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.
Before you start reading today’s edition of the Capitals, feel free to have a look at the interview with Estonia’s Prime Minister “Stop calling Putin, Estonia’s prime minister says“, by Alexandra Brzozowski.
The European news you deserve to read. Welcome to The Capitals by EURACTIV.
Celebrating 20 years of the Food Supplements Directive
EHPM is organising a high-level event in the European Parliament on 14 June to celebrate the accomplishments of the Food Supplements Directive and discuss the future of the sector, hosted by MEPs Pascal Arimont and Simona Bonafè.
Learn more.
In today’s news from the Capitals:
While the calls for EU reform are gaining momentum, several member-states oppose the proposal for treaty change. In the end, EU enlargement could be the main bargaining chip to launch the reform process.
Europe is engulfed in a discussion for EU reform following the conclusion of the Conference on the Future of Europe, with France, Italy, and Germany being particularly keen to bring the EU on a trajectory of reform. Read more.
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BERLIN
Scholz’s SPD suffers historic defeat in major state election. The German Social Democrats suffered a crushing defeat in Sunday’s (15 May) state election in Germany’s most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, losing to the conservative CDU. The Greens were able to triple their vote and logged a historical result in the election. Read the full story here.
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PARIS
Macron visits UAE to pay tribute to late president. French President Emmanuel Macron flew to Abu Dhabi on Sunday to pay tribute to UAE’s late President Sheikh Khalifa. Read more.
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VIENNA
Austrian chancellor receives unanimous approval for party leadership. All delegates of Austria’s conservative party ÖVP confirmed Chancellor Karl Nehammer as party chief on Saturday, despite his government’s current turmoil and low polling numbers. Read more.
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THE HAGUE
Dutch release final report on Russian sanctions. Former minister Stef Blok, tasked with coordinating the Dutch approach to sanctions against Russia, presented his final report on sanctions to Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra on Friday. Read more.
UK AND IRELAND
LONDON
UK in search of a new home for the House of Lords. The government is pushing for the House of Lords, the UK parliament’s upper house, to relocate to a town outside London while major restoration works of the Palace of Westminster occur. Read more.
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DUBLIN
Irish FM: unilateral action by UK on Protocol could threaten NI peace process. Action by the UK government to scrap parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol could “fundamentally undermine the functioning of the institutions of the peace process in Northern Ireland,” warned Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
Finnish president calls for ‘professional attitude’ in future Russian relations. Future relations with Russia should be based on a “professional attitude”, said President Sauli Niinistö after he announced, alongside Prime Minister Sanna Marin on Sunday, that Finland seeks to join NATO. Read more.
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STOCKHOLM
Social Democrats favour NATO application without nukes. In a historic move, the Social Democrats’ party board said it favoured a NATO application with “unilateral reservations against the deployment of nuclear weapons” in a press release on Sunday. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ROME
Italian police thwart pro-Russian hacker attacks during Eurovision. The authorities averted several cyber attacks by pro-Russia groups of hackers, Killnet and Legion, during the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, the police reported on Sunday. Read more.
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ATHENS
Greek PM aims to fill F-15 jet fighters’ ‘gap’ in crucial US visit. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is visiting Washington on Monday to agree on purchasing F-35 fighters, which the US have excluded neighbouring Turkey from buying after the latter bought the Russian S-400 missile system. Read more.
Former PM Alexis Tsipras vows ‘comeback’ after historic vote. Former Prime Minister and current leader of the main opposition leftist Syriza party Alexis Tsipras said he would win the next elections in Greece after his party more than doubled its members in a historic vote on Sunday. Read more.
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MADRID
Spain to become first European nation offering menstrual leave. Spain could become Europe’s first country to introduce medical leave for women suffering from menstrual pain with the government and parliament set approve a draft bill amending the country’s abortion law to this effect. Read more.
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LISBON
Portuguese foreign minister anticipates ‘strategic defeat’ for Russia. Russia’s “strategic defeat” caused by President Vladimir Putin’s “grave mistake” over the invasion could lead to Ukraine’s victory, Foreign Minister João Gomes Cravinho said Sunday. Read more.
VISEGRAD
BRATISLAVA
Ex-PM Fico says Slovakia should stop helping Ukraine. Former Prime Minister and opposition leader Roberto Fico called for an immediate halt to all aid to Ukraine in a TV debate on Sunday. Read more.
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WARSAW
Poland prepares for election season, reports of early elections. Poles are preparing for elections scheduled in 2023, but there are reports of a possible early vote due to tensions between the parties in the right-wing coalition. Read more.
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PRAGUE
Czechia wants Zelenskyy as guest at October EU leaders’ summit. Prague wants Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be a guest at the EU leaders’ summit in October 2022 it will organise as part of its EU Council presidency. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA | SKOPJE
Sofia postpones negotiations as Skopje remains hopeful. Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov will not visit Skopje soon as there is no document to work on regarding the Neighbourhood agreement, Lena Borislavova, the head of the prime minister’s office, told Bulgarian national television in an interview, while Skopje was more optimistic, saying it hopes “to reach an agreement with Bulgaria” during the French EU Council presidency. Read more.
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BUCHAREST | HELSINKI | STOCKHOLM
Romania backs quick NATO accession process for Finland and Sweden. Romania is ”strongly” in favour of a ”rapid” accession process for both Finland and Sweden, as the membership of these two states will strengthen NATO, Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said on Sunday. Read more.
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LJUBLJANA
Slovenian parliament sees record number of women MPs. Slovenia will have a more gender-balanced parliament than ever before as 36 of the 90 MPs who started their term on Friday, including the new speaker, are women. Read more.
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BELGRADE
Serbia still refuses to impose sanctions on Russia. Serbia will still not join international sanctions against Russia, President Aleksandar Vučić told TV network Prva TV on Sunday. Read more.
‘Brace yourselves, winter is coming’, Vucic tells Serbs. Serbia fears food and energy shortages, and the coming winter will be “the most difficult in the last 70 years,” President Aleksandar Vučić said in a broadcast to the nation on Sunday, as reported by Croatian news website Index.hr. Read more.
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PRISTINA | BELGRADE
Kosovo calls Serbia’s claims of countries rolling back recognition untrue. Kosovo has not received information of any countries withdrawing their recognition of Kosovo following claims of this nature by Serbia, Foreign Minister Donika Gërvalla has said. Read more.
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TIRANA | SARAJEVO
Bosnia reacts after Albania fails to pass resolution on Srebrenica genocide. Bosnian MP Sabina Cudic addressed an open letter to Prime Minister Edi Rama, criticising his government’s refusal to vote on a resolution condemning the Srebrenica genocide and accusing him of tabling the resolution as a concession to Serbia. Read more.
AGENDA:
- Bulgaria: President Rumen Radev is visiting Germany.
- Romania: Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca attends the signing ceremony for an agreement between the European Investment Bank and Romanian gas pipeline operator Transgaz.
- Slovenia: Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani will pay an official visit to Slovenia for talks centred on possible shipments of natural gas.
- Greece: Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis is meeting US President Joe Biden in Washington.
- European Union: Commissioner vice-president Frans Timmermans meets with Mr Mircea Geoană, NATO Deputy Secretary General.
- Commissioner Margrethe Vestager participates in meeting of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC).
- Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni, Didier Reynders, and commissioner vice-president Margaritis Schinas meet Foreign Arrairs minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba.
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Benjamin Fox, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson]
Source: euractiv.com
