British diplomatic faux pas sets fire in Greece-UK relations

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In today’s news from the Capitals:

ATHENS

Athens and London are facing an unexpected diplomatic crisis after UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cancelled a last-minute meeting with his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis over the latter’s comments about the need to return Elgin Marbles – currently in the British Museum – to Greece.

Greek political parties united and condemned Sunak’s decision, describing it as an insult and serious diplomatic faux pas, while the local press reported that the move may be related to an ongoing “bazaar” over a Turkish request to purchase Eurofighters. Read more.

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BERLIN

German cabinet adopts emergency 2023 budget, eyeing ‘debt brake’. Germany’s three-party governing coalition adopted a supplementary budget for 2023 on Monday, including the proposal to declare an emergency situation suspending the ‘debt brake’ set in the constitution. Read more.

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PARIS

France wants to set aside 10% of its territory to protect biodiversity. France will place 10% of the country under “strong protection” to halt the gradual destruction of plant and animal life, the country’s new biodiversity strategy for 2030 that Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne unveiled on Monday. Read more.

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THE HAGUE

Wilders appoints former socialist minister as new coalition scout. Dutch election winner and Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders wants socialist and former minister Ronald Plasterk to lead the coalition-building effort after the party’s previous scout resigned over fraud allegations on Monday. Read more.

NORDICS AND BALTICS

STOCKHOLM

Tesla takes legal action against Sweden over licence plate boycott. Tesla has decided to sue the Swedish Transport Administration and Postnord over the ongoing strike by IF Metall and other unions in Sweden, which has prevented the car giant from obtaining licence plates for its cars. Read more.

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HELSINKI | STOCKHOLM

Sweden backs Finland closing borders to fend off ‘Russia-orchestrated’ migrant crisis. Sweden supports Finland’s decision to close several border crossings in response to a recent surge of migrants and asylum seekers from Russia, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said during his official visit to Helsinki, commenting on Finland’s response to what is widely seen as an attempt by Russia to divide the West. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

MADRID

EPP warns Sánchez that Spain could lose EU funds over amnesty law. Centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) vice-president Siegfried Muresan warned Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday that Spain could lose EU funds over the controversial Catalan amnesty law, which Sánchez accepted in exchange for Catalan parties backing his second term in office. Read more.

Spain demands Israel not to falsely accuse Sanchez again. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares summoned Israel’s ambassador to Madrid on Monday to express Spain’s “categorical rejection” of Israel’s recent accusations against Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who last week urged the country to stop attacking Gaza civilians and demanded “assurances” that such criticism would not be repeated in the future. Read more.

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LISBON

Portuguese FM applauds united thinking over Middle East conflict. There was an “enormous convergence” and a “sense of urgency” among the 43 European and Arab states that discussed the “two-state solution” at Monday’s meeting in Barcelona, said Portuguese Foreign Minister João Gomes Cravinho. Read more.

EASTERN EUROPE

PRAGUE

Czechia wants exemption from Russian steel import sanctions. The request for an exemption on Russian steel imports until 2028 was confirmed on Monday by Czech Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Síkela, who added that the country cannot replace the current Russian supplier. Read more.

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WARSAW

Morawiecki’s bid for a mostly female government could lose confidence vote. The proposal for a new PiS-led government, in which more than half of the new ministers are women and many are new faces, was unveiled by Mateusz Morawiecki on Monday but risks losing a vote of confidence for lack of a parliamentary majority. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Slovak interior minister takes legal action against Smer investigators. Slovak Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok filed a criminal complaint Monday alleging that police officers who investigated current Smer MP Tibor Gašpar should not have been granted whistleblower status as his decision to suspend them could cost Slovakia up to €700,000. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

SOFIA

Bulgaria to inject funds into state energy sector. The Bulgarian government plans to buy €800 million worth of debts owed by Sofia’s troubled heating company to the state-owned Bulgarian Energy Holding and the state-owned gas company Bulgargaz, in what amounts to a massive cash injection into the country’s energy sector. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Head of Romanian Border Police replaced after convicted mayor flees country. Romania’s Interior Ministry announced the dismissal of Border Police chief Victor Ștefan Ivașcu and the appointment of a new head of the Maramureș County Police Inspectorate after Baia Mare Mayor Cătălin Cherecheș fled the country hours before a court sentenced him. Read more.

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BELGRADE

Serbian government reaches agreement with farmers. Farmers who have been blocking roads in Vojvodina and other parts of Serbia since May over unmet demands from the Agriculture Ministry have agreed to measures with the government and promised to end the blockades. Read more.

AGENDA:

EU: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers keynote speech at the International Conference on a Global Alliance to Counter Smuggling; Hosts Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Fatih Birol;
Commission Vice President Vice President Maroš Šefčovič chairs Fit for Future Platform plenary meeting; Participates in the European Business Summit;
Vice President Dubravka Šuica hosts Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejcinović Buric;
Vice President Vĕra Jourová speaks at Reporters Without Borders 2023 Press Freedom Award;
Vice President Margaritis Schinas delivers plenary address at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology “Deepening the European Union integration amidst a polycrisis: a new approach to security, migration, health, skills”, in Australia;
Neighbourhood and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi holds meetings with Albanian Minister of Interior Taulant Balla, Minister of Interior of Montenegro Danilo Šaranović; Participates in high level Geopolitical Dialogue on Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) III;
Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski participates in the Farmers and Agribusiness Forum organised by “top agrar Polska”, in Poznan, Poland;
Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmit participates in trilogue on the Platform Work Directive;
Equality Commissioner Helena Dalli makes online keynote speech for the European Research Council;
Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton delivers keynote speech at the World Nuclear Exhibition, in Paris, France;
Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius delivers opening speech at Ukraine Green Recovery conference on “EU’s commitment to this objective”; Meets with Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Ruslan Strilets;
Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson delivers opening remarks at 4th PCI (Projects of Common Interest) Energy Days event; Attends Parliament’s Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Committee hearing;
Austria: Interpol general assembly;
Belgium: NATO foreign ministers meet;