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The European news you deserve to read. Welcome to The Capitals by EURACTIV.
In today’s news from the Capitals:
MADRID
The number of mental and behavioural disorders among children has tripled during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 3% experiencing suicidal thoughts in 2021, the Spanish branch of Save the Children warned on Tuesday. Read more.
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VIENNA
Austria says its Olympic boycott is not political. Austria opposes a political boycott and “politicisation of the games,” said Chancellor Karl Nehammer, even though no high-ranking Austrian politicians will travel to China to attend the Winter games because of the COVID-19 situation. Read more.
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BERLIN
New foreign minister says Germany ‘committed’ to nuclear sharing. Germany is committed to NATO membership, including nuclear sharing and nuclear disarmament, according to Foreign Minister and Green co-leader Annalena Baerbock, who visited Stockholm on Tuesday. Read more.
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PARIS
Digital to be a French priority during EU Council Presidency. Digital regulation and tech sovereignty will be among France’s digital priorities when it takes over the rotating EU Council presidency in the first half of 2022. France wants the two key legislative dossiers in Brussels, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA), to be completed during its presidency, President Emmanuel Macron said in his 9 December speech. Read more.
(Mathieu Pollet| EURACTIV.com)
UK AND IRELAND
LONDON
EU citizens’ watchdog sues Home Office. The agency responsible for safeguarding the rights of EU citizens living in the United Kingdom has opened legal proceedings against the UK government over the status of 2.5 million EU citizens given temporary residency in the UK.
The Independent Monitoring Authority for the Citizens’ Rights Agreements (IMA) on Tuesday launched judicial review proceedings against the Home Office, arguing that the government’s position that citizens who fail to apply for Settled Status before the expiry of their Pre-Settled Status should automatically lose their rights, is unlawful. Read more.
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DUBLIN
All Irish households to receive €100 in response to energy price rise. All households in Ireland will receive a €100 subsidy in spring next year amid a global rise in energy prices, described by the government as “unprecedented”. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
Finland’s ‘Putin whisperer’ tries to solve Ukraine crisis with telephone diplomacy. President Sauli Niinistö, whom the Sunday Times recently described as the “Putin whisperer” has had phone calls with both Washington and the Kremlin to find a diplomatic solution to the tense situation at the Ukraine border. Read more.
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VILNIUS
Lithuania Railways CEO to resign over Belarus potash transport. The head of Lithuania’s state-run railways, Mantas Bartuska, agreed on Tuesday to step down to “de-escalate” public outcry over the transport of potash from sanctions-hit Belarus, but the company said it could not stop facilitating it for now. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ATHENS
Commission sees progress in Greece’s Recovery Fund reforms. Brussels and Athens overcame initial disagreements over the required reforms to unlock the first instalment of the Recovery Fund for Greece, EURACTIV.gr has learnt. However, the negotiations resembled the crisis and bailout talks, sources said. Read more.
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ROME
Commission: Italy must justify compulsory quarantine, tests for travellers. Italy has to justify its new measure imposing mandatory quarantine for the unvaccinated and compulsory tests for vaccinated travellers, Commission vice-president Věra Jourová said at the end of the general affairs EU Council on Tuesday. Read more.
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LISBON
Environmentalists take Portuguese government to court again over new Lisbon airport. Eight environmental organisations announced on Tuesday that they will again go to court over the new Lisbon airport, this time because they consider the strategic environmental assessment, which does not allow for alternatives, to be illegal. Read more.
VISEGRAD
BUDAPEST
Justice minister says EU won’t release COVID money until after Hungarian elections. The European Commission will wait to see how next year’s April parliamentary polls will go in Hungary before considering giving its blessing to Budapest’s plan for COVID aid, Minister of Justice Judit Varga told journalists in Brussels on Tuesday (15 December). Read more.
In other news, the Hungarian parliament appointed András Koltay to serve as the head of the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH), until 2030, Telex reported. The move, made possible by the resignation of Koltay’s predecessor one-year early after serving for eight years, is decried by critics as an attempt to cement Fidesz’s hold over the national media regulator.
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WARSAW
New Polish bill set to block Warsaw’s tribute to women’s rights heroines. The Polish foreign ministry has promised to come forward with a law that would ban ‘erasing national heroes’ in response to Warsaw’s opposition-led city councillors voting in favour of renaming a roundabout in honour of the women that protested in last year’s abortion rights protests. Read more.
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PRAGUE
Czechia urges EU to award nuclear energy ‘enabling’ status. The Czech parliament issued a resolution calling for EU support on nuclear energy, stressing that “nuclear power must be fully recognised as part of the solution to the low-carbon economy” and “as a tool enabling the low-carbon transformation of the economy.” Read more.
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BRATISLAVA
Slovak parliament passes first recovery plan reform. Parliament passed a law making hospitals the first institution to undergo reform as per the recovery plan. Read more.
Liberals U-turn to back member labelled ‘left-wing extremist’ by Slovak secret service. Despite an earlier decision not to comment, Renew Europe, the liberal political group in the European Parliament, supported their member party Progressive Slovakia after the Slovak intelligence services labelled them “left-wing extremists”. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
Bulgaria’s new government to pressure businesses to introduce Green Pass. The new government has given a clear signal that it will press businesses to increase the number of COVID-19 vaccinations by introducing a Green Pass. However, the government will not make the green certificate mandatory because some parties in the quadruple ruling coalition oppose it. Read more.
