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In today's news from The Capitals :
BERLIN
Friedrich Merz's chancellorship faces its first decisive test even before it officially begins. Read more.
WESTERN EUROPE
BRUSSELS
Rwanda cuts diplomatic ties with Belgium over EU sanctions. Rwanda announced it would cut diplomatic ties with Belgium on the same day a new list of EU sanctions targeting Rwandan officials was published. Read more.
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PARIS
France's nuclear power expansion could be supported by a state loan. More than half the cost of building six new nuclear reactors in France could be covered by a state loan, the French presidency said in a statement today after a meeting of the Nuclear Policy Council. Read more.
SOUTH OF EUROPE
ROME
Italy is deliberately undermining democracy, report says. With its “brutal intolerance of media criticism” and judicial reforms that have “profoundly undermined” the rule of law, Italy is a shining example of Europe’s deepening “democratic recession,” according to a report by the advocacy group Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties). Read more.
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LISBON
Portugal: 'Wrong time' to discuss troops in Ukraine, says foreign minister. Asked by reporters whether Portugal would be willing to take part in a possible peacekeeping mission in Ukraine because of the peace deal with Moscow, Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel said the scenario was “frankly, not the right time.”
At a ministerial meeting in Brussels, Rangel added that he “understands the curiosity, but at this point it is not possible to give a clear answer. Portugal has always said – and I confirm it here – that it will always be ready, within the EU or elsewhere […], to contribute to helping Ukraine.”
Other scenarios: Rangel acknowledged the possibility of “other scenarios” in which Portugal’s support would be useful and would not involve a future Portuguese military presence on Ukrainian soil, namely in the field of education. He recalled a conversation he had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last Friday during a visit to Kiev, the capital of a country invaded by Russia more than three years ago.
“There is no doubt about assistance to Ukraine […], we are ready,” he said. The minister also said that the government, which cannot take on any obligations due to the early parliamentary elections, will hold a dialogue with the opposition on the following parameters of support for Ukraine.
(André Campos Ferran | Lusa.pt)
EAST EUROPE
WARSAW
Russian intelligence linked to arson attacks in Poland and Lithuania. Lithuanian prosecutors have said Russian intelligence was responsible for a fire at an Ikea store in Vilnius and an arson attack on a market hall in Warsaw, which was later solved. Information provided by Artūras Urbelis of the Lithuanian Prosecutor General's Office concerns the investigation into the arson attack on an Ikea store in Vilnius on May 9, 2024.
Ukrainian citizens: Both suspects in the terrorist attack are Ukrainian citizens. One entered Lithuania via Poland, and the other is currently being held in Poland. Law enforcement agencies in both countries are closely cooperating and coordinating their actions.
According to Vilnius, the same people may have been behind a series of arson attacks in Poland last year, including at a large shopping centre at 44 Marywilskie Street in Warsaw.
Russian operations: “We have evidence that several groups in Poland are carrying out sabotage operations on behalf of Russian intelligence,” Przemyslaw Nowak, a spokesman for the Polish prosecutor’s office, said on Monday. This was confirmed by Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak, who said that “Russian intelligence services ordered the arson of large commercial facilities [in Poland], including the Marywilska hall.”
The Lithuanian reports “correspond to our suspicions,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X. “As in the case of the attempted arson attack on the paint factory in Wroclaw, the Russians hired Ukrainian citizens. Absolutely deceitful,” he added. Despite initial claims, reports that the same people were responsible for the fires in Vilnius and on Marywilska Street in Warsaw were later refuted by the Polish judiciary.
(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)
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BUDAPEST
Hungarian parliament to ban pride parades A proposal to ban Hungary's annual pride parades and allow authorities to use facial recognition software to identify participants was introduced in parliament on Monday and is expected to pass due to the two-thirds majority currently held by Viktor Orban's populist right-wing party.
According to the draft proposal, the event's organisers and participants could be fined up to €500 if the ban is ignored. The proposal is formally an amendment to the Child Protection Act 2021, which prohibits minors from accessing media where non-heterosexual lifestyles are discussed. Gatherings are already mentioned, but the amendment explicitly calls the parade a violation of the law.
Orban expands tax breaks for Hungarian mothers. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced Sunday that mothers with one child will be exempt from paying income tax until they reach age 30, starting on January 1, 2026. Mothers with two or more children will be exempt for life.
The measure expands on a previous regulation that provided a lifetime tax exemption to mothers with four or more children.
This coincides with a renewed emphasis on financial support for traditional family units and a drive to boost the country's birth rate. Orbán has raised the issue of family financial stability in the run-up to Hungary's April 2026 parliamentary elections.
(Bella Zelinsky | Euractiv)
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BRATISLAVA
Slovak PM Fico redoubles efforts to restore Russian gas transit via Ukraine. Slovakia will continue diplomatic efforts to restore Russian gas transit via Ukraine, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico confirmed during a meeting with EU ambassadors in Slovakia on Monday.
