allegiance following Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Read more.

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STOCKHOLM

Swedish government faces major cybersecurity shortcomings. Major shortcomings were found in the cybersecurity systems of Sweden’s government offices, reported the Swedish Radio Ekot after it sent emails that appear to come from Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist’s real email address twice in a few months. Read more.

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COPENHAGEN

Danish MPs row over energy compensation. The so-called “heating cheque” is causing uproar in the Danish parliament as several parties in the Folketing oppose Climate Minister Dan Jørgensen’s insistence that it will not be paid until after the summer holidays. Read more.

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VILNIUS

Lithuania calls for Russia, Belarus to be suspended from UNESCO. Lithuania’s parliament unanimously adopted a resolution on Tuesday calling for Russia and Belarus to be suspended from participating in UNESCO. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

ATHENS

Turkey fumes at Greece over EU Strategic Compass. Ankara has reacted strongly to a paragraph in EU’s future military strategy, which refers critically to the Eastern Mediterranean tensions saying it was guided by Greece and Cyprus. Read more.

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ROME

President Zelenskyy tells Italian parliament of situation in Mauripol. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Italian parliament of the horrors of the ongoing Russian attack in Mariupol in a joint session via video conference on Tuesday. Read more.

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MADRID

Public transportation operators to demand solution to rising energy prices. Taxi, ambulance and bus drivers will demonstrate on Sunday in Madrid’s city centre to demand the implementation of urgent measures to cut soaring energy prices, EURACTIV’s partner EFE reported. Read more.

VISEGRAD

PRAGUE

Czech money stuck in Russian banks. Several Czech municipalities and regional authorities using Russian banks‘ services are in trouble as around €202 million is stuck in Russian banks because these regions did not withdraw their money on time. Read more.

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WARSAW

Polish government to lift more COVID-19 restrictions despite expert concerns. The government wants to lift more pandemic restrictions although medical experts are concerned about not enough people being vaccinated against COVID-19 for the country to develop herd immunity and the mass arrival of unvaccinated Ukrainians. Read more.

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BUDAPEST

Budapest U-turns, asks for loan from Recovery Fund. Hungary has asked the European Commission for billions in cheap loans to help manage the fall out of the Ukraine war, Telex reported via 444.hu on Tuesday. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Slovakia yet to plan solution to lower dependency on Russian energy. Slovakia has one of the highest dependencies on Russian oil and gas among EU member states and while other European nations have made concrete towards alternative supplies, Slovakia is still hesitant. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

SOFIA

Russian Ambassador’s tone with Bulgarian government risks expulsion. Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova has sharpened her tone towards the Bulgarian government, which could lead to her expulsion from the country. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Romania sees increase in COVID-19 cases. Romanian authorities have noted an increase in the number of coronavirus infections and a rise in the number of hospital admissions due to COVID-19. ”We are noticing an increase in the number of cases. The increase is not very large, but it is significant,” health ministry secretary of state Adriana Pistol told a news conference Tuesday (22 March). The number of deaths, however, continues to fall.

Romania eliminated all restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the health ministry still recommends people wear masks and avoid crowded areas as the pandemic is far from over. The authorities are also seeing a rise in the number of hospital admissions and the hospital bed occupancy rate, but the number of deaths is dropping, she added.

However, Pistol added that it is a normal evolution, as firstly the number of cases increases, then the hospital case rate. Over 5,000 new cases were reported on Tuesday, which is almost 3,000 more than the day before. (Bogdan Neagu | EURACTIV.ro)

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ZAGREB-HAGUE-SARAJEVO

Netherlands regrets EU’s Strategic Compass mentions constituent peoples in BiH. Croatian President Zoran Milanović on Tuesday stated that Berlin, Amsterdam and Stockholm opposed the mention of the constituent peoples in BiH in an EU Strategic Compass. Read more.

