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In today’s news from the Capitals:
ROME
After a brief thawing, the frost has once again returned between Rome and Paris after French Interior Minister Gerald Darminin called Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni “incapable” of controlling the migratory phenomenon, and Italy responded by cancelling Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani’s visit at the last minute. Read more.
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EU SPECIAL REPORT
Romania seeks EU-wide solution to address shortage of doctors. Despite massive migration to the West, Romania has seen an increase in the number of doctors, but the current ratio (346 doctors per 100,000 inhabitants) is still not enough, and stakeholders say EU-wide solutions should be found with the proper implementation of the post-pandemic Recovery Fund. Read more.
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EU INSTITUTIONS
EU cities and regions to host summer camps for Ukrainian children. The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the Association of Ukrainian Cities are organising summer camps all over the EU to host Ukrainian children to offer targeted psychological help to stabilise their emotional state and distract them from traumatising experiences, an official CoR communication reads. Read more.
Nine EU members states renew push to change foreign policy decision-making. A group of nine EU member states on Thursday launched a fresh push, led by Germany, to reform the bloc’s approach to decision-making on foreign policy and defence, after years of infighting over the issue. Read more.
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EDITOR’S TAKE
Could relations between Croatia and Serbia be thawing?. A surprise visit to Zagreb by Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic as well as her meeting with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, is seen as the first concrete step towards the normalisation of strained relations between Croatia and Serbia. Read more.
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BERLIN
Bavarian conservatives rule out coalition with Italy’s Salvini, Meloni. The Bavarian conservative Christian Democratic Party (CSU) ruled out any coalition with the far right after the Italian Lega party of Matteo Salvini made advances to edge closer towards the centre-right European Peoples Party (EPP). Read more.
German MEP: Renew could stay split on EU fiscal rules. The Renew group in the European Parliament might not agree on a joint position on reforming EU fiscal rules, German FDP spokesperson Michael Georg Link said on Thursday, amid a split between the group’s German and French delegations, FDP and Renaissance. Read more.
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PARIS
French left divided over a resolution condemning Israeli ‘apartheid regime’. The communist motion for a resolution condemning Israel’s “apartheid” of Palestinians and calling for an economic boycott of the country was rejected by the French National Assembly on Thursday, which rekindled differences on the left of the political spectrum. Read more.
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VIENNA
Austria rejects German push for EU majority voting. Chancellor Karl Nehammer told the Austrian parliament that he opposed a more deeply integrated EU, rejecting a German-led push for a move away from unanimity voting, citing European countries’ individual histories. Read more.
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BRUSSELS | THE HAGUE
Dutch PM criticised by opposition over the timing of Zelenskyy visit. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD/Renew Europe) met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in The Hague on Remembrance Day on Thursday, which evoked harsh criticism of the visit’s timing from opposition forces. Read more.
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BRUSSELS | PARIS
Belgian, French prime ministers meet to discuss fight against terrorism. In the framework of cooperation on security and the fight against terrorism with Belgium, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne will welcome Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo to the Matignon Hotel on Friday, Borne’s cabinet announced in a press release on Thursday. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
STOCKHOLM
Swedish government to double income requirement for immigrants. The government, supported by the Sweden Democrats right-wing populists, declared the income requirement for foreign workers would double in a bid to curb migration, the migration minister announced on Thursday. Read more.
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COPENHAGEN
Danish government to invest billions in defence spending. Billions of euros of investments in defence spending will be used to modernise the army and help cope with accumulated challenges such as decaying facilities, the government announced on Thursday. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
MADRID
Spanish left sees boost ahead of regional elections. The country’s left-wing government received an unexpected boost for its future political ambitions on Thursday ahead of Spain’s regional elections: record employment figures and a tangible reduction of unemployment data, a considerable achievement in post-pandemic and war, times. Read more.
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LISBON
Portuguese far-right party postpones extremist summit amid harassment. Portugal’s extremist far-right Chega party has decided to postpone the “World Right Summit” – a meeting with international far-right figures that the party was organising and was scheduled for mid-May in Lisbon – following harassment experienced by some of the main guests. Read more.