New Bulgarian PM proposes ‘very fast process’ to lift North Macedonia veto. The new Bulgarian government will propose a “very fast” new process that should help Sofia lift its veto and unlock the start of neighbouring North Macedonia’s EU accession negotiations, Bulgaria’s new prime minister, Kiril Petkov, has told the Financial Times. The announcement was welcomed by Skopje. Read more.
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BUCHAREST
EU helps Romania in vaccine communication campaign. The European Commission and its Representation office in Romania have launched a communication campaign on vaccination in one of the countries with the lowest vaccination rates in the EU. Read more.
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ZAGREB
Croatian PM calls for EU treaty changes to be discussed post-pandemic. After two years of the pandemic, it is necessary to consider whether the basic [EU] treaties should be changed. “This will be the core of the French presidency of the EU”, said Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, speaking about challenges in 2022. Read more.
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No plan B for nuclear waste storage site. The planned storage of nuclear waste on Mount Trgovska Gora, which is about 130 kilometres south of Zagreb, near the town of Dvor on the border with BiH, was discussed at a meeting with ministers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia’s Economy and Sustainable Minister Tomislav Ćorić has said.
“There is no plan B. We want to build a facility at a safe location and to the highest standards for the storage of not only waste from the Nuclear Power Plant Krško (in Slovenia, Croatia is a co-owner), but a wide range of fractions of such waste that are present throughout Croatia,” he added.
According to the minister, Croatia had provided the BiH side with all documents concerning the construction of a storage facility for medium and low risk radioactive waste.
(Željko Trkanjec | EURACTIV.hr)
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LJUBLJANA
Slovenia’s police probes targets disputed rapid-test verification. Slovenian police launched an investigation into the verification of rapid antigen tests purchased by the state last year, following claims by a whistleblower that the tests were not up to standard when they were submitted for verification. Read more.
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BELGRADE
PM: Serbia views Cluster Four opening with EU as recognition. The opening of Cluster Four in the membership negotiations with the EU is a great recognition for Serbia, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić stated in Brussels Wednesday, adding that around €10 billion would be needed for Serbia to harmonise with the green transformation in the EU in the coming decades. Read more.
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SARAJEVO
EU sanctions would devastate Republika Srpska. EU sanctions would hurt Republika Srpska (RS, Serb entity), according to information provided by klix.ba. However, Milorad Dodik – Serb member of tripartite BiH Presidency and key figure behind the decision of Republika Srpska (RS, Serb entity) to take over from BiH authorities in finances, security, defence – has said that “if Germany imposes sanctions, we will retaliate.”
In the pre-pandemic year, RS exported 74% of its products to EU countries, while about 57% of products and services were imported from the EU market. The largest foreign trade partners in the first six months were Serbia (16.48%), Italy (14.86%), Croatia (10.21%), Germany (9.72%), Slovenia (9.37%), Austria (5.28%) and PR China (4.16%). If only Germany and Italy impose sanctions on RS authorities, 24.58% of foreign trade would be at stake. The largest companies, associated with the ruling regime would also be severely hit.
(Željko Trkanjec | EURACTIV.hr)
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SKOPJE
North Macedonia government freezes prices of rice, pasta, eggs. North Macedonia’s government amended the decision on determining the highest prices of certain products in the wholesale and retail trade, adding rice, eggs and pasta. According to the decision, the prices for these products are now frozen at the price level of 1 December until 31 January 2022 to prevent possible price increases for basic food products.
The prices of bread, sugar, flour, oil, milk, fresh meat and cured meats, and cheese and cottage cheese had already been frozen.
(Željko Trkanjec | EURACTIV.hr)
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PODGORICA
Study: Montengro’s opposition party DPS currently most popular. The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), the successor of the former Communist Party, would be the strongest if the elections were held now, according to the latest survey by the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM). Read more.
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PRISTINA
Kosovo continues to buck fourth COVID wave. Kosovo, which has a population of 1.87 million, has administered 1.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, with some 771,941 people having already taken two doses, according to the country’s National Institute of Public Health. Read more.
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TIRANA
Prosecution files extradition paperwork for fugitive prosecutor. Albania’s Special Prosecution Office Against Corruption (SPAK) has announced formal extradition procedures against former Prosecutor General Adriatik Llalla after he was arrested in Italy. Read more.
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Former environment minister arrested for financial crime. Former Environment Minister Lefter Koka has been arrested by Albania’s Special Court For Organised Crime and Corruption (SPAK). Read more.
AGENDA:
- EU: Eastern Partnership summit takes place in Brussels / NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg meets Georgia’s President Irakli Garibashvili at NATO headquarters / European Commission presents proposals on energy and climate action and on improving environmental protection through criminal law / Sakharov Prize ceremony in Strasbourg / Commissioners Reynders and Johansson on visit to Washington / European Parliament votes on Digital Markets Act.
- Germany: Chancellor Olaf Scholz addresses the Bundestag / Verdict expected in trial of Russian agent Vadim Krasikov, accused of killing Georgian citizen in 2019 / Campaign starts to vaccinate children aged 5-12 against Covid-19.
- France: Covid-19 booster jab becomes obligatory for over-65s to keep health pass / President Emmanuel Macron gives televised interview.
- Netherlands: Lawmaker Thierry Baudet appears in court for comparing Covid restrictions to Holocaust.
- Greece: Campaign starts to vaccinate children aged 5-11 against Covid-19.
- Spain: Campaign starts to vaccinate children aged 5-11 against Covid-19.
- Poland: Date by which contractors for Poland-Belarus border wall must be selected / New Covid restrictions enter into force.
- Romania: Government meeting – increases of pensions and child benefits are on the table.
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Alexandra Brzozowski, Daniel Eck, Benjamin Fox, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor]