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In today’s news from the Capitals:
European politicians are treating Hungary with “unnecessary slick correctness”, EU Commission’s Vice-President Věra Jourová said during a public debate on Friday. Read more.
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A WORD FROM THE NETWORK
Bulgarian test for US Magnitsky Act. Ten EU citizens are on the US sanctions list under The Global Magnitsky Act, eight of whom are Bulgarians, yet, over the past few years, Hungary has overtaken Bulgaria in most international corruption rankings, with countries such as Romania, Greece, and Cyprus not far behind. Read more.
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SPECIAL REPORT
Spanish generics, biosimilars industry calls for ‘guaranteed profitability’. Leading representatives of the generic and biosimilar pharmaceutical industry in Spain have alerted authorities of the damage they are suffering due to the low prices of their drugs. Read more.
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BERLIN
Germany committed to phasing out combustion engine cars, vans. Germany is sticking to the compromise on phasing out internal combustion engines for cars and vans by 2035 despite recent critical voices, especially from the ranks of the Italian government. Read more.
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PARIS
Macron says the EU-Mercosur deal cannot fly without ‘mirror clauses’. There can be no EU-Mercosur deal without mirror clauses that would force producers from both sides of the world to respect the same environmental and health standards, French President Emmanuel Macron told farmers in Paris this weekend. Read more.
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VIENNA
Austria split over Russia sanctions. Austria’s far-right FPÖ continues to uphold its stance against sanctions on Russia, as surveys demonstrate that while Austrians, by and large support punitive actions, the far-right voters do not. Read more.
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BRUSSELS | BERLIN
Protests in Brussels, Berlin against arms supply to Ukraine. With the support of leftist parties, EU citizens took to the streets of Berlin and Brussels over the weekend to express their opposition against continuing to deliver weapons to Ukraine and calling instead for “diplomatic” solutions. In Germany, though, the protest triggered the government’s strong reaction. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
Finland puts four-day work week back on political agenda. Promising results from a four-day workweek trial in the UK revived the debate in Finland ahead of the April elections. Read more.
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TALLINN
Estonian elections: Home match for Renew Europe. Estonian voters will head to the polls this Sunday to elect their new national parliament amidst Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, an event of particular significance the country given its shared border with Russia and sizeable Russian-speaking minority. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ROME
Italy urges EU to take responsibility after another migrant shipwreck. The European Union must take ‘concrete responsibility’ in dealing with migration, President Sergio Mattarella said in an official statement after at least 59 migrants, including children, died in a shipwreck off southern Italy. Read more.
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MADRID
Spanish left-wing bloc Sumar to unite all progressive forces to stop the right. The recently established left-wing platform Sumar aspires to unite all progressive forces in the Spanish political arena, in a move to prevent a future coalition of centre-right PP and far-right Vox after the general election in the Iberian country, to be held in December. Read more.
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LISBON
Portuguese teachers protest, claim state schools are ‘dying’. State schools in Portugal are ‘dying’, according to protesters who blame the country’s leadership for the poor working conditions and injustices that teachers in state schools have witnessed over the years. Read more.
Child sex crimes in Portugal soar to five-year highs. Portugal’s criminal investigation police agency detained 210 people for underage sex crimes in 2022, reaching a figure not seen in the past five years, the criminal investigation coordinator for these cases in Lisbon and Tagus Valley told Lusa on Sunday. Read more.
VISEGRAD
WARSAW
Poland promises to send Ukraine another batch of Leopard tanks. Poland will send Ukraine another set of Leopards 2A4 in the next few weeks, the prime minister’s office announced after Poland became the first country to successfully send the first four tanks of the same brand. Read more.
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BRATISLAVA
Slovakia divided over Russian participation at Olympics. The government, the opposition and the Slovak Olympic Committee disagree on whether Russian and Belarussian athletes should be allowed to participate in the upcoming Paris Olympics. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
BELGRADE | PRISTINA
Serbia, Kosovo leaders expected to endorse EU plan to normalise relations. Serbia and Kosovo are expected to endorse a deal to normalise strained relations as at a high-level meeting in Brussels later on Monday (27 February), despite efforts from Russia to meddle in the process, according to a senior EU official. Read more.
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LJUBLJANA
Slovenia’s energy-intensive companies can now claim compensation. Energy-intensive companies can claim compensation for a portion of the indirect costs of greenhouse gas emissions after the European Commission approved Slovenia’s €99 million compensation scheme. Read more.
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BELGRADE
Serbia won’t budge on Kosovo independence ahead of Brussels meeting. Serbia will not agree to recognise Kosovo as a state, nor will it allow it to join the UN, said Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić ahead of what she expects to be “difficult” talks on the normalisation of relations with Pristina in Brussels on Monday. Read more.
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TIRANA
Albania witnesses almost 100% tourism increase in January. Albania’s tourism sector is going from strength to strength, even in ‘off-season’ according to statistics from January that show an almost 100% increase in visitor numbers compared to the same month in 2022. Read more.
AGENDA:
- EU: Telecommunications, transport, energy ministers hold informal meeting, organised by the Swedish Presidency in Stockholm; Agenda highlights include energy market design and security of supply, future transport policy for a competitive and climate neutral Europe, and more;
- Ministerial/state-secretary level meeting on “a gender equal economy in a society free from gender-based violence”, organised by the Swedish Presidency in Stockholm;
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meets UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland;
- Vice President Frans Timmermans delivers keynote speech at the opening session of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference; Hosts the President of the European Economic and Social Committee Christa Schweng;
- Vice President Dubravka Suica and Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmit on official mission to Croatia, meet with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, and more;
- International Partnerships Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen attends the meeting of the European Parliament’s Special Committee on the COVID-19 pandemic (COVI); Receives former EU Commissioners responsible for International Cooperation and Development;
- Neighbourhood and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi receives the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić;
- Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni hosts Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister of North Macedonia Fatmir Bytyqi;
- Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski receives Minister for Agriculture of Kazakhstan Yerbol Karashukeev;
- European Parliament President Roberta Metsola meets with the Speaker of the Swedish Riksdag Andreas Norlén;
- European Parliamentary Week takes place to encourage the exchange of views among members of national parliaments and MEPs on stability, economic coordination and governance in the EU takes place;
- EU hosts Kosovo-Serbia talks;
- Spain: Mobile World Congress takes place;
- Portugal: Conference on the marine economy World Ocean Summit takes place;
- UN: Security Council meets on Libya;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Sofia Mandilara]
Source: euractiv.com
