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In today’s news from The Capitals:
WARSAW
Recent reforms to Poland’s public media by the new government of Donald Tusk, which have sparked a fierce backlash from the opposition, are unlawful, the country’s controversial constitutional court ruled on Thursday – a decision Culture Minister Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz says has “no legal significance” and should be ignored. Read more.
WESTERN EUROPE
BERLIN
New wave of farmer protests loom as German government refuses to budge. Germany’s ruling coalition refused to back down in its political showdown with protesting farmers, deciding late on Thursday to stick to its plans to cut farm subsidies, opening the floodgates to an unprecedented “eruption” of new protests. Read more.
EU election: German liberals to compete with conservatives on anti-bureaucracy platform. The German liberal party, the FDP, is pushing to cut red tape at the EU level in its campaign for the European elections, rivalling the conservative CDU/CSU (EPP), which wants to move Europe “from the Green Deal to an Economic Deal”. Read more.
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BRUSSELS
Belgium to join European fighter jet programme as observer in ‘a few weeks’. Belgium is expected to join the flagship Future Combat Air System (FCAS) to build the next-generation European fighter jets ‘in a few weeks as an observer nation, the country’s defence minister told Euractiv. Read more.
UK & IRELAND
DUBLIN
Removing countries from EU could be option to resolve blockade, Ireland says. As EU decision-making remains plagued by disunity, Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin (Fianna Fáil, Renew) suggested that the threat to exclude countries from the EU as well as “constructive abstention” could be “creative ways” for the bloc to avoid deadlock. Read more.
NORDICS & BALTICS
VILNIUS
Need to move to ‘whatever it takes’ to deter Russia, Lithuania’s FM says. The West must change its message on supporting Ukraine from “as long as it takes” to “whatever it takes” if it wants to deter Russia from attacking the Baltic states, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ATHENS
Greek PM says EU will work with ‘whoever’ US President people choose. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday that Europe will have to work with whoever president US voters choose in the upcoming elections, warning simultaneously against telling people what they should do. Read more.
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MADRID
Spanish parliament OKs reform to scrap language discriminating against the disabled. Spain will soon reform its Constitution to remove all forms of discriminatory language against disabled people, currently referred to as “handicapped”, after parliament approved the measure on Thursday, with only the far-right VOX party voting against it. Read more.
EASTERN EUROPE
PRAGUE
Czechia not prepared for EU’s Digital Services Act. The Czech Telecommunications Office, which has just one month before it must start ensuring compliance with the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), currently needs more staff and the necessary legislation to ensure it fulfils its tasks. Read more.
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BRATISLAVA
Pellegrini to announce presidential candidacy, solidify Fico’s government. Slovak Parliament Speaker and former prime minister Peter Pellegrini will announce his presidential candidacy on Friday, which, if successful, would tighten the grip on power of the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico, with whom he has been politically linked for almost 20 years. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
EU court lifts restrictions on buying agricultural land in Bulgaria. The EU Court of Justice lifted the restrictions EU citizens face when purchasing agricultural land in Bulgaria in a ruling published on Thursday, more than 17 years after the country joined the bloc. Read more.
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BUCHAREST
Protests in Romania rage on despite the government adopting brokered measures. The Romanian government adopted measures on Thursday, transposing into law the solutions reached in negotiations with protesting transporters and farmers during the week, although protesters remain on the streets and have extended their blockade to a second border crossing with Ukraine. Read more.
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BELGRADE
Vučić in Davos: Western Balkans need a stronger Germany. Serbia and other Western Balkan countries need a stronger Germany, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said at a World Economic Forum debate in Davos, where he said Serbia had doubled its GDP in the past 10 years. Read more.
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SARAJEVO
US’ Blinken wants Bosnia to end dependence on Russian gas. In a letter sent to the heads of diplomacy of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gordan Grlić Radman and Elmedin Konaković, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on them to influence the head of HDZ BiH, Dragan Čović, to urgently adopt the Law on the Southern Gas Interconnection, which would connect Bosnia and Croatia and reduce Bosnia’s dependence on Russian gas. Read more.
AGENDA:
- EU: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meets with Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson and Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo, in Stockholm, Sweden; Visits Stora Enso Innovation Centre;
- Commission Vice President Dubravka Šuica delivers keynote speech at 3rd demographics summit on “Handling the demographic emergency: The role of science, governments and citizens”, in Athens, Greece; Meets Minister of State Stavros Papastavrou;
- Vice President Margaritis Schinas participates in Brussels Cybersecurity Summit;
- Vice President Maroš Šefčovič participates in WEF’s event on “Is geopolitical ‘coopetition’ possible?”; Participates in WEF’s event on “Global risks: What’s in the mail?”;
- Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides holds videoconference with Spanish Coalition of Experts on metastatic triple negative breast cancer; Participates in signing of Montenegro’s association agreement to EU4Health with Minister for Health Vojislav Šimun; Delivers remarks via videoconference at Centenary event for the World Organisation for Animal Health, organised by the Belgian Presidency;
- Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson participates in ministerial meeting of high level group on Central and South Eastern Europe Energy Connectivity (CESEC);
- Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders in Warsaw, Poland: holds meetings with Chairman of the EU Affairs Committee of the Senate Bogdan Klich, Chairman of the EU Affairs Committee of the Sejm Michał Kobosko, Minister for Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski, Minister of Justice Adam Bodnar, Minister for EU Affairs Adam Szłapka; Meets with associations of Polish judges, prosecutors and NGOs;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Sofia Mandilara]
Read more with Euractiv
Vučić in Davos: Western Balkans need a stronger GermanySerbia and other Western Balkan countries need a stronger Germany, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said at a World Economic Forum debate in Davos, where he said Serbia had doubled its GDP in the past 10 years.
Source: euractiv.com
