EU top diplomat: Putin won’t cut off Europe’s oil, gas

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In today’s news from the Capitals:

MADRID

The EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell has dismissed the prospect of Russian President Vladimir Putin cutting oil and gas supplies to Europe in retaliation to the tough economic sanctions imposed on Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine. Read more.

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EU INSTITUTIONS

Brussels says it is not after a regime change in Russia. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell has kept his distance from US President’s comment that Putin cannot remain in power. Read more.

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BERLIN

Two German states ban Russian ‘Z’ symbol. The ‘Z’ symbol used by Russia in the war against Ukraine is banned by two of Germany’s federal states, and more could soon follow as calls to extend the ban to other regions pile up. Read more.

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VIENNA

Austrian Social Democrats gear up for 2024 election. The social democrats SPÖ has gathered its senior figures to form a strong push for the 2024 chancellorship led by party chief Pamela Rendi-Wagner as support for the Austrian government coalition of conservatives and Greens wanes. Read more.

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PARIS

Macron fights back against attacks on the use of consulting firms. The use of consulting firms, including US company McKinsey, by the state is causing concern in the electoral campaign of French President Emmanuel Macron. Read more.

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THE HAGUE

Volunteers in the Netherlands send supply-filled ambulances to Ukraine. A group of volunteers in the Netherlands are busy organising and sending ambulances with medical and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Read more.

UK AND IRELAND

DUBLIN

Arrests after bomb hoax targets Irish foreign minister’s peacebuilding speech. Multiple people have been arrested in connection with a bomb hoax at a peacebuilding event on Friday which led to the evacuation of Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney. Read more.

NORDICS AND BALTICS

HELSINKI

Finns with criminal pasts join fight in Ukraine. A group of Finnish citizens with criminal records have gone to Ukraine to fight, various media have reported. Read more.

Helsinki-St Petersburg train to stop running. The high-speed train between Helsinki and St Petersburg, known as Allegro, has stopped running, with the last almost fully booked train arriving Helsinki at 7pm on Sunday.

The connection, which was kept alive to make sure Finns can return home while thousands of Russians used it to leave the country, is “no longer appropriate”, European Affairs minister Tytti Tuppurainen (SDP) told Finnish railway company VR. Russian Railways (RZD), which, together with VR, jointly owns the company operating the service, has been sanctioned by the West. (Pekka Vänttinen | EURACTIV.com)

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STOCKHOLM | BALTICS

Ex-NATO general: Risk that Russia invades Baltics is ‘real’. The risk of war in the Baltic states is real, General Sir Richard Shirreff, former deputy head of NATO in Europe, told the Swedish broadcaster SVT in an exclusive interview on Sunday. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

ATHENS

Zelenskyy to address Greek parliament amid opposition. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address the Greek House this week following an invitation by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. While mainstream political parties hailed the move, the extremes from the left and the right have expressed their opposition. Read more.

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ROME

German World War II vehicle resurfaces in Italy after exceptional drought. A German military half-track vehicle from World War II – which experts have searched for decades – has re-emerged from the River Po in Northern Italy which has suffered severe drought in recent days. Read more.

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VALLETTA

Malta’s embittered socialists with third term. The Malta Labour Party (PL), headed by Prime Minister Robert Abela have won the general elections in a landslide victory, despite pervasive scandals and links to corruption. Read more.

VISEGRAD

BUDAPEST

Prime Minister Orbán hints President Zelenskyy is just acting. The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said he relies on his knowledge of law while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy draws from his past as an actor, Telex reported. Read more.

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WARSAW

Biden’s visit not a sign of breakthrough between Poland and the US. As US President Joe Biden’s visit dominated the headlines in Poland over the weekend, experts are sceptical about whether it will bring a permanent positive improvement to relations between Warsaw and Washington. Read more.

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PRAGUE

Czech diplomats in Moscow harassed by Russian authorities. Czech Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian Ambassador Alexandr Zmejevskij to Prague to protest against the unacceptable behaviour of authorities in Moscow. According to the Ministry, Czech diplomats are facing severe harassment. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Slovak government outsourced handling of refugee crisis to private company. The Slovak Ministry of Interior is facing strong criticism for its handling of the refugee crisis on the eastern borders with Ukraine as it has delegated the management to a private company that previously organised corporate parties. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

SKOPJE

North Macedonia to take part in EU’s joint LNG purchase. Prime Minister Dimitar Kovačevski thanked the EU for deciding for North Macedonia to become part of the Platform for joint purchase of liquefied natural gas. Read more.

