Bulgarian government still on track to sue Russia’s Gazprom

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In today’s news from The Capitals:

SOFIA

Bulgaria’s government has not given up on the possibility of suing Russia’s state-owned Gazprom for cutting off gas supplies two months after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

“Currently, the Bulgarian government is preparing a legal analysis to decide whether to file an arbitration claim for the damages suffered”, Bulgaria’s Energy Ministry told Euractiv Bulgaria. Read more.

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BERLIN

German Greens blame lack of money and infighting for coalition’s mixed record. The legacy of Germany’s first-ever three-way coalition is jeopardised by continuous infighting, Green agriculture minister Cem Özdemir warned on Tuesday as the Greens worry about the government’s performance and tight public finances. Read more.

Germany will host Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks in Berlin. To resolve the decades-long conflict between the two countries, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will hold bilateral and trilateral talks with her Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts on Wednesday and Thursday in Berlin. Read more.

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PARIS

France hopes other EU countries follow its lead on abortion. France hopes its current debate on having the right to abortion enshrined in the Constitution would inspire its EU counterparts, French Gender Equality and Diversity Minister Aurore Bergé said at the informal meeting of gender equality ministers in Brussels on Tuesday. Read more.

France to hold parliamentary debate on Ukraine support amid backlash. France’s government announced it will hold a parliamentary debate on the situation in Ukraine, with President Emmanuel Macron under heavy fire after he claimed on Monday that no options – including sending troops on the ground – should be excluded in ensuring Ukraine’s victory against Russia. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

MADRID

Sánchez will ultimately give us independence referendum, Catalan President says. Despite Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s attempts to tame Catalonia’s independence movement, its President Pere Aragonès told Euractiv that his ultimate goal is still for the Socialists to yield and hold a self-determination referendum. Read more.

Ex-minister leaves Sanchez’s party amid pressure over corruption, keeps MP seat. Spain’s former transport minister José Luis Ábalos announced his resignation from Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialist Party (PSOE) on Tuesday but will remain a member of parliament despite revelations that his former aide claimed millions in commissions for supplying face masks during the worst months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Read more.

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ROME

Sardinia a major blow for Meloni and right-wingers ahead of EU election. Five-Star Movement candidate Alessandra Todde winning the regional elections in Sardinia against Fratelli d’Italia’s Paolo Truzzu represents a clear setback for the right wing and the government coalition led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ahead of June’s EU elections. Read more.

EASTERN EUROPE

VISEGRAD

Visegrad Four Group lives on despite opinion split over Russia’s war on Ukraine. Despite tensions and increasingly diverging opinions over key issues such as Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Central European Visegrad Four (V4) Group has so far managed to live on. Read more.

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WARSAW

Polish government caves into farmers’ demands as thousands march on Warsaw. The Polish government agreed to meet farmers’ demands on Tuesday, as thousands marched in Warsaw to protest against the European Green Deal and imports of Ukrainian food. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

TIRANA

Rama: Western Balkans support key for Ukraine amid Western ‘excuses’. The Western Balkans is ready to contribute to the fight against Russia amid European and Western “excuses” and “constraints” over aid, adding that EU member states need the region for its security, according to Prime Minister Edi Rama in an interview before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the country. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Romanians under 18 no longer allowed to buy electronic smoking devices. Romanian deputies adopted a law that prohibits the sale of electronic smoking devices to young people under 18 on Tuesday. Read more.

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ZAGREB

Croatian growth exceeded experts’ expectations in 2023. Fuelled by consumer optimism and supported by wage growth, economic activity in Croatia last year grew more than economists previously predicted. Read more.

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BELGRADE

Dinar row remains unresolved as Belgrade-Pristina talks continue in Brussels. Serbs in northern Kosovo reported being unable to withdraw dinars on Tuesday as queues formed outside ATMs, while negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina continued in Brussels over Kosovo’s decision to uphold its constitution and reject the use of any foreign currency other than the euro. Read more.

AGENDA:

EU: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen participates in Parliament’s plenary session debate on “Strengthening European Defence in a volatile geopolitical landscape”;
High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell meets with President of the European Investment Bank Nadia Calviño;
Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis participates in World Trade Organisation’s working sessions on dispute settlement reform, development, drafting Abu Dhabi Ministerial Declaration, in United Arab Emirates; Meets with Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Textiles of the Republic of India Shri Piyush Goyal;
Vice President Vĕra Jourová visits the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, in in Helsinki, Finland; Speaks at event on ecouraging young people to participate in democratic processes;
Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides participates in videoconference call of G7 health ministers;
Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi participates in Western Balkans Summit on “Growth and Convergence” in Tirana, Albania;
Parliament’s plenary session votes on driving licenses, standard essential patents, geographical Indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products, implementation of the common security and defence policy, and more;
Parliament President Roberta Metsola meets Yulia Navalnaya; Signs Memorandum of Understanding with President of the Committee of the Regions (CoR) Vasco Alves Cordeiro; Signs Memorandum of Understanding with President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Nadia Calviño;
Germany: Armenian Foreign Affairs Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, Azerbaijani Foreign Affairs Minister Jeyhun Bayramov meet for peace talks;
Greece: First anniversary of Tempi rail disaster; Civil servants on 24-hour strike;
Brazil: G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meet;