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ZAGREB

China active in efforts to stop war in Ukraine. China has been involved in efforts to stop the war in Ukraine and prevent a huge humanitarian crisis, Croatian Parliament (Sabor) Speaker Gordan Jandroković said on Tuesday after his video-conference with Li Zhanshu, Chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee. Read more.

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LJUBLJANA

Slovenia adopts ‘wait and see’ approach as cases spike. Slovenia is experiencing a new wave of COVID-19 infections after the Omicron wave ended, with the authorities opting for a ‘wait-and-see’ approach given that hospital figures remain low. Read more.

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BELGRADE

ENEMO: Participation of public officials in Serbian election campaign concerning. The participation of public officials in the election campaign in Serbia, reports of pressure on voters, and the abuse of state resources, are a cause for concern, the European Network of Election Monitoring Organisations (ENEMO) mission chief in Serbia Pierre Peytier said. Read more.

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SARAJEVO

Milorad Dodik questioned over Pavlović Bank allegations. Serb member of the BiH’s tripartite Presidency, Milorad Dodik, was questioned by prosecutors regarding allegations of financial wrongdoing by the Pavlović Bank. Read more.

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SKOPJE

Serbia to continue exporting oil and wheat to North Macedonia. Ministers of Agriculture of Serbia and North Macedonia agreed that the export of wheat, corn, flour and cooking oil to North Macedonia would continue in the coming months. Read more.

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Students from North Macedonia and Bulgaria to study free of charge. Students from Bulgaria and North Macedonia will be able to study free of charge at universities in both countries, with governments annually funding up to four bachelor and master studies, along with five scholarships for a single semester. All students are eligible to apply, except for those in medicine, arts and sports.

This is envisaged by the bilateral program for cooperation in education, which was signed at the “Bojana” residence by the Minister of Education of Bulgaria Nikolai Denkov and his North Macedonian counterpart Jeton Shaqiri, MIA reports from Sofia. (Željko Trkanjec | EURACTIV.hr)

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PODGORICA

Serbs to vote in embassy and consulates. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) responded positively to the request of the Serbian Embassy, said Montenegrin Foreign Minister Đorđe Radulović, stating that voting will take place in the premises of embassies and consulates and that no one has banned the elections. Read more.

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PRISTINA

Kosovo’s PM says Serbia threatens regional stability. Prime Minister Albin Kurti has reiterated his warning calls on the European Union and NATO about potential threats to the Western Balkans stability stemming from Russia’s closest ally Serbia. Read more.

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TIRANA

Albanian opposition won’t elect new leader following chairman’s resignation. Albania’s opposition Democratic Party said it will not elect a new leader before the 2023 local elections following the resignation of Chairman Lulzim Bash, according to a statement from MPs on Tuesday. Read more.

AGENDA:

EU: College of Commissioners meets, Commissioners Wojciechowski and Dombrovskis to present communication on “safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food systems” / Commissioners Schinas, Johansson and Šuica present new proposals on help for refugees / European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen participate in European Parliament plenary debate on Ukraine / European Parliament debates EU plans for food security / Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau speaks in European Parliament.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg briefs the press before summit.
Germany: Chancellor Olaf Scholz addresses German Bundestag before summits n Brussels.
France: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses French Parliament by video-link / Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson in Paris for International Energy Agency Ministerial Meeting.
Italy: Prime Minister Mario Draghi addresses parliament ahead of EU summit.
Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visits Ceuta after normalisation of relations with neighbouring Morocco / Main unions call strike and protest against rising prices.
Slovakia: Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič visits Bratislava.
Serbia: Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović, Head of EU Delegation to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret and French Ambassador Pierre Cochard to speak at conference in Serbian Chamber of Commerce called A Circular Economy, Employment and Digitalisation in Light of Conference on the Future of Europe.
Croatia: Prime Minister Andrej Plenković meets with county prefects and mayors to discuss activities relating to the acceptance of Ukrainian refugees.
Slovenia: President Borut Pahor will start an official visit to Qatar accompanied by a government delegation. The prospect of gas supplies to Slovenia will be discussed.