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In today’s news from the Capitals:
BELGRADE
A vote on Kosovo’s bid to join the Strasbourg-based international human rights body, the Council of Europe, has laid bare a raft of geopolitical issues and tensions across Europe, as well as creating bumps in the road in terms of EU-backed attempts to soothe regional tensions.
Kosovo’s first step in the application process was approved with 33 out of a possible 46 votes in favour, enough to pass it to the Parliamentary Assembly for further action.
But Serbia has accused CoE of violating procedures in accepting Kosovo’s application and it has pledged to change its stance towards Ukraine for its abstaining from the vote, as well as on other countries that did not follow its line. This includes Greece and Slovakia, who do not recognise Kosovo’s 2008 independence from Serbia but decided to sit out on the crucial vote, hinting at a softening stance towards the CoE and EU hopeful. Read more.
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EU SPECIAL REPORT
Multiple myeloma patients in Spain face regional disparities. Overcoming the treatment access gap for multiple myeloma, which significantly varies across Spain’s autonomous regions, while also promoting research for new drugs, are priorities, according to Teresa Regueiro, president of the Spanish Community of Patients with Multiple Myeloma (CEMMP). Read more.
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BERLIN
EU debt rules divides German government coalition. The three-party government coalition is split over the reform of EU debt rules, with high-ranking Greens criticising on Tuesday Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) for being confrontational about strengthening EU fiscal rules, not diluting them. Read more.
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PARIS
EU elections: The ebb and flow of a French left-wing coalition. The French left-wing coalition NUPES is divided over whether to run as a common bloc in the 2024 European elections: The radical-left La France Insoumise (LFI) is pushing for a joint candidacy, while the French Greens and Communists are more sceptical. Read more.
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VIENNA
Austria will miss climate targets despite Green government involvement. After a report by the Federal Environment Agency revealed that Austria will fall short of reaching its climate targets, the governing Greens blamed their conservative coalition partner, telling EURACTIV they are often left alone in parliament when it comes to concrete decisions. Read more.
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BRUSSELS
Belgium doubles forced deportations in first quarter of 2023. Around 959 people who were staying illegally in Belgium were deported over the first three months of this year in comparison to the 502 people who were deported over the same period last year. Read more.
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THE HAGUE
Dutch present compensation package for earthquake-prone Groningen province. Various new measures to compensate the province of Groningen, which has been struggling with the fallout of local gas extraction, were announced by Prime Minister Mark Rutte and State Secretary for Mining Hans Vijlbrief on Tuesday. Read more.
UK & IRELAND
LONDON
UK could be locked out of strategic standard setting under new EU legislation. UK bodies could be locked out of negotiations to set European standards for areas like artificial intelligence under new EU legislation, according to a press release published by the European Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
Finland sees rise in COVID-19 cases. The number of infections and the number of patients in hospitals’ intensive care units across the country have been on the rise for the past three weeks. Read more.
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STOCKHOLM
Sweden expels five Russian diplomats accused of espionage. Five Russian diplomats were expelled over accusations of espionage, a first since the Western series of expulsions in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year, the Swedish government announced on Monday. Read more.
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VILNIUS
‘I’d keep champagne in the fridge’ – Lithuanian FM on new Baltic defence plans. New NATO defence plans for the Baltic countries have not yet been approved, so it is too early to celebrate, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
LISBON
Portugal must apologise, be held accountable for colonisation, says president. Portugal must apologise and assume responsibility for the exploitation and slavery during the colonial period, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said in a speech following Brazilian President Lula da Silva’s welcoming session on Tuesday. Read more.
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ROME
Italy remains divided over the anti-fascism debate amid national liberation day. Italy’s celebration of the anniversary of the country’s liberation from fascism and Nazi occupation on April 25 is an occasion that annually divides the country. Read more.
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MADRID
Spain is Europe’s ‘ground zero’ of climate change, says WWF CEO. Spain is Europe’s ground zero of climate change and the Doñana nature reserve, at the centre of a political dispute, is an ‘innocent victim’ of the fight Secretary General of WWF-Spain Juan Carlos del Olmo told EURACTIV’s partner EuroEFE in an interview. Read more.
VISEGRAD
WARSAW
Donald Tusk says Kremlin orchestrated investigation against him. Former European Council President Donald Tusk was unphased by Monday’s news that the prosecutor’s office had launched an investigation against him, suggesting the complainant may have acted under the influence of Moscow. Read more.
