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In today’s news from the Capitals:
While the prolonged political instability continues to rage in Sofia, and the fifth general election in two years looks increasingly likely, the Balkan country has seen significant economic gains since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Read more.
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BERLIN
Controversy over ‘threat’ China stake in Hamburg port. Chancellor Olaf Scholz is ploughing ahead with a deal that would see Chinese terminal operator Cosco take a 35% stake in the key Hamburg Tollerort Terminal amid opposition from coalition partners and security warnings from intelligence officials. Read more.
Berlin blocks price caps, pushes EU to ‘develop new gas fields’. With only weeks to go before a key UN climate conference, the German government is pushing EU leaders to work with countries that have the capacity “to develop new gas fields”, according to a document seen by EURACTIV. Read more.
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PARIS
France, Germany to rebuild damaged ties. As tensions between the Franco-German couple have been exacerbated recently, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will meet in Paris next Wednesday, the Elysée Palace announced on Thursday. Read more.
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THE HAGUE
Dutch MPs want Putin tribunal set up in The Hague. MPs from the lower house of the parliament want the Hague to set up a tribunal to try Russian President Vladimir Putin for the Ukraine war. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
STOCKHOLM
Swedish PM ready to go to Ankara over NATO block. The new Moderate Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, declared on Thursday that he is prepared to go to Ankara to discuss the Swedish NATO application, which the Turkish government blocks. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
MADRID
Spain, France, Portugal abandon MidCat, agree on green energy, gas corridor. The MidCat gas interconnector project between France and Spain will be abandoned and replaced with a green energy corridor, Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, announced on Thursday. Read more.
Spanish banks to approve measures to help vulnerable families pay mortgages. Banks, together with the Ministry of Finance, are mulling new measures of a Code of Good Practices to help vulnerable families pay their mortgages and mitigate the impact of record inflation on highly indebted households. Read more.
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ROME
Forza Italia still eyes foreign ministry despite tensions with Meloni. Forza Italia’s national coordinator and former president of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, will likely be the next Italian foreign minister in Giorgia Meloni’s government despite tensions caused by its leader Silvio Berlusconi and his pro-Putin comments. Read more.
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VALLETTA
Malta condemned over migrant pushbacks in Mediterranean. Malta has come under fire again from a coalition of human rights organisations again for pushing back migrants to third countries, risking the lives of those travelling by sea and breaching international law. Read more.
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LISBON
Portugal, Spain working on joint energy storage project. A ‘very important project’ between Portugal and Spain for joint energy storage on the Iberian Peninsula to mitigate matters like the energy crisis and drought was announced by Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa on Thursday. Read more.
VISEGRAD
PRAGUE
Snag in replacing Czech Environment Minister amid EU Presidency. When Environment Minister Anna Hubáčková (KDU-ČSL, EPP) resigned due to health reasons, she expected to be quickly replaced by her co-partisan Petr Hladík, but his nomination soon became complicated after he came under police scrutiny. Read more.
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WARSAW
Poland sets coal price limit for end consumers. The Sejm, the lower chamber of the Polish parliament, adopted a bill establishing a maximum coal price for end consumers, which is another step by the government to mitigate the effects of the energy crisis and embargo on Russian coal. Read more.
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BRATISLAVA
Slovak interior minister slams internal EU border controls. The solution to the migration crisis is tougher controls of the Schengen borders, not the controls on the internal borders between member states, Slovak Interior Minister Roman Mikulec said. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
LJUBLJANA
Slovenia on cusp of signing gas supply deal with Algeria. Slovenia’s gas trader Geoplin will soon sign a natural gas supply deal with Algeria’s Sonatrach, Infrastructure Minister Bojan Kumer announced on Thursday. Read more.
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PRISTINA
Kosovo to implement price ceilings for basic foodstuffs. Kosovo’s socialist democratic government has drafted a law to offer temporary relief for citizens struggling with rising costs, through setting price ceilings for basic items. Read more.
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TIRANA
Albania to re-legalise sports betting from 1 January. Albania will reintroduce legal sports betting as of 1 January 2023, four years after it, along with casinos and online gambling, was made illegal. Read more.
AGENDA
- EU: European Council that discusses Ukraine war, energy prices and supply efficiency, economic issues and external relations, in particular, EU-Asia relations, the preparations for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt (COP27), and the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, to conclude;
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen participates at European Council;
- European transport ministers hold an informal meeting in Prague, Czech Republic;
- Vice-President Margaritis Schinas meets with President of Spanish Parliament Meritxell Batet, First Vice-President of Spanish Government and minister for the Economy and Digital Transformation Nadia Calvino, and minister of Education and Vocational Training Pilar Alegria, in Madrid, Spain;
- Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton receives President of the Government of Catalonia, Pere Aragonès;
- Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson addresses the 7th European Migration Forum, an invitation-only dialogue platform on migration, asylum and migrant integration, hosted by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) which acts in an advisory capacity to the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission;
- Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi participates in the Foreign Ministerial Meeting of the Berlin Summit;
- Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis participates in the Riga Conference 2022 debate titled “Economy in the age of sanctions, regional and global response”;
- European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) holds a debate on introducing corruption in the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions regime;
- National Liaison Officers of the Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) hold a meeting in Vienna over cooperation and working methods; Representatives of North Macedonia, Serbia and Albania participate as observers; FRA to add concluding remarks during the working launch on how cities operationalise the “Leave no one behind” principle in their local policies;
- Germany: FM Annalena Baerbock hosts her counterparts from West Balkans and the EU;
- Greece: East Med ministers meet to discuss extreme heat and wildfire response measures;
- US: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds a news conference with French FM Catherine Colonna in Washington, D.C.;
- Armenia: Assessment mission of Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) pays evaluation visit;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Vlad Makszimov, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Sofia Mandilara]
Source: euractiv.com
