Meloni minces words over China’s Belt and Road Initiative

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In today’s news from the Capitals:

ROME

Italy will have to decide whether or not to renew the ‘Silk Road’ or ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI) by the end of the year, but Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has shied away from giving a definitive indication of whether her government will sign on the dotted line. Read more.

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BERLIN

Germany to declare Georgia, Moldova safe countries to easily reject asylum bids. The German government will make it easier to reject asylum applications from Georgia and Moldova by classifying them as safe countries of origin in legislation that was passed by the cabinet at a two-day retreat at Meseberg Castle and will now go through parliament, the Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday. Read more.

German coalition seeks economic reset, but no agreement on energy subsidies. Concluding a two-day government retreat, Germany’s coalition passed a stimulus package and bureaucracy relief measures to boost businesses and tackle low growth, but questions on Germany’s long-term economic perspective remain unanswered. Read more.

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PARIS

Politicians question France’s doctrine in Africa amid Gabon coup. While radical left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon accused French President Emmanuel Macron of having supported incumbent president Ali Bongo until the end, Marine Le Pen pointed to the- in her words- pitiful results of the government’s African policy. Read more.

France threatening to fly solo on electricity market reform. France may come up with national rather than European solutions to reduce electricity prices if discussions on reforming the EU market do not progress fast enough, the country’s Energy Transition Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher said on Tuesday. Read more.

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BRUSSELS

Belgian PM rejects undocumented migrant regulation to address unemployment. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD, Renew) positioned himself against a proposal aiming to regulate undocumented migrants – which was issued to address the unemployment crisis in Wallonia – on Wednesday. Read more.

NORDICS AND BALTICS

STOCKHOLM

Swedish Liberals and far-right clash over school’s duty to report illegal children. An argument broke out between the ruling Liberals and their ally far-right party, Sweden Democrats, over the obligation for schools to report children from undocumented families on Wednesday. Read more.

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OSLO

Norwegian foreign minister engulfed in arms scandal. Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt’s husband bought shares in arms manufacturer Kongsberg Gruppen in recent years while she was in office, although she was unaware at the time, the minister told a press conference on Wednesday. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

ATHENS

Athens fumes after NATO praises Turkey over 1922 war victory against Greece. Greece filed a complaint to NATO’s chief Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday after the Ankara-based Allied Land Command (LANDCOM) praised Turkey on social media for its victory against Greece in a war in 1922. Read more.

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MADRID

Sánchez rejects Feijóo’s ‘offer’ of two-year government, to ‘save own skin’. Partido Popular leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo only wants to ‘save his own skin’ with the offer he made to acting Prime Minister and socialist leader Pedro Sánchez to put in place a two-year conservative government, the spokesperson of the progressive formation, Pilar Alegría, said on Wednesday. Read more.

Spanish foreign ministry complains to UK over Gibraltar waters incident. The Spanish Foreign Ministry has lodged a formal complaint with the UK’s embassy in Madrid over what Madrid deems to be three ‘serious incidents’ in waters near the Rock of Gibraltar in August. Read more.

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LISBON

Portuguese government made no effort with sanctions on Russia, says think tank. The government has made ‘no effort’ since the start of the war in Ukraine to apply the sanctions defined by the EU, particularly with regard to the assets of Russian oligarchs, said Portugal’s Frente Cívica (Civic Front) association on Wednesday. Read more.

VISEGRAD

PRAGUE

Czech ANO party presents evidence of liberalism to remain in EU’s ALDE party. The Czech ANO party of former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has given ALDE – a pan-European liberal political party, which is represented in the European Parliament as Renew Europe – materials in which it defends its liberalism in a bid to remain in the European liberal family. Read more.

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WARSAW

Poland OK’s new legislation for constructing renewable energy sources. A bill aimed at increasing the share of renewable energy sources in Poland’s energy mix will enter into force soon after being signed off by President Andrzej Duda. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Czech company allegedly copied Slovak artillery system used in Ukraine. State-owned Konštrukta Defence, maker of the Zuzana howitzer, is calling for a meeting of its copyright holders on Monday after claims that Czech company Excalibur Army plagiarised the artillery system to make its Dita howitzer, a direct competition for Ukraine exports. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

SOFIA

Bulgarian oligarch tries to get off Magnitsky list. Bulgarian oligarch Vasil Bozhkov, who returned home from Dubai on Friday after three years in hiding from multiple criminal charges, is trying to get off the US sanctions list under the Global Magnitsky Act, where he ended up in the summer of 2021. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Romanian minister’s National Recovery Plan transfer proposal risks Cohesion Policy. The European Funds Minister Adrian Câciu announced on Wednesday that representatives of the EU Commission have understood the need to transfer delayed investments, but it could carry a risk of non-implementation within the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNNR) to the Cohesion Policy. Read more.

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BELGRADE

New construction law will harmonise Serbia’s legislation with EU, says minister. The Law on Planning and Construction is in line with the principles of the EU and is beneficial for Serbia to harmonise its legislation with the EU, said Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure Minister Goran Vesić. Read more.

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TIRANA

Rama: Greek interference in Albanian justice has no place in democracy, sovereignty. Greece’s threats to block Albania’s EU accession path over the arrest of Albanian ethnic Greek Mayor of Himare Fredi Beleri on suspicion of vote buying are a complete contradiction of the country’s sovereign right to exercise and implement its own European legislation, Prime Minister Edi Rama told ERT on Wednesday. Read more.

AGENDA:

EU: Informal ministerial meeting on foreign affairs convenes to discuss the situation in the Sahel and, particularly, in Niger, as well as Russia’s war against Ukraine and the peace formula proposed by Kyiv;
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen holds meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, in Paris;
Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski participates in exchange of views on the Black Sea Grain Deal, organised by the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Parliament;
Parliament President Roberta Metsola meets with President of the European Economic and Social Committee Oliver Röpke;
Spain: Ukraine Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba on official visit;
Russia: Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov hosts Turkish Counterpart Hakan Fidan;

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