Unvaccinated could lose unemployment benefits in Germany

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 Dispatches from the Donbas: What’s next in Ukraine’s ‘forever war’?, by Alexandra Brzozowski.

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The European news you deserve to read. Welcome to The Capitals by EURACTIV.

In today’s news from the Capitals:

BERLIN

The potential introduction of mandatory COVID-19 vaccines in Germany could have repercussions on the job market, as unvaccinated people would lose their claim to unemployment benefits and employers would be allowed to turn down applicants if they are not vaccinated. Read more.

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PARIS

Taubira, voted in Popular Primary, to run for French presidential elections. Former Justice Minister Christiane Taubira, the winner of Sunday’s People’s Primary who made her presidential candidacy conditional on winning it, will now run for president.

Of the 465,000 people registered, more than 392,000 voted between 27 and 30 January, according to a voting method known as “majority voting”. They had to give a rating ranging from “very good” to “insufficient” to each of the seven candidates selected. Taubira received 67% of “good” or “very good” mentions. In a bid to ensure a united left, Taubira said that she would call on other leftist candidates to withdraw, though she is only polling around 4.5%. (Davide Basso | EURACTIV.fr)

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BRUSSELS

SNCB’s role in Auschwitz deportations to be investigated. The Belgian government has ordered an independent study into the role of the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB) in the deportations directed by the Nazi authorities during the second world war. This study may open the way for reparations, as in the Netherlands. Our media partner The Bulletin has more.

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VIENNA

Austria scraps lockdown for unvaccinated. Austria’s unvaccinated will no longer have to be in lockdown from Monday as COVID-19 vaccines will be made mandatory the following day on Tuesday, the government announced last week. Read more.

UK AND IRELAND

DUBLIN

Russia to move naval drills out of Irish waters after pushback. Russia will move naval exercises scheduled to begin this week out of Ireland’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) following a backlash from the government and fishing industry. Read more.

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LONDON

Downing Street under pressure to scrap tax hike. The UK government is under pressure to scrap a planned tax increase due to come into force in April, with lawmakers from the opposition and governing Conservative party warning that it will hurt workers facing hikes in the cost of living. Read more.

NORDICS AND BALTICS

HELSINKI

Finnish diplomats fall victim to cyber espionage. Finnish diplomats working in missions abroad have been targeted with the Pegasus spyware developed by Israeli company NSO Group. The malware has infected Apple or Android phones without users noticing or taking action, the foreign ministry said. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

MADRID

Nine EU right and far-right parties agree on ‘road map for sovereign and patriotic Europe’. Nine right and far-right European leaders, including Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and France’s Marine Le Pen, have agreed, in a meeting held at the weekend in Madrid, on a ‘road map’ for a ‘patriotic Europe. Read more.

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ROME

Italian President Mattarella voted to serve second term. President Sergio Mattarella, whose mandate would have expired 3 February, was re-elected on 29 January with 759 votes to serve as Italy’s president for a second term. Read more.

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LISBON

Portugal’s Socialists win elections as far-right gains ground. The Socialist Party and António Costa won Sunday’s snap parliamentary elections, with 41.7% and 117 seats giving Costa and his party the right to rule solo. Read more.

VISEGRAD

PRAGUE

Czech presidential office shredded intelligence report on Russian agents. Czech police are investigating whether the Presidential office intentionally shredded an intelligence report on the involvement of Russian agents in the 2014 ammunition deposit blast, Czech Radio and weekly Respekt reported. Read more.

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WARSAW

Morawiecki urges EU to allow tax cuts on gas and subsidies for fertilisers. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called on the European Commission Sunday to approve the government plans to temporarily cut value-added tax on gas, a decision that the Commission has so far been unwilling to take. The PM said lowering VAT on gas would help Polish farmers. Read more.

