The Capitals brings you the most recent information from throughout Europe, by means of on-the-ground reporting by EURACTIV’s media community. You’ll be able to subscribe to the e-newsletter right here.
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In at this time’s information from the Capitals:
Milder winters and lack of snow threaten the sustainability of ski resorts throughout Europe, and whereas some nations attempt to assist with subsidies or tax reliefs, many lower-lying ski resorts could have to shut within the subsequent few years.
Thus far, 2023 has seen record-breaking temperatures in Europe. Meteorologists level out that European winters have gotten milder, drier and with much less precipitation. This isn’t excellent news for ski resorts, that are being more and more affected as their operation depends upon snow or climate circumstances the place it’s attainable to make it artificially. In Italy, cableway operators misplaced about 40% of their season turnover throughout Christmas as a consequence of an absence of snow. Learn extra.
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EU INSTITUTIONS
Lawyer claims MEP Kaili was ‘tortured’ throughout interrogation. MEP Eva Kaili’s lawyer stated on Thursday that she has been dealing with “medieval” conditions throughout her interrogation by Belgian authorities following her arrest for alleged involvement within the Qatargate scandal. Learn extra.
Eleven European nations in Estonia pledge weapons for Ukraine. A bunch of 11 European states have pledged on Thursday (19 January) to ship extra arms to Ukraine in its struggle with Russia, saying they’d ship most important battle tanks, heavy artillery, air defence, ammunition and infantry preventing autos. Learn extra.
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BERLIN
German parliament condemns IS crimes towards Yazidi as genocide. The German parliament voted to recognise the prosecution and killing of hundreds of Yezidi by the Islamic State (IS) as genocide with the backing of all social gathering teams. Learn extra.
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PARIS
Pensions reform: we’re not going and not using a combat, the streets inform Macron. Some 1.12 million individuals, in line with official statistics, took to the streets of France on Thursday to precise anger at President Emmanuel Macron’s pensions reform, whereas unions declare the quantity was over two million. Learn extra.
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BRUSSELS
EU Parliament helps liberation of jailed Belgian support employee in Iran. The European Parliament strongly condemned the sentencing of Olivier Vandecasteele, the Belgian imprisoned in Iran since February 2022 and voted on a movement for a decision on the EU response to the protests and executions on Thursday. Learn extra.
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THE HAGUE
Dutch to speed up housing building amid migration disaster, Ukraine struggle. The struggle in Ukraine and the rise in migrants coming into the Netherlands have elevated the urgency for extra lodging, Housing and Spatial Planning Minister Hugo De Jong wrote in an motion plan despatched to the Home of Representatives on Thursday. Learn extra.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
Rumours in Finland that socialists push for Sanna Marin as Fee chief. Rumours in Finland speculate that the Socialists and Democrats within the European Parliament need Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin to be their main candidate within the 2024 European Elections. Learn extra.
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STOCKHOLM
Sweden to ship extra weapons to Ukraine, together with Archer system. Sweden will enhance its help of Ukraine by sending high-tech Archer artillery programs, fight autos and anti-tank missiles, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson introduced at a press convention on Thursday. Learn extra.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
MADRID
Sánchez and Macron resolve to revive ‘Franco-Spanish axis’. Spanish ministers will attend conferences of the French authorities and vice versa as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed in a bilateral summit held in Barcelona on Thursday. Learn extra.
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LISBON
Portugal’s nationwide airline crew vote to maintain strikes. Members of Portugal’s Nationwide Civil Aviation Flight Employees Union (SNPVAC) rejected TAP’s proposal at a common assembly on Thursday and determined to take care of the strike discover between 25 and 31 January, in line with an official supply. Learn extra.
VISEGRAD
WARSAW
Polish authorities engaged on controversial surveillance invoice. Members of Poland’s ruling Legislation and Justice social gathering need to make it simpler for Polish companies to electronically surveil residents by giving officers simpler entry to their emails and social media messages. Learn extra.
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PRAGUE
France continues to analyze Babiš. Former Prime Minister and presidential candidate Andrej Babiš continues to be investigated by French authorities on prices of tax evasion and cash laundering, in line with a number of Czech media retailers. Learn extra.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
GRECO calls out Bulgaria for lack of combat towards corruption. Bulgaria must do extra to combat corruption and prosecute these concerned, in line with the report of the GRECO anti-corruption organisation to the Council of Europe (CoE). Learn extra.
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BELGRADE
Vucic calls EP decision on aligning overseas coverage hypocritical. Following a vote within the European Parliament calling on Serbia to align its overseas coverage with that of the bloc, President Aleksander Vucic known as it hypocritical and condemned its point out of Kosovo’s software for EU membership. Learn extra.
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TIRANA
Albania to open embassy in Ukraine. Thirty years after establishing diplomatic relations between Albania and Ukraine, International Minister Olta Xhacka introduced it will open an embassy in Kyiv, a call that was formally confirmed by the Council of Ministers on Thursday. Learn extra.
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PRISTINA
NATO peacekeepers: scenario in Kosovo stays unstable, unpredictable. The safety scenario in northern Kosovo is calm however unstable and unpredictable, in line with Angelo Michele Ristuccia, the commander of the worldwide NATO-led peacekeeping pressure, throughout a NATO assembly in Brussels. Learn extra.
AGENDA
- EU: President of the European Fee Ursula von der Leyen receives the members of the Committee of the Everlasting Representatives of the Member States to the European Union (COREPER) for a working lunch;
- Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis participates within the World Financial Discussion board in Davos, Switzerland;
- Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski attends the Worldwide Inexperienced Week in Berlin, Germany; Holds a number of conferences;
- Inner Market Commissioner Thierry Breton delivers a keynote speech on the high-level Discussion board on Standardisation, in Brussels, Belgium;
- Germany: US Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin hosts Ukraine Protection Contact Group assembly; Holds press convention;
- Serbia: EU and US envoys maintain talks with officers in Belgrade and Pristina as a part of efforts to normalize relations between Serbia and Kosovo;
- Worldwide Felony Court docket: Chief choose and prosecutor 2023 opening statements;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Sofia Mandilara]
