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.
Before you start reading today’s edition of the Capitals, feel free to have a look at African states to use threat of fossil fuels to get EU climate finance by Benjamin Fox.
The European news you deserve to read. Welcome to The Capitals by EURACTIV.
In today’s news from the Capitals:
OSLO
Recent plans by the Norwegian government to protect consumers at home by curbing electricity exports have been criticised by Nordic governments and grid operators.
Norway’s hydropower is key to the electricity market in the region. Yet, despite existing legislation meant to prepare EU countries for energy crises, Norway is nowhere to be seen in any of the affected countries’ documents or the EU executive’s comments. Read more.
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VIENNA
Austrian climate minister: Slovakia’s nuclear power plant plans ‘incomprehensible’. Austrian climate minister Leonore Gewessler criticised the decision to put the Mochovce 3 plan near the country’s border into operation after several mishaps and mismanagement incidents became known. Read more.
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BERLIN
Morocco, Germany begin ‘new chapter’ following Western Sahara tension. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her Moroccan counterpart, Nassar Bourita, were keen to signal unity during a meeting in Rabat after tensions over the disputed Western Sahara cooled relations. Read more.
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PARIS
Mélenchon supporters overwhelmingly back EU membership, survey finds.Despite the Eurosceptic rhetoric of the radical left-wing La France insoumise (LFI) party and its leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a new survey shows that LFI supporters largely favour the EU. Read more.
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BRUSSELS
Belgium to provide €8 million for non-lethal aid to Ukraine’s armed forces. Belgium will provide €8 million in non-lethal support to Ukrainian armed forces, the Federal Government announced in a press release on Thursday. Read more.
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THE HAGUE
Scientists to map out Rotterdam greenhouse emissions. Scientists will map out greenhouse gas emissions as well as other air pollutants in Rotterdam in order to improve measurement methods, Dutch media NL Times reported. Read more.
UK AND IRELAND
LONDON
Tory leadership candidates criticise COVID lockdowns. Conservative party leadership rivals Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak have both vowed not to impose future lockdowns in the UK, complaining that the tight restrictions imposed to control the spread of COVID-19 went too far. Read more.
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DUBLIN
Employment in Ireland reaches record high. The employment rate for people aged between 15 and 64 in the second quarter of 2022 reached 73.5%, the highest rate since the current record series began in 1998, according to data released on Thursday by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
STOCKHOLM
Row over Kurdish PKK support in Swedish left. Social democrat Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson declared that she does not want to include the Left Party in a possible left-wing government after the elections, pointing to the party’s proximity with the Kurdish terrorist group PKK. Read more.
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HELSINKI
German subsidiary Uniper drives heavy losses for Finnish energy giant Fortum. Fortum’s subsidiary, Uniper, the biggest fossil gas importer in Germany, has run into serious problems after Russia decreased deliveries, and it was forced to buy gas from other markets at higher prices to serve its customers according to fixed long-term contracts. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
MADRID
Spain offers to host Colombian peace talks. Spain has offered to host talks to secure peace in Colombia under the country’s new president Gustavo Petro, the first leftist president in the Latin-American nation. Read more.
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LISBON
Portugal to allow families, small businesses access to regulated gas market. The government announced plans on Thursday to lift the existing legal restrictions to allow families and small businesses access to the regulated natural gas market prices. Read more.
VISEGRAD
BRATISLAVA
Czechia, Poland to protect Slovak airspace after Bratislava grounds old Soviet jets. The Czech Republic and Poland have agreed to protect Slovak airspace starting after Slovakia gives up its old Soviet-made MiG-29 jets at the end of August, with protection lasting until the new American F-16 arrives. Read more.
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WARSAW
Polish parliamentary inspection of Oder River reveals illegal wastewater discharge. Tonnes of dead fish, beavers, birds and mussels have been recovered from the Oder river, and while the Polish parliamentary inspection revealed nearly 300 sites of illegal wastewater discharge, it is still unclear what and who is responsible for the poisoning. Read more.
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BUDAPEST
Russia-built Paks II Hungarian nuclear plant gets construction go-ahead. Hungary’s Russia-backed expansion of the Paks nuclear power plant received key authorisations from the national Atomic Energy Authority (OAH), opening doors for construction to begin in the fall. Read more.
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PRAGUE | RIGA
Visa ban will not affect Russian minority, Czech envoy to Latvia says. While Czechia and Latvia are pushing for an EU-wide visa ban for Russian citizens, it should not affect the Russian minority as “the vast majority” holds Latvian citizenship, Czech Ambassador to Latvia Jana Hynková told EURACTIV Czech Republic. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
Bulgarian crash draws attention to illegal migration failures. Two Bulgarian policemen died after a bus carrying 47 illegal migrants from Syria rammed a police car trying to stop it in Burgas, reinforcing doubts about the widespread corruption in border control. Read more.
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BELGRADE
Lajčak: All agreements from Belgrade-Pristina dialogue must be implemented. All agreements from the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue must be implemented, including the Freedom of Movement Agreement from 2011, the EU’s special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Miroslav Lajčak, said in Serbia on Thursday. Read more.
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BELGRADE | HELSINKI
Serbian festival invites Finnish PM after party video. The organiser of Serbia’s most famous music festival, Exit, has invited Finnish PM Sanna Marin to join a seaside dance festival this weekend, saying her energy and positive attitude were very welcome, Croatian newspaper Jutarnji List reported. Read more.
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PRISTINA
Kosovo ready, better prepared for possible autumn COVID-19 wave. While Kosovo is preparing for another COVID-19 wave, the government does not expect it to be as bad as 2021 due to lessons learned and increased vaccination rates, Minister of Health Rifat Latifi told Exit in an exclusive interview. Read more.
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TIRANA
Albanian government extends protection to Afghan refugees by six months. Afghan refugees who were given shelter in Albania following the takeover of the Taliban in August 2021 have been granted another six months to remain in the country, the government announced on Thursday. Read more.
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Agenda
- EU: European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen meets young volunteers from Taizé community
- Germany: German FM Annalena Baerbock visits Copenhagen, where she meets with her Danish counterpart, Jeppe Kofod
- United Kingdom: Royal Mail postal workers strike over pay
- Finland: Finland, Sweden and Turkey officials meet on Nordic countries’ NATO bids.
- Greece: Lawmakers debate alleged phone spying scandal in parliament.
- Canada: PM Justin Trudeau and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg hold a press conference.
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Vlad Makszimov, Daniel Eck, Benjamin Fox, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Eleonora Vasques, Sofia Stuart Leeson]
Source: euractiv.com