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BUDAPEST

Teachers and Hungarian government face off in legal battle, schools brace for strike. Almost 50,000 teachers are holding a two-hour strike on Monday, announced last December, as a warning shot that an indefinite walkout could follow on 16 March if the executive does not meet their demands, Telex reported. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Most Slovaks hold NATO responsible for tension in Ukraine. More than 44% of Slovaks believe the US and NATO are responsible for the rising tension in Ukraine, while 34% believe Russia is to blame, a new survey conducted by Focus agency has found. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

ZAGREB

Croatian president calls foreign minister ‘dumb’ for visiting Putin. President Zoran Milanović called foreign minister, Gordan Grlić Radman, ‘dumb’ for holding an official visit to Moscow on 17 January marking the president’s latest attack on the government regarding foreign policy. Read more.

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LJUBLJANA

‘No divergence’ from one-China policy in Slovenia. Slovenian foreign policy officials have clarified the country’s position on ties with Taiwan and announced that a representative office planned for the island will refer to “Taipei” and will be designated as an economic and cultural office. Read more.

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SOFIA

Bulgarian defence minister sceptical about foreign NATO troops. “If a decision is made to deploy NATO troops on the Eastern Flank, the Bulgarian government believes that this measure should be implemented with Bulgarian troops. We will have Bulgarian troops who will perform this task on Bulgarian territory with Bulgarian command,” said Bulgarian Defence Minister Stefan Yanev as quoted by bTV. Read more.

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BELGRADE

Serbian FM: No dialogue with Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti. Talks between Belgrade and Priština have deteriorated since Albin Kurti took over as Kosovo’s prime minister, Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selaković said on Sunday, adding that talks are unlikely to be continued. Read more.

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SARAJEVO | BERLIN

Germany’s KfW bank drops financing of BiH hydropower project. German development bank KfW has confirmed on 28 January that it has dropped plans to finance the controversial Janjići hydropower plant on the river Bosna in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), RiverWatch announced. Read more.

Elections in BiH must go on, regardless of reform. Representatives of Croatian and Bosniak political parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), who were supposed to agree on changes to the electoral law during a three-day negotiation session, failed to come closer in their views, negotiators have said. Read more.

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SKOPJE

Price freeze on basic foodstuffs remains in North Macedonia. The highest prices of basic foodstuffs will continue until 28 February 2022 to be at the level of regular prices applied on 1 December 2021, the government of North Macedonia decided at its eighth session on 28 January. The measure applies to basic foodstuffs like bread, sugar, flour-type 400, sunflower oil, permanent milk with a fat content of 2, 8%, 3.2% and 3.5%, fresh meat, cheese and cottage cheese, rice, eggs and pasta.

The market intervention measure, applied from 6 December 2021, applies to wholesale and retail trade valid on 1 December and excludes discounted prices. (Željko Trkanjec | EURACTIV.hr)

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TIRANA

Energy poverty leads to pollution-related deaths in Albania and Western Balkans. At least 37% of Albanians are suffering from energy poverty, far above the European average of 5%, according to a study from DOOR and EIHP to address energy poverty in energy community contracting parties. This drives them to use wood to heat their homes, directly impacting the health of those around them. Read more.

AGENDA:

EU: European Commission VP Valdis Dombrovskis meets Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Kyiv/Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins in Riga / European Parliament delegation on fact finding mission to Ukraine / Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides holds a video call with G7 health ministers / First trilogue of the Digital Services Act takes place with participation of Commissioner Margrethe Vestager / Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius in the US for discussion on European Green Deal.
UN Security Council public meeting on the Ukraine crisis, requested by the US.
Germany: CDU party to announce results of the postal vote of the new party leadership.
France: EU industry, internal market ministers meet in Lens.
Austria: Lockdown for unvaccinated ends.
Estonia: Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau visits Tallinn.
Norway: Deadline for submission of nominations for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.
Czechia: Parliament’s Lower and Upper Chambers heads – Markéta Pekarová Adamová and Miloš Vystrčil – are travelling to Brussels to meet with the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
Serbia: Latvian Foreign Minister Edgar Rinkevičs to visit Serbia and meet with his counterpart Nikola Selaković and Prime Minister Ana Brnabić.