In the German parliament, Merz is now against the far right

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In today's news from The Capitals :

BERLIN

“Responsibility” appears to be Friedrich Merz’s new favorite word. He used the word 18 times in his first speech as chancellor to Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, on Wednesday — more than any other term in headlines except “Germany” (35 times) and “European” (20 times), according to our rough count. Read more.

Germany's Merz vows to build Europe's strongest military. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in his first speech to parliament after taking office, promised to “provide all the necessary financial resources” to turn Germany's military into the strongest in Europe. Read more.

German renewables lobby criticises grid fee plan for home producers. Germany's solar and wind industries have responded cautiously to a new proposal from the Federal Grid Agency that would introduce a grid fee for producers feeding electricity into the public grid. Trade associations say the fees could slow the expansion of renewables in Germany, while energy analysts say the current rules unfairly favour small power producers. Read more.

WESTERN EUROPE

PARIS

France is struggling to reduce pesticide use. The agriculture ministry said France was “progressing more slowly” than the European Union average in reducing pesticide use, a year after the country launched its latest strategy to reduce pesticide use by 2030. Read more.

SOUTH OF EUROPE

ROME

EU probes Italy's rule of law amid ministers' absence Italy's legal and democratic standards were put to the test by the EU at a closed hearing on Wednesday where the forthcoming 2025 rule of law report for Italy was presented, with the absence of key Italian ministers seen as a political boycott. Read more.

More visitors than residents: Italian attractions are enjoying record numbers. Italy's state museums and archaeological sites attracted more than 60 million visitors in 2024, outpacing the country's population of 59 million, according to the Italian Ministry of Culture.

Ticket sales reached a record €382 million, €68 million more than in 2023.

“This is the best result for state museums and archaeological parks,” Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said in a press release, adding that visitor numbers had exceeded pre-COVID-19 levels.

The Colosseum in Rome alone was visited by 14.7 million people, followed by the Uffizi Galleries in Florence (5.3 million) and the archaeological site of Pompeii (4.3 million).

(Ines Fernandez-Pontes | Euractiv)

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LISBON

Portugal: Economy minister says companies will thrive if Brussels cuts red tape. Portugal's Economy Minister Pedro Reis on Wednesday spoke of the importance of Brussels cutting red tape to allow companies to grow, stressing the need for common legal instruments. “If we manage to make Europe an oasis against bureaucracy in this next cycle and deregulate as much as possible, we will already be doing what companies need and then we will be able to give them room to breathe. If Brussels takes care to cut red tape, companies will be grateful and will grow on their own,” he said.

The comments came during the Cotec Europa business summit in Coimbra, where the Economy Minister stressed the importance of creating common legal instruments to “expand scale and improve competitiveness.”

“Common legal instruments that allow a product to be launched across Europe at the same time, harmonisation is extremely important. European quality marks that positively characterise projects and ensure competitiveness due to scale, especially if they promote competition and eliminate bureaucracy, which is a big problem for Europe,” he said.

In his speech, the minister also stated that Portugal “depends only on its capacity to innovate and reindustrialize” and stressed that the country is “at the center of a new knowledge revolution.”

(Sergio Silva Soares – edited by Pedro Sousa Carvalho | Lusa.pt)

EAST EUROPE

WARSAW

The Warsaw-Bucharest axis is causing a backlash just days before the vote. Right-wing candidates Karol Nawrocki and George Simion, running in elections in Poland and Romania respectively, appeared together at a campaign rally in Poland on Wednesday, before both countries go to the polls on Sunday. Read more.

Disinformation Centre warns of foreign ads targeting Polish election candidates. With Poland's key presidential election approaching on Sunday, the Polish Disinformation Analysis Centre, part of the Research and Academic Computer Network (NASK), has identified Facebook ads that are potentially externally funded and aimed at influencing the ongoing election campaign.

NASK, as part of its “Election Umbrella” initiative, found that over the past week, accounts allegedly financed from outside have spent more than all election commissions combined on political advertising targeting Polish voters.

Advertising campaigns from specific accounts appeared to favor one candidate while undermining others. These campaigns specifically targeted the poll leaders: Rafał Trzaskowski of the Civic Platform (PO, EPP), led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk; Karol Nawrocki of PiS (ECR); and Sławomir Mentzen of the far-right Confederation (PfE) party.

“The analysis suggests a possible provocation, potentially aimed at harming the candidate allegedly supported by such advertising and destabilizing the situation in the run-up to the presidential elections,” NASK said in a statement.

Digital Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski (left, S&D) said the government had taken security measures to protect all institutions involved in Sunday's presidential election. He added that cyberattacks could happen – and were probably already happening. “But we have a strong national cyber shield that protects us and will continue to do so. We have done everything to ensure the election is secure,” he said on May 14.

(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)

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PRAGUE

The Czechs can't get any innovations… patients are waiting a long time for new medicines. In the latest report “Patients WAIT Indicator 2024”, comparing the availability of new medicines in 36 European countries, the Czech Republic ranks seventh overall, and only Slovenia matches its performance in the region. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Slovaks least willing to defend country compared to Czechs and Poles. Slovakia scored the lowest in Central and Eastern Europe when it comes to willingness to defend the country if attacked, according to a new poll by Globsec, a nonpartisan think tank. Only 49% of Slovak respondents said they would take up arms, compared to 81% of Czechs and 84% of Poles. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

SOFIA

Bulgaria shifts from EU funding to private capital for key public investments . Bulgaria is preparing to replace EU cohesion funds with private investment and long-term concessions to rebuild its critical public infrastructure, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said on Wednesday, citing the need for financial and strategic partners in the country's future infrastructure development. Read more.

AGENDAS:

EU : The Foreign Affairs Council, through its Trade Committee, meets to discuss trade relations with the US, European economic security, trade negotiations and more;
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attends the sixth EU-Western Balkans dinner hosted by European Council President António Costa in Tirana, Albania;
High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas attends the Western Balkans Summit in Tirana, Albania; meets with Greenlandic Minister of Foreign Affairs and Research Viviane Motzfeld;
Commission Vice President Henna Virkkunen meets with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in Silicon Valley, USA;
Vice President Raffaele Fitto meets with Uruguayan Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin; receives a delegation of 15 European mayors promoting the Mayors for Housing initiative;
Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius takes part in the meeting of the EU Chiefs of Defence Staff;
Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šujca is participating in the International Democracy Union (IDU) 2025 Forum on the theme “Shrinking Society: What Happens When Nations Stop Having Children”;
Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jorgensen receives representatives of Fertilizers Europe;
Commissioner for Environment, Water Sustainability and a Competitive Circular Economy Jessica Roswall delivers keynote speech at the Raw Materials Summit 2025; holds online meeting with European Beekeeping Association President Boštjan Noč; meets Plastics Recyclers Europe President Ton Means;
Economic and Productivity Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis meets Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey;
Parliamentary Subcommittee on Human Rights: The human rights situation in Turkey;
Parliament's International Trade Committee discusses trade relations with the US, updated study on trade aspects of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement;
The House Select Committee on the Housing Crisis discusses non-profit, co-operative, public housing models and public-private partnerships;
The Parliamentary Committee on Security and Defence is discussing the Cable Security Action Plan.