Finland prepares security agreement with the US

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In today’s news from the Capitals:

Finland is preparing to sign a bilateral security and defence agreement with the United States, paving the way for closer cooperation, strengthening security in Finland and across Europe, and broadening US reach. Read more.

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PARIS

Macron’s pension reform plans gets right-wing backing. Right-wing party Les Républicains confirmed it will back the much-delayed pension reform promised by President Emmanuel Macron, meaning that after months of uncertainty, it could now be passed with a parliamentary majority. Read more.

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BERLIN

German police to evict climate activists blocking coal mine expansion. Police from all over the country are being sent to the western German village of Lützerath to evict climate activists currently blocking its demolition to make way for the expansion of a coal mine. Read more.

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VIENNA

Austria sees sharp drop in asylum applications. The recent sharp drop in asylum seekers in mid-December and early January is a development Austria’s conservative interior minister attributes to Serbia restricting travel for Indians and Tunisians. Read more.

NORDICS AND BALTICS

HELSINKI

Donating tanks to Ukraine gathers growing support in Finland. Discussions about donating tanks to Ukraine is gathering more ground in Finland following the recent decisions by France, Germany and the United States to do the same. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

ROME

Soaring fuel prices cause headaches for Italian government. Italian motorists are facing soaring fuel prices at the pump, but the government, which sets the currently very high excise duty and VAT, keeps pointing fingers at speculating resellers. Read more.

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MADRID

Spanish Zara workers stage strike as winter sales begin. Fashion giant Zara saw its workers strike in demand for wage increases and better labour conditions on Saturday – the day the much-anticipated winter sales started. Read more.

VISEGRAD

PRAGUE

Czechs say farewell to president Zeman ahead of nail-biter elections. The Czech Republic is saying goodbye to the decade-long era of controversial Czech President Miloš Zeman, known for his pro-Russian and pro-Chinese positions, and is hoping for a new democratic president. Read more.

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WARSAW

Polish MPs to discuss new law to unblock EU recovery funds. Parliament will start discussions this week on a bill to reform the Supreme Court in another attempt to convince the European Commission to unfreeze Poland’s EU recovery money. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Slovak prime minister gives until January end to find a new majority. President Zuzana Čaputová gave the coalition until the end of January to find a new majority in the National Council, while Prime Minister Eduard Heger said negotiations are underway, the prospects look bleak. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

SARAJEVO

Bosnia braces for secessionist Serb parade. Bosnian Serbs will hold a controversial parade on Monday to mark the “statehood day” of their entity, Republika Srpska (RS), although Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Constitutional Court had long ruled the holiday unconstitutional. Read more.

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SOFIA

Bulgarian parties given last chance to form government. President Rumen Radev is expected to soon hand over the third and final government mandate, meaning that if parties will again fail to form a coalition, Bulgarians will be called back to the polls for the fifth time in five years. Read more.

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LJUBLJANA

Communist-era leader buried with military honours in Slovenia stirs up controversy. Janez Zemljarič, a politician who held several top positions during the communist era, including head of the secret police, has been buried with military honours, sparking controversy and reigniting old political divisions. Read more.

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PRISTINA

NATO’s KFOR rejects Serbian request for military presence in Kosovo. KFOR, the NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo, has rejected Serbia’s request to return Serbian security forces to the country’s north following rising tensions over the last month. Read more.

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TIRANA

Albania armed and ready for military conflict, but no threat at present. Albania is not currently under threat but it is prepared for the worst-case scenario, said Defence Minister Niko Peleshi, referring to the purchase of Bayraktar drones from Turkey. Read more.

AGENDA

EU: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni;
Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson addresses the Security Conference 2023 in Sälen, Sweden;
International Partnerships Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen receives OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid;
Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski exchanges views with the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development about the consequences of inflation on the CAP budget;
European Parliament Committee of Inquiry to investigate the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware debates its impact on democratic processes;
Germany: Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Cypriot counterpart Ioannis Kasoulides hold a joint press conference;
Czech Republic: Court delivers verdict in fraud case against former prime minister and presidential candidate Andrej Babis;
Belarus: Start of the trial against journalists from independent news outlet Tut.by;
Mexico: President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador hosts US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau;
Morocco: Appeal trial hearing of migrants jailed over Nador-Melilla border deaths;