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In today’s news from the Capitals:
There is a risk that the far-right partner of the Swedish coalition government could give in to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s set of demands to extradite Kurdish opposition members, Swedish opposition Social Democratic MEP Evin Incir (S&D) told EURACTIV in an interview.
She added that Erdoğan is using his veto on Sweden’s NATO membership at the expense of Europe and Turkey itself. Read more.
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BERLIN
German Liberals could block climate projects after Berlin election fiasco. The coalition’s liberal FDP party could block green measures like new power lines and double down on building more highways to raise its profile among voters following its disastrous results in Sunday’s Berlin regional elections. Read more.
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PARIS
France calls on its citizens to leave Belarus by road. French citizens in Belarus are urged to leave the country by road without delay, the Foreign Ministry said Monday, pointing to the Lithuanian, Polish and Lithuanian borders as crossing points. Read more.
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VIENNA
Austria won’t train Ukrainians to man Leopard 2s. Austria will not train Ukrainian soldiers on using Leopard 2 battle tanks, Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner confirmed in a written statement to the public broadcaster Ö1. Read more.
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BRUSSELS
Germany’s Scholz woos key gas supplier in Belgium. Belgian Prime minister Alexander De Croo will meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday morning in Zeebrugge, the site of a massive LNG terminal, to discuss energy supply. Read more.
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THE HAGUE
Amsterdam presents new plan to tackle housing crisis. The Municipal Executive of Amsterdam presented a new proposed plan on Monday that aims to guarantee affordable housing and help lower and middle-income households in the city. Read more.
UK & IRELAND
LONDON
British embassy guard who spied for Russia filmed ‘secret’ letter to PM. A security guard at the British embassy in Berlin collected highly sensitive information for more than three years, including “secret” government communications with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, prosecutors told a London court on Monday. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
Finnish parties turn focus to budget balance ahead of elections. Balancing the state budget and reducing indebtedness as the national debt has risen to €144 billion has become a hot topic among Finnish parties ahead of the elections. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ROME
Italian right wins ‘vote of confidence’ in two most populous regions. Italy’s right-wing parties made huge gains during the regional elections held in two of Italy’s most populous regions, Lazio and Lombardy, confirming Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s leadership and the left opposition’s ceaseless decline. Read more.
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MADRID
Spanish Supreme Court upholds sentence against Catalan activists. Catalan pro-independence activists, including leader Oriol Junqueras, are banned from holding public office until 2031 despite receiving a government pardon for the crime of sedition in 2021, the Supreme Court decided following recent reform of the criminal code. Read more.
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LISBON
Portugal urged to raise reporting age for young victims of sexual abuse. Minor victims of sexual abuse crimes in Portugal should be able to report their case until they turn 30, not 22 as is currently the case, the Independent Commission for the Study of Sexual Abuse of Children in the Portuguese Catholic Church said Monday, urging parliament to change the law. Read more.
VISEGRAD
WARSAW
Poland to persuade Turkey to let Sweden into NATO. Poland will use its good relations with Ankara to convince Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to finally approve Sweden’s NATO membership, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said during a visit to Stockholm. Read more.
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PRAGUE
Czechia wants EU electricity reform to focus on supply security, investments. Supply security and simplifying investments for the transformation of the energy industry should be the main focus of EU electricity market reform, the Czech Industry and Trade Ministry revealed. Read more.
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BRATISLAVA
Slovakia sees new EU funds blocked as it lacks crucial strategy. Slovakia does not fulfil the basic criteria for the absorption of EU funds targeting social inclusion and poverty from the new programming period, meaning it will not be eligible for reimbursement, according to the European Commission, EURACTIV Slovakia reports. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
Bulgaria has not sanctioned Russians since 2014. Bulgaria has not imposed sanctions against Russian citizens or companies featured on the EU sanctions list since they were first imposed after the annexation of Crimea in 2014, according to answers provided by the national tax agency in response to an access to information inquiry filed by EURACTIV and Mediapool.bg. Read more.
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BUCHAREST
Romania sees increase in foreign investments. Foreign direct investments in Romania rose to €10.7 billion in 2022, from €8 billion in the previous year, central bank data showed Monday. Read more.
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ZAGREB
Croats unconvinced over Commission’s positive inflation forecast. Inflation in Croatia is expected to drop dramatically in Croatia this year and the next, according to the European Commission’s latest projections, though Croats themselves remain unconvinced. Read more.
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PRISTINA
Investigation reveals violations of EU Visa Code for Kosovo citizens. Kosovo citizens face a number of hurdles and obstacles, including those that violate the EU’s Visa Code, at the hands of private visa processing companies when applying to enter member states, according to an investigation by Kosovo 2.0. Read more.
Kosovo Police bust drug labs in Serb-majority north. Kosovo Police raided and seized two drug laboratories in three locations in the north of the country, apprehending three suspects, with Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla saying they are linked to Serbian organised crime and protagonists of recent unrest. Read more.
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TIRANA
Albanian opposition holds second anti-government protest in Tirana. Albanian opposition party supporters held a protest outside of parliament on Monday, the second protest since Saturday, disrupting a parliamentary session as they called for the prime minister to resign over allegations of corruption and mismanagement of the economic crisis. Read more.
AGENDA
- EU: Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) convenes to discuss economic and financial impact of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes, and more;
- The College of Commissioners convenes to present the review of the CO2 emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles;
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen holds meetings with Co-Chairs of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament Terry Reintke and Philippe Lamberts, Co-Chair of The Left Martin Schirdewan;
- Vice President Maroš Šefčovič holds meetings with US Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Brad Crabtree, in Washington; Participates in an EU-U.S. Industrial Roundtable on common gas purchasing;
- Vice President Vĕra Jourová meets with European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly;
- European Parliament President Roberta Metsola hosts President of Latvia Egils Levits;
- European Parliament plenary session debates CO2 emission standards for cars and vans, Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence: EU accession, and more; Votes on of the Market Stability Reserve for the EU Emissions Trading System, and more;
- France: Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani visits;
- Belgium: PM Alexander De Croo and German chancellor Olaf Scholz hold press conference after talks on energy supply; Ukraine’s international backers meet to discuss weapons supplies;
- Sweden: Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock holds press conference;
- China: Iran President Ebrahim Raisi visits;
- NATO: Defence ministers meet in Belgium;
- WHO: Digital press conference on Turkey earthquake aftermath;
- UN: Security Council meeting on rising sea levels;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Vlad Makszimov, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Sofia Mandilara]
Source: euractiv.com
