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In today’s news from the Capitals:
The Polish Constitutional Tribunal returned to examining the constitutionality of bloc fines imposed by the EU’s top court for non-compliance with rulings after the European executive, in an unexpected move earlier this week, threatened to withhold bloc catch-up funds from Warsaw over judicial independence. Read more.
EU INSTITUTIONS
MEPs backtrack on €500 million building revamp. MEPs have backtracked on multi-million euro plans to overhaul their main building in Brussels, potentially averting a major public relations drama in the process. Read more.
Ukrainian people win EU Parliament’s Sakharov prize. The people of Ukraine, represented by their president, elected leaders, and civil society, won the 2022 Sakharov prize, an annual award the European Parliament gives to organisations and individuals that defend freedom of thought and human rights. Read more.
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BERLIN
Berlin, Paris delay annual meet up over unresolved issues. Unable to come to a joint position on several issues, German and French have pushed back the date for their yearly meeting by several months, reflecting growing discord between the traditionally close partners. Read more.
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PARIS
French budget to be adopted without vote. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced that the revenue part of the French budget for 2023 would be adopted without a vote of the deputies due to political infighting and a lack of consensus. Read more.
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VIENNA
Austrian government to add more tents for refugees. The government will put up additional tents, including in western Austria, where less refugees arrive, amid outrage over the initiative and pleas from NGOs to address the situation. Read more.
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BRUSSELS
Belgian defence to set up Cyber Command. A Cyber component to Belgian defence should be operational before the end of the legislature in 2024, Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder announced on Wednesday. Read more.
Belgium does not meet 22% of its recovery plan objectives. In a report to the European Commission, Belgium acknowledges that 22% of the milestones and targets it should have reached according to its Recovery plan are not yet met, which could lead to the Commission refusing to give the country the second tranche of EU funds. Read more.
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THE HAGUE
Dutch MPs want the king to pay taxes. King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his royal family should no longer be exempt from paying taxes, believe a majority of MPs. Read more.
UK AND IRELAND
LONDON
UK moves closer to join EU’s military mobility scheme. EU ambassadors on Wednesday (19 October) unanimously approved the UK’s application to join the EU’s project on military mobility, which aims at improving the rapidity of troops and equipment movement across Europe, should the need arise. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
Finland to build partial fence on eastern border. Finland has decided to construct a fence along 260 kilometres of its 1,300-kilometre eastern land border following measures already taken by its neighbours Norway and Estonia. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ROME
Meloni threatens to derail coalition talks after Berlusconi’s Russia scandal. Brothers of Italy leader and likely next prime minister Giorgia Meloni has demanded the clear pro-West position of all potential coalition partners in order to continue talks to form a government following her victory in the 25 September elections. Read more.
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MADRID
Sánchez, Costa push for Midcat pipeline, to meet with Macron in Paris. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his Portuguese counterpart, António Costa, are pulling together again in a “last minute” move to convince French President Emmanuel Macron of the urgent need to build the MidCat pipeline, the project of gas interconnection through the Pyrenees. Read more.
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ATHENS
Washington rejects Putin’s call to make Turkey Europe’s gas hub. The US has reacted negatively to a proposal made by Russian President Vladimir Putin to turn Turkey into a gas hub for the EU. Read more.
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VALLETTA
Malta faces brain drain, worker shortages. Brain drain and worker shortages are hitting one of the EU’s smallest member states, according to the Malta Chamber of Commerce in an EY Malta conference held this week. Read more.
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LISBON
Portugal lacks infrastructure to complete energy connection with Spain. Portugal lacks 162 kilometres of infrastructure to complete the energy interconnection with Spain and, Prime Minister António Costa said on Wednesday. Read more.
VISEGRAD
BRATISLAVA
Slovak parliament refuses to give queer people more rights again. National Council members decided to not support a bill granting same-sex couples inheritance rights and the right to access medical records. Read more.
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PRAGUE
Macedonian identity threatened, accession process must be fixed, ex-FM says. History and identity politics have become part of the accession process, former foreign minister of North Macedonia Nikola Dimitrov said in an interview for EURACTIV.cz, adding that the failures of the enlargement process should be fixed. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
Severe political crisis blocks new Bulgarian parliament. The severe political crisis that has dominated Bulgaria for a year and a half stopped the work of the newly elected National Assembly on the very first day on Wednesday. Read more.
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SARAJEVO
Irregular migrants trickle into Bosnia from Serbia. The town of Bratunac in eastern Bosnia, on the border with Serbia, has seen a significant increase in the arrival of irregular migrants from Serbia in recent days, local media reported. Read more.
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BUCHAREST
Romanian company joins forces with Azerbaijan for Black Sea LNG investment. Romanian state-run company Romgaz signed with Azeri SOCAR a memorandum of understanding for joint investment in liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in the Black Sea. Read more.
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ZAGREB
Euro adoption will have minimal impact on inflation, says central bank governor. The introduction of the euro in Croatia next January should not contribute a lot to already high inflation, caused primarily by rising energy and food prices, central bank Governor Boris Vujčić said on Wednesday. Read more.
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LJUBLJANA
Slovenia adopts whistleblowers act. The Slovenian government has adopted a draft act on the protection of whistleblowers, a piece of legislation years in the making that sets down avenues to report breaches and introduces protective measures. Read more.
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PRISTINA
US envoy: Kosovo-Serbia agreement weeks away, postpone license plate rule. US Special Envoy for the Balkans Gabriel Escobar said Kosovo should postpone the end of October deadline for introducing locally registered number plates, and an agreement with Serbia could be just weeks away. Read more.
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TIRANA
Albanian PM rebuffs striking teachers. The Albanian government will not strike a deal with protesting teachers over salaries, instead suggesting they can work in private institutions and stating vetting of salary declarations will take place. Read more.
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AGENDA
- EU: European Council discusses the Ukraine war, energy prices and supply efficiency, economic issues and external relations, in particular, EU-Asia relations and the preparations for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt (COP27), and the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity;
- President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, President of European Parliament Roberta Metsola attend European council meeting;
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen receives newly elected Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson;
- President Ursula von der Leyen, Vice-President Dubravka Šuica, and Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Commissioner Mariya Gabriel participate in the EPP Summit, in Brussels;
- Vice-President Margaritis Schinas joins an audition with the EU Committee of the Spanish parliament;
- Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson participates in the Berlin process meeting of Interior Ministers;
- EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola makes opening remarks at the European Anti-SLAPP Conference; Vice-President Vĕra Jourová addresses the conference, in Strasbourg;
- European Parliament Plenary Session debates European support to the Ukrainian research community; Commission implementing Regulation determining the existing deep-sea fishing areas and establishing a list of areas where vulnerable marine ecosystems are known to occur or are likely to occur;
- European Parliament Plenary Session votes on the Rule of Law in Malta; Motion for a resolution on COP27 – UN Climate Change Conference 2022; Motion for resolutions on Cultural solidarity with Ukraine and a joint emergency response mechanism for cultural recovery in Europe; The situation in Burkina Faso following the coup d’état;
- EU Fundamental Rights Agency National Liaison Officers to meet in Vienna over cooperation and working methods; Representatives of North Macedonia, Serbia and Albania to participate as observers;
- Germany: Chancellor Olaf Scholz addresses parliament ahead of EU summit;
- France: European Beekeeping Congress to take place;
- Czech Republic: European transport ministers hold Informal meeting;
- United Nations: Security Council debates on women in conflict zones;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Vlad Makszimov, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Sofia Mandilara]
Source: euractiv.com
