‘Dark’ far right clouds Greek skies

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In today’s news from the Capitals:

ATHENS

Greek conservatives emerged victorious in the second round of elections on Sunday giving them a historic absolute majority, but with the further collapse of the leftist opposition, combined with the rise of the far-right, dark shadows are now cast over the new parliament. Read more.

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BERLIN

Germans elect far-right candidate for district administrator for first time. The AfD’s Robert Sesselmann was elected district administrator of Sonneberg in the federal region of Thuringia in a run-off election on Sunday, making it the first time a far-right party candidate takes a high-ranking local office in Germany. Read more.

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PARIS

French interior minister notes decrease of migrants in Mayotte island. Interior and Overseas Territories Minister Gérald Darmanin said the number of incoming migrants has dropped by two-thirds, and violence has been reduced, according to his initial assessment of recent measures in Mayotte, the French archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Read more.

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VIENNA

Russian coup sparks crisis reaction in Vienna. An attempted coup d’etat on the Kremlin on Saturday triggered an emergency response in Vienna, where top politicians came together on Sunday for a crisis sit-down to tackle the consequences for both Austria and Vienna. Read more.

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THE HAGUE

Dutch PM: Europe was wrong to scale down defence. Europe was wrong to scale down its defence capabilities in the years and decades preceding the Ukraine war, Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD/Renew) said during a speech on Veteran’s Day on Saturday. Read more.

UK & IRELAND

LONDON

British trust in politics drops dramatically since 70s. Just 6% of citizens believe the UK’s political system does not need reforming, while 89% support constitutional reform, according to a report published by Focaldata and the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think-tank over the weekend. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

ROME

Italian FM: we are not against Russia. The clash between the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and Vladimir Putin’s generals has left many fearing the worst, but Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated Italy is not at war with Russia and will not intervene in its internal affairs. Read more.

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MADRID

Spain’s PP, PSOE, appeal to voter’s feelings before election. Spain has already entered a heated pre-election campaign where the two main rival parties, Partido Popular (PP/EPP) and the Socialist Party (PSOE/S&D), are launching messages aimed at the ‘heart’ of voters, appealing to their deep feelings and emotions. Read more.

VISEGRAD

PRAGUE

Struggle for Putin’s succession has begun, warns Czech FM. The Wagner paramilitary group engaging in a brief mutiny against Russian President Vladimir Putin shows that a change of leadership is on the way, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský (Pirates, Greens/EFA) said after a crisis staff meeting Sunday. Read more.

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WARSAW

Polish opposition slams government reaction to attempted coup in Russia. The opposition in Poland has criticised the PiS-led government for its inadequate reaction to the coup attempt orchestrated by Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner soldiers against Russian President Vladimir Putin. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Slovakia worried over EU budget revision, questions migration top-up. Slovakia’s Finance Ministry is worried about the European Commission’s proposal to revise the EU budget with an extra €68.5 billion for the 2021-2027 period, wondering why there is a need to replenish migration reserves with an additional €15 billion. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

SOFIA

Explosions at Bulgarian arms factory set to export to Ukraine. Ammunition warehouses of the Bulgarian arms company EMKO exploded early on Sunday near Karnobat, a few days after Bulgaria announced it would join the coalition to supply shells to Ukraine. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Burnout affects Romanian doctors. Burnout impacts Romanian doctors, with 36% of them in a state of high or very high burnout and those most at risk being women and young doctors, while 58% say they are physically exhausted, the largest survey made by the College of Physicians in Romania found. Read more.

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LJUBLJANA

Slovenia’s fertility rate drops for fifth year in a row. The number of births in Slovenia has been declining in the past five years as its fertility rate fell to 1.55 in 2022 compared to 1.64 the year before, the latest Statistics Office data show. Read more.

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BELGRADE

Serbia’s ‘against violence’ protests expand into 10 cities. The anti-government “Serbia against violence” protests, ongoing for two months since violent shootings shocked the country, expanded to 10 other cities over the weekend and show no sign of stopping. Read more.

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PRISTINA | BELGRADE

Kosovar police won’t be released without indictment, Vucic insists. The three Kosovo police officers detained by Serbian authorities in Kosovo will not escape without charge, said President Aleksandar Vucic amid growing calls from the international community to release. Read more.

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TIRANA | BELGRADE

Accusations against Belgrade for expropriating Albanian property in south Serbia. A citizen in the Medvegja region of southern Serbia, inhabited predominantly by ethnic Albanians, has reported an attempt to illegally seize their property and transfer it to a Serbian owner amid ongoing challenges relating to the removal of Albanians from the civil registry, rendering them devoid of most legal rights. Read more.

AGENDA:

EU: Agriculture and Fisheries Council convenes to discuss Sustainable use of pesticides, Common Fisheries Policy and fishing opportunities for 2024, strengthening collaboration between the animal and public health sectors as part of a ‘One Health’ approach, and more;
EU-Tajikistan Cooperation Council, chaired by Foreign Affairs Minister of Tajikistan Sirojiddin Muhriddin, takes place in Luxembourg; Agenda highlights include negotiations for an Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, trade issues, regional issues, and more;
Foreign Affairs Council convenes to discuss EU – Latin America & the Caribbean relations ahead of the EU-CELAC summit, digital diplomacy, and more;
Conference on “Life Sciences – The Era of Personalised Medicine” organised by the Swedish Presidency focuses on research, innovation and challenges for EU;
Equality Commissioner Helena Dalli attends side event with G7 Gender Equality ministers and civil society, in Tokyo, Japan; Delivers online keynote speech for Ukraine National Forum on United Nations Security Council 1325;
Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Markets Union Commissioner Mairead McGuinness participates in 6th trilogue on the banking package;
Germany: French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire visits;
United Kingdom: International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) issues its first climate standard for companies;
Lithuania: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visits Vilnius ahead of NATO summit;
Portugal: ECB annual forum on economic stability;
Slovakia: Visegrad Four Summit to mark the ending of the Slovak presidency;