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In today’s news from the Capitals:
Following reports on Chinese government outposts set up to monitor and harass nationals on bloc territory, information is emerging on similar third-country operations, with governments around Europe often evasively confirming their existence but coming up short on action. Read more.
EU INSTITUTIONS
Spyware systematically used by some EU governments, MEPs find. Spyware is being systematically used as a tool of control in some EU countries and a “profound rethink” of European governance is required to protect democracy, according to the lawmaker leading the European Parliament’s committee investigating the Pegasus spyware scandal. Read more.
Blow to EU after top court strikes down ‘sweetheart’ tax ruling. The EU’s attempts to crack down on sweetheart tax deals between corporate giants and national treasuries suffered a major setback after the European Court of Justice (ECJ) struck down a European Commission ruling that Luxembourg had granted selective tax advantages to Fiat through transfer pricing. Read more.
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PARIS
France not ready for high-intensity war says former Army Chief. France would not be prepared for a high-intensity war as the government’s defence budget is currently insufficient, Pierre de Villiers, the former Chief of Staff of the French Army, told Le Parisien in an interview published Tuesday. Read more.
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BERLIN
Germany searches Swiss bank branches amid Putin confidante investigations. In the context of investigations against Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, German authorities searched the premises of the Frankfurt and Munich branches of major Swiss bank UBS on Tuesday. Read more.
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BRUSSELS
Belgian PM calls for more inclusion, cooperation at COP27. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo called for greater inclusion and collaboration to tackle the climate crisis but condemned activists for recently taking aim at artworks in a speech he held at the COP27 climate summit in Sharm El-Sheikh on Tuesday. Read more.
Belgium to receive €87.7 million in EU aid for 2021 floods. On Thursday, EU finance ministers in Brussels decided to grant Belgium €87.7 million in emergency financial aid to help repair the widespread damage caused by floods in 2021. Read more.
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THE HAGUE
Dutch government to pay municipalities to house asylum seekers. Municipalities that provide accommodation for asylum seekers will receive financial compensation, according to the latest version of the asylum bill, which the ruling VVD party previously delayed due to the burden it imposed on municipalities. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
STOCKHOLM
Swedish stance on Kurdish groups not enough to convince Erdogan. Sweden continues to deal with Kurdish organisations Turkey views as terrorists, said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after meeting Sweden’s new Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Ankara on Tuesday, despite the Swedish government announcing it will distance itself from the YPG and PYD. Read more.
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HELSINKI
Finland to help UN ship Ukraine grain to Somalia. Finland will be supporting the grain shipments of the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) from Ukraine to Somalia as part of its bid to increase assistance to the famine-ridden Horn of Africa region, the Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ATHENS
MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld corners EU centre-right over Greek ‘Watergate’. The centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) is struggling to water down a draft report by liberal Dutch MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld on the Greek “Watergate” scandal, which has put the New Democracy (EPP) government in Athens to the test. Read more.
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MADRID
Use of Pegasus spyware in ‘Catalan Gate’ not justified, says EU Parliament. The government’s use of the Pegasus Spyware against pro-independence Catalan politicians was not justified as there was no threat to the country’s security, a preliminary report drafted by the European Parliament found. Read more.
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ROME
NGO boats are not responsible for migrant relocation; experts tell Italy. Boats operated by NGOs in the Mediterranean Sea are not responsible for migrant relocation as they do not represent a national government, migration experts have told EURACTIV, contradicting the claim used by the Italian government. Read more.
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LISBON
Portugal says yes to widely-backed €18 billion Ukraine package. Portugal is in a very large group of countries that supports the €18 billion macro-financial aid package Commission President Ursula von Leyen recently said she would table to support Ukraine in 2023, Finance Minister Fernando Medina said in Brussels on Tuesday. Read more.
