France to ban disposable e-cigarettes by 2025

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In today’s news from the Capitals:

PARIS

France will ban the selling of single-use e-cigarettes by 2025, French Health Minister Aurélien Rousseau announced on Tuesday during a National Tobacco Control Program (PNLT) presentation, while increasing tobacco taxation. Read more.

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BERLIN

Nursery shortage: Study warns of German childcare ‘emergency’. Urgent action to address the country’s childcare ‘emergency’ is being called for as Germany is more than 400,000 nursery spots short of meeting demand, according to a new study published on Tuesday. Read more.

Sunak faces British public opinion backlash over Athens marbles row. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision to cancel a last-minute meeting with his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis over the latter’s comments on Parthenon marbles currently in the British Museum has hurt his public image, according to a survey released on Tuesday. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

MADRID

Spain denies Next Generation funds are in danger from amnesty law. The idea that the Partido Popular (PP) and its EU family party (European People’s Party – EPP) have floated on Monday about the alleged danger that the Next Generation funds could face if the planned amnesty law finally goes ahead in parliament is not true, the Spanish government said on Tuesday. Read more.

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ROME

No agreement on budget between Meloni government, trade unions. No agreement was reached between the Italian government and the main trade unions – CGIL, CISL, UIL and UGL – regarding the 2024 at the Palazzo Chigi on Tuesday, which means the general strike of 15 December will go ahead. Read more.

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LISBON

Portugal’s hydrogen project gets EU green light. Portugal’s hydrogen project in Sines was selected as one of the cross-border energy initiatives eligible to apply for EU financial support because they are in line with the Green Deal, according to a list published by the EU Commission on Tuesday. Read more.

EASTERN EUROPE

WARSAW

Poland denies stopping humanitarian deliveries to Ukraine. Polish truckers protesting at the Ukrainian border are not blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid, according to the national tax authority, which dispelled the accusations from leading Ukrainian politicians. Read more.

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PRAGUE

Central European countries form working groups to tackle migration. Interior ministers from Germany, Austria, Czechia, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary have agreed to create a joint working group to tackle illegal immigration to the region during a meeting in Hungary on Monday. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Slovakia must compensate child denied education during COVID. Slovakia must pay €3,000 to a girl who could not participate in distance learning due to insufficient access to the internet, according to a court ruling in Prešov on Tuesday in what the pupil’s lawyers claim is Europe’s first digital divide verdict. Read more.

Young Slovaks struggle with mental healthcare after Ukraine war, pandemic. Worsening mental health conditions and rising suicide attempt rates in young people combined with inaccessibility, lack of psychiatric beds, and unmet timely care are weighing on Slovak youth. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

SOFIA

Bulgarian Socialist Party to form broad coalition with pro-Russian, nationalist parties. In an effort to increase its political influence in the EU’s poorest country, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), which is part of the EU Socialists (PES), announced this week an official move to form a broad coalition with pro-Russian and nationalist parties. Read more.

Bulgaria plans full digitalisation of prescriptions by end 2024. Bulgaria plans to digitise prescriptions for all medicines by the end of 2024, the Health Ministry announced after the initial success of e-prescriptions, which managed to reduce the use of antibiotics by nearly 30% in a short period. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Romania’s Schengen accession will not be voted on at JHA’s December meeting. Romania’s Schengen accession will not be subject to a vote during the Justice and Home Affairs Council’s (JHA) meeting on 5 December, according to political sources cited by News.ro. Read more.

AGENDA:

EU: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen chairs College of Commissioners; Hosts Prime Minister of Luxembourg Luc Frieden;
Commission Vice President Vĕra Jourová hosts General Secretary of the European Pride Business Network Czeslaw Walek;
Vice President Margaritis Schinas participates in roundtable with Australian Director General of the Office of National Intelligence to exchange about hybrid threats, information manipulation, cyber and counter terrorism Nina Davidson, in Canberra; Meets with Australian Speaker of the Parliament Milton Dick, President of the Senate Sue Lines;
Neighbourhood and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi holds meeting with Minister of European Affairs of Montenegro Maida Gorčević;
Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides delivers keynote speech at “Building political momentum: Towards Ending HIV in Europe” event, organised by HIV Outcomes, held in the European Parliament; Speaks at “Entering the pharma research arena, where hope radiates” event at Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK CEN;
Cohesion and Reforms Commissioner Elisa Ferreira addresses Committee of the Regions plenary debate on the Future of Cohesion Policy;
Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski hosts Executive Director of the EU Intellectual Property Office João Negrão;
Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Commissioner Iliana Ivanova delivers keynote speech at “Academic Freedom – The state of a fundamental value for Europe” conference by European Parliament’s Science and Technology Options Assessment;
Parliament President Roberta Metsola delivers speech at high level conference on the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, organised by Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI);
UN: Security Council meets on Israel-Palestinian conflict;