Portugal opposes EU enlargement ‘fixed deadlines’

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In today’s news from the Capitals:

LISBON

EU enlargement should not have fixed deadlines, but its institutions must be reformed to accommodate new members, particularly when it comes to decision-making, but it is also essential newcomers do their homework, the Portuguese government said on Wednesday. Read more.

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EU INSTITUTIONS

Parliament power brokers confirm EU’s new Green Deal and climate czars. Following two rounds of tense negotiations, Wopke Hoekstra and Maroš Šefčovič received the European Parliament’s blessing on Wednesday to take on the climate and Green Deal portfolios in the European Commission. Read more.

Azerbaijan’s Aliyev to skip EU talks with Armenia over France military aid. GRANADA, SPAIN – Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev will not attend EU-brokered talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Spain this Thursday (5 October), Azeri diplomatic sources confirmed to Euractiv. Read more.

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BERLIN

German Liberals slam Brussels’ red tape, call for EU ‘regulatory pause’. Germany’s liberal FDP, a member of the country’s three-way coalition government, is calling for an immediate yet temporary halt to EU legislation that would impose additional red tape on businesses, such as the European Green Deal. Read more.

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PARIS

Macron pitches constitutional review despite long and difficult process. French President Emmanuel Macron pitched his bid to revise the constitution to extend and simplify the use of referendums on Wednesday and reiterated his goal of securing a constitutional right to abortion despite needing backing from other parties to make his pitch a reality. Read more.

NORDICS AND BALTICS

OSLO | MOSCOW

Kremlin angry at Norway joining EU ban on Russian cars. Moscow criticised Norway’s decision to ban Russian-registered private cars with nine or fewer seats – which came into force on Wednesday as part of EU sanctions against Russia – and promised a coordinated response with relevant ministries. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

ROME

Italy keen to stop irregular migration, but interest in migrant labour remains. The Italian government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, is seeking European solutions to stop irregular migratory flows while at the same time issuing a far-reaching decree to bring in migrants to fill gaps in the labour market without providing for investment in training. Read more.

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MADRID

Catalan government ‘in exile’ to have final say on Sanchez’s investiture. The Council for the Catalan Republic, chaired by separatist leader Carles Puigdemont from his self-imposed exile in Belgium, will hold an internal vote later this month on whether secessionist parties should vote to reinstate Spain’s acting Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez. Read more.

Spanish government blocks controversial irrigation law in drought-stricken Doñana. The Spanish government has succeeded in blocking a regional law that would legalise further irrigation around the already-water-scarce Doñana National Park, instead aiming to support sustainable practices financially. Read more.

EASTERN EUROPE

BRATISLAVA

Slovak foreign ministry claims Russia interfered in latest elections. Slovakia’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Igor Bratchikov to explain claims made by Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Director Sergei Naryshkin two days before the elections that there was a US plot to put progressives in the lead. Read more.

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WARSAW

YouTubers involved in alleged paedophilia in Poland to be investigated. The YouTubers suspected of having illegal contact with underage girls will be investigated, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced Wednesday, after it was revealed that several content creators were involved in attempted sexual relations with minors. Read more.

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PRAGUE

Czech president says 2024 election campaign will test our democracies. The campaign leading up to the EU elections next June will put our democracies to the test, said Czech President Petr Pavel, who warned against populism and short-term political gains at a plenary session of the European Parliament on Wednesday. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

SOFIA

Bulgarian pro-Russian party pushes for no-confidence vote ahead of elections. Pro-Russian party Vazrazhdane and the populist ITN party are preparing a vote of no confidence in the Bulgarian government before local elections on 29 October. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Romanian troops deployed in Kosovo as part of NATO peacekeeping mission. An infantry company from the Romanian armed forces is to be sent to Kosovo to join the 80 soldiers already there as part of the NATO-led KFOR operation. Read more. Read more.

IMF mission urges Romania to further reduce its already high fiscal deficit. Romania has weathered the economic shocks of the pandemic, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the subsequent spike in energy and food costs, but while it has managed to reduce its budget deficit significantly, it needs to do more, an IMF mission to Romania from 22 September to 4 October has found. Read more.

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BELGRADE

Serbia raises excise taxes on fuel, coffee, tobacco. Changes to Serbia’s excise tax law came into force on 1 October, raising excise duties on fuel, cigarettes, alcohol and coffee by eight per cent. Read more.

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TIRANA

OLAF concludes investigation into Albanian funds case, findings not yet public. The EU Commission’s anti-fraud office, OLAF, has concluded its investigations into corruption in the disbursement of EU funds through the IPARD II agricultural programme in Albania, with no more disbursements scheduled until 2025. Read more.

AGENDA:

EU: The European Political Community holds its 3rd meeting with the participation of 47 heads of state and government, in Granada, Spain, on how to make Europe more resilient, prosperous, and geostrategic; Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Parliament President Roberta Metsola attend;
Commission Vice President Vĕra Jourová speaks at the 5th International Open Search Symposium (#ossym);
Neighbourhood and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi participates in the Berlin Process Foreign Affairs Ministerial meeting in Tirana, Albania;
Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmit participates in the European Trade Union Confederation annual European Works Council conference “One step ahead of a better Directive”;
Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski visits regions and communities affected by recent wildfires and floods in Greece;
Parliament votes on the approval of the appointment of Wopke Hoekstra as member of the Commission, European green bonds, urban wastewater treatment, the new European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+), and more;
Germany: Green Climate Fund donor conference;
France: Franco-German Business Day;
Russia: Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on official visit;
South Africa: President Cyril Ramaphosa launches border management authority;
Costa Rica: OECD ministerial summit on Environmental Sustainability;