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In today’s news from the Capitals:
ROME
The exclusion of the Italian government from two key meetings of France and Germany with US officials and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sparked a debate in Rome about Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s “EU isolation”.
For its part, the Italian government points the finger at Paris, saying it’s preventing Europe from a “united” line, while others in Italy reminisced about the time when Mario Draghi was in power. Read more.
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EU INSTITUTIONS
EU leaders harden rhetoric on migrant returns, divided on border fences. EU leaders adopted their toughest stance on migration in recent memory at a special summit on Thursday against the backdrop of irregular border crossings hitting their highest level since 2015. Read more.
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BRUSSELS
Belgium will not send fighter jets to Ukraine. Belgium will not send Ukraine F-16 fighter jets as they are needed for the country’s own defence, said Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo, who added that the country is ready to provide other forms of support to the war-torn country. Read more.
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BERLIN
Rumours of pharma giant Bayer facing break-up swirl. Rumours that Bayer could be split up following the early replacement of its CEO triggered by the takeover of US corporation Monsanto, are swirling in Germany, leading to outcry from unions but a rise in share prices. Read more.
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PARIS
French health body recommends EU make joint purchases to plug drug shortages. Brussels could make joint purchases of drugs to prevent future shortages in France and the rest of the EU, the national health authority said during a hearing in the Senate on Thursday. Read more.
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VIENNA
Austria slides back into dependence on Russian gas. Imports of Russian gas into Austria are approaching market shares last reached during pre-war times, as Gazprom is once again delivering the total contracted amounts, while deliveries from Germany and Italy are dropping. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
Finland to discuss NATO ratification that may leave Sweden behind. Finnish parliamentary groups are expected to discuss on Friday when to ratify NATO’s founding treaties, in a move that could lead the country to proceed with membership ahead of neighbouring Sweden, amid growing support among the Finnish public to go it alone. Read more.
Many Russians in Finland buy property, sidestepping new rules. Russian nationals purchased properties in Finland at record speed last year but had to do so between themselves due to the new regulations that require them and other non-EU nationals to get a Defence Ministry permit. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
MADRID
Spain’s Constitutional Court upholds abortion law. Spain’s abortion law, in force since 2010, was deemed constitutional by the Constitutional Law Thursday, rejecting an appeal filed by the centre-right Popular Party twelve years ago. Read more.
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LISBON
Thousands in Lisbon protest rising living costs. Workers on Thursday paraded in Lisbon from Largo Camões to the parliament building in a protest organised by the CGTP trade union confederation against the rising cost of living, calling for wage and pension increases. Read more.
VISEGRAD
BRATISLAVA
Slovak minister won’t apologise to Hungary for lost territories comments. Acting Slovak Foreign Minister Rastislav Káčer will not apologise for saying Hungary could make territorial demands for the Hungarian-majority region of southern Slovakia should Russia manage to conquer Ukraine. Read more.
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WARSAW
Poland threatens Belarus with sanctions for sentencing Polish activist. Poland threatened Minsk with sanctions after a court in Grodno sentenced Andrzej Poczobut, Polish-Belarusian journalist and activist living in Belarus, to eight years in prison. Read more.
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PRAGUE
Czech energy giant ČEZ sues Gazprom for not delivering enough gas. Energy company ČEZ initiated an arbitration case against Russia’s Gazprom for delivering less natural gas supplies than initially promised in 2022, for which it is seeking to recover €42 million in damages. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
Anti-EU party attacks Bulgarian EURACTIV journalist. Pro-Russian and anti-EU party Vazrazhdane targeted Emilia Milcheva, a Bulgarian journalist who regularly contributes to EURACTIV, as she was attempting to track how the party was collecting signatures for a referendum aiming to block the country’s Eurozone membership. Read more.
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ZAGREB
Number of asylum seekers soars in new Schengen member Croatia The number of migrants entering Croatia illegally has soared since the country joined the EU’s passport-free Schengen area on 1 January, officials said on Thursday. Read more.
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BELGRADE
Serbia considers banning indoor smoking. Indoor smoking could soon be banned in Serbia as the Health Ministry is already looking for the public to support a bill on the prohibition of smoking in closed spaces. Read more.
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PRISTINA
Kurti: Why doesn’t Serbia create structures for its own ethnic minorities. In response to ongoing pressure to create the Association of Serb Municipalities in the country, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has questioned why a similar structure is not created in Serbia, where minority leaders head 11 municipalities. Read more.
AGENDA
- EU: Ongoing Special European Council meeting to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine, the economy and migration;
- European Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager holds online meeting with US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo;
- Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis holds videoconference with First Deputy Minister of Uzbekistan and Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan Laziz Kudratov;
- Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmit receives Palestinian Minister of Labour Nabil Abu Jaish;
- ECB publishes long-term interest rates statistics;
- France: Journalist Marina Ovsiannikova, who held up ‘no war’ sign on Russian TV, gives press conference at RSF;
- United Kingdom: Sports ministers from various countries hold video call on Russian and Belarusian athletes at Olympics;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Vlad Makszimov, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Sofia Mandilara]
Source: euractiv.com
