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In today’s news from the Capitals:
As 2022 and the last days of the Czech Presidency of the EU Council draw to a close, Stockholm prepares to replace Prague at the Council’s rotating helm. However, experts warn that the far-right Sweden Democrats party’s domestic political sway may influence the next EU Presidency’s work on a broad range of topics, from pesticide use and climate to migration. Read more.
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EU INSTITUTIONS
More money, flexibility needed to back EU’s new nature restoration law, ministers say. EU environment ministers on Tuesday called for increased flexibility and finance to achieve the goals of a new law aimed at restoring Europe’s nature. Read more.
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GUEST CORNER
Tobacco executive: How cigarettes could vanish quicker than combustion engine. By accelerating the introduction of less harmful alternatives into the market, Europe will be able to phase out cigarettes quicker than the combustion engine, a senior expert from tobacco company Philip Morris International (PMI) told EURACTIV. Read more.
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BERLIN
Germany hands over Leopard 2 tanks to Czechia to support Ukraine. The government has handed over the first shipment of modern Leopard 2 battle tanks to Czechia as part of a swap deal for which Czechia will send soviet-era equipment to Kyiv. Read more.
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PARIS
Morrocco files for defamation against former French MEP. Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch has filed a defamation complaint against former Green MEP José Bové after he made allegations of attempted corruption on the radio last week. Read more.
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BRUSSELS
Belgium court to rule on Eva Kaili’s detention in graft case. A Belgian court will decide on Thursday whether to keep a Greek MEP in jail pending trial on corruption charges in a graft scandal linked to Qatar that has rocked the European Parliament. Read more.
UK AND IRELAND
LONDON
UK settlement scheme for EU nationals ‘unlawful’, court rules. The UK government’s Settlement Scheme for EU nationals living in the country has been declared unlawful in a major High Court ruling on Wednesday. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
Finland sends 11th military aid package to Ukraine. Finland will send Ukraine military aid worth €28.8 million, bringing total contributions to €189.2 million and making it the eleventh package sent there since the start of the war, the defence ministry announced after it got the green light from the president and the government on Wednesday. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ATHENS
Greece annoyed by Albania-Turkey drone deal. Greek foreign minister Nikos Dendias expressed his discontent about the “rapprochement” between neighbouring Turkey and Albania after the two countries signed a deal for three Bayraktar drones. Read more.
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ROME
Italian government promises socialist-drafted ‘income’ for food proposal. The Italian government of conservative Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will introduce food income for vulnerable families based on a proposal made by Democratic Party MPs. Read more.
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MADRID
Spain’s ruling socialists lead fresh polls despite drop in support. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s socialist PSOE party would come out as the winner with 30.6%, ahead of centre-right rival Partido Popular if elections were held today though the race between the two is getting increasingly close, a fresh poll from Wednesday has found. Read more.
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LISBON
Portugal’s strong market prevents stagflation scenario, says central bank. Portugal’s strong labour market is preventing a stagflation scenario at a time when inflation limits investment, Bank of Portugal Governor Mario Centeno said on Wednesday. Read more.
VISEGRAD
BRATISLAVA | PRAGUE
Czech-Slovak border checks to remain despite drop in irregular migration flows. Fewer migrants are illegally crossing the Czech-Slovak border as winter draws in, yet Czechia decided that border checks, while less strict, should continue. Read more.
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WARSAW
Poland introduces €43 gas price cap to protect consumers. Gas prices for Polish consumers excluding businesses will be capped at €43 per megawatt-hour (MWh) to ensure they are better protected against rising energy costs, according to a law signed by President Andrzej Duda on Wednesday. Read more.
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BUDAPEST
Plenty of successors in Fidesz, Orbán says. While he has no plans to step down any time soon, the ruling Fidesz party has no shortage of successors, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told reporters at the once-yearly press conference in Budapest on Wednesday. Read more.
Hungary’s Orbán aims to curb inflation, keep economy above water in 2023. Hungary must avoid recession next year and curb inflation to single digits by the end of 2023, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Wednesday, adding that surging inflation put “huge pressure” on the central bank’s governor. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
LJUBLJANA
Slovenian meat industry slams PM over ‘meat reduction’ comments. Prime Minister Robert Golob is facing backlash from the country’s meat industry for his comments in the EU Parliament suggesting people should eat less meat – adding to his controversial decision of reportedly appointing mostly vegans to a newly created food advisory body. Read more.
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SOFIA
Bulgaria promised Schengen by October, justice minister says. Bulgaria should join the visa-free Schengen area before October next year at the latest, according to the clear and concrete deadline President Rumen Radev was given at last week’s European Council meeting in Brussels, Justice Minister Krum Zarkov told Nova TV in an interview Wednesday. Read more.
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ZAGREB
Croatia’s JANAF pipeline signs 2-year oil transport deal with Serbia. Croatia’s sole pipeline operator, JANAF, has signed a two-year contract with Serbia’s NIS, majority owned by Russia’s Gazprom, for transporting crude oil to Serbia, despite previously announcing it would halt such transport as the EU tightened restrictions on Russian oil imports. Read more.
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PRISTINA
NATO’s KFOR is still considering Serbia’s request to send military to north Kosovo. Kosovo’s NATO-led international peacekeeping force KFOR said it is still considering the Serbia’s request to send its own military to the north of the country as exacerbated tensions enter the 12th day. Read more.
Serbian President contradicts himself over liability for Kosovo roadblocks. Serbian President Aleksander Vucic has repeatedly stated that Belgrade and his government is not behind the blockades in north Kosovo, but on Wednesday, a comment to the media calls that into question. Read more.
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TIRANA
Activists protest inauguration of new theatre works in Tirana. Protests took place in Tirana on Wednesday as the government inaugurated the works of the new National Theatre after the previous one was demolished following a two-year-long civil resistance and a lost case in the Constitutional Court. Read more.
AGENDA
- EU: Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni participates in G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors virtual meeting;
- Spain: Lawmakers vote on transgender rights bill;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Vlad Makszimov, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Sofia Mandilara]
Source: euractiv.com
