Finland, US eye 6G to reduce Chinese tech dependence

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.

Today’s edition is powered by European Free Alliance (EFA)

Break down electoral thresholds: fair votes for fair representation

In elections all across Europe, democracy is limited by electoral thresholds. The result is parliaments that don’t reflect the real diversity of society. All voters are equal. Let’s make votes equal too.

Learn more >>

In today’s news from the Capitals:

HELSINKI

Finland and the US have signed a Joint Statement on Cooperation in Advanced Wireless Communications in Helsinki, which was seen as the ”free world’s” response to Chinese technology. Read more.

///

EUROPEAN SPECIAL REPORT

Urgency felt but political will missing, says health workforce expert. Member states need to take the lead in addressing healthcare labour shortages, and the EU needs to establish monitoring and funding schemes as part of a common European response, global health policy researcher at WEMOS Corinne Hinlopen told EURACTIV. Read more.

///

VIENNA

Migration hardliner Doksozil confirmed as Austria’s social-democratic party chief. Austria’s Social Democratic SPÖ party elected migration hardliner Hans Peter Dosksozil to lead the party at a special party convention in Linz on Saturday, kickstarting an internal process to decide the party’s direction ahead of the 2024 legislative elections. Read more.

///

BERLIN

Poll: German far-right head to head with SPD as opposition leads. Germany’s far-right party AfD has now caught up with Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) as the two are polling at 19% in latest opinion polls, while the leading opposition party, the conservative union of CDU and CSU, is polling at 27%, data published by polling institute INSA this weekend reads. Read more.

///

THE HAGUE

Rutte defends migration policy against own party criticism. Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD/Renew) addressed criticism from members of his own party for lack of a clear-cut plan on the country’s migration crisis during a party congress on Saturday, stating he remains cautions to ensure ‘stability of the cabinet’. Read more.

UK AND IRELAND

LONDON

UK fighter jets, helicopters train alongside NATO allies in Estonia. RAF Typhoon fighter jets and Army Air Corps Apache helicopters concluded a training exercise off the coast of Estonia on Friday, where they practised firing heavy machine guns and advanced missiles, alongside over 10,000 personnel from 11 NATO countries, according to the UK Defence Ministry. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

ROME

Salvini: joining EPP ‘not on the agenda’. Lega’s entry into the European People’s Party (EPP) is not on the agenda amid differences on key issues, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini told The T before adding that he will continue to work for an agreement of the centre-right parties in Brussels. Read more.

///

MADRID

Left union ‘key’ to prevent PP-VOX government. Left-wing parties Sumar and Unidas Podemos will ally and are eyeing to join forces with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s PSOE to avoid a future government of centre-right Partido Popular (PP/EPP) and the far-right party VOX (ECR), according to Yolanda Díaz, Spanish labour minister and prime minister candidate with the progressive platform Sumar, and Unidas Podemos’ Secretary General, Ione Belarra. Read more.

///

ATHENS

Greek centre-right set to win second election round. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ centre-right New Democracy is leading current polls with enough predicted votes to win a majority of seats ahead of a snap election that was called after no party won a majority to form a government in elections last month. Read more.

VISEGRAD

PRAGUE

Czech PM: EU right converges to prevent left-wing majority. The European People’s Party (EPP) and the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) groups are gradually converging to prevent the emergence of a left-wing majority in the European Parliament after the 2024 elections, said Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS, ECR). Read more.

///

WARSAW

Donald Tusk gathers half a million at anti-government pre-election march. About 500,000 people marched through Warsaw to protest the current Law and Justice (PIS) government, following a call by opposition leader and former European Council president Donald Tusk ahead of this year’s upcoming election. Read more.

///

BRATISLAVA

Slovakia looks for new recovery fund plans after scrapping hospital. Slovakia’s new technocratic government is renegotiating its recovery plan with the European Commission after admitting that the €281 million project for an 800-bed hospital in Bratislava could not be finished before the 2026 deadline. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

BUCHAREST

Romania’s Social Democrats threaten early elections if no PM switch. The Social Democratic Party (PSD) will trigger early elections if the prime minister switch that was agreed to within the ruling coalition in December and which was supposed to have already taken place is not respected, said Social-Democrat MEP Victor Negrescu, noting his party is ready to lead. Read more.

///

SOFIA

Ukrainian Bulgarians want leader of Bulgarian pro-Russian party punished. Bulgaria’s parliament should punish Kostadin Kostadinov, leader of Bulgarian pro-Russian party Vazrazhdane, mayors of municipalities with a Bulgarian population in Ukraine’s Odesa wrote in a letter published Friday, reacting to Kostadinov threatening to deport all Ukrainian refugees from Bulgaria if he comes to power. Read more.

///

ZAGREB

Inflation, interest rates will stay high amid poorer growth prospects, IMF chief says. Continuous inflationary pressure and higher interest rates will remain the main problem for the global economy next year, together with the overriding concern about longer-term growth prospects, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund told Croatian state broadcaster HRT on Sunday. Read more.

///

BELGRADE

Anti-government protests continue in Serbia. The fifth “Serbia against violence” protest was held on Saturday, exactly one month after the first of two mass shootings, with protestors demanding the replacements of both Interior Minister Bratislav Gašić and the head of national intelligence agency BIA, Aleksandar Vulin, and TV stations that ‘ promote violence’ to have their licences revoked. Read more.

///

TIRANA

Drought in southern Europe results in big demand for Albanian olive oil. The export of Albanian olive oil has quadrupled in 2023 when compared to the rate it sold in 2022, according to the Deputy Minister of Agriculture Arian Jaupllari, due in part to droughts in Spain and Italy resulting in lower production. Read more.

///

PRISTINA

Kurti says conflict aims to divide country, former FM wants US to take lead in dialogue. Prime Minister Albin Kurti has called the recent violence in the north of Kosovo a push to divide the country or create a version of Republika Srpska, while former foreign minister Meliza Haradinaj said Kosovo should review EU participation in ongoing dialogue and look to the US to take the lead. Read more.

AGENDA:

EU: Commission Vice President Dubravka Šuicain attends EU Joint Research Centre’s launch event for the report on demography and climate change;
Commission Vice President Vĕra Jourová speaks at the roundtable of EU and Democratic Russia representatives;
Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides and WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus launch the digital health initiative between the European Commission and the World Health Organisation;
Neighbourhood and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi addresses the 4th debate on rule of law issues “Pravo na pravdu” [Right to Justice] in Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina;
Budget and Administration Commssioner Johannes Hahn delivers a keynote speech at 5th Annual Capital Markets Seminar, jointly organised by the European Commission, the European Investment Bank and the European Stability Mechanism;
Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič meets Minister of Health and Care Services Ingvild Kjerkjol, in Oslo: goes on field visit to witness the ongoing EU-financed medical evacuation of Ukrainian patients operated by Norway;
Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson participates in ministerial meeting of the Coalition of European Countries against Serious and Organised Crime;
International Partnerships Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen attends high level geopolitical dialogue in the EU Parliament with AFET and DEVE Committees;
Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmit hosts President of the Assembly of European Regions Magnus Berntsson;
ECB President Christine Lagarde testifies before EU Parliament;
EU Court of Justice rules on Polish judicial reform, which the Commission alleges undermines judges’ independence;
Norway: International conference on the protection of children in armed conflict;
Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez hosts Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson;
Brazil: German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock on official visit;
South Africa: Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on official visit;
Angola: Portugal’s Prime Minister Antonio Costa on official visit;