Germany doesn’t see BRICS enlargement as threat

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In today’s news from the Capitals:

BERLIN

Leading German policymakers dismissed fears over the BRICS expansion announced for 2024, pointing instead to Russia and China, the two giants they see as the real threat. Read more.

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EU INSTITUTIONS

Dutch to nominate Foreign Minister Hoekstra as EU Commissioner. The Dutch government will nominate outgoing Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra as an EU commissioner, caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Thursday, confirming media reports. Read more.

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PARIS | MADRID

Spain, France leftist leaders gear up against right-wing surge. The Party of the European Left calls for transnational unity as La France Insoumise leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Sumar President Yolanda Díaz argue that offering a solid social programme is the key to fighting the right-wing parties in the next EU elections. Read more.

PARIS

Eyeing China, France mulls foreign investment screenings in raw materials sector. The scope of French foreign investment control will be broadened to critical raw materials’ extraction and transformation, Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire announced on Thursday, in an apparent reference to China’s near-monopoly in the sector. Read more.

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BRUSSELS

Azerbaijani President snubs Belgian FM after diplomatic incident. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev allegedly refused to meet with Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib on Thursday because she made a statement over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict earlier this week in Armenia. Read more.

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BRUSSELS | BUCHAREST

Belgium asks Romania to explain fake dentist diploma phenomenon. Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke has contacted the Romanian authorities to find out how the country controls the authenticity of dental diplomas following reports of individuals with Romanian credentials who want to practise in Belgium but have limited knowledge of dentistry. Read more.

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THE HAGUE

Dutch to start training Ukrainians to hunt maritime mines. The Netherlands will step up its aid to Ukraine by providing mine-hunter training to Ukrainian soldiers, outgoing Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren (D66/Renew) announced during the Crimea Platform conference in Kyiv on Thursday. Read more.

NORDICS & BALTICS

STOCKHOLM

Swedish Social Democrats want to send Ukraine fighter jets amid EU F-16 pledges. The opposition Social Democrats want Sweden to send Jas Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine, party leader and former prime minister Magdalena Andersson told a press conference on Thursday after some EU countries and Norway announced they would send F-16 fighter jets. Read more.

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VILNIUS

September to start with key by-election in Lithuania. Kicking off the second half of the European election year is the Raseinių-Kėdainių parliamentary by-election in constituency 42., where voters will go to the polls on 3 September to elect a new MP. Read more.

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RIGA

Latvian minister Evika Silina asked to take PM role. Latvia’s minister for social protection, Evika Silina, was on Thursday asked by the president Edgars Rinkēvičs to form a new government, following the surprise resignation of the prime minister earlier this month. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

ATHENS

India’s PM visits Greece eyeing Piraeus port for exports. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Greece on Friday accompanied by key businessmen with an aim to explore possibilities to use Piraeus port as a gateway for Indian exports after Brexit, Greek media reported. Read more.

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MADRID

Spain’s left-wing Sumar says Catalan separatists could be granted constitutional amnesty. The political amnesty demanded by Catalan pro-independence parties for those prosecuted over the failed illegal referendum on self-determination held in October 2017 is constitutional and can be granted, the spokesman for the left-wing bloc Sumar, Ernest Urtasun, said on Thursday. Read more.

Spain’s football chief resigns after sexual harassment controversy. Luis Rubiales will resign on Friday as president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) after he faced widespread backlash for his behaviour after the Spanish women’s national team won the World Cup. Read more.

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ROME

Italy’s Schlein accuses Meloni government of hindering NGO migrant rescues. The leader of the Democratic Party, Elly Schlein, has accused Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government of committing the crime of solidarity, a term used to denounce governments that criminalise actions that help refugees seek shelter, such as preventing NGO ships from rescuing migrants. Read more.

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LISBON

Portugal pledges long-term support in Ukraine’s fight for independence. Portugal will always support the independence of Ukraine as it continues to fight a Russian invasion that began a year and a half ago, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said at an event in Kyiv marking the 32nd anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. Read more.

VISEGRAD

PRAGUE

Incidents targeting Ukrainians rise in Czechia. Incidents against Ukrainians are on the rise in the Czech Republic, with a recent analysis showing an increase between the start of the year and the end of July compared to the whole of last year. Read more.

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WARSAW

Polish opposition pulls Belarusian activists with liberal abortion views from race. Poland’s main opposition group, centrist Civic Coalition (KO), has removed Yana Shostak, a human rights activist from Belarus, from its electoral list ahead of October’s parliamentary elections, citing her too-liberal views on abortion rights. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Slovakia has most consistent economic growth in the EU. Slovakia’s GDP growth has been almost constant and the steadiest compared to other EU countries since 2014, a rather atypical performance for a small and export-driven country, according to a new analysis by the Institute of Financial Policy. Read more. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

SOFIA

Bulgaria wants new military radars starts talks with five countries. Bulgaria is starting negotiations with five of the world’s largest military production companies to purchase new radars for Bulgarian aviation, three of which are European, the Defence Ministry announced on Thursday. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Romanian PM seeks to ram tax reform through parliament, risks censure motion. The Romanian government will take responsibility for the administrative reform package and fiscal measures, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced on Thursday, allowing his government to pass laws on these files without amendments from parliament but exposing it to a possible no-confidence motion. Read more.

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LJUBLJANA

Flood damage in Slovenia estimated at €5 billion. Floods that hit large parts of northern and central Slovenia in early August are estimated to have caused around €5 billion in damage to homes, infrastructure and businesses, equivalent to one-third of the national budget or around 8% of GDP, according to the latest government estimates. Read more.

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BELGRADE

Serbian telecom operator to keep challenging Pristina’s suspension decision. Mobile Telephony Serbia (MTS), the only Serbian telecommunications company in Kosovo owned by state-owned Telekom Serbia, will continue to challenge the recent decision from Pristina to revoke the company’s licence, claiming that the decision affects jobs, livelihoods and the ability for many to contact loved ones. Read more.

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TIRANA

Albania mixed bag in citizen cyber awareness amid ongoing cyber attacks. As awareness of online privacy and cybersecurity is decreasing worldwide, Albanians rank highly in recognising online risks and knowing how to avoid them while coming last in terms of best practices to ensure safety online. Read more.

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson]