The Capitals brings you the latest news from across Europe, through on-the-ground reporting by Euractiv’s media network. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.
The European news you deserve to read. Welcome to The Capitals by Euractiv.
In today’s news from the Capitals:
ATHENS
An email sent to the European Commission and Parliament chiefs is expected to stir the waters ahead of the upcoming hearing of Greece’s commissioner candidate for the transport portfolio, Apostolos Tzitzikostas.
The email seen by Euractiv was sent to von der Leyen, EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola and Justice EU Commissioner Didier Reynders.
WESTERN EUROPE
VIENNA
‘New era’ in Austria as far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) wins general elections. Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) secured victory in the general election for the first time in its history with 29% of the vote in Sunday’s elections, heralding a “new era” for Austria, according to leader Herbert Kickl. Read more.
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BERLIN
Von der Leyen’s party pressures Brussels to fund Greek, Polish border fence. Germany’s centre-right CDU (EPP) has urged the European Commission, led by fellow CDU member Ursula von der Leyen, to fund fences at the borders of Greece and Poland as new German border controls increase the pressure on countries of first entry. Read more.
Germany’s Buschmann wants to re-open EU sustainability reporting rules negotiations. Germany’s Justice Minister Marco Buschmann wants to reopen negotiations on the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) according to comments on Friday (27 September, one day after Germany and 16 other EU countries, received a yellow card from the Commission for missing deadlines to transpose the rules. Read more.
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PARIS
Breton: France’s voice carries less weight in EU as Germany’s influence grows . Former French European Commissioner Thierry Breton shared his concerns about France’s loss of influence within the EU in an interview with Le Monde on Sunday, criticising Germany’s leading role. Read more.
UK AND IRELAND
DUBLIN
Irish DPC fines Meta €91 million over password management lapse. The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) fined Meta €91 million for “inadvertently” storing user passwords without cryptographic protection or encryption, closing a five-year-old case, according to a Friday press release. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ROME | BERLIN
Presidents of Italy, Germany send strong messages to the far-right. Italian President Sergio Mattarella and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who ended a three-day meeting with a ceremony commemorating a Nazi-fascist massacre, have sent a strong message to the far right. Read more.
Ciao, Bruxelles! EU farming policy speaks a little more Italian. Massimiliano Giansanti has been elected president of Copa, the influential EU umbrella organisation for farmers’ unions, cementing Italians’ presence in key positions of the EU agricultural bubble. Read more.
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MADRID
Spanish far-right MEP Alvise Pérez admits to illegal campaign financing on social media. Spanish far-right MEP Alvise Pérez admitted that he received €100,000 in undeclared cryptocurrencies from a businessman to partially finance his campaign for the European elections, and called for a ‘tax rebellion’ against the Spanish state. Read more.
EASTERN EUROPE
WARSAW
Poland’s Duda sued for remarks about film on asylum seekers. The Centre for Monitoring of Racism and Xenophobic Behaviour (OMZRiK) is suing Polish President Andrzej Duda, a former PiS member, for his comments about a 2023 film depicting the situation at the Polish-Belarusian border, where hundreds of migrants have been trying to enter Poland since mid-2021. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
Bulgaria risks losing billions in recovery money as parliamentary chaos ensues. Noisy scandals and the aggressive behaviour of radical pro-Russian and populist parties prevented the Bulgarian parliament from mustering the majority needed to pass key legislation on which billions of euros in Recovery and Resilience Plan payments depend. Read more.
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Alice Taylor, Sofia Mandilara]
Source: euractiv.com
