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In today’s news from the Capitals:
As the EU talks of ‘freedom’ from Russian gas for central and eastern Europe and the Balkans, brought by increased imports from Azerbaijan, sceptics warn it comes at a cost: increased reliance on a country engaged in a conflict and with a recent history of bribery and corruption in Europe. Read more.
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EU INSTITUTIONS
EU leaders to discuss Ukraine, energy prices and infrastructure security amid Russian escalation. EU leaders will discuss how to step up support for Ukraine, their joint next steps to tame soaring energy prices and coordinate their response to the fallout of the Nord Stream sabotage when they meet later this week in Prague on Friday (7 October). Read more.
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BERLIN
Due diligence law to help in global competition of systems, says German minister. The EU’s currently debated due diligence law, which aims to strengthen human rights globally, also has strong strategic underpinnings and can be used to diffuse EU standards in autocratic states amid systemic competition between the EU and others, German Labour Minister Hubertus Heil told EURACTIV in an interview. Read more.
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PARIS
Macron backs new EU sanctions against Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron said he is open to working on new EU sanctions following a call with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday, the Elysee said. Read more.
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VIENNA
Vienna steps up targeted support to combat energy poverty. The city of Vienna is expanding the number of households eligible for a grant of up to €500 to cushion current inflation, with the city expecting more than 200,000 private households to apply from Monday. Read more.
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THE HAGUE
Dutch foreign minister regrets Nicaragua’s decision to sever diplomatic ties. Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra expressed regret on behalf of the Netherlands following Nicaragua’s decision on Friday to cut diplomatic relations, over Dutch interventionist and neo-colonialist positions. Read more.
UK AND IRELAND
LONDON
Brexit leader sorry for damage to EU relations, calls for ‘humility’. Leading Brexiteer Steve Baker emerged as an unlikely peacemaker on Sunday, telling Conservative party delegates that he and other Brexiteers needed to show “humility” and accept their responsibility for the damage done to EU relations during the Brexit process. Read more.
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DUBLIN
Referendum win not enough to make Irish unity a success, says Irish leader. A referendum win for those backing Irish reunification will not be enough to make the project a success, Leo Varadkar, Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister due to become prime minister in December, has warned. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
OSLO
Norway eyes Finnish-like restrictions for Russian tourists. Norway is considering restricting entry to Russian tourists and those transiting from Russia, the justice ministry announced on Friday. Read more.
RIGA
Centre-right alliance advances to first place in Latvian elections. The centre-right JV (EPP) alliance of Prime Minister Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš was able to advance to the first position in Latvian election. In 2018, the party only came in the seventh position but was the only parliamentary group which managed to form a government, after larger parties had failed to do so. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ROME
Far-right Salvini risks a marginal role in the new Italian government. Matteo Salvini risks a secondary role in the new Italian executive despite his far-right Lega’s likely position as a junior coalition partner after the right’s electoral win last week. Read more.
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MADRID
Spain’s Sanchez defends new tax on the wealthy, criticises ‘party of the rich’. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez defended the new tax on the wealthy adopted by his progressive coalition and slammed the centre-right opposition Popular Party for favouring the interests of the richest in society during a political talk on Saturday. Read more.
VISEGRAD
PRAGUE
Erdogan to join EU summit in Prague. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will attend the informal EU summit which will start in Prague on Thursday, Turkish Ambassador to the Czech Republic Egemen Bagis confirmed. Read more.
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BRATISLAVA
Slovakia threatens to withhold electricity bought by foreign customers. Slovakia is calling on the European Union to do something about the high profits some EU countries make when reselling cheap Slovak electricity, threatening to use it for their households and producers but at a far lower price. Read more.
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WARSAW
Polish government escape story is Russian ‘fake news’. The story that alleged the Polish government was preparing to escape the country is not true and part of Moscow’s efforts to disorganise Polish society, an anti-disinformation alert launched by Poland’s Secretary of State, Stanisław Żaryn, reads. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
Ex-PM Borissov wins Bulgarian elections, not power. The party of ex-prime minister Boyko Borissov won Bulgaria’s fourth election in the last 18 months, with 25.5% of the vote, but the chance of forming a stable government is slim. Read more.
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SARAJEVO
Bosnia’s peace envoy imposes changes to election law. Bosnia’s international peace overseer imposed changes to the election law aimed to prevent blockades of a regional government after polls closed in presidential and parliamentary vote on Sunday. Read more.
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TIRANA
Albania backtracks on higher energy rates. The Albanian government has done a U-turn on its decision to increase the cost of electricity for households that use more than 800 killowatt hours (kWh), calling on consumers to use less instead. Read more.
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Bulgarians in Albania cast vote for new government. Some 250 Bulgarians living in Albania have voted in five polling stations set up for the Bulgarian general elections. The stations are situated in the Bulgarian Embassy in Tirana, in Korce, and Kukes. The Albanian government recognises Bulgarians as a minority based on a 2017 law. Bulgarians are voting for a new leadership for the fourth time in just 18 months. (Alice Taylor | Exit.al)
Agenda
- EU: Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski speaks via videoconference with representatives of Slovak farming organisations;
- Commission Vice-President for the European Green Deal Frans Timmermans in Kinshasa for pre-COP27 talks until Tuesday; attends a ministerial working dinner hosted by the president;
- Innovation and Culture Commissioner Mariya Gabriel in San Francisco on an official visit;
- EU-Israel Association Council meeting;
- Germany: Chancellor Olaf Scholz hosts French President Emmanuel Macron for a dinner marking German Reunification Day;
- France: Government statement and debate on the war in Ukraine in National Assembly;
- Luxembourg: Eurozone finance ministers (Eurogroup) meet;
- Sweden: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2022 announced;
- Hungary: Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer hold a press conference on the margins of an immigration summit;
- Parliament votes on anti-corruption measures until Tuesday;
- US: Supreme Court session opens, new Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson sits;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Vlad Maksimov, Daniel Eck, Benjamin Fox, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson]
Source: euractiv.com
