After Russia, now Turkey questions Europe’s territory
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In today’s news from the Capitals:
ATHENS
A memorandum of understanding for exploring hydrocarbons at sea signed between the government of Tripoli and Turkey openly questions EU territory causing more headaches in Brussels amid an ongoing war in Ukraine.
“Ankara’s latest agreement shows that Turkey follows a pattern”, an EU source told EURACTIV ahead of an EU summit this week which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to attend. Read more.
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EU INSTITUTIONS
EU agrees on oil price cap in new Russia sanctions draft package. EU ambassadors on Tuesday night (4 October) reached a political agreement on the bloc’s new round of Russia sanctions, including an oil price cap, which earlier had been opposed by a few seafaring member states. Read more.
EU ministers back €20 billion plan to ditch Russian fossil fuels. EU finance ministers reached a deal on Tuesday (4 October) to raise €20 billion from the bloc’s carbon market to support the transition away from Russian energy, opening the way for talks with the European Parliament to finalise the plan. Read more.
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VIENNA
Austria dismisses Commissioner’s push for joint borrowing. Austrian Finance Minister Magnus Brunner downplayed the recent push by Commissioners for Economy and Internal Market, Paolo Gentiloni and Thierry Breton, who called for a joint borrowing scheme to battle the current economic crisis. Read more.
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BERLIN
Berlin makes U-turn, backs joint gas purchasing at EU level. Berlin has belatedly committed to an EU platform for joint gas buying ahead of an EU summit on Friday to address the energy crisis following criticism of Germany’s €200 billion energy “shield”, exposing discrepancies between rich and poor EU member states. Read more.
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PARIS
MPs report on ‘superprofit’ tax scheme, disagree on recommendations. Two French MPs tasked with drafting a report on the feasibility of a “temporary and exceptional tax” on “superprofits” could not agree on shared recommendations as 2023 budget negotiations continue. Read more.
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THE HAGUE
Dutch COVID cases, hospital stays double in two weeks. The number of patients being treated in hospitals for COVID-19 on Tuesday was 873, more than double the number of patients being treated on 16 September. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI | TALLINN
Russians lack patriotism, says Finnish president. Finnish president Sauli Niinistö said that Russia’s failures on the battlefield are rooted in a lack of patriotic spirit, during a press conference with his Estonian counterpart, Alar Karis, in Tallinn on Tuesday. Read more.
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STOCKHOLM
Hundreds of soldiers to march through Stockholm. Several hundred conscripts will participate in a military exercise in Stockholm’s urban area amid rising tensions with Russia, Swedish Armed Forces announced on Tuesday. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
LISBON
Portugal defence body approves NATO Mediterranean mission. A new mission in the Mediterranean and readjustments to the Portuguese forces deployed in 2022 was unanimously approved by Portugal’s supreme council on national defence, which addressed support to Ukraine. Read more.
Proposed civil service salary increases fall short of inflation, say unions. The coordinator of Portugal’s Common Front of Trade Unions, Sebastião Santana, said proposed wage increases for the civil service are insufficient, as they fall ‘far short’ of inflation. Read more.
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MADRID
Spain approves record spending of 2023 budget to favour most vulnerable. After difficult negotiations, the two members of the progressive coalition, socialists and left-wing Unidas-Podemos, agreed on the Iberian nation’s budget for 2023, a text with robust social policies. Read more.
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ROME
Verhofstadt: After Ukraine war, no politician ‘has the guts’ to back exit from EU. Following the United Kingdom’s “Brexit disaster” and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, no right-wing politician in Europe still advocates for their country’s exit from the EU, one of the longest-serving EU lawmakers, Guy Verhofstadt, told EURACTIV Italy in an interview. Read more.
VISEGRAD
PRAGUE
Qatar’s Emir heads to Prague amid growing interest in energy. The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, will meet Czech President Miloš Zeman on Wednesday just before the European Political Community Summit and amid growing interest in energy diversification. Read more.
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WARSAW
General denounces US senator alarm on attack in Poland. Claims from a US senator that Russia could strike Polish distribution sites providing aid for Ukraine were dispelled by former Land Forces Commander of Ground Forces General Waldemar Skrzypczak on Tuesday. Read more.
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BUDAPEST
MEPs worried Hungary’s reforms to unblock EU funds will remain ‘on paper’. EU lawmakers expressed concerns that Hungary will only superficially implement reforms to unblock EU funds, urging the Commission and member states to thoroughly evaluate Orbán’s remedial measures. Read more.
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BRATISLAVA
Slovak minority government is increasingly relying on far-right MPs. Slovak Finance Minister Igor Matovič faced a non-confidence in the National Council but was saved by several far-right members, which also increasingly support coalition proposals. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
LJUBLJANA
Slovenia hesitant on Ukraine NATO application. Slovenia did not join a statement from nine Eastern European NATO members in support of Ukraine’s membership of the alliance and holds reservations due to the risks involved, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said on Tuesday. Read more.
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SOFIA
Bulgaria’s Borrisov languishes in post-election limbo. Former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and GERB (EPP) leader called for calm and said he is ready to compromise following the results of Sunday’s general elections, which saw the party emerge victorious but without a guarantee of power. Read more.
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TIRANA
Albania launches first phase of solar subsidy scheme. The government has launched the first stage of a process to help households instal solar panels to heat water, thus helping keep energy costs low for lower-income families. Read more.
Agenda
- EU: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen participates in the EP plenary debate on Russia’s escalation of its war of aggression against Ukraine;
- Commissioner Ylva Johansson in Warsaw, Poland: gives an address at the Women in International Security (WIIS) Networking Breakfast;
- Austria: OPEC+ ministers meet to assess oil output;
- Switzerland: WTO releases revised world trade forecast;
- UK: Prime Minister Liz Truss makes the keynote address at the Conservative Party conference;
- Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hold Germany-Spain summit;
- Greece: Pensioners protest over the cost of living;
- Cyprus: 9th Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Vlad Makszimov, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson]