VISEGRAD
BRATISLAVA
Slovak agriculture minister resigns after EU funds controversy. Acting Agriculture Minister Samuel Vlčan resigned on Thursday after his company received an EU funds grant worth €1.4 million – money he insists on keeping. Read more.
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WARSAW
Polish ruling party presents bill criminalising ‘sexualisation of children’. The Polish ruling camp will put forward a bill against the “sexualisation” of children and adolescents, aimed at giving parents greater freedom in bringing up their children, ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party leader Jarosław Kaczyński said on Thursday. Read more.
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PRAGUE
Czech government gets two new ministers. President Petr Pavel appointed Mikuláš Bek as the new Education Minister and Martin Dvořák as the new Minister for European Affairs on Thursday, giving a new face to the government led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
TIRANA
Azerbaijan wants to expand gas infrastructure in Albania. Azerbaijan is set to invest significantly in gas infrastructure in Albania amid ongoing expansion into the region’s gas distribution network, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said at a geopolitics conference Thursday, but not everyone is convinced this is a good idea. Read more.
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BUCHAREST | ROME
Romania’s convicted former minister finds refuge in Italy. Former finance minister Darius Valcov, convicted of a six-year prison sentence by the Romanian High Court for influence peddling and money laundering this week, has, like other famous Romanian convicts before him, found refuge in Italy. Read more.
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SOFIA
Bulgaria says it is making every effort for euro adoption in 2025. Bulgaria is making every effort to enter the Eurozone no later than 1 January 2025, the Finance Ministry said in a statement published on Thursday, responding to media speculations that the euro could again be postponed after that date. Read more.
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LJUBLJANA
Slovenia could soon lift fines for anti-constitutional COVID-era rules. Proceedings involving breaking pandemic era rules that were later declared unconstitutional in Slovenia could soon be halted and affect fines totalling several millions of euros, according to a bill endorsed by the government on Thursday. Read more.
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BELGRADE
Eight dead in second Serbian shooting, police hunt killer. Eight people were killed and at least 10 were wounded in a shooting Thursday night (4 May) in the town of Mladenovac, south of Belgrade, local media reported, with police setting up roadblocks in their hunt for the gunman. Read more.
Serbia looking to lower age of criminal responsibility after school shooting. The Serbian government is proposing to reduce the age of criminal responsibility from 14 to 12, among other proposals, following the arrest of a 13-year-old suspected of killing nine and wounding seven during an elementary school shooting on Wednesday. Read more.
AGENDA
- EU: The Swedish Presidency organizes the European Competition Day that gathers representatives of EU competition authorities, the Commission, state officials, the private sector etc. Agenda highlights include inflation crisis, energy costs crisis, and more;
- Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis hosts Permanent Representative of Turkey to the EU Faruk Kaymakci;
- Vice President Vĕra Jourová speaks at the European Alliance of News Agencies Conference;
- Vice President Maroš Šefčovič and Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič visit the Emergency Response Coordination Centre in Brussels, Belgium;
- Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders holds roundtable with civil society actors in Nicosia, Cyprus; Participates in an exchange with the Parliament;
- Equality Commissioner Helena Dalli gives opening speech at the European Diversity Month Ceremony in Malta;
- Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton delivers keynote speech at the opening of the European Tourism Day 2023; Meets with President of the Network of European Regions for Sustainable and Competitive Tourism (NECSTouR) Peter De Wilde;
- Budget and Administration Commissioner Johannes Hahn participates in the European roundtable for Industry CFO Platform event that seeks to shape the sustainable finance agenda, as well as reporting and taxation issues;
- European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, on official visit in London, holds meeting with Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle;
- France: Franco-Belgian meeting on counterterrorism;
- Russia: New consultation with the UN on grain agreement;
- India: Shanghai Cooperation Organisation foreign affairs ministers meeting;
- Kenya: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on official visit;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Sofia Mandilara]
Read more with EURACTIV
Romania’s convicted former minister finds refuge in Italy
Source: euractiv.com
