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In today’s news from the Capitals:
PRAGUE
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s recent comparison of European integration to Hitler’s plans were rejected by Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, who pointed out that nobody is forcing Hungary to be a part of the European community.
Meanwhile, EU Commissioner Věra Jourová revealed that Hungarians avoid taking pictures with her in Brussels in order not to face “persecution at home”. Read more.
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PARIS
French minister says EU enlargement must be decided by ‘years end’. Member states have until the end of 2023 to define the kind of enlargement mechanism that would work for countries looking to access the EU while ensuring the EU stays true to itself, French EU Minister Laurence Boone told EURACTIV on Saturday. Read more.
France to continue military support to Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated his military and diplomatic support to Ukraine for as long as necessary following a dinner in Paris with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but the Elysée said that sending fighter planes is still “premature”. Read more.
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BERLIN
Germany, Ukraine willing to strengthen business relations. Germany and Ukraine reiterated their willingness to further strengthen their economic relations in a joint declaration by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin on Sunday. Read more.
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VIENNA
Salzburg right-wing government coalition talks progress Negotiations on the new state government in Salzburg are progressing quickly, with far-right FPÖ and centre-right ÖVP seemingly overlapping on many issues, a possible sign of things to come in the 2024 general elections. Read more.
UK & IRELAND
LONDON
Over 1,500 UK troops to join annual NATO exercise in Estonia. The UK is sending over 1,500 troops to train alongside thousands of others from NATO Alliance countries as part of a major exercise in Estonia. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
Finland to increase research funding to 4% of the GDP. The new four-party government in the making has agreed to raise the funding for research, development and innovation, which has been trailing behind compared to competitor countries. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ROME
Italian municipal elections could change power balance. Around 6.3 million Italians were called to elect the mayors of 790 municipalities from Sunday to Monday, and the election outcome could change the power balance in the government majority and influence alliances in the opposition. Read more.
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MADRID
Basque party angers ETA victims’ families by adding former terrorists to elections list. Families of victims of former terrorist group ETA were left angered after the pro-independence Basque party EH Bildu included 44 convicted former ETA members of the organisation on its official lists for the regional and municipal elections. Read more.
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LISBON
Portugal’s new euthanasia law criticised by Pope Francis. The approval of the decree on medically assisted death in Portugal was criticised by Pope Francis, who will be travelling to the country in August for World Youth Day and plans to visit the Shrine of Fatima. Read more.
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ATHENS
Weber’s Greek connection casts shadow ahead of elections in Athens. A network of influential Greek political consultants working for the European People’s Party leader Manfred Weber and boasting impeccable links to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has emerged ahead of next week’s Greek elections. Read more.
VISEGRAD
WARSAW
Poland searches for suspected Belarussian observational balloon. An unidentified object that entered the Polish airspace – believed to be a Belarussian observational balloon – was first spotted on Friday and last seen on Saturday before disappearing, according to the Polish armed forces. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
Bulgarian Chief Prosecutor may be dismissed by end of month. Bulgarian Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev may be dismissed by the month’s end after six Prosecution College members of the Supreme Judicial Council demanded that he be fired on Friday after he interfered in an ongoing investigation. Read more.
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BUCHAREST
First Energy Exploration Centre in Europe to run SMR simulator, launched in Bucharest. The first Energy Exploration Centre (E2 Centre) to run the NuScale small modular reactor (SMR) simulator in Europe was inaugurated Friday at Politehnica University of Bucharest. Read more.
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BELGRADE
Serbian women face femicide, abortion ban. Serbian women face a range of issues, including the narrative of an abortion ban which is gaining momentum and 18 femicides so far in 2023, the latest occurring after the victim acquired a restraining order against the perpetrator. Read more.
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TIRANA | ATHENS
Athens threatens Albania’s EU path again over elections arrest. A new diplomatic row erupted between Greece and Albania amid Albanian local elections leading to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis threatening to disrupt Albania’s EU accession process. Read more.
Preliminary results show sweeping Socialist victory in Albanian local vote. Albanian citizens headed to the polls on Sunday to vote for mayors and local councillors in 61 municipalities, with the first results suggesting the ruling socialist party, which has also held 60 out of 61 municipalities for the last four years, will win by a landslide victory. Read more.
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ANKARA
Erdogan faces second-round runoff against centre-left contender. Turkey’s race for the president will be only decided in a second run, as neither Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan nor his centre-left contender Kemal Kilicdaroglu managed to secure a majority of the votes. Read more.
AGENDA:
- EU: Eurogroup convenes to discuss macroeconomic developments in the euro area; European Commission presents spring economic forecast; Agenda highlights include structural challenges ahead in the context of heightened geopolitical tensions, G7 Meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors, digital finance, and more;
- Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council addresses European Media Freedom Act, social dimension of a sustainable Europe for youth, and more;
- Commission President Ursula von der Leyen holds joint press conference with President of the European Council Charles Michel ahead of G7 Summit; Holds meetings with Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, and Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Skill Development, Electronics & Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar;
- Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders participates via videoconference in the official launch of the new Western Balkans Criminal Justice project of Eurojust, and in the Global Solutions Summit 2023;
- Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides, on official visit in Tokyo, Japan, visits National Cancer Centre; Meets Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Tetsuro Nomura;
- Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson hosts Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan;
- Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmit attends summit to review the progress of the Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2021–2027, organised by the Commission and the Swedish Presidency;
- Parliament President Roberta Metsola gives Introductory remarks at the Beyond Growth 2023 Conference;
- Parliament’s Security and Defence subcommittee delegation on official visit to Romania and Moldova;
- Germany: Chancellor Olaf Scholz gives keynote speech at Global Solutions Summit;
- Iceland: Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa on official visit to discuss cooperation in renewable energy;
- Denmark: Copenhagen Democracy Summit;
- Bulgaria: President Rumen Radev hands the first mandate to form a government to Boyko Borisov’s GERB party;
- Russia: Belarus Foreign Minister Sergei Aleinik visits;
- Saudi Arabia: German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock on official visit;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Sofia Mandilara]
Read more with EURACTIV
Athens threatens Albania’s EU path again over elections arrest
Source: euractiv.com