VISEGRAD
WARSAW
Poland risks EU infringement proceedings over anti-inflation measures. The Commission could lodge infringement proceedings against Poland if it fails to withdraw the anti-inflation measures reducing VAT on gas and pesticides as these are not in line with EU legislation, Polish media report. Read more.
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PRAGUE
Twenty-one hopefuls register for the Czech president race. Twenty-one people, including former prime minister Andrej Babiš, and a general and a trade union boss, will have a shot at replacing Miloš Zeman as the next president in the January elections. Read more.
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BRATISLAVA
Slovakia sees dramatic drop in business electricity consumption. Electricity consumption decreased 18% among businesses in September compared to the same time last year, according to the data provided by Slovak short-term electricity market operator OKTE. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
LJUBLJANA
Slovenia criticises Austrian plans to extend border checks. The Slovenian Foreign Ministry has taken aim at Austria’s plans to extend border checks between the countries, saying it failed to prove the existence of a new security threat. Read more.
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SOFIA
Bulgaria promises to reinforce borders following police incident. Following a shootout at the Bulgarian border with Turkey on Monday, which saw the death of a Bulgarian police official, Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said the authorities would not hesitate to shoot if a similar situation arose again. Read more.
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BUCHAREST
Romanian Central bank hikes rates amid high inflation, again. Romania’s central bank raised its main interest rate by half a percentage point, to 6.75% as it continues to battle high inflation. Read more.
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ZAGREB
Croatia PM presents ambitious energy, transport projects at COP27. Prime Minister Andrej Plenković presented an unprecedented list of highly ambitious energy projects for the country at the COP27 in Egypt on Tuesday, but Croatian media are sceptical about feasibility. Read more.
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PRISTINA
Kosovo politicians aim for unity amid ongoing Serbia woes. Increasing tensions with Kosovo have laid bare political division in Kosovo as parties making up the government struggle to find unity on issues including discussions with its neighbour and relations with the US and EU. Read more.
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TIRANA
Albanian farmers set for significant direct investment in 2023. The Agriculture Ministry plans to disburse more than half of its annual budget to support farmers, worth €66 million, Agriculture Minister Frida Krifca told the media on Tuesday. Read more.
AGENDA:
- EU: College of Commissioners meets to present security and defence package, including action plan for military mobility and cyber defence; Releases proposals on Stability Pact reform;
- European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen discuss Ukraine war, energy and Iran with European Parliament lawmakers;
- Commission Vice-President Vĕra Jourová holds meeting with Polish Minister of EU Affairs Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk;
- Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič holds meeting with Italian Minister for European Affairs Raffaele Fitto;
- Neighbourhood and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi receives Minister of State and Chief Negotiator from Albania Majlinda Dhuka;
- Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski participates in press conference on ensuring availability and affordability of fertilisers;
- Frontex in cooperation with the Czech Republic organises “Border security operations and capacity building in EU’s neighbourhood” to evaluate operational activities carried out in the framework of agreements concluded with the Western Balkan countries and Moldova;
- European Parliament President Roberta Metsola to attend plenary session in Brussels;
- European Parliament Plenary debates Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 20-21 Octobe, REPowerEU chapters in Recovery and Resilience plans, full application of the provisions of the Schengen acquis in Croatia; Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis participates in debate regarding REPowerEU chapters;
- Germany: Expert committee hands over annual expert report on the macroeconomic situation to Chancellor Olaf Scholz;
- Belgium: General strike against the rising cost of living;
- Greece: General strike called by unions of public and private sectors against rising prices;
- Czechia: Foreign Ministetr Jan Lipavský is set to visit Georgia on Wednesday and Thursday. He will hold talks in Tbilisi with his counterpart, Ilia Darchiashvili, and Prime Minister Irakli Garibasvhili.
- ECB: Monthly survey on consumer sentiment in the Eurozone published;
- International Criminal Court: UN Security Council is given briefing on Libya;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Vlad Makszimov, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Sofia Mandilara]
Source: euractiv.com
