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In today’s news from the Capitals:
Russia’s war on Ukraine would not have happened if former German Chancellor Angela Merkel was still in office, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said during a visit to Berlin, where he met with both Merkel and current Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Read more.
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EU INSTITUTIONS
EU-wide excise tax on novel tobacco products: A tough equation to solve. The European Commission’s intention to impose an EU-wide minimum excise tax on novel products, such as electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches, has divided relevant stakeholders over whether it could bring the desired results. Read more.
MEPs back €500m Parliament building works despite ‘worst possible timing’. MEPs will move ahead with plans to renovate one of the European Parliament’s main buildings costing over €500 million despite the optics of the high costs as Europeans face recession and a cost of living crisis. Read more.
Trade defence instrument supported by broad coalition. The European Parliament’s trade committee endorsed a new trade defence tool, which will expand the countermeasures available to the Commission to protect the bloc from economic blackmail. Read more.
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THE HAGUE
Dutch government dragged feet over nitrogen emissions ‘for years’. Government inaction to slash nitrogen emissions over the past 20 years is to blame for the tensions now seen in the farming community; stakeholders told EURACTIV as farmers prepare to protest again. Read more.
Want to dive deeper into this topic? Listen to EURACTIV’s Agrifood Podcast here.
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PARIS
French PM orders striking petrol staff back amid fuel supply concerns. Employees that are essential to the operation of Esso-Exxon-Mobil depots have been ordered to go back to work, announced French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, as week-long strikes strain the country’s fuel supply. Read more.
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VIENNA
Austria presents €5.7bn scheme to aid industry greening. The government will support industry’s transformation in a bid to meet the country’s 2040 net-zero emission target by focusing on supporting new ways of production, increasing energy efficiency, environmental protection and research. Read more.
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BRUSSELS
Brussels court postpones legal action against dismantling Doel 3. The First Instance Court in Brussels decided to postpone examining the case brought by the 100TWh citizens’ movement, which opposes dismantling the Doel 3 nuclear reactor. Read more.
UK AND IRELAND
LONDON
EU Court must have no role on NI protocol, says Frost. The role of the European Court of Justice in deciding upon the governance of the Northern Ireland protocol must remain a ‘red line’ for the UK, former Brexit Minister David Frost told UK lawmakers in Westminster on Tuesday. Read more.
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DUBLIN
Ireland not expected to reinstate COVID measures this winter. Restrictions are not expected to be reintroduced this winter despite Ireland and Europe seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases, Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told reporters Tuesday. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
Finns rush to get iodine tablets following ministry recommendation. Finnish households are buying up iodine tablets after the social and health ministry updated its guidelines on iodine use in case of radiation hazards on Tuesday likely prompted by Russia’s repeated threats to go nuclear. Read more.
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STOCKHOLM
Swedish government urged to pressure Iran over Mahsa Amini’s death. The government should take measures against the Iranian regime following the death of Mahsa Jina Amini at the hands of the morality police, which sparked worldwide protests, two politicians urged. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
MADRID
Spanish government OKs energy savings plan, commits to EU solidarity. The government approved the country’s Energy Contingency Plan on Tuesday to reduce energy consumption for the winter and protect vulnerable consumers under EU energy solidarity commitments. Read more.
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LISBON
Portugal can still adopt measures without compromising annual target. The government can continue to adopt measures, particularly to help families and businesses affected by the energy crisis, without putting the annual budget target at risk, the Technical Budget Support Unit (UTAO) said. Read more.
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VALLETTA
Maltese platform workers to receive minimum wage. Platform workers such as food and delivery couriers will receive the minimum wage, overtime, and sick pay, according to Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela, with more details to be announced in the coming days. Read more.
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ROME
Italian bond yields rise as German support for joint EU debt seen as unlikely. Italian 10-year bond yields rose on Tuesday (11 October) after a German official dismissed a report that the country’s government planned to support the issuance of joint European Union debt. Read more.
VISEGRAD
PRAGUE
Czech president calls for Visegrad group expansion to Slovenia. The Visegrad group, which includes Czechia, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary, should expand to include Slovenia, President Miloš Zeman said at the first joint V4 meeting since Russia invaded Ukraine. Read more.
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WARSAW
Poland to cap energy prices for SMEs, vulnerable infrastructure. The government is to set the maximum price for small businesses and infrastructures in critical condition, like hospitals, Climate and Environment Minister Anna Moskwa said at the government’s meeting on Tuesday. Read more.
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BRATISLAVA
Biggest Slovak emitters to receive long-sought access to EU funds. The European Commission approved two programmes worth about €1.1 billion to give Slovakia’s big energy-intensive companies access to the EU funds needed for decarbonisation. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
Russian ambassador invite causes uproar before Bulgarian assembly launch. The invitation of Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova to attend the opening session of the new National Assembly on 19 October caused an uproar among newly elected lawmakers, with winning GERB members quickly showing opposition. Read more.
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LJUBLJANA
Irregular migration through Slovenia more than doubled this year. Slovenian police intercepted a total of 15,590 irregular migrants in the first nine months of 2022, an increase of 115% from the same period last year, with the number accelerating in the last three months. Read more.
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PRISTINA
Difficult decisions ahead for Kosovo, Serbia, German ambassador says. Difficult decisions lie ahead for Kosovo and Serbia, German Ambassador to Kosovo Jorn Rohde said on Tuesday, urging the two to implement the agreements reached in Brussels like those on license plates and the controversial Association of Serb Municipalities. Read more.
Ukranian politician calls for Kosovo recognition, membership in CoE. Oleksiy Goncharenko, a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), said that Kosovo deserves full recognition and should also become a full member of the human rights organisation. Read more.
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TIRANA
Albania to make renewable energy equipment VAT exempt. The government is set to exempt from VAT imported machinery and other equipment used to make green energy, Energy Minister Belinda Balluku has said. Read more.
AGENDA
- EU: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to deliver a speech at the EU Ambassadors Conference 2022 in Brussels;
- Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni in Washington DC to participate in the IMF Annual Meetings;
- Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides meets with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Ashish K. Jha, US House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, US Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci, and members of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Washington DC; Visits United States National Cancer Institute, pediatric oncology laboratory;
- European Commission to propose a new standard for polluting emissions regarding cars and vans;
- European Parliament President Roberta Metsola meets with female speakers of EU parliaments on the humanitarian situation and assistance to refugees from Ukraine; Receives the leader of the Belarusian democratic movement, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya;
- Belgium: NATO defence ministers to meet; Ukraine Defence Contact Group meets to discuss arms for Kyiv;
- France: OPEC releases monthly report;
- Germany: Economy Minister Habeck presents the government’s autumn economic forecast;
- Sweden: First deadline for Swedish Conservative leader Ulf Kristersson to form a government expires;
- Romania: President Klaus Iohannis and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte pay a common visit to the military base;
- Poland: Italy, Poland and US fighter jets, including F-22 Raptor, take part in NATO exercise;
- UN: Security Council member states to discuss Colombia;
- US: G20 finance ministers and central bank chiefs to meet in Washington DC;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Vlad Makszimov, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson]
Source: euractiv.com