“Without gas transit through Ukraine, Europe will never be competitive,” Fico wrote on Facebook after the meeting.
Ahead of the EU Council meeting: In light of the latest European Council meeting, he also reiterated that Slovakia will not participate in any military mission in Ukraine and will not provide “a single cent” for military aid to Ukraine. At the same time, Fico supported holding another joint meeting of the Slovak and Ukrainian governments dedicated to “mutually beneficial projects.”
Without any context, Fico also wrote that Slovakia would never support any EU sanctions against Hungary for its sovereign positions, possibly referring to recent comments by the Estonian Foreign Minister that Hungary's voting rights in the Council should be suspended because of its actions that run counter to common European interests.
(Zuzana Gabrižová | Euractiv.sk)
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
Bulgaria declares day of mourning in solidarity with North Macedonia fire victims. Bulgaria declared a day of mourning on Tuesday in solidarity with the victims of a fire at a North Macedonian disco. Fourteen seriously injured Macedonian citizens are being treated in Bulgarian hospitals, and authorities in Sofia immediately responded to information about the tragic incident in the Macedonian town of Kocani, sending ambulances and a military aircraft to help transport the victims.
Bulgarian PM calls for solidarity: “We are ready to receive more people. We have the potential to help, we have provided an opportunity for relatives of the victims to come to Bulgaria to support them,” said Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov.
He expressed hope that in this difficult moment, Bulgarians and Macedonians “will leave aside the hustle and bustle of everyday life to unite.”
Dozens of people have responded to calls to donate blood for the victims who are being treated in Bulgaria. Civic campaigns are also underway to raise funds to help the victims. The fire at the Kochani discotheque left at least 59 people dead and more than 150 injured, most of them seriously.
Bulgaria immediately responded to the serious incident, and the announcement of a day of mourning is an expression of sympathy that could ease tensions in bilateral relations between Sofia and Skopje.
North Macedonia cannot begin formal EU membership talks due to Bulgaria's veto.
(Krassen Nikolov | Euractiv.bg)
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BUCHAREST
A far-right candidate is expected to lead the first round of Romania's presidential elections, but lose the runoff. A far-right candidate is expected to win the first round of Romania's presidential elections, according to an opinion poll conducted by the AtlasIntel Institute for Hotnews , a partner of Euractiv Romania.
Reversal expected: However, the situation will change in the second round. After the Constitutional Court of Romania rejected the candidacy of pro-Russian Calin Georgescu, the far-right parties AUR and POT have decided to put both their leaders in the race, and one of them is expected to withdraw his candidacy after the nominations are approved.
In the first round, scheduled for May 4, AUR leader George Simion is projected to get 30.4% of the vote, followed by current Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan with 26% and the joint candidate of the PSD-PNL-UDMR government coalition Crin Antonescu with 17.9%. Pro-European liberal USR leader Elena Lasconi will get just 3.9%.
In the scenario where POT leader Anamaria Gavrilă represents the far right, she is expected to win 30.2% of the vote, Nicusor Dan – 25.3%, Crin Antonescu – 17.7%, Victor Ponta – 9.2% and Elena Lasconi – 3.9%.
However, in every scenario of the second round, Nikushor Dan is predicted to receive the most votes, regardless of his opponent.
(Catalina Mihai | Euractiv.ro)
AGENDAS:
- EU : The General Affairs Council meets to discuss EU-UK relations, legislative programming, etc.
- Commission President Ursula von der Leyen receives WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Participates in an informal dinner with European Council President António Costa, UN Secretary-General António Guterres;
- High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas meets with Chief of the Defence Staff of the United Kingdom Tony Radakin;
- Commission Vice-President Teresa Ribera takes part in the debate of the Parliamentary Committee on Environment, Climate and Food Safety on the theme “A Clean, Fair and Competitive Transition”;
- Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu delivers a speech at the launch of the annual FLAI report on working conditions in the agricultural sector; meets with representatives of LERU (League of European Research Universities); takes part in a parliamentary conference on “How to accelerate gender equality in the EU?”
- Vice-President Raffaele Fitto takes part in the European Court of Auditors (ECA) conference on the future of cohesion policy;
- Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis receives Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Matthias Cormann;
- Equality Commissioner Hadja Lahbib meets with UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba;
- Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šujka meets with Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs Haneen Saed;
- Parliament President Roberta Metsola meets with European Council President Antonio Costa;
- The Parliamentary Committees on Transport and Tourism, Security and Defence, and Budget Control hold a joint meeting on the ECA Special Report on Military Mobility.
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[Edited by Vas Panagiotopoulos, Daniel Ek, Sofia Mandilar]
Source: Source
