The Capitals brings you the latest news from across Europe, through on-the-ground reporting by EURACTIV’s media network. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.
Before you start reading today’s edition of the Capitals, feel free to have a look at Germany, France, Italy back EU candidate status for Ukraine by EURACTIV Network.
The European news you deserve to read. Welcome to The Capitals by EURACTIV.
Today’s edition is powered by WEMOVE
Europe is facing an energy and climate crisis now; bankrolling nuclear and gas will only lengthen it.
The construction of a nuclear power plant takes 10-20 years, while the methane in gas has 84 times the radiative forcing of CO2. Nuclear and gas should be excluded from the EU taxonomy of green energy investments.
Continue Reading >>
In today’s news from the Capitals:
PARIS | SOFIA: Paris is ready to include Bulgarian demands in North Macedonia’s EU negotiations roadmap to lift Sofia’s veto on starting the talks, diplomats told local media on Thursday, but it is yet unclear whether the move will suffice to assuage doubt of Bulgarian lawmakers. Read more.
///
BERLIN
German agency considers saving gas by cooling homes. The president of the Federal Network Agency favours lowering the minimum temperature to which landlords must heat homes in winter, a proposal made by the national housing association after Russian energy giant Gazprom decided to reduce gas flows to Germany. Read more.
///
BRUSSELS
Belgian quadruples women on company boards. A law from 2011 requiring Belgian companies to have at least a third of women or men on company boards seems to be bearing fruit as the proportion of women in such roles quadrupled between 2008 to 2020, a recent study has found. Read more.
///
PARIS
French elections: what a relative majority means for Macron. The French are about to vote on Sunday (19 June) in the second round of legislative elections and could hand the recently re-elected President Emmanuel Macron a victory, but no parliamentary majority and strong opposition from the left. Read more.
UK AND IRELAND
LONDON
Bank hikes interest rates in bid to curb inflation spike. The Bank of England on Thursday increased interest rates to 1.25% to head off spiralling inflation, which has hit 9% and is likely to rise further in the coming months. Read more.
///
DUBLIN
Irish businesses to receive help to move away from fossil fuels. Dublin will help companies in Ireland move away from fossil fuels and towards more sustainable replacements with a fund worth €55 million. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
Finland recommends fifth COVID booster for vulnerable patients. Following Stockholm’s lead, the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) called on people with a severely weakened immune system to take a fifth COVID-19 vaccine. Read more.
///
VILNIUS
Ukrainians illegally deported to Russia are exiles, Lithuania says. Lithuanian lawmakers on Thursday recognised Ukrainians expelled from their homes and forcefully deported to Russia by Moscow as exiles. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
LISBON
Portugal offers military training but not more arms for Ukraine. Portugal is ready to train Ukrainian soldiers but sending more military material is not on the table, defence minister Helena Carreiras said at a NATO meeting in Brussels. Read more.
///
ROME
Draghi dismisses Russia’s reasons for gas supply cuts. Russia’s claims that gas supply cuts are due to maintenance are lies, and instead, the reasons for the shortage are political, Prime Minister Mario Draghi said in Kyiv on Thursday after Russian energy giant Gazprom announced another cut to Rome’s daily supplies. Read more.
///
MADRID
Spain to approve fourth booster shot for autumn. The government will approve a fourth COVID-19 dose in the autumn, prioritising the most vulnerable groups, Spanish health minister Carolina Darias confirmed on Thursday. Read more.
VISEGRAD
BRATISLAVA
Slovak ministry sows confusion over Russia sanctions compliance in EU projects. A warning about sanctions-busting after checks on several EU-funded projects involving Austria’s construction giant Strabag by the regional development ministry has confused Slovak municipalities. Read more.
///
WARSAW
Polish president dismisses minister amid post office scandal. President Andrzej Duda dismissed Michał Cieślak, a minister without portfolio embroiled in a post office scandal, at the request of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Read more.
///
PRAGUE
EU Parliament chiefs in Prague ahead of Council presidency. Prague and the European Parliament are partners in these difficult times caused by the war, leading EU lawmakers and Czech leaders agreed during a meeting in the country’s capital ahead of Czechia’s six-month stint at the helm of the EU Council. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
BELGRADE
Turkey backs Serbia’s EU path. Turkey supports Serbia’s European integration process, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in Belgrade on Thursday, adding that Serbia is an important actor in preserving stability in the region. Read more.
///
BUCHAREST
Romania to buy fighter jets from Norway. The Romanian government adopted a draft law on buying 32 used F-16 fighter jets from Norway. Read more.
///
ZAGREB
Eurozone ministers give nod to Croatia’s 2023 euro adoption. Eurozone finance ministers in the Eurogroup gave the green light for Croatia’s euro accession on Thursday, saying they agreed with the European Commission and the European Central Bank’s positive assessment of Zagreb’s fulfilment of convergence criteria. Read more.
///
PRISTINA
Serbia refuses to recognise Kosovo despite EU calls. Serbia has no desire to recognise Kosovo, President Aleksandar Vucic confirmed to Serbian media this week following repeated calls from the EU for mutual recognition. Read more.
Agenda
- EU: European Commission gives opinion on Ukraine candidacy bid to join bloc.
- Meeting of the College of Commissioners, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen participates.
- European Parliament Annual International Conference on Human Rights.
- Romania: King Philippe of Belgium visits troops at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base.
- Russia: President Vladimir Putin takes part in plenary session at St Petersburg International Economic Forum.
- United States: 50 years since the Watergate scandal broke.
***
[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Vlad Makszimov, Daniel Eck, Benjamin Fox, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Eleonora Vasques, Sofia Stuart Leeson]
Source: euractiv.com
