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 exclusive interview with Slovenia’s Prime Minister Janez Jansa: If Kyiv falls, expect ‘domino effect’ in Europe’s neighbourhood, by Alexandra Brzozowski.
The European news you deserve to read. Welcome to The Capitals by EURACTIV.
In today’s news from the Capitals:
PRAGUE | WARSAW | BRATISLAVA | BUDAPEST
Visegrad countries, known for having a strict immigration policy and a zero refugee relocation approach following the sudden influx of refugees to Europe after the Syrian war, have opened their gates to hundreds of thousands of refugees coming from Ukraine. Read more.
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EU INSTITUTIONS
Member states fall behind in EU participatory democracy experiment. As the end of the European Union’s year-long participatory democracy experiment draws nearer, 23 out of 27 member states have failed to finalise their final recommendations, calling their dedication to the initiative into question. Read more.
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VIENNA
Vienna put forward to host Ukraine-Russia peace talks. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has suggested Vienna hosts talks to end the war in Ukraine after Russia readied its nuclear deterrent. Read more.
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BERLIN
Ukraine triggers U-turn in Germany’s foreign policy thinking. With Russia’s war in Ukraine presenting a ‘turning point’, Germany has shifted its position on major foreign and defence topics – ranging from arms deliveries, defence spending, sanctions and diplomacy. Read more.
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PARIS
France to propose activating emergency law to deal with Ukrainian refugees. France, currently heading the EU Council presidency, will propose activating the bloc’s “temporary protection” directive to deal with the millions of Ukrainian refugees the EU expects in the coming weeks, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Sunday. Read more.
UK AND IRELAND
LONDON
Truss backs Brit volunteers fighting for Ukraine. Foreign Minister Liz Truss has signalled her support for British volunteers planning to travel to Ukraine to defend the country from the ongoing Russian invasion. Read more.
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DUBLIN
Ireland’s government politicians call for expulsion of Russian ambassador. Calls from government politicians to expel the Russian ambassador to Ireland Yury Anatoliyevich Filatov are mounting following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI | STOCKHOLM
Possible NATO membership campaign gathers momentum. In Finland and Sweden, Russian aggression in Ukraine is putting wind in the sails of those in favour of NATO membership. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
VALLETTA
Malta asked to stop selling passports to wealthy, Kremlin-linked Russians. The Maltese government has been asked to stop selling passports to wealthy Russians who have “benefited from Putin’s corruption”, by six civil society organisations, following Moscow’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Read more.
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ROME
Italy welcomes first refugees from Ukraine. Refugees from Ukraine arrived in Northern Italy during the weekend, news agency ANSA reported on Sunday. Read more.
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ATHENS
Greece fumes at Russia after ten Greeks die from ‘Orthodox’ bombs in Ukraine. Tensions between Athens and Moscow flared up after ten Greek expatriates were killed during a bombing by Russian forces in Sartana, a village in the Donetsk oblast in eastern Ukraine. Read more.
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MADRID
Spain: Criminal prosecution against Putin should be considered. A criminal prosecution against Russian President Vladimir Putin should not be excluded because of Russia’s “act of war” in Ukraine, Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles has said. Read more.
VISEGRAD
WARSAW
Polish diplomats remain in war engulfed Ukraine. The Polish embassy in Kyiv remains open as Russia continues to wage war on Ukraine. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
Bulgarian government row over military aid to Ukraine. The announcement that Bulgaria would send humanitarian and military-logistical aid to Ukraine has created a serious spat within the government. Read more.
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SOFIA | ATHENS
Bulgaria starts talks with Greece over joint nuclear project. Bulgaria has begun talks with Athens on building a new nuclear power plant on Bulgarian territory to be used by Greece under a long-term 20-year contract, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Asen Vassilev announced on Sunday. Read more.
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BUCHAREST | CHISINAU
Thousands of refugees entered Romania, Moldova. More than 56,000 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania by 4 pm on Sunday, while 70,000 entered Moldova. According to Interior Minister Lucian Bode, half of those who had entered Romania have already exited the country. Read more.
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Croatia planning to receive up to 17,000 Ukrainian refugees. Croatia can currently provide for 3,500 persons from Ukraine, and plans are being made so that up to 17,000 can be accommodated, Davor Spevec of the Civil Protection Directorate told Slavonski Brod on Saturday. Read more.
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LJUBLJANA
Jansa gets suspended sentence for insulting tweet. Prime Minister Janez Janša has been found guilty in a retrial for insulting two public broadcaster TV Slovenija journalists whom he called “washed-up prostitutes” in a Twitter post from 2016. In a ruling that is not final yet, the Celje District Court handed Janša a three-month suspended sentence. Read more.
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BELGRADE
Serbia against Russia sanctions, but will accept refugees and send aid. Serbia believes it is wrong to violate the territorial integrity of any country, including Ukraine, Foreign Minister Nikola Selaković said on Saturday. The day before, President Aleksandar Vučić said Serbia refused to introduce sanctions against Russia because it invaded its neighbour. Read more.
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SARAJEVO
BiH officials told NATO deployment needed in country. “We have heard from German officials that it is necessary to deploy NATO forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” state MP Damir Arnaut told N1 Saturday after his visit to Germany.
Arnaut, together with MPs from BiH’s Federation entity (Croat and Bosniak), Sabina Ćudić and Elmedin Konakovic, and the Prime Minister of the Sarajevo Canton, Edin Forto, were in Berlin for the past three days, where they met with German MPs and MEPs, as well as members of the BiH diaspora.
The dialogue was constructive, and at an extremely high level, the representative of Our Party said. (Željko Trkanjec | EURACTIV.hr)
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SKOPJE
North Macedonia bans Russian airlines from its airspace. Russian airlines have been banned from North Macedonia’s airspace, the government decided at Sunday’s session. The country joins EU member countries who have already introduced such bans. Read more.
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PRISTINA | BELGRADE
Serbia lashes out at Kosovo over police logistical efforts in north. Serbia’s Office for Kosovo has lashed out at Kosovo for “destabilising the region” after Kosovo police announced they would be increasing their logistic capacities in the border village of Bërnjak. Read more.
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TIRANA
Albanian parliament to vote on Russian sanctions as fear of destabilisation grows. Albanian parliament is set to vote on a package of wide-ranging sanctions against Russia and Russian citizens while the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell has spoken of EU concerns about the war spreading to the region. Read more.
Bread could be off the menu in Albania amid Ukraine-Russia war. The price of wheat is set to rise in Albania due to sanctions imposed on Russia, when reserves are already at a low, according to the President of the Association of Flour Processors, Adi Haxhiymeri. Read more.
AGENDA:
- EU: EU defence ministers meet virtually to discuss details for European Peace Facility and support to Ukraine / EU energy ministers hold an emergency meeting on European gas / Commissioner Didier Reynders presents the annual report on dangerous non-food products.
- Switzerland: UN Human Rights Council holds session.
- France: Covid rules requiring masks in indoor public venues dropped.
- Slovakia: Start of re-trial of alleged mastermind behind journalist’s murder
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[Edited by Alexandra Brzozowski, Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Benjamin Fox, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor]
Source: euractiv.com