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SOFIA

Bulgaria to remove COVID-19 restrictions. The Bulgarian government will remove all restrictive measures against COVID-19 from 1 April, including the mandatory wearing of protective masks in closed public spaces and restrictions on public events. Read more.

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BUCHAREST | CHISINAU

Romania approves €100 million grant for Moldova. The Romanian government adopted a draft law to ratify an agreement to grant €100 million of financial assistance to the Republic of Moldova. The agreement was signed in February in a joint meeting between the Romanian and Moldovan governments.

The grant is one of the main instruments offered by Romania to support Moldova on its path to sustainable development and improved relations with the EU, the government said.

Romania will continue to participate in strengthening the resilience of Moldova in key sectors such as energy, transport and transport infrastructure, environmental protection and climate change, public works and infrastructure, SMEs, media independence, public administration reform, home affairs, health, education, culture and heritage, research, tourism, competitiveness and industry, it added. (Bogdan Neagu | EURACTIV.ro)

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ZAGREB

Croatia to consider increase in capacity of Krk LNG terminal. Croatia is considering increasing the capacity of its LNG terminal on the island of Krk from the current 2.6 billion cubic metres of gas to 2.9 billion cubic metres annually, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said. Read more.

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BELGRADE

Serbian ecological uprising sends protest letter to to Xi Jinping. The Serbian Ecological Uprising movement sent an open letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping saying that Chinese companies were “complicit in horrific poisoning” that had “unforeseeable and irreversible consequences” on the health of Serbian citizens, children and nature. Read more.

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ZAGREB | SARAJEVO

BiH media invent allegations on Croatia pushing for polls’ postponement. Croatian Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Ivan Sabolić denied allegations by some local media outlets about Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković having lobbied during the European Council’s meeting for the deferment of BiH’s general elections. Read more.

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SARAJEVO

EU delegation’s head to Sarajevo disappointed in BiH’s parliament. EU Ambassador and Special Representative (EUSR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina Johann Sattler expressed his disappointment at the behaviour of local leading politicians who advocate EU integration but behave contrary to those values on Friday. Read more.

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SKOPJE | SOFIA

First Sofia-Skopje commercial flight in 15 years. A commercial flight from Sofia to Skopje landed at Skopje international airport for the first time in 15 years. North Macedonia welcomed Gullivair’s ATR 72-600 aircraft, a 70-seat economy class plane on Saturday morning.

Transport and Communications Minister Blagoj Bočvarski greeted the first passengers off the plane, saying North Macedonia had a lot to offer to Bulgarian tourists. The Sofia-Skopje flight lasts only 30 minutes. (Željko Trkanjec | EURACTIV.hr)

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TIRANA

‘Non-grata’ Sali Berisha to run for leader of Albanian opposition. Former president, prime minister, and founder of the Albanian Democratic Party Sali Berisha announced he intends to run for leadership following the resignation of Chairman Lulzim Basha. Read more.

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WESTERN BALKANS

EU funds should not pay for Balkan gas projects, Bankwatch. Billions of EU funds could be set for infrastructure projects in the Western Balkans that are not needed, are non-transparent, and could lock the region into fossil fuels, particularly gas, for decades to come. Read more.

AGENDA:

EU: EU’s chief diplomat Borrell briefs European Parliament on Ukraine response and 2022 work programme / Justice and home affairs ministers meet in Brussels.
Germany: Chancellor Olaf Scholz to host Swedish Prime Minster Magdalena Andersson in Berlin / Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht to meet with her US counterpart, Lloyd J. Austin, in Washington / Global Solutions Summit.
Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to brief government after EU summit in Brussels about “Iberian exception” / Spanish government expected to announce on Tuesday new measures to mitigate impact of energy crisis / Defence Minister Margarita Robles and French Defence Minister Florence Parly meet in Madrid.
Poland: End of mask and quarantine requirements against Covid-19.
Slovenia: European Parliament President Roberta Metsola visits Ljubljana, meets Prime Minister Janez Janša, President of Slovenia’s National Assembly Igor Zorčič, President of the National Council Alojz Kovšca + delivers parliament address.
Bulgaria: NATO leaders of Southeast Europe meet in Sofia (Romania’s Nicolae CIuca, Bulgaria’s Kiril Petkov, Montenegro’s Zdravko Krivokapić and North Macedonia’s Dimitar Kovačevski.
Romania: Romanian President Klaus Iohannis receives EU Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni
Serba: Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić to meet with Angolan Foreign Minister Tete Antonio and Minister of National Defence and Veterans of the Fatherland Joao Ernesto dos Santos.