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In today’s news from the Capitals:
SOFIA | Bulgaria’s president and caretaker ministers snapped back at Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte for his comments about crossing the Bulgarian border with a €50 bribe as part of his reasons to block Bulgaria’s bid to join the EU’s visa-free Schengen Area. Read more.
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EU INSTITUTIONS
Commission chief: cooperation not confrontation in US subsidies row. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed the need to adjust EU state aid rules, argued for European funding for a European industrial policy, and insisted on upholding cordial relations with the US ahead of biannual consultations. Read more.
Macron’s idea of ‘security guarantees’ to Russia faces backlash. French President Emmanuel Macron’s idea the West should consider how to address Moscow’s need for security guarantees to end the war in Ukraine has drawn sharp criticism from Kyiv and several of the EU’s Russia hardliners. Read more.
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PARIS
Macron’s new security architecture opens Pandora’s Box in NATO politics. French President Emmanuel Macron said the West should consider Russia’s request for security guarantees and concerns about NATO’s eastward expansion, confirming a EURACTIV report last month describing the different approaches within NATO on how to deal with Russia, which triggered strong reactions from Moscow. Read more.
BERLIN
Scholz happy with government’s first year despite drop in polls. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz applauded his government’s work one year after its inauguration, although his Social Democratic Party (SPD) has plummeted in the polls. Read more.
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VIENNA
Vienna mayor pushes for asylum seeker work permits. Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig has made a push to make it easier for asylum seekers to work while they wait for their applications to be processed despite strong pushback from the opposition. Read more.
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THE HAGUE
Dutch investigation team gathers ‘evidence’ for ICC Ukraine probe. A Dutch forensic and investigation team of 40 people that investigated war crimes committed in Ukraine over the past few weeks returned to the Netherlands with evidence that will be submitted to the International Criminal Court’s Prosecution. Read more.
UK AND IRELAND
LONDON
UK Labour’s Starmer supports plans to spread power away from Westminster. British opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer will on Monday support plans to spread power away from the political centre of Westminster, aiming to offer people more control over their lives and local politicians a greater say on transport, housing and jobs. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
Finnish energy industry stunned by government’s high windfall tax plan. Energy companies are worried about the government’s recently announced windfall tax proposal, which plans to tax 33% of excess profits from power companies in 2023, a more ambitious proposal than the baseline bloc ministers agreed to in September. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ROME
Meloni says Italy can lead in EU-Africa cooperation. Italy can lead the say in countering extremist radicalism and promoting collaboration and growth between the European Union and African nations, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in Rome over the weekend. Read more.
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MADRID
Spanish Tobin tax falls far short of collection target. Spain has collected €26 million for the financial transactions tax known as the “Spanish Tobin Tax” in the first ten months of this year, falling far short of the €372 million forecast for the whole year, an official report has revealed. Read more.
VISEGRAD
BRATISLAVA
Slovak foreign ministry may back Orban in EU funds row with Commission. Slovak Finance Minister Igor Matovič may support Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in his dispute over the release of EU funds for Hungary with the European Commission, according to the finance ministry’s latest position ahead of the Council meeting. Read more.
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WARSAW
New shipment of US military equipment delivered to Poland. Eight hundred pieces of American military equipment, including cars and tanks, arrived in Poland over the weekend and were unloaded at the port of Gdynia. Read more.
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PRAGUE
Czechia needs until 2024 to shake off Russian fossil fuel dependence. Czechia, which is currently exempt from the EU’s embargo on Russian oil imports, will solve its current dependence on Russian fossil fuels imports in 2024, said Trade and Industry Minister Jozef Síkela the day before the embargo came into force. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
LJUBLJANA | BUDAPEST
Slovenia, Hungary mull natural gas connection. Slovenia and Hungary are considering building a natural gas pipeline connecting the two countries as a means of reducing Hungary’s reliance on natural gas from Russia. Read more.
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ZAGREB
Croatia denies presence of secret Chinese police. Croatia has no information about the presence of illegal Chinese police stations on its territory, the police said in a statement on Sunday, reacting to a CNN report that explicitly mentioned Croatia. Read more.
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TIRANA
Albania braces for protest same day as EU-Western Balkans summit. As Tirana prepares to hold a historic EU-Western Balkan summit, the opposition party led by the former prime minister and president Sali Berisha is getting ready to stage a protest, despite police warnings. Read more.
Albanian opposition holds first ever electoral primaries. Voting for selecting Democratic Party (PD) mayoral candidates ahead of next year’s local elections took place across Albania, a first for the Western Balkan country. Read more.
AGENDA
- EU: Eurogroup discusses the overall budgetary situation and prospects in the euro area; Other highlights include post-programme surveillance reports for Cyprus, Ireland, Portugal and Spain, the first post-programme surveillance report on Greece and policy contingent debt measures; Eurogroup President to be elected;
- Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council discusses trans-European transport network, inland water transport;
- European Commission Vice-President Vĕra Jourová receives President of the Venice Commission Bazy Malaurie;
- Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis participates in the EU-US Trade and Technology Council;
- Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni receives Pierre Gramegna, Managing Director of the European Stability Mechanism;
- Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski participates in Global Food Forum 2022, organised by Farm Europe;
- Neighbourhood and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi participates in hearing at the Hungarian parliament’s Committee on European Affairs;
- European Parliament President Roberta Metsola meets with Venice Commission President Claire Bazy Malaurie, Vice-President Michael Frendo and Secretary Simona Granata-Menghini; Receives President of the National Council of Austria Wolfgang Sobotka;
- EU embargo on imports of Russian crude oil by the sea comes into force;
- Sweden: SIPRI publishes report on arms-producing companies;
- Poland: Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili on an official visit;
- Russia: Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang hold a conference; Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hosts his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov;
- ILO: Report on violence and harassment at work gets released;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Vlad Makszimov, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Sofia Mandilara]
Source: euractiv.com
