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.
In today’s news from the Capitals:
Fifty per cent of surveyed Spaniards think that the war in Ukraine should end as soon as possible, even if this means Ukrainians would have to sacrifice some territory to Russia and make concessions to Moscow, a new Pan-European survey shows. Read more.
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PARIS
France set to enshrine abortion in Constitution. France will be the first country to include the right to abort in its constitution, which will send a strong signal to women around the world, Albane Gaillot, an advocacy officer at Planning Familial, told EURACTIV. Read more.
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BERLIN
Germany’s Baerbock backs special tribunal to prosecute Russia. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has come out in favour of Ukraine’s proposal to institute a special tribunal to prosecute war crimes committed by Russia. Read more.
UK AND IRELAND
LONDON
Another false dawn on NI protocol. The promise of ‘white smoke’ and an agreement on the Northern Ireland protocol on Monday turned out to be another false dawn. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
Finns struggle to make up minds on immigration. One in five Finns is unable to make up their minds when it comes to deciding whether the government should ease immigration rules, a recent survey has found. Read more.
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STOCKHOLM
PM says too early to tell when Sweden will join NATO. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Monday it was too early to say when Stockholm and Helsinki will join NATO as Turkey still blocks the process but hopes it will happen “as soon as possible”, naming the Vilnius NATO summit in June as a possible landmark. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ATHENS
Greek PM warns his deputies of ‘turmoil’ ahead of elections. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday warned his deputies to be ready to face “turmoil” ahead of the national elections, a statement interpreted by the opposition as “fear” about new revelations regarding the wiretapping scandal. Read more.
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ROME
Qatargate: Italian judges rule Panzeri’s daughter must be handed to Belgium. The daughter of MEP Antonio Panzeri is one step away from being handed over to the Belgian authorities, and over €240,000 has been seized from her bank accounts. Read more.
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LISBON
Portuguese teachers strike after failed negotiations. Eight unions led a teachers’ strike on Monday that will last 18 days after the Education Ministry pushed back negotiation dates on the deadline to withdraw some proposals presented in previous negotiations. Read more.
VISEGRAD
PRAGUE
Musk should not underestimate EU efforts, warns Jourová. Regulators are closely monitoring Twitter, and its compliance with the data protection rules, and Musk should not underestimate the Commission’s efforts to make big platforms responsible, European Commissioner for Transparency and Democracy Věra Jourová warned. Read more.
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WARSAW
Germany to deploy Patriot batteries into Poland in coming days. The Bundeswehr will begin the relocation of Patriot air defence systems into Poland’s territory in the coming days following a deal that was agreed upon by Berlin and Warsaw last month. Read more.
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BUDAPEST
EU brushes off results of Hungary’s national consultation on Russia sanctions. The European Commission on Monday (16 January) dismissed the results of Hungary’s controversial government consultation on EU sanctions against Russia, which were released over the weekend. Read more.
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BRATISLAVA
Lack of transparency unearthed in Slovak energy sector. According to data published by Eurostat, Slovakia’s energy consumption showed an increase in December, which was a surprise to many as previous data suggested there was a decrease in energy consumption in the country. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
ZAGREB
Croatia puzzled by disappearance of sanctioned oligarch’s yacht. A yacht owned by Uzbek oligarch Alisher Usmanov, who is under Western sanctions as a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has disappeared from its mooring in Croatia’s central Adriatic. Read more.
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SOFIA
Bulgaria pushes to host world climate conference. Bulgaria has not given up its ambition to host the 29th Climate Change Conference (COP29) in 2024, the Foreign Affairs Ministry told EURACTIV Bulgaria on Monday. Read more.
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PODGORICA
Montenegro to hold presidential election on 19 March. Montenegrins will vote for their president in a ballot that will challenge the incumbent veteran Milo Djukanović, who has held various top jobs in the tiny Western Balkan EU candidate country since 1991. Read more.
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TIRANA
Albanian youth have lowest disposable income in Europe as migration row continues. One of the reasons for the mass exodus of Albanian youth could be related to the fact they have the lowest level of disposable income in Europe, according to new data published by Eurostat. Read more.
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PRISTINA
Kosovo will never accept Serb association as it violates constitution. Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla has reiterated that the country will never accept an Association of Serb Municipalities with executive powers, violating the Constitution. Read more.
AGENDA
- EU: Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) convenes in Brussels, Belgium; Agenda highlights include the Swedish presidency programme, and more;
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addresses the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023 in Davos, Switzerland;
- The College of Commissioners holds meeting in Strasbourg, France;
- Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis receives United States Trade Representative, Katherine Tai in Brussels, Belgium;
- Vice President Vĕra Jourová speaks at the event “Global Coalition for Digital Safety”; Addresses the event “The Clear and Present Danger of Disinformation” in Davos, Switzerland;
- Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmit participates in a round table of the “Reskilling Revolution Champions”; Participates in the stakeholder dialogue panel “The Jobs and Skills of a Green Transition”, in Davos, Switzerland;
- Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski speaks in the European Parliament plenary session on food inflation;
- European Parliament holds plenary session in Strasbourg, France; Agenda highlights include the presentation of the Swedish Presidency Programme, the implementation of the common security and defence policy, establishment of a tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine, and more; The plenary session votes on the election of a vice president to replace Eva Kaili;
- Parliament President Roberta Metsola attends the plenary session; Receives Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, and holds joint press conference;
- Belgium: Court rules on provisional detention of Pier Antonio Panzeri, detained over ‘Qatargate’ corruption case;
- Switzerland: China’s Vice Premier Liu He speaks at World Economic Forum in Davos;
- Belarus: Trial in absentia against opposition leader Sviatlana Tikhanovskaya begins;
- Turkey: Iranian FM Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on official visit;
- United States: President Joe Biden hosts Dutch PM Mark Rutte;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Sofia Mandilara]
Source: euractiv.com
