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In today’s news from the Capitals:
MADRID
Llanos Massó, a member of the far-right VOX party (ECR) and known for her anti-feminism and staunch rejection of abortion, was elected on Monday as the new president of the Valencia regional parliament, following an agreement struck with the Partido Popular party (PP/EPP). Read more.
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BERLIN
German business confidence falls, signals deeper recession. Germany’s most important business confidence index recorded an unexpected dip in the optimism of businesses in June, adding to a recent string of bad luck befalling the German economy. Read more.
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PARIS
France secures extra €2.8 billion from Commission to finance energy transition. The European Commission approved France’s reviewed Recovery and Resilience Plan on Monday, which includes an extra €2.8 billion from the REPowerEU plan to help finance France’s thermal renovation of ailing buildings. Read more.
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VIENNA
Austria urges domestic suppliers to speed up Russian gas phase-out. Austrian Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler called on domestic suppliers to speed up the process of decoupling from Russian gas at a meeting with energy companies on Monday. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
Finland to ban mobile phones in schools. Finland, previously known for its strong performance in PISA school aptitude tests, wants to reverse the current downward trend and promote a focused learning environment by passing a law banning mobile phones in schools. Read more.
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STOCKHOLM
Sweden to tax prostitution like any other service. The sale of sexual services, which unlike the purchase of such services is legal in Sweden, is to be taxed like any other service, the Swedish Tax Agency said in a statement on Monday. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ROME
Reluctant Italy postpones eurozone bailout fund’s ratification. The Italian government could postpone until September the ratification of the European Stability Mechanism, a highly divisive issue which is not considered urgent by Forza Italia, as the party insists there is a need for a ‘democratic control’ of the mechanism. Read more.
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LISBON
Portugal’s third political force among prominent ‘hate’ organisations. Portugal’s far-right party Chega! (ID) is projected to enter the European Parliament next year with a projected 13.2% of national votes, but a recent report highlighted the party’s rhetoric fuelled by anti-LGBTQ+, anti-immigration, anti-women and pro-conspiracy discourse. Read more.
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VALLETTA
Activists riled as Maltese government tones down abortion law changes. The Maltese government toning down changes to the country’s abortion laws has sparked disappointment among local activists who have campaigned for change after one woman was denied life-saving care and had to be medically evacuated, and another was charged for procuring a medical abortion. Read more.
VISEGRAD
WARSAW
Polish ruling party accuses EPP of meddling in national elections. The Polish ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) slammed Manfred Weber for his ‘firewall’ comment, accusing his European People’s Party of attempting to interfere with the elections scheduled in Poland for the autumn. Read more.
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PRAGUE
Czech ANO party wants to stay in ALDE despite conservative views. The ANO party wants to remain a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) after the 2024 EU elections despite the significant shift of the party from a central liberal movement to a populist and nationalist grouping. Read more.
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BRATISLAVA
First year of EU’s CAP reforms created unprecedented space for nature in Slovakia. Almost 7,000 kilometres of non-productive areas – four times the length of Slovakia’s national borders – have been created in Slovakia since the start of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
Bulgaria’s pro-Russian party leader calls for annihilation of opponents. Radical pro-Russian party Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov called for the destruction of the megaphones of the American embassy, a label he uses for Euro-Atlantic parties in the country – We Continue the Change, Democratic Bulgaria and GERB. Read more.
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BUCHAREST
Romanian lawmakers abolish parliamentary special pensions. A law to eliminate the special pensions of parliamentarians, adopted in 2015, was voted on by the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, as special pensions are an important target in the national recovery plan. Read more.
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LJUBLJANA
Slovenia’s new nuclear plant could cost up to €11 billion. Building a second unit at the existing Krško nuclear power station would cost €7,000 per kilowatt, totalling €11 billion should Slovenia decide to build the most powerful of several possible units under consideration, a 1,600 MW unit, according to a price estimate by Prime Minister Robert Golob. Read more.
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PRISTINA
Serbia releases Kosovar police, Pristina demands accountability. On Monday, Serbia released three Kosovar police officers after accusations from Pristina they were “kidnapped” from within Kosovo’s territory, with President Vjosa Osmani thanking the US for their input but calling for Serbia to be held accountable. Read more.
AGENDA:
- EU: General Affairs Council convenes to discuss European electoral law, EU Carbon market, and more;
- Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hosts Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama; Receives U.S. Senators Patty Murray, Christopher Coons, Lisa Murkowski, Catherine Cortez-Masto;
- Trilogue (2nd) between the European Institutions on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive takes place;
- Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans delivers closing speech at the 2023 Annual Conference of the EU Mission for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities; Together with Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides meets 300 NGOs’ representatives to discuss New Genomics Techniques;
- Vice President Dubravka Šuica participates in “Beating the odds- fostering cancer survival rates in the EU” event, organized by MEP Tomislav Sokol;
- Vice President Vĕra Jourová speaks at the event “Are you addicted to social media? And our kids?”;
- Vice President Margaritis Schinas participates in the article 17 dialogue: “The 30th anniversary of the EU single market: Past achievements and future developments”; Delivers speech at the 2nd edition of the Education and innovation summit;
- International Partnerships Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen attends Afghanistan Coordination Group Senior Officials Meeting, 43rd plenary session of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States – EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly;
- Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmit attends the “Towards a Local Employment Guarantee” event, organised by the S&D Group at the European Parliament; Participates in the Friends of Europe Climate and Energy Summit, “A Green Deal that works for All Europeans” session;
- Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders holds videoconference with UK Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Alex Chalk; Hosts new European Data Protection Board Chair Anu Talus;
- European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety votes on the Nature restoration draft report; Rapporteur César Luena (S&D, ES) holds press conference; EPP Group holds press conference on its position, represented by Christine Schneider (EPP,DE) and Esther de Lange (EPP, NL);
- Germany: Weimar triangle talks with Finance Minister Christian Lindner, France’s Bruno Le Maire and Poland’s Magdalena Rzeczkowska;
- Netherlands: NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and Dutch PM Mark Rutte host pre-Vilnius summit dinner for six leaders;
- Sweden: Foreign Affairs Minister Tobias Billstrom and Britain’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly hold press conference;
- China: Premier Li Qiang delivers WEF “Summer Davos” meeting opening speech;
- UN: Security Council holds meeting on the Middle East;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Sofia Mandilara]
