‘Not an exercise’: Sweden deploys Patriots in strategic port

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Rail investments in the Three Seas Region

“This is a historic moment. Together with Ukrainian Railways, we are starting joint work on the Warsaw-Lviv-Kiev HSR line. The shortest route from Ukraine to the EU goes through Poland and CPK,” said Mikołaj Wild, CEO of CPK.

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In today’s news from the Capitals:

The Swedish Defence Forces deployed the advanced Patriot air defence system around the strategic Southern harbour of Gothenburg on Monday to see how it would respond to a crisis in the low likelihood Sweden is attacked. Read more.

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VIENNA

Austrian FM defends Russian participation at OSCE meeting. Russian delegates should not be excluded from participating in the upcoming OSCE assembly meeting in Vienna, said Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg after parliamentarians from 20 OSCE countries urged his government last week to bar Russian diplomats from attending. Read more.

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BERLIN

German education minister announces cooperation with Ukraine. Germany has promised to reinforce cooperation with Ukraine on education, research and vocational training, Education and Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger promised during a visit to Kyiv on Monday. Read more.

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PARIS

Raising retirement age means old-age poverty, Manon Aubry warns Macron. The left parliamentary group co-president Manon Aubry warned that raising the retirement age “systematically” led to a general fall in retirees’ living standards as Emmanuel Macron pushes through a widely unpopular pension reform that would see the legal age increase from 62 to 64 in France. Read more.

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BRUSSELS

Belgium introduces new energy measures amid ever-rising costs. The Belgian government reached an agreement on new energy measures, extending the temporary support measures to further protect citizens from high energy prices. Read more.

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THE HAGUE

Dutch present priority areas for EU critical raw material strategy. Ahead of a Commission proposal due in March, the Dutch laid out five priority areas for a “coherent” EU critical raw material strategy to ensure the transition to a green economy and decrease dependence on China. Read more.

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MONACO

Single alliance wins all seats in ‘historic’ Monaco election. The national parliament elections in Monaco on Sunday were historic on multiple fronts as a single pro-monarchy alliance won all seats as turnout reached an all-time low. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

ROME

Immigration: the Balkan route stops in Trieste. The government and associations are at odds with dealing with the recent sharp increase in migrant crossings, like the fivefold increase in Trieste between 2021 and 2022, with the first favouring expulsions while the other advocates for greater redistribution across the country. Read more.

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MADRID

Spanish coalition clashes over controversial sexual assault law. Tensions in Spain’s left-wing coalition have opened up with just four months to go before the municipal elections as the two coalition parties disagree on a bill which, if approved by parliament, would seriously change the way the law punishes sexual offences. Read more.

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LISBON

Portugal’s authorities to blame for lack of decent housing, says NGO chief. Central and local authorities are to be blamed for the lack of a decent housing policy, the president of Portugal’s Immigrant Solidarity Association, Timóteo Macedo, told Lusa, pointing to the long-standing and unaddressed issue of overcrowding in homes. Read more.

VISEGRAD

WARSAW

Poland relocates its Patriot missiles to Warsaw. Poland has moved its Patriot surface-to-air missile systems to a military airfield in western Warsaw where they will remain for the time being as part of the training of Polish troops, according to Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak. Read more.

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PRAGUE

Czech PM against participation of Russia, Belarus in 2024 Olympics. The 2024 Paris Olympics should not allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said after the International Olympic Committee said it is keen to include them as neutral contestants. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

BELGRADE

Serbia’s Vučić hints at early election, PM post. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is ready to call an early election in September and run for prime minister because he is disappointed with his Socialist coalition partners, he told a closed-door session of his ruling party on Monday, Serbian media reported. Read more.

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SOFIA

Bulgaria at risk of being without fighter jets for two years. Bulgaria is at risk of being without combat aviation for the next two years as maintenance of its outdated MiG29 fighters will not be completed before it receives its first F-16s from the US. Read more.

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ATHENS | TIRANA | PRISTINA

Greece, Albania, Kosovo send rescue teams to earthquake-shaken Turkey. The governments of Greece, Albania, and Kosovo have reacted with shock to the series of powerful earthquakes that shook Turkey on Sunday and Monday, pledging on-the-ground assistance and aid. Read more.

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PRISTINA

Kosovo’s PM accepts EU, France, Germany backed normalisation plan. Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti said he accepts the EU proposal, backed by France and Germany, to normalise relations with Serbia, following a meeting with the bloc’s special envoy Miroslav Lajcak on Monday. Read more.

AGENDA

EU: Seventh EU-Republic of Moldova Association Council, co-chaired by the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, and the Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavriliţa to discuss candidate status;
Josep Borrell delivers a keynote speech at the conference ‘Beyond disinformation – EU responses to the threat of foreign information manipulation’;
European Commission Vice President Vĕra Jourová speaks at the Report Launch of the European Democracy Support Annual Review 2022;
Vice President Frans Timmermans participates in the EuroCommerce Retail and Wholesale Leaders’ meeting;
Vice President Margrethe Vestager give a keynote speech at the Science Business Annual Network Conference;
Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis receives President of the Economic Community of Western African States (ECOWAS) Omar Alieu Touray;
Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi receives Foreign Affairs Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina Elmedin Konaković;
Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders holds video call with President of Meta Nick Clegg;
Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmit participates in the launch event of the report by the high-level group on the future of social protection and the welfare state;
Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni participates via videoconference in the “Europe 2023 – Session: Sustainable growth in times of inflation: a narrow path for fiscal and monetary policies?”
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola meets with Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis;
European Chemical Agency presents a proposal to remove ‘forever chemicals’;
Germany: Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock hosts Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirsojan;
Finland: Foreign Affairs Minister Pekka Haavisto hosts Swedish counterpart Tobias Billstrom;
United States: French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, German Finance Minister Robert Habeck hold a press conference;
UNESCO: Ukraine anniversary press briefing;