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PRAGUE
EU parliament heads call for more Ukraine support in Prague meeting. The speakers of parliaments of European countries supported Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression and declared the willingness to provide further humanitarian and military aid to the country at the end of the two-day Prague conference. Read more.
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BRATISLAVA
Visegrad farmers ask EU to reintroduce tariffs on Ukrainian grain. Imports of cheap Ukrainian grain are causing significant problems for farmers in the Visegrad Four, and the only effective solution is to reintroduce import tariffs and quotas on Ukrainian agri-commodities, according to the Visegrad countries’ national agri-food associations. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
Bulgaria’s rural hospitals hit hardest by decreasing number of nurses. The uneven distribution of health care personnel is becoming a problem as the decreasing number of nurses in Bulgarian health care is hitting hospitals in smaller towns hardest, macroeconomist Arkadiy Sharkov, whose expertise is in the field of healthcare economics, told EURACTIV. Read more.
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BUCHAREST
Romania could only get €1.9 billion from National Recovery Plan in 2023. Romania will only be able to access €1.9 billion from the National Resilience and Recovery Plan grants due to a range of issues and a delay in approvals, notes the Finance Ministry in an official document, Curs de Guvernare reported. Read more.
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LJUBLJANA
Farmers’ protest over ‘radical environmentalists’ brings Ljubljana to a halt. Several thousand farmers and an estimated 1,500 tractors from around the country gathered for their second rally in a month to protest against environmental and other restrictions on farming, effectively bringing Slovenia’s capital to a halt on Tuesday. Read more.
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BELGRADE | PRISTINA
Serbia’s commitment to EU-brokered deal questioned over vote. Serbia’s vote against Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe (CoE) has raised questions over Belgrade’s commitment to implementing the EU-brokered deal on normalising relations with Kosovo. Read more.
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TIRANA
Significant drop in Albanians crossing The Channel in 2023. Just 29 Albanians crossed The Channel by boat during the first three months of 2023, a stark contrast to the 12,310 that made the journey in 2022, sparking international headlines and causing diplomatic tensions between Tirana and London. Read more.
AGENDA
- EU: Commission presents proposal for reform of Stability Pact, review of legislation to combat drug shortages, during weekly College Meeting; Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attends;
- Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis hosts Minister of State for Foreign Trade of United Arab Emirates Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi; Participates in meeting with the International Monetary Fund Executive Directors for the EU;
- Vice President Maroš Šefčovič delivers keynote speech at a stakeholder event organised by EBA250, the industrial development programme of the European Battery Alliance;
- Vice President Vĕra Jourová speaks at the Roma week event “New Solutions to Old Problems”;
- Vice President Dubravka Šuica participates in a structured dialogue with the European Parliament Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee (LIBE); Delivers speech at “BioBienenApfel/ Give Bees a Chance” event;
- Vice President Frans Timmermans, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius receive S&D President Iratxe Garcia Perez;
- Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides participates in an exchange of views with the European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety to present the Reform of the EU Pharmaceutical Legislation;
- Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Commissioner Mariya Gabriel participates in 1st meeting with the European Innovation Sounding Board; Attends 8th Plenary meeting of the European Innovation Council board;
- Cohesion and Reforms Commissioner Elisa Ferreira opens the 4th Conference on EU Macro-regional Strategies;
- Financial services, financial stability and Capital Markets Union Commissioner Mairead McGuinness holds videoconference with Chairperson of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) Petra Hielkema;
- European Parliament President Roberta Metsola on official visit in Copenhagen, Denmark; Holds meetings with Foreign Affairs Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen; Participates in event titled “Europe, what next? Dealing with dilemmas from Climate to War and Migration”; Meets with Presidium, EU Affairs Committee, Defence Committee and Foreign Affairs Committee of the Danish Parliament;
- European Environment Agency (EEA) publishes report on pesticides in Europe;
- European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) to elect Oliver Röpke as new President for the 2023-25 mandate followed by a press conference of his political priorities;
- Germany: Economy Minister Robert Habeck gives press conference on government’s growth forecast;
- Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hosts Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva;
- UN: Russian ambassador Vasily Nebenzya gives press conference;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Sofia Mandilara]
More on the same topic…
Serbia ‘disappointed’ with Ukraine, Greece, Slovakia over CoE Kosovo vote
Source: euractiv.com
