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Railway Direction Days 2023 – development of HS rail in CEE
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In today’s news from the Capitals:
The year 2022 saw a significant strengthening of ties between South Korea and Poland, thanks to major arms deals and a Korean firm contracted to build a nuclear power plant in Poland – with a touch of ‘kimchi diplomacy’. Read more.
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EU INSTITUTIONS
Clean Tech Europe, the EU’s answer to the Inflation Reduction Act? Ahead of EU-US consultations, Single Market Commissioner Thierry Breton has launched a platform to take stock of the challenges facing Europe’s clean tech industry. Far from concrete, it promises neither funding nor legislation. Read more.
EU countries reach common position on the Chips Act. European ministers endorsed a mandate to initiate interinstitutional negotiations on the Chips Act during the Telecom Council meeting on Thursday. Read more.
EU ministers exclude finance from due diligence law in victory for France. After a flurry of last-minute negotiations among member states, EU ministers agreed on a common negotiating position for the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) on Thursday, making the inclusion of the financial services in the scope of due diligence requirements optional for member states. Read more.
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BERLIN
German parliament ratifies CETA, urges other countries to follow suit. The Bundestag has officially ratified the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which has been under provisional application since 2017. Read more.
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PARIS
Sanofi employees renew strike after failed pay rise talks. Sanofi’s employees decided to renew industrial action on Thursday after negotiations with management for higher wages in the context of inflation failed. Read more.
EU inquiry into controversial French media merger moves ahead. The European Commission will conduct an in-depth antitrust investigation into the proposed acquisition of the French media group Lagardère by another national colossus, Vivendi. Read more.
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VIENNA
New EU supply chain law makes waves in Austria. The EU’s due diligence law is causing discontent among Austrian industry associations and conservative politicians, prompting Vienna to abstain from voting on Thursday, provoking strong reactions from social and green activists. Read more.
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THE HAGUE
Hague moves ahead with military AI summit. Registration for the Responsible AI in the Military Domain summit – REAIM 2023 – is now open, the Dutch government announced Thursday. Read more.
UK AND IRELAND
DUBLIN
No hard border in Ireland, von der Leyen tells Irish lawmakers. A solution to the Northern Ireland protocol issue is possible, but there can be no hard border on the island of Ireland, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the Irish Parliament on Thursday. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
Finnish authorities to ditch Twitter. Finnish authorities are looking for an alternative information channel following Twitter’s recent takeover by Elon Musk and the ensuing question marks around the company’s future. Read more.
Narrow majority of Finns ready to join NATO without waiting for Sweden. Finns are growing impatient while waiting for the ratification from Hungary and Turkey for Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership, according to a poll published by research company Taloustutkimus on Thursday. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ATHENS
RSF fume after Greek PM calls media freedom criticism ‘crap’. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reacted strongly to a statement by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis describing as “crap” the organisation’s poor ranking of the country when it comes to media freedom. Read more.
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VALLETTA
NGOs accuse Maltese PM, ex-PM of crimes against humanity at International Criminal Court. Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela and ex-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat have been accused of crimes against humanity over migrant pushbacks in a complaint filed by human rights NGOs at the International Criminal Court. Read more.
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ROME
Italy overestimated recovery and resilience fund, struggles to meet targets. Italy risks spending less than planned in the Recovery and Resilience Plan and is missing key deadlines for the disbursement of the third tranche of the Recovery fund. Read more.
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MADRID
Ukraine-related letter bombs posted in Spain. Six envelopes containing explosives, one of which was sent to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez – have been intercepted and deactivated by Spanish security forces since 24 November and are believed to have been posted from within the country. Read more.
VISEGRAD
BUDAPEST
More Hungarian teachers reprimanded as anger, protests over firings swell. Fourteen additional teachers risk losing their jobs after protesting against working conditions in Hungary following a day of nationwide strikes after eight educators from a prestigious Budapest school were fired for civil disobedience. Read more.
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WARSAW
Opposition blasts defense minister’s u-turn on German patriots for Poland. Opposition representatives have accused the Defence Ministry for acting against the Polish raison d’état after Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak told Germany it should send its Patriot anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine instead. Read more.
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PRAGUE
Italian prosecutors are after Czech football legend. A motion to indict former Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli and ten other board members, including vice-chairman and former Czech footballer Pavel Nedvěd, for falsifying the club’s accounts was filed by Turin’s prosecutor’s office. Read more.
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BRATISLAVA
No electricity price increase in 2023 for Slovak households. While heat and gas prices will increase by approximately 15%, electricity prices will not change, the Slovakian government announced Thursday. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
Protesters in Sofia block entry to parliament over new election rules. Thousands of Bulgarian citizens blocked the front of the National Assembly to protest against changes to the country’s electoral legislation, which returns to voting with paper ballots, while the deputies continued their session on the changes to the Electoral Code inside. Read more.
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LJUBLJANA
Slovenia to receive 50 Syrian, Afghan refugees from Turkey. Fifty refugees from Afghanistan and Syria will be moving from Turkey to Slovenia as part of a resettlement plan that will be finalised at the end of January, the government announced Thursday. Read more.
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BELGRADE
Serbia boycotts EU summit, calls Kosovo PM ‘terrorist scum’. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced a boycott of the EU-Western Balkan Summit set to take place in Tirana on 6 December and called Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti terrorist scum. Read more.
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PODGORICA
Montengero questions transparency, strategy of Open Balkan initiative. Montenegro’s European Affairs Ministry has levied criticism at the Open Balkan regional initiative, stating it relies on the good relations of charismatic leaders and is not transparent. Read more.
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SARAJEVO
Dodik says Bosnia and Herzegovina will never recognise Kosovo. The President of Republika Srpska, the Serb entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik, declared that he would never allow the country to recognise the independence of Kosovo. Read more.
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TIRANA
Five Albanian state IT staff investigated over Iran hack. Five information technology employees at Albania’s Department of Public Administration are under investigation by the Tirana Prosecutor’s Office for abuse of duty following cyber attacks waged by Iran. Read more.
AGENDA
- EU: Competitiveness Council is expected to adopt conclusions on research infrastructures and on the New European Innovation Agenda; Debate EU space data exploitation; The Swedish delegation will inform the ministers about the programme for their upcoming presidency;
- Parliament, Council and Commission host the‘ Conference on the Future of Europe’ feedback event with representatives of the EU institutions, and citizens who participated in the European Citizens’ Panels during the Conference; The three Presidents of the EU institutions will open the event;
- European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans delivers a keynote speech at the general assembly meeting of the European Construction Industry Federation;
- Vice President Vĕra Jourová, on an official visit to Czechia, speaks at Media Capture and the European Media Freedom Act event; Holds meetings with TV station CEOs;
- Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Commissioner Mariya Gabriel participates in the Formal Council Research, in Brussels;
- Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides delivers the opening speech to the annual RRF event co-organised by the European Commission and the Government of Cyprus, in Nicosia;
- Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski participates in the ‘How to meet food needs in the face of global challenges?’ conference, in Nadarzyn, Poland;
- European Parliament President Roberta Metsola attends EPP Leaders’ meeting, in Athens, Greece;
- Italy: Trial of Matteo Salvini, accused of blocking rescue ships carrying migrants, resumes;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Vlad Makszimov, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Sofia Mandilara]
Source: euractiv.com