Liberals hold the key to next EU House majority: report

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In today’s news from the Capitals:

BRUSSELS

Forming a steady European Parliament majority after the 2024 elections will be a tough equation, and the EU liberals are expected to play a determined role, but it still will not be enough to combat rising right-wing popularity, according to a new poll published by EURACTIV’s partner Europe Elects. Read more.

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SPECIAL REPORT

Rising EU illicit tobacco trade ‘obstacle’ to novel products. The constant growing of illicit tobacco trade in the EU causes tax losses for governments and puts obstacles in the way of consumers switching to novel tobacco products, stakeholders said at an event organised by EURACTIV. Read more.

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EU INSTITUTIONS

EU leaders to discuss ‘future security commitments’ for Ukraine. EU leaders are expected to discuss on Thursday what future security commitments the bloc could provide to Ukraine, according to the latest draft conclusions of an EU summit to be held this week, seen by EURACTIV. Read more.

SLAPPs: EU lawmakers adopt ‘more ambitious’ draft law against abusive litigation. The European Parliament’s draft report for the proposed EU directive to protect journalists from abusive litigation was adopted by the legal affairs committee on Tuesday (27 June), a move advocacy groups have described as relieving. Read more.

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BERLIN

Germany signals openness to chip in for EU budget. While the EU Commission’s request for member states to contribute an additional €65.8 billion as a revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework was ignored by German Finance Minister Christian Lindner, discussions are not over, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s office said on Wednesday. Read more.

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PARIS

Macron calls for calm amid increased violence following shootout that killed teenager. President Emmanuel Macron called for calm on Wednesday following the death of a 17-year-old who was shot by a police officer on Tuesday, which led to clashes between the public and the police and has so far resulted in several dozen arrests and injuries. Read more.

Macron says NATO needs to ‘give shape’ to Ukraine’s prospect joining the alliance. French President Emmanuel Macron seemingly endorsed Ukraine’s and Eastern NATO members’ call to put Ukraine on a ‘concrete’ path to a post-war alliance membership on Wednesday (28 June). Read more.

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VIENNA

Austrian parliament discusses new criminal law on corruption. A proposed crackdown on corruption, which would make the purchase of mandates in the national parliament, state parliaments and EU parliament a punishable offence, was discussed by the Austrian parliament’s justice committee on Wednesday. Read more.

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BRUSSELS

Belgian FM expected to survive no-confidence vote. Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib is facing a no-confidence vote on Thursday after granting visas to Iranian and Russian delegations in the framework of a mayor’s convention earlier this month, but parties say they won’t vote for it as it could destabilise the Belgian government. Read more.

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THE HAGUE

Dutch agrarian party leader calls for realism in migration debate. Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB) leader Caroline van der Plas criticised excessive polarisation concerning the migration debate within political circles in a parliamentary discussion on Wednesday and called for more realistic measures to be implemented. Read more.

UK & IRELAND

LONDON

UK businesses given financial aid to ditch fossil fuels for cleaner alternatives. Businesses across the UK received a share of over £80 million from the UK government on Wednesday in an effort to ditch fossil fuels for cleaner alternatives. Read more.

NORDICS AND BALTICS

HELSINKI

Finnish government shows cracks as new minister survives no-confidence vote. The new Economic Affairs Minister and nationalistic Finns Party MP Vilhelm Junnila can continue in the government after surviving a no-confidence vote by a relatively narrow margin of 95 in favour and 86 against, which is a poor start for the new government. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

MADRID

PP-Vox alliance shows no LGBTQ+ Pride Day spirit, boosts left camp. The municipalities governed by the far-right Vox party on Wednesday refused to hang rainbow flags to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Day, Partido Popular exposed its divisions, and the left camp took advantage of the celebration to attack its rivals, ahead of next months elections. Read more.

