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.
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In today’s news from the Capitals:
WARSAW
A Legionnaires’ disease outbreak, caused by Legionella bacteria, broke out in Rzeszów, the capital of Poland’s Podkarpackie Voivodship and a strategic hub for NATO, on 17 August, leading to an investigation by security services to determine its source. Read more.
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PARIS
Macron gathers parties to build political agenda, opposition cynical. The leaders of the political parties represented in the French parliament will gather on Wednesday around President Emmanuel Macron, who wants to identify points of political convergence in the context of a relative majority in the French National Assembly. Read more.
Dassault Aviation boss: European defence depends on French industry. The EU’s defence industry capabilities come down primarily to France’s six-decade nuclear dissuasion strategy that encouraged cutting-edge technological investments, Dassault Aviation CEO, Eric Trappier, said on Tuesday. Read more.
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BERLIN
German farmers hit by climate change impacts, new data shows. Farmers and campaigners are warning of the impacts climate change has on agricultural production in Germany amid mixed results for this year’s harvest due to adverse weather events. Read more.
Germany, France ask EU to cut bureaucracy for companies. The German government and France want to launch an initiative to ask the EU to cut reporting obligations for companies, an effort Berlin hopes will help bring its economy back on track. Read more.
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VIENNA
Bosnia seeks Austrian support for Frontex status agreement. Bosnia and Herzegovina is hoping to get Austria’s help in signing a status agreement with the border agency Frontex, as Bosnian Interior Minister Nenad Nesic met with Austrian counterpart Gerhard Karner during a working meeting in Vienna on Tuesday. Read more.
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BRUSSELS
Flemish right-wing leader does not want far-right in government. Flemish right-wing party leader Bart De Wever (NV-A/ECR) wants a coalition with the Open VLD (Renew) and CD&V (EPP) parties for the 2024 elections, effectively preventing the far right from coming to power. Read more.
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THE HAGUE
Dutch FM’s EU commissioner bid causes discontent within party. Party members of prospective EU Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra (CDA/EPP) expressed their disdain following his nomination being backed by Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen on Tuesday, lamenting the secrecy surrounding his decision. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
STOCKHOLM
Minister: Iran targets Sweden in foreign influence campaigns. Sweden continues to be the target of foreign information influence campaigns from, among others, Russia and Iran, according to Civil Defence Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin. Read more.
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COPENHAGEN
Denmark cannot avoid diesel tax, says foreign minister. A diesel tax is unavoidable if Denmark is to reach its climate targets by 2025, Foreign Minister and Moderate Party leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen said at a press conference on Tuesday. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
MADRID
Sánchez, Feijóo meet for ‘dialogue of the deaf’ as political deadlock continues. Leaders from the Socialist Party (PSOE) and the centre-right Partido Popular (PP), the main opposition force, will discuss potential solutions to overcome the nation’s political deadlock. Read more.
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ROME
Italian defence minister: Reform of Stability Pact necessary for EU countries. Reforming the Stability and Growth Pact is necessary for EU countries, according to Defence Minister Guido Crosettoto, to take into account the new European geopolitical and economic order. Read more.
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LISBON
Portugal’s Volkswagen plant production halt will hit upstream suppliers, says union. Palmela’s Volkswagen plant’s production stoppage, set for September, could jeopardise jobs in other companies, the coordinator of the Autoeuropa Industrial Park Workers’ Committees, Daniel Bernardino, told EURACTIV’s partner Lusa on Tuesday. Read more.
VISEGRAD
PRAGUE
Czech president wants Visegrad to be ‘pro-European’ again. Czech President Petr Pavel wants the Visegrad Group – a regional cooperation consisting of Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary – to be as democratic and pro-European as it was when it was founded, he said at a meeting of Czech heads of embassies in Prague. Read more.
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BUDAPEST | ROME
Meloni to be keynote speaker at Budapest Demographic Summit. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will be one of the keynote speakers at the upcoming Budapest Demographic Summit in mid-September, Hungarian President Katalin Novák announced on her Facebook page on Tuesday. Read more.
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BRATISLAVA
Slovakia’s former FM Korčok to declare presidential candidacy. Ivan Korčok is anticipated to officially announce his presidential candidacy at a press conference on Wednesday morning after President Zuzana Čaputová announced her decision not to seek reelection due to personal reasons. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
BUCHAREST
Three Seas Initiative to enlarge with Greece says Romanian president. Greece’s membership in 3SI – a platform of economic cooperation between Central European EU countries – is likely at the upcoming summit in Bucharest in September, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday at the Annual Reunion of Romanian Diplomacy. Read more.
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SOFIA
Bulgaria offers Slovenia new nuclear power plant project. Bulgaria offered Slovenia to join the project for the new reactors at the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant as an energy buyer or as an investor, an offer that was already made to Greece earlier this year. Read more.
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ZAGREB
Croatian banks’ profit up since eurozone accession. Croatian banks posted a half-year profit more than 60% higher than in the same year-ago period, according to central bank data released on Tuesday. Read more.
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BELGRADE
Serbian PM: EU’s ever-changing criteria make expansion by 2030 unrealistic. Joining the EU is a long process that has no end in sight and its criteria for membership is constantly changing, said Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić in response to President of the European Council, Charles Michel’s statement that the EU must be ready for expansion by 2030. Read more.
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TIRANA
Albanian export farmers face bankruptcy due to strength of lek against euro. Some 30% of Albanian agricultural exporters went bankrupt in 2023 due to high losses caused by the significant strengthening of the lek against the euro over the last months, further exacerbating a cost crisis already faced by businesses in this area. Read more.
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson]
Read more with EURACTIV
Albanian export farmers face bankruptcy due to strength of lek against euro
Source: euractiv.com
