The Capitals brings you the latest news from across Europe, through on-the-ground reporting by EURACTIV’s media network. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.
Before you start reading today’s edition of the Capitals, feel free to have a look at the article Ukraine’s struggle to balance media freedom with national security interests written by Alice Taylor and Mathieu Pollet.
The European news you deserve to read. Welcome to The Capitals by EURACTIV.
In today’s news from the Capitals:
BRATISLAVA
Following disagreements over stances on Russia, Slovakia intends to ‘mute’ foreign policy cooperation between the Visegrád countries as Bratislava takes over the rotating presidency of the embattled regional bloc. Read more.
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EU INSTITUTIONS
EU wants to test waters on Russian asset confiscation. The EU is currently exploring legal ways to reuse frozen Russian assets that could be confiscated due to violations of EU sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a proposal seen by EURACTIV. Read more.
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PARIS
French PM will not ask MPs for vote of confidence. Olivier Véran, the government’s spokesperson, announced that there would be no vote of confidence in Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne following her policy address speech to parliament on Wednesday. Read more.
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BERLIN
Bavarian PM warns of ‘ice-cold winter’ due to gas shortage. The German government is not sufficiently prepared for a phase-out of Russian gas, and there may be possible winter shortages, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder said on Monday. Read more.
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VIENNA
Austria’s deliberative democracy exercise boosts climate agenda. A panel comprising randomly selected Austrian citizens has presented its conclusions on climate issues to the government in the hope of paving the way for more support for climate protection measures. Read more.
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THE HAGUE
Dutch nursing homes reinstate masks as COVID numbers surge. Nursing homes in the Netherlands have begun implementing a facemask rule for healthcare workers to protect the elderly within the facilities. Read more.
UK AND IRELAND
DUBLIN
Ireland prepares for fourth round of vaccinations as COVID rates climb. A fourth-round of COVID-19 vaccinations will likely be rolled out in Ireland in the autumn, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said, as cases in the country continue to rise. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
French renewable energy giant expands presence in Finland. French company Neoen, one of the world’s leading independent producers of renewable energy and Finsilva, one of the largest private forest owners in Europe, signed a cooperation agreement to survey the large-scale utilisation of solar power in Finland on Monday. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ATHENS
Greek socialist leader to steal spotlight during PM’s speech at EU House. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will address on Tuesday the European Parliament and is expected to analyse his country’s progress over the last three years. However, the intervention of MEP and leader of the Greek socialist party Nikos Androulakis will likely attract attention as the tone will indicate his party’s intentions regarding the next coalition government. Read more.
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ROME
Draghi points finger at climate change following Marmolada disaster. The government has to take steps to ensure that what happened on the Marmolada glacier does not occur again, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said on Monday as he arrived at the site of the accident, now a symbol of dangers posed by climate change. Read more.
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MADRID
Spain sees record employment levels since 2008. The Spanish labour market broke a record with 20.3 million workers registered in the Social Security System, a figure not seen since the end of 2008, the year of the last big financial crash, fresh data from the Spanish Labour Ministry revealed Monday. Read more.
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LISBON
Portugal to rebuild schools in Ukraine. Portugal will help rebuild schools in the Ukrainian region of Jitomir, about 150 kilometres from Kyiv, Education Minister João Costa announced on Monday. Read more.
VISEGRAD
WARSAW
Polish Constitutional Tribunal engulfed in corruption scandal. Unverified leaked communications, including government spokesman Michał Dworczyk’s, suggest that the Polish Constitutional Tribunal may have consulted its rulings with the government. Read more.
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BUDAPEST
Hungary leads EU with share of solar in energy production. The share of solar power plants total output was 11.1% per cent in Hungary during 2021, the highest in the EU-27, according to a report of the Hungarian Energy and Utility Regulatory Office (MEKH). Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
TIRANA | SKOPJE
Protests and Albania pressure Skopje over French proposal. On day three of protests, Skopje finds itself torn between parties and citizens who oppose the French proposal regarding unlocking Bulgaria’s veto and pressure from Albania and domestic ethnic Albanian parties to accept it. Read more.
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SOFIA
Russia stops issuing visas for Bulgarians. Moscow’s embassy in Sofia has stopped issuing tourist visas for Bulgarians and will only allow travel to the country for people with direct relatives in Russia, state media Bulgarian National Radio reported. Read more.
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BUCHAREST
Romania prepares for tax hike to fight budget squeeze. After being faced with the need to increase revenue, a proposal of changes to the Tax Code, which includes several tax increases but no overhaul of major taxes, was published by the finance ministry after several weeks of conflicting statements came to an end on Monday night. Read more.
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ZAGREB
Croatia caps fuel prices for another fortnight. The government extended the cap on fuel prices for another two weeks on Monday and repeated it is considering distributing fuel vouchers in the autumn. Read more.
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LJUBLJANA
Slovenian former foreign minister announces presidential run. Former Foreign Minister Anže Logar has announced he will run for president in the autumn elections, making him the latest high-profile candidate to enter the race. Read more.
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BELGRADE
Wheat yield in Serbia drops 30% due to drought. Serbia’s harvest season is ending in a few days, with a 30% yield loss, within the 10-year mean value of close to 4.5 tons per hectare, a wheat expert, Miroslav Malešević, reported on Monday. Read more.
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PRISTINA
Finland, Slovenia hopeful for Kosovo visa liberalisation. The EU will finalise the issue of visa liberalisation for Kosovo citizens in the coming months, Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Tytti Tuppurainen said during a press conference in Pristina on Monday, sentiments echoed by Slovenia. Read more.
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TIRANA
Work starts on Western Balkans largest solar park. Albania kicked off the construction of the largest solar park in the Western Balkans in Karavaster, Fier, in the country’s south. Read more.
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Agenda:
- EU: European Commission College meeting. European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen participates.
- OSCE Parliamentary Assembly 29th annual session.
- European Parliament Plenary session.
- Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis gives a speech at European Parliament.
- France: Israel’s new PM Yair Lapid visits Paris for a first official trip.
- Spain: Felix Bolanos, minister of the presidency, testifies to court probe into phone hacking via Pegasus software.
- Government to approve reforms to make the temporary contracts of 67,300 health staff permanent on Tuesday.
- Romania: Prime minister Nicolae Ciuca visits the Ford factory in Craiova
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Vlad Makszimov, Daniel Eck, Benjamin Fox, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Eleonora Vasques, Sofia Stuart Leeson]
Source: euractiv.com
