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In today’s news from the Capitals:
A vote at the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) on Qatar’s visa liberalisation exposes Greek MEP Eva Kaili as she was not a member of the committee, along with the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) who attempted to hide it. Read more.
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EU INSTITUTIONS
EU agrees on pay transparency rules to fight gender pay gap. EU negotiators reached an agreement on Thursday between the European Parliament and EU member states on a directive to make salaries more transparent in an effort to narrow the gender pay gap across the EU. Read more.
Poland lifts its last-minute veto threat on EU minimum tax directive. The Polish government agreed to drop its veto threat on the minimum tax directive, clearing the way for a package deal that included €18 billion in macrofinancial aid for Ukraine and the freezing of some EU funds for Hungary. Read more.
EU parliament votes to recognise ‘Holodomor’ famine as genocide. A motion to recognise Holodomor, the 1930s Great Famine in Soviet Ukraine, as genocide found broad support in the European Parliament on Thursday, with many drawing parallels to Russia’s current war in the country. Read more.
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VIENNA
Austria pushes for fences at Bulgaria-Turkey border. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer is pushing for joint EU funding of a fence at the Bulgaria-Turkey border ahead of the Swedish EU council presidency, as migration remains a hot topic in the bloc. Read more.
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BERLIN
German youth to take biggest hit amid medicine shortage. As key medicines, including antibiotics, fever drugs, and painkillers, are becoming scarce in German pharmacies, doctors warn that children and teenagers could be hit hardest. Read more.
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PARIS
French GDP predicted to decline slightly by end of year. French economic activity is expected to fall by 0.2% in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to the French public statistics institute, but insisting that it will not lead to a recession. Read more.
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BRUSSELS
Belgian PM calls for coordinated EU response to IRA, energy crisis. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo called for an EU response to high energy prices and the US Inflation Reduction Act on his arrival at the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. Read more.
UK AND IRELAND
LONDON
Court strikes down DUP stance on customs checks. The move by Northern Irish Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to suspend import checks on goods entering the territory from Great Britain was illegal, the High Court ruled on Thursday. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
Finnish PM’s price cap proposal sparks in-house dispute. Social democratic Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s proposal to set a possible price cap for electricity took the opposition and her government colleagues by surprise. Read more.
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STOCKHOLM
Swedish far-right migration minister attend press conference together for first time. The Deputy party leader of the far-right Sweden Democrats party participated in a press conference on resident permits with the migration minister on Thursday even though his party is not formally part of the Swedish government. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
MADRID
Sánchez: no referendum for Catalonia. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said there will never be a referendum on self-determination in Catalonia and has stated the region’s independence process is over. Read more.
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LISBON
Portugal’s cabinet approves €240 support for one million families. Families receiving minimum benefits or benefiting from the social tariff on energy will be given €240 after Portugal’s cabinet approved the support on Thursday, said Labour Minister Ana Mendes Godinho. Read more.
VISEGRAD
BRATISLAVA
Slovak government collapse brings uncertain future ahead. The Slovak government lost Thursday’s no-confidence vote as a majority of the National Council decided to vote against them leading to its collapse and an uncertain way forward. Read more.
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WARSAW
Polish president vetoes controversial education reform. President Andrzej Duda vetoed an education reform that he claims has not yet received broad social acceptance after receiving 133 letters protesting the reform. Read more.
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PRAGUE
Czech Schengen compromise falls on deaf ears. The Czech Presidency proposed a phased instead of immediate full Schengen membership for Bulgaria and Romania to unblock their admission, diplomatic sources say, but this was not enough. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
Chemistry professor becomes newest Bulgarian PM candidate. Former Education Minister and chemistry professor Nikolay Denkov will be promoted as a candidate for prime minister, Bulgaria’s second largest political party, We Continue the Change, announced on Thursday. Read more.
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BUCHAREST
Romania files memorandum for OECD accession. An initial memorandum for accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was formally submitted by Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca. Read more.
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LJUBLJANA
Slovenia last EU country to adopt GDPR. The Slovenian parliament passed a bill implementing the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) into national law as the last country in the bloc to do so. Read more.
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PRISTINA
Kosovo hopes to join EU in nine years, calls for calm in north intensify. Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti said he expects the country to become an EU member in nine years following the filing of the application for membership this week, while calls for Serbs to dismantle barricades in the north intensify from the international community. Read more.
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TIRANA
Albania last in Europe for per capita income. Albania has been ranked last in Europe for per capita income and purchasing power, according to newly-published Eurostat data for 2021. Read more. Read more.
AGENDA
- EU: Vice President Vĕra Jourová attends meeting of the Venice Commission in Venice, Italy;
- Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides delivers an opening speech to the Citizens’ Panel on Food Waste, organised by the European Commission; Commission Vice President Dubravka Suica gives speech via videoconference;
- Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis visits the construction of the EU-financed high-speed railway project Rail Baltica;
- Informal meeting of EU Member States´ Directors General for Development to discuss contribution to the stabilisation and reconstruction of Ukraine, first year’s implementation of the Global Gateway Initiative and more;
- Senior Officials meeting EU-OIPC Interpol one-day conference to discuss illegal migration, terrorism, impact of COVID-19 and more;
- European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) management and executive boards hold meeting;
- Belgium: National protest calling for higher wages and capped energy bills;
- Netherlands: Verdict in trial of Kosovo war crimes suspect Salih Mustafa;
- Russia: Central Bank meeting with rate decisions;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Vlad Makszimov, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Sofia Mandilara]
Source: euractiv.com
