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.
The European news you deserve to read. Welcome to The Capitals by EURACTIV.
Today’s edition is powered by AWS
AWS and comprehensive data protection in the cloud
How do organisations successfully navigate compliance within Europe? What are the cross-border data transfer requirements?
AWS experts Esther Stringham (AWS Legal) and Hans Bos (AWS) Security Assurance) dive deeper into both topics.
Watch the webinars >>
In today’s news from the Capitals:
Migration has become the first hot-button issue for Rome’s new right-wing government, pitting Western Europe’s powerhouses France and Germany against Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose hardline stance on NGO rescue ships is supported by other East Mediterranean reception countries Greece, Malta and Cyprus. Read more.
///
EU INSTITUTIONS
Negotiations on EU carbon market stuck in quagmire. Ongoing talks to reform the EU’s flagship climate policy tool, the emissions trading scheme (EU ETS), appear stuck as Parliament accuses EU member states of refusing to give ground. Read more.
EU sets out plan for Cyber Defence Policy. The EU’s cyber defence policy was presented by the EU executive and diplomatic branches as a response to rising geopolitical tensions resulting from Russian aggression in Ukraine. Read more.
///
BERLIN
Scholz’s sharp criticism irks Iranian government. The Iranian regime has accused German Chancellor Olaf Scholz of undiplomatic behaviour after he criticised the regime’s violence against protesters and expressed support for fresh sanctions. Read more.
///
PARIS
Macron defends ecological efforts on Twitter. President Emmanuel Macron defended his efforts to fight climate change to Internet users on Sunday following a Twitter invitation for users to ask questions last week. Read more.
///
VIENNA
Pressure on Vienna to exit controversial investment treaty grows. As EU countries, including Germany and France, look to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), pressure on the Austrian government to follow suit is growing. Read more.
///
BRUSSELS
Belgium to have largest budget deficit in Eurozone, says EC. According to the European Commission, Belgium will have the largest budget deficit in the Eurozone over the next two years. Read more.
///
THE HAGUE
Dutch party wants abortion to be a human right across Europe. The Democrats 66 (D66), a coalition member, wants the Netherlands to promote abortion as a right on an international scale. Read more.
UK AND IRELAND
DUBLIN
Ireland, and Iceland linked through new subsea telecoms cable. Dublin has welcomed a new subsea telecoms cable connecting Ireland with Iceland after the project was completed on Friday. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
Finnish government risks falling into disarray. Finland’s five-party government risks falling into disarray due to mistrust between the two main parties, the social democrats and the Centre Party and a disagreement over indigenous rights. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
MADRID
Spain requests third tranche of Recovery and Resilience Facility. The government formally requested a third disbursement of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, worth €6 billion, making Spain the first member state to do so. Read more.
///
LISBON
Climate protesters in Portugal storm building, urge minister to step down. Hundreds of protesters angry about the climate crisis took to the streets of Lisbon on Saturday, with dozens storming a building where Portugal’s Economy Minister Antonio Costa e Silva was speaking, demanding that the former oil executive resign. Read more.
VISEGRAD
PRAGUE
Czech’s divided over support for Ukraine. While the number of people willing to accept refugees rose between May to October, willingness to send military aid to Ukraine has slightly decreased, an opinion poll by Kantar CZ agency for Czech Television showed. Read more.
///
WARSAW
Polish towns worried over proposed EU urban wastewater rules. New EU rules on treating urban wastewater, proposed by the European Commission last month are too ambitions for Polish municipalities, which point to the country’s ongoing issues with wastewater treatment. Read more.
///
BRATISLAVA
Number of Slovaks who view Velvet revolution positively drops. The Velvet revolution – which overthrew the communist regime – is viewed favourably by less than half of Slovaks, a new survey conducted by the Institute of Public Affairs found. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
LJUBLJANA
Slovenia elects first female president. Political newcomer Nataša Pirc Musar, a left-liberal lawyer and former data protection commissioner, has been elected president, making her the first woman to hold the position in Slovenia. Read more.
///
BUCHAREST
Romania sees inflation drop despite price increase. The annual inflation rate was at 15.32% in October, a slight drop from 15.88% in September, but consumer prices continue to rise and are expected to continue doing so until the end of the year. Read more.
///
ZAGREB
Anti-migrant violence still seen at Croatia’s borders, says NGO. Violent treatment of migrants at Croatia’s border has decreased, but police still resort to illegal pushbacks, and this is only likely to get worse once the country joins the Schengen area next year, said an official from a leading human rights NGO. Read more.
///
PRISTINA
Kosovo visa liberalisation decision pushed to end of 2023. A decision on Kosovo visa liberalisation for the EU has been moved from 1 November 2023 to the end of that year amid undecided member states. Read more.
///
TIRANA
Albania and UK show solidarity in Tirana amid London protests, right-wing attacks. After Albanians demonstrated in London on Saturday against xenophobia from the British government and media, Albanian politicians in Tirana rallied in force to pay their respects to a joint British-German Remembrance Sunday service in the capital. Read more.
///
AGENDA
- EU: Foreign Affairs Council takes place over two days, on Monday 14 gathering EU ministers of foreign affairs and on Tuesday 15, gathering EU ministers of defence; Chaired by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, the Council addresses the issues of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the Great Lakes region, Western Balkans, COP27, the upcoming Montreal Biodiversity Conference COP15 and the EU- Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) ministerial meeting that took place in Buenos Aires on 27 October; Commissioners Olivér Várhelyi and Jutta Urpilainen participate in the EU foreign affairs ministers meeting;
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen participates in the G20 Heads of State and Government Summit in Denpasar, Indonesia;
- Vice President Frans Timmermans participates in the 1st high-level ministerial round table on pre-2030 ambition and the 5th biennial high-level ministerial dialogue on climate finance, at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt;
- Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager participates in the Trilogue (legislative meeting between representatives of the Parliament, the Council and the Commission) on the European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles;
- Vice President Vĕra Jourová addresses the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs (COSAC) in Prague, Czech Republic;
- Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson meets with government representatives in Islamabad, Pakistan;
- European Parliament President Roberta Metsola meets with Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani;
- Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) in association with the European Parliament’s Delegation to the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee discusses the rule of law in Turkey;
- Parliament Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE) discusses hybrid warfare and the vulnerability of undersea networks and other critical European infrastructures;
- The Netherlands: NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg on an official visit;
- Singapore: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on an official visit;
- Indonesia: US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet on sidelines of G20 summit;
***
[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Vlad Makszimov, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Sofia Mandilara]
Source: euractiv.com
