Paris pushes to bring Berlin onboard with EU industrial policy

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In today’s news from the Capitals:

PARIS | BERLIN

There is no time to lose for Germany and France to finally sit down and build an ambitious EU industrial policy which will protect European industries vis-à-vis the US and China, French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Tuesday, a day before he visits Berlin. Read more.

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EU INSTITUTIONS

Cash-strapped EU calls for ‘better’ prevention against climate disasters. EU member states should start making “better” investments to fight escalating climate change as Europe’s resources are reaching their limits, the EU commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management said on Tuesday, following the recent deadly floods in Greece. Read more.

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THE HAGUE

Dutch football association pays ransom to Russian cybercriminals. The Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) has paid an undisclosed sum to Russian cybercriminals who stole personal data from players of the country’s national football team, the organisation said on Tuesday. Read more.

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PARIS

Unlikely alliance emerges in France in support of legalising irregular work. A faction of French President Emmanuel Macron’s parliamentary majority and several leading left-wing figures are rallying behind a campaign to regularise the status of undocumented immigrant workers in understaffed professions. Read more.

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VIENNA

Former Austrian FM emigrates to Russia to head think tank. Austria’s former foreign minister Karin Kneissl, who made international headlines after she danced with Russian President Vladimir Putin at her wedding in 2018, is emigrating to Russia to lead a think tank. Read more.

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BRUSSELS

Flemish delegation on trade mission to Vietnam. Leading a trade delegation of 29 Flemish companies, Flanders Minister-President Jan Jambon (N-VA/ECR) began his visit to Vietnam on Tuesday with a meeting with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bùi Thanh Son and the prime minister. Read more.

NORDICS AND BALTICS

STOCKHOLM

Swedish government to study possible transfer of Gripen fighters to Ukraine. The Swedish government may instruct the country’s armed forces on Thursday to assess the conditions for a potential transfer of Swedish Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine, Swedish media revealed on Tuesday. Read more.

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HELSINKI

Finland’s youngest-ever former PM no longer an MP. The resignation of former prime minister Sanna Marin from her parliamentary seat for the Social Democrats was officially ratified during Tuesday’s plenary session of the Finnish parliament, with her withdrawal taking effect on Wednesday. Read more.

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COPENHAGEN

Danish government aims to curb gang violence, hold families accountable. The Danish government presented a new package of anti-gang measures to counter rising gang-related crime in the country on Tuesday, which includes stricter sanctions for young people involved and a call for their families to take responsibility. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

ROME

League’s annual rally to welcome Le Pen as a special guest. French far‐right leader Marine Le Pen was featured on the guest list of the 35th Pontida rally, League’s annual celebration in Lombardy on 17 September, when they are expected to announce their view of how the bloc should look ahead of next year’s EU Elections. Read more.

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MADRID

Sanchez’s request to review key invalid votes dismissed. Spain’s Constitutional Court formally rejected the request by the Socialist Party of acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to review the 30,000 decisive yet invalid votes cast in Madrid’s snap general election on 23 July. Read more.

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LISBON

Portuguese government working to mitigate impact of VW plant shutdown. The Portuguese government is working on various solutions to minimise the impact of the nine-week production stoppage at VW’s Autoeuropa car factory for workers and supplier companies, said the Secretary of State for Labour, Miguel Fontes. Read more.

EASTERN EUROPE

WARSAW

Poland won’t open borders to Ukrainian grain regardless of EU decision. Poland will not let Ukrainian grain imports resume regardless of whether Brussels decides to prolong restrictions, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced on social media on Tuesday. Read more.

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PRAGUE

Czechia searches for new EU Commissioner to replace Jourová in 2024. Věra Jourová, the vice-president of the EU Commission for Values and Transparency, will not seek another mandate, paving the way for Czechia to nominate a new representative after the 2024 European elections. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Slovak president asks Constitutional Court to solve conflict with Prosecutor General. Prosecutor General Maroš Žilinka has been using a controversial paragraph 363 to cancel corruption indictments, including of former Prime Minister Robert Fico, and has refused to share the decisions with President Zuzana Čaputová, who has asked the Constitutional Court for clarification. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

SOFIA

Bulgaria ends ban on Ukrainian grain import. Bulgaria no longer supports extending the European ban on grain import from Ukraine, as the three parties supporting the government proposed the National Assembly to withdraw support of the ban, which will take effect on Friday. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Romanian NGOs urge EU Commission to enforce moratorium to protect local forests. Three environmental NGOs have urged the EU Commission to enforce a memorandum on Romania’s illegal logging in an open letter addressed to Commissioner Sinkevičius. Read more.

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LJUBLJANA

Slovenia wants Croatia to improve Schengen border control. Slovenia is stepping up pressure on Croatia to improve policing of the EU’s external border amidst mounting concerns by locals living along the border about an almost three-fold increase in migrations, according to Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar, who phoned his Croatian counterpart Davor Božinović on Wednesday. Read more.

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PRISTINA

Discrimination of Albanians in Serbia reaches US Secretary of State. American Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has been sent a letter by two US senators over the situation for ethnic Albanians in the Presevo Valley, where researchers and human rights groups have sounded the alarm about their “administrative ethnic cleansing” from the civil registry. Read more.

AGENDA:

EU: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers the 2023 State of the Union address;
Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson participates in the 3rd Trilogue on Asylum and Migration Management Regulation (AMMR);
Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides holds videoconference with Minister of Healthcare of Ukraine Viktor Liashko;
European Parliament hosts Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaia to offer keynote speech; Debates possible revision of protected species status granted to the wolf; Votes on proposed reform of internal rules after ‘Qatargate’ scandal, and more;
China: Pope Francis’ peace envoy to Ukraine Cardinal Matteo Zuppi on official visit;

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