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ROME

Italian opposition calls eurozone bailout fund ratification postponement ‘embarrassing’. Italian opposition parties are up in arms and have called the coalition government’s decision to postpone the much-awaited ratification of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the Eurozone’s bailout fund, embarrassing. Read more.

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LISBON

Portuguese PM stresses urgency of concluding EU-Mercosur deal. Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa stressed the importance of concluding the trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur as it is a priority to deepen Portuguese-Brazilian relations, he said during a discussion with Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin on Wednesday. Read more.

VISEGRAD

PRAGUE

Czech far-right’s attempt to block defence agreement with the US failed. The Czech-US defence agreement was widely backed by parliament on Wednesday, surviving a pro-Russian disinformation campaign the Czech far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy Party (ID affiliated) stood behind. Read more.

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WARSAW

‘Lublin Triangle’ gathers in Kyiv to prepare for NATO summit. Polish President Andrzej Duda and his Lithuanian and Ukrainian counterparts, Gitanas Nausėda and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, met in Kyiv on Wednesday to discuss the importance of strengthening NATO’s presence on the Eastern Flank, ahead of the NATO summit in Vilnius. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Slovak minister: EU aid for farmers impacted by Ukraine grain imports ‘laughable’. The €5 million support Slovak farmers will be compensated for the losses they incurred following the recent influx of agricultural goods from Ukraine is small compared to the actual calculated loss of €200 million, Slovakia’s Agriculture Minister Jozef Bíreš said on Wednesday. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

SOFIA

Bulgaria wants Euro as parallel currency, begins talks with EU Commission. The new Bulgarian government has started negotiations with the European Commission to introduce the euro as a parallel currency to the Bulgarian lev as early as 2024, Finance Minister Asen Vasilev announced on Wednesday. Read more.

Von der Leyen choses ‘woman from EPP’ as Bulgarian commissioner. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has chosen a woman from her own political force, the EPP, to replace Mariya Gabriel until the end of the college term in late 2024. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Romanian parliament passes watered-down special pensions reform. Romanian lawmakers passed the special pension reform requested by the European Commission on Wednesday, though several last-minute changes diluted the law. Read more.

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LJUBLJANA

Slovenia’s primary schools to soon offer free meals for low-income children. School meals will be free for primary school children from poor-income households from September, and for all primary school children from 1 September 2027, according to a bill that got unanimous backing in parliament on Wednesday. Read more.

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PRISTINA

EU’s Lajcak criticised during European Parliament hearing on Kosovo. German MEP Michael Gahler and Austrian MEP Thomas Waltz criticised the EU’s envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Miroslav Lajčák, during Wednesday’s meeting of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET), citing a failure in progress and the bloc’s one-sided approach to the situation. Read more.

AGENDA:

EU: European Council convenes to discuss economic security and resilience, defence capacity, notably in terms of procurement, investment and production, migration, and more;
Commission Vice President Vĕra Jourová speaks at the event “LGBTIQ rights ahead of 2024 elections: what did we achieve and what is still missing?”; Speaks via videoconference at the European Broadcasting Union General Assembly;
Vice President Dubravka Šuica participates in the EPP Summit;
Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders participates via videoconference in the European Insolvency & Restructuring Congress;
International Partnerships Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen attends PES pre-Summit meeting; Hosts Minister of Natural Resources of Guyana Vickram Bharrat, to sign the Forest Partnership roadmap;
Budget and Administration Commissioner Johannes Hahn hosts Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Good governance policies of the Republic of North Macedonia Slavica Grkovska;
Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson delivers keynote speech at the European Association for the Promotion of Cogeneration Europe’s (COGEN) annual conference; Attends the Renew Leaders’ Summit;
Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton meets with the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ECCK) and representatives of the European ICT Industry; Holds meeting with Korean Minister for Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) Dukgeun Ahn in Seoul, South Korea;
Equality Commissioner Helena Dalli gives online speech for the LGBTI Intergroup;
Belgium: NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov hold press conference;
UNESCO: Extraordinary general conference to discuss return of the United States;