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In today's news from The Capitals :
PARIS
Although a Paris court found her guilty on Monday, Marine Le Pen has not backed down and said she will appeal the ruling. But what does this mean for her political future? Read on.
WESTERN EUROPE
BERLIN
Economists have found that U.S. retaliatory tariffs are unlikely to affect German exports. If the U.S. were to impose literal “retaliatory” tariffs on German products, exports to the U.S. would fall by 3% at worst, a new report says, also suggesting that EU retaliation could cause more economic damage than doing nothing. Read more.
UK AND IRELAND
DUBLIN
Trump bombs global trade, Irish pharma in debt. If you're an American and Tariff Day/Emancipation Day has given you a headache, buy your meds today. Irish pharma has been given a reprieve, for now, but Ireland's massive pharma trade imbalance with the United States is still in Trump's crosshairs. Read more.
SOUTH OF EUROPE
ROME
Meloni does not rule out US tariff response. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday issued a clear warning about the possible impact of new US tariffs, saying they could seriously affect Italian producers and ultimately hurt the US as well. Read more.
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LISBON
Portugal's President: Iberian countries should be at the 'core' of EU defence. Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said on Tuesday that the European Union should have “its own defence” – with Portugal and Spain at the “core” of countries building it – while acknowledging that some other EU member states would probably prefer to stay out of the project.
The head of state outlined this position in his speech at the La Toja-Vínculo Atlántico Forum, in which he examined the current global situation, the challenges posed by the current US administration led by Donald Trump, and the uncertainties regarding the settlement of the war in Ukraine.
De Souza said this was a “decisive moment” for the European Union, which must remain “united, strong and progressive” and fight for democratic values.
Against this background, the head of state stated that the EU “needs to have its own defense, not several defenses, but its own defense.”
“Not that it is not necessary, as far as this is concerned, to do everything to maintain the transatlantic bond,” he said. “But it needs its own defense, not several defenses, but its own defense. And those in Europe who want to maintain unity will line up for that defense.”
According to de Souza, “there will always be those who will remain, because they will not leave, but they will not enter this core, they will always be there, and at the same time they will always support alternatives for dialogue.”
“But the most important thing, the core, must be solid and have solid support from the electorate,” he continued. “And this core includes Portugal and Spain, Spain and Portugal. They are not the only ones in the core, but they are necessary in the core.”
(Ines Escobar Lima – edited by Pedro Sousa Carvalho | Lusa.pt)
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ATHENS
Greece to invest €25bn in defence, eyes Israel for 'Achilles Shield' dome Greece will invest €25bn to bolster its defences over the next 12 years, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday, adding that Israel will be a key partner. Read more.
EAST EUROPE
WARSAW
A far-right candidate claims that the outgoing Polish president is considering supporting him. “President Andrzej Duda said that there are two candidates he would like to see win and that he could imagine supporting either of them,” Slawomir Mentzen, a far-right candidate for the Polish presidency (Confederation, ESN/PfE), said on YouTube. Read more.
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PRAGUE
Czech court rejects opposition bid to overturn rules on subsidies for small farms. The Czech Constitutional Court has rejected an opposition bid to overturn the country's farm subsidy rules, handing the government a political victory and dealing a blow to former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš's controversial ANO party. Read more.
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BRATISLAVA
Slovak government gives green light to new legislation targeting NGOs. The Slovak government approved a “lobbyist” draft law on non-governmental organizations yesterday, drawing sharp criticism from NGOs who called it “Putin-style legislation” for which protests are already planned. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
Bulgaria gets first US fighter jet agreed by Trump. The Bulgarian Air Force received its first F-16 Block 70 multirole fighter on Wednesday, marking the start of a long-delayed modernization of its defense capabilities. During the official ceremony, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov emphasized that the $2.5 billion deal for 16 F-16s was agreed upon during US President Donald Trump’s first term.
The US vs. ReArm . In recent years, Bulgaria has struck several major military deals with Washington to re-equip its army, including new fighter jets, Stryker infantry fighting vehicles armed with Javelin missiles, and more. At the same time, Bulgaria is also seeking to use the European ReArm scheme to strengthen its army.
“The F-16 fighter is, first of all, a symbol of Bulgaria's strategic partnership with the United States,” Prime Minister Zhelyazkov said. For the next few years, Bulgaria will continue to use its aging Soviet-era MiG-29 fighters to secure its airspace until the new American aircraft are fully integrated into the air force.
(Krassen Nikolov | Euractiv.bg)
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BUCHAREST
Romania is negotiating with Brussels to maintain funding for 13 hospitals in the recovery plan. Minister of Investments and European Projects Marcel Bolos is negotiating with Brussels to ensure that at least 13 hospitals included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) remain funded.
Initially, 24 hospitals were included in the PNRR, but after initial negotiations only 19 remained. Current discussions with the European Commission are focused on ensuring that the 13 hospitals with signed public procurement contracts and ongoing construction works continue to receive funding from the PNRR.
The remaining six hospitals could be financed either by transferring funds to the Cohesion Policy or by loans from the European Investment Bank. “The Commission is concerned that these hospital infrastructure projects, which are complex and carry a high implementation risk, may not be completed by 31 August 2026,” explained Marcel Boloche.
“Small interests.” MEP Vlad Voiculescu, a former health minister, denies that the problem is a lack of administrative capacity, as the authorities often claim. “We have expertise in Romania. We created an institution dedicated exclusively to hospital infrastructure, and we have the necessary funding. What was missing was a minimum of integrity and professionalism,” he told Euractiv România.
He added that the process was also slowed down by “petty interests of local barons and officials in the Ministry of Health.”
(Catalina Mihai | Euractiv.ro)
AGENDAS:
- EU : Commission President Ursula von der Leyen takes part in the first EU-Central Asia Summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan; Together with European Council President Antonio Costa, meets with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev; holds meetings with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov;
- High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas participates in an informal meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on defence issues in Warsaw, Poland;
- Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera speaks at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C., USA; meets with Canadian Competition Commissioner Matthew Boswell;
- Vice-President Henna Virkkunen delivers keynote speech at European Innovation Council Summit; receives IOM Director General Amy Pope;
- Vice-President Raffaele Fitto takes part in the 165th plenary session of the Committee of the Regions (CR);
- Energy and Housing Commissioner Dan Jorgensen meets with Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar in Ankara, Türkiye;
- Financial Services Commissioner María Luis Albuquerque delivers a speech at the high-level event “Capital Markets for a More Competitive Europe” in Stockholm, Sweden;
- Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šujca delivers a keynote speech at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean in Granada, Spain; meets with Speaker of the House of Representatives of Morocco Rachid Talbi El Alami, Deputy Speaker of the Algerian Parliament Nasser Battiche;
- Plenary session of the Parliament on the Action Plan on Rare Diseases, 110th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, etc.; vote on the EU talent pool, energy-intensive industries, etc.
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[Edited by Vas Panagiotopoulos, Charles Shumsky, Daniel Ek, Sofia Mandilar]
Source: Source
