EU pressures Serbia to fix media decay ‘without delay’

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In today’s news from the Capitals:

BELGRADE | BRUSSELS

The constantly deteriorating situation of the media in Serbia and the government’s failure to address it has raised eyebrows in Brussels, with the European Commission putting pressure on authorities in Belgrade to implement the necessary reforms “without delay”. Read more.

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BERLIN

Germany hits back at French nuclear double standard accusation. German officials defended the country’s renewable energy record after Paris criticised Berlin for importing nuclear energy from France following alleged shortages despite rejecting EU legislation on nuclear energy. Read more.

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PARIS

Riots: Paris slams EU Commissioner’s criticism of policing. The French government said on Thursday that EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders had “no competence” to comment on policing in France, criticising his stance. Read more.

French minister ‘politically responsible’ for €2 million public funds mismanagement. Former Minister Marlène Schiappa – now secretary of state for the Social and Solidarity Economy – and her cabinet have ‘political responsibility’ in the mismanagement of a public fund aimed at fighting radicalism and separatism, according to the findings of a report published by the French Senate’s enquiry committee on Thursday. Read more.

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THE HAGUE

Dutch cabinet on life support over family reunification rules for migrants. Disagreements over family reunification rules have put the Dutch cabinet on life support as coalition parties VVD (Renew) and Christian Union (CU/EPP) remain vastly divided on the issue. Read more.

NORDICS AND BALTICS

STOCKHOLM

Sweden convicts PKK, deportation ahead of key NATO-Turkey talks. The Stockholm District Court sentenced a man to four and half years in prison and deportation for attempting to raise money for the terrorist-labelled PKK – a decision that comes less than a week before a critical Swedish-Turkish meeting on Sweden’s NATO candidacy. Read more.

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HELSINKI

Finns divided over NATO bases, oppose nukes: survey. Finns are divided over having permanent NATO bases on their soil while most draw a red line on nuclear weapons, according to a survey published Thursday, which also points to continued high support for NATO membership since the country joined the alliance. Read more.

Russia to close consulate, expels diplomats over hostility. Russia expelled nine Finnish diplomats and announced the closure of Finland’s Consulate in St Petersburg by October, in what appears to be retaliation to Finland’s expulsion of nine Russian diplomats in early June.

“Finland’s entry into NATO poses a threat to the security of the Russian Federation, and encouraging the Kyiv regime to go to war and pumping it up with Western weapons means clearly hostile actions against our country,” the Russian Foreign Ministry. Commenting on the announced closure of the Finnish consulate, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö tweeted that he had discussed the matter with the government, implying that Finland may react by closing the Russian Consulate in Turku.

(Pekka Vänttinen | EURACTIV.com)

EUROPE’S SOUTH

MADRID

Left-wing Sumar platform proposes helpline for ‘men in crisis’. Spain’s Left-wing platform Sumar has proposed to create a new telephone helpline for men in crisis in an effort to counter gender violence and macho behaviour, the party with a candidate in the upcoming general election announced as part of its electoral programme on Thursday. Read more.

Almost 1,000 people died at sea trying to reach Spain this year. At least 951 people died while attempting to reach Spain on small boats in the first half of 2023, most of them on their way to the Canary Islands and the Algerian Route on the Spanish Eastern coast (Levante) and the Balearic Islands, a new report from an NGO revealed on Thursday. Read more.

VISEGRAD

BRATISLAVA

Slovakia’s solar panels may not all be eligible for EU funds. Fewer solar panels and heat pumps are expected to be funded through EU funds in Slovakia in the future as the environmental ‘do no significant harm’ principle will be among the criteria to apply for state funding from July. Read more.

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WARSAW

Poland must compensate illegally suspended judge, says ECHR. Poland violated the rights of Judge Igor Tuleya, a known government critic, and must pay him €36,000 in compensation, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ruled on Thursday. Read more.

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PRAGUE

Czech justice minister undermines trust in judiciary: poll. Half of Czechs feel that Justice Minister Pavel Blažek of the main ruling party ODS (ECR), undermines public trust in the judiciary, according to a new poll that comes after about three-quarters of the junior coalition party, the Pirate Party (Greens/EFA), called for his resignation. Read more.

Ukraine, Czechia showcase strong relations during Zelenskyy’s surprise Prague visit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy travelled to Prague to meet with the country’s leaders on Thursday evening, marking yet another meeting between Ukrainian and Czech officials since Russia’s invasion of the war-torn country, Czech media reported. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

SOFIA

Ukraine in talks with Bulgaria to buy Russian nuclear reactors with EU funds. Ukraine has started serious discussions to purchase Bulgaria’s two Russian-made nuclear reactors with EU money so it can better deal with future power shortages, Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid his first visit to Bulgaria Thursday. Read more.

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BUCHAREST | CHISINAU

EU integration process key to solving Transnistria conflict, Moldovan official. Moldova’s European integration process can serve as a catalyst for the reintegration of Transnistria, with the two processes running at different “speeds”, according to the Speaker of Moldova’s parliament, Igor Grosu. Read more.

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ZAGREB

Croatia’s property prices soar compared to last year. Real estate prices in Croatia climbed by about 14% in this year’s first quarter compared to the same period last year and by about 73.6% compared to the same period in 2015, according to state statistics published on Wednesday that go against promises of a sharp drop in prices. Read more.

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LJUBLJANA

Slovenian parliament passes law to transform health insurance. The Slovenian parliament adopted a bill Thursday that will turn supplementary health insurance – a flat-rate monthly payment required for most national health services – into a mandatory contribution attached to regular health insurance premiums. Read more.

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BELGRADE

Widely supported ‘Serbia against violence’ protests shake government as popularity drops.The “Serbia against violence” anti-government protests taking place since two fatal shootings in early May has motivated apolitical citizens who overwhelmingly support them, while support for the ruling party is on the decline, according to a poll by CRTA. Read more.

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TIRANA | SKOPJE

Albanian medical students protest law designed to stop them from emigrating. Albanian medical students protested outside parliament on Thursday after the passage of a controversial law aimed at stopping the mass emigration of doctors and nurses, which is causing severe shortages in the country’s ailing hospital network. Read more.

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TIRANA

Albanian, Macedonian PMs hint EU needs to do more for the region. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama embarked on his tour of Western Balkan countries on Thursday, stopping off in North Macedonia, where he and his Macedonian counterpart both dropped hints that the EU needs to do more for the region. Read more.

AGENDA:

EU: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo visit IMEC chip research unit in Leuven;
Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders participates in the G7 Justice Ministers meeting in Tokyo, Japan;
Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson gives speech at virtual meeting of the “Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drugs”;
ECB Vice President Luis de Guindos delivers keynote speech on impact of inflation in London, UK;
Austria: Chancellor Karl Nehammer, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic attend migration summit;
Switzerland: Press briefing by Swiss, German and Austrian defence ministers on “European Sky Shield”;
Japan: G7 Urban Development ministers’ meeting;
NATO: Chief Jens Stoltenberg holds press conference ahead of Vilnius summit;
OSCE: Climate Change conference in Vienna, Austria;