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Before you start reading today’s edition of the Capitals, feel free to have a look at the interview with Ukraine’s deputy agri minister who said “Winning the war, unblocking ports only way to restore grain exports“.
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In today’s news from the Capitals:
ATHENS
In a series of tweets in the Greek language, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has directly threatened Greeks not to go too far with their stance in the Aegean Sea, otherwise “they will regret” it.
The Greek government called for national unity toward an “unpredictable” neighbour, while former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras replied to Erdoğan in Turkish.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is visiting Thessaloniki today to take part in the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), but Berlin’s mediation efforts may have little chance of succeeding. Read more.
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EU INSTITUTIONS
German car industry slams EU parliament’s 2035 ban on petrol, diesel cars. German car associations were up in arms following a decision by the European Parliament to support a de facto ban on the sale of new combustion engine cars as of 2035, saying it was too ambitious and costly, and going against the market and citizens. Read more.
MEPs call for the US to ensure protection of abortion rights. The European Parliament approved a resolution on global threats to abortion rights on Thursday (9 June) in light of the potential overturning of the US Roe v. Wade ruling, following a heated plenary debate on the state of abortion rights, also in the EU. Read more.
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BERLIN
Scholz warns of ‘deglobalisation’ following Ukraine war. German chancellor Olaf Scholz warned on Thursday (9 June) that the world is heading towards a multipolar world order that could diminish international solidarity and lead to deglobalisation. Read more.
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PARIS
Macron humiliates France in Ukraine, says opposition leader. French President Emmanuel Macron is “humiliating” the country in Ukraine, Sandrine Rousseau, one of the leaders of the French Greens, told EURACTIV France in an exclusive interview. Read more.
France announces first measures ahead looming summer hospital crisis. France will adopt the first series of measures to limit the damage to public hospitals ahead of what is expected to be a difficult summer, Health Minister Brigitte Bourgignon announced on Wednesday. Read more.
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VIENNA
Austria’s social democrats want funds to combat violence against women. The opposition party is demanding the immediate disbursement of €228 million to create sustainable violence protection structures in the face of increasing violence against women and femicides. Read more.
UK AND IRELAND
DUBLIN
Johnson took ‘wrecking ball’ to UK-Irish relations, says British opposition leader. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has taken a “wrecking ball” to UK-Irish relations in handling the Northern Ireland Protocol, opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer said while visiting Dublin. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
COPENHAGEN | PRISTINA
Danish government fails to fund Kosovo prison over EU law row. The government failed to gather the necessary support in the Danish parliament, Folketing, to fund a prison it planned to rent in Kosovo due to a row over an EU-imposed tax. Read more.
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HELSINKI
Finnish media labels Erdogan ‘dictator’ following censorship demands. Director and editor-in-chief of YLE news Jouko Jokinen brushed off Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s demands to stop broadcasting interviews with “terrorist leaders” on Thursday by describing them as “delusional imaginations of a dictator.” Read more.
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Finland to open first LNG terminal. Finland’s first floating terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) will be placed on the country’s southern coast at the port of Inkoo, some 60 kilometres west of Helsinki, Gasgrid Finland, a state-owned company and transmission system operator, announced on Thursday (9 June). Read more.
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VILNIUS
Lithuania to step up security where migrants ‘ weaponised’ by Belarus live. Public security measures will be strengthened in the municipalities where rejected asylum seekers who crossed over from Belarus last year live, the interior ministry announced on Thursday. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
MADRID
Spain to give a ‘constructive, but firm’ response to Algeria after trade freeze. Madrid will respond soon in a constructive but firm way to Algeria after the country announced a temporary freeze of its foreign trade relations with Spain, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said on Thursday. Read more.
EU prosecutor to investigate Madrid’s alleged fraud of bloc funds during COVID. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has agreed to open an investigation into the allegedly fraudulent use of EU money by the Madrid region in 2020 to purchase health materials to combat the pandemic. Read more.
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ROME
Von der Leyen says ‘moral obligation’ to rebuild Ukraine during Rome trip. Europe will help rebuild Ukraine after the devastation of the Russian invasion as it is its moral obligation, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during her visit to Rome on Thursday. Read more.
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LISBON
Portuguese lawmakers approve euthanasia bill at first reading. Parliament approved on Thursday the first reading of four bills from the Socialist party, Left Blocc, IL and PAN regulating the decriminalisation of medically assisted death and are now following the work in the committee stage. Read more.
VISEGRAD
WARSAW
More protests as rising inflation starts to hit Polish wallets. Poles are becoming disgruntled as decisions by the National Bank and the government to reduce prices do not seem to help in the fastest price increase since 1998. Read more.
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PRAGUE
Czechia keeps mum on Russian gas embargo. Czech authorities are keeping their stance on future energy sanctions close to their chest. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has praised Czechia for supporting Ukraine’s path towards EU membership. Read more.
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BUDAPEST
Ryanair passes Hungarian windfall tax onto customers. Budget aircraft Ryanair is passing on a Hungarian government “extra profits” tax to passengers, charging €9.87 (HUF 3,900) even on bookings made before the tax was imposed, the company informed on Thursday. Read more.
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BRATISLAVA
Statistics underplay Slovak dependence on energy imports. Eurostat figures from 2020, which point to Slovakia importing 56% of its total energy needs, do not consider nuclear, which would put that number at more than 80%, analysts have said. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
PODGORICA
Montenegro ready to help Ukraine get EU candidacy. Montenegro hopes Ukraine will soon be granted the status of an EU candidate and is ready to provide expert and political help, the prime minister of the Western Balkan country, a frontrunner in the EU accession process, was quoted as saying on Thursday. Read more.
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SOFIA
Bulgaria sets 3 conditions for lifting North Macedonia veto. Bulgaria will lift its veto on neighbouring North Macedonia’s EU accession talks if three conditions are met, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, whose coalition is currently facing turmoil, announced on Thursday. Read more.
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LJUBLJANA
Slovenian opposition proposes mandatory drug testing for public office holders. Members of parliament, ministers, state secretaries, the prime minister, and the president may soon have to undergo annual compulsory drug testing according to a bill tabled by the Democrats, parliament’s largest party in opposition. Read more.
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BELGRADE
Diplomats: Common EU future key to bury lasting problems in Western Balkans. A common European future is the only solution to the Western Balkans’ lasting problems, and Serbia is expected to truly respect the EU’s values as a new war dawns on Europe, diplomats said at a conference in Belgrade on Thursday. Read more.
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TIRANA
Albanian inflation and fuel prices reach all-time highs. Inflation in May reached a historical high of 6.7%, while the rate for food items reached double figures as prices continue to rise, spelling trouble for Albanian households who are still reeling from the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more.
AGENDA
- EU: Competitiveness, Justice and Home Affairs Council.
- European Parliament President Roberta Metsola meets Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė and Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod.
- France: Macron to meet with Senegal President Macky Sall to discuss geopolitical instability in the Sahel and global food insecurity.
- Switzerland: World of Work Summit.
- Greece: Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis hosts German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
- Vatican: Pope Francis meets European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
- Romania: President Klaus Iohannis and his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda, host the Bucharest-9 (B9) Summit at the Cotroceni Palace.
- Armenia: Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) foreign ministers meet.
- Serbia: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visiting Belgrade, where he will talk with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. Before Belgrade, Scholz will visit Priština, where he will meet with officials and inspect the German contingent within KFOR.
- Finance Minister Siniša Mali to meet Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on continued cooperation in the field of energy.
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Vlad Makszimov, Daniel Eck, Benjamin Fox, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Eleonora Vasques]
Source: euractiv.com
