The Capitals brings you the latest news from across Europe, through on-the-ground reporting by Euractiv’s media network. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.
The European news you deserve to read. Welcome to The Capitals by Euractiv.
In today’s news from the Capitals:
PARIS
Two days after the far-right Rassemblement National secured a historic lead in the first round of the French legislative elections, 218 candidates, mainly from the left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire and Macron’s Ensemble, announced they were pulling out of the race in a bid to prevent the far right from securing an absolute majority in Sunday’s final round. Read more.
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EU INSTITUTIONS
Lagarde warns about respect for EU budgetary rules. European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde told the ECB forum in Sintra on Tuesday that there is concern about the respect of budgetary rules in the European Union. Read more.
CoE committee chief: Need to boost social rights as ‘battered’ Europeans look right. Europeans are still feeling the pinch from successive crises, which shapes their democratic engagement and risks more shifts towards authoritarian governance if the importance of social rights is not amplified, the president of the Council of Europe’s Social Rights Committee told Euractiv in an interview. Read more.
Commission wants to curb harmful chemicals in cosmetics but no progress on regulation. Internal disagreements have prevented the European Commission from delivering a long-announced revision of the Cosmetics Products Regulation, meaning for now, it will use technical powers and softer guidance to regulate the sector. Read more.
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BERLIN
Germany should take more leadership to defend Europe’s Eastern border, says Poland’s Tusk. Germany should take more responsibility for the security of the EU’s eastern border, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk told his German counterpart Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday as the two leaders met for the first intergovernmental talks in six years. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ROME
Italy’s Meloni tells her party there is no room for fascism in its ranks. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told her Brothers of Italy party on Tuesday that it should expunge from its ranks anyone who idolises Italy’s fascist past. Read more.
Italia Viva, Azione MPs aim to reforge Italian centrist alliance. Two MEPs from Italia Viva and Azione have called on their respective parties to revive the old centrist Third Pole alliance, though well-informed sources told Euractiv that their efforts are futile. Read more.
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MADRID
Spanish right-wing leader calls out Sanchez’s amnesty promises to separatists. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the right-wing Partido Popular (EPP), criticised Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez following the Supreme Court’s decision not to apply the new amnesty law to former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, saying he had betrayed the separatists despite their agreement to support him in parliament. Read more.
EASTERN EUROPE
PRAGUE
Czechia’s Babiš criticised over alleged alignment with pro-Russian forces. Former Czech prime minister and leader of the opposition ANO party, Andrej Babiš, has come under fire for recent political manoeuvres that critics say align him with pro-Russian interests. Read more.
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WARSAW
Polish president slams Tusk for saying Poland will drop German reparations claims. President Andrzej Duda took aim at Prime Minister Donald Tusk for saying Poland had given up on war reparations claims against Germany launched by the previous conservative PiS government during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Warsaw on Tuesday. Read more.
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BRATISLAVA
EU approves fourth recovery payment to Slovakia amid rule of law concerns. The European Commission has approved the fourth instalment of Slovakia’s recovery plan in a preliminary decision, in which it also gave the green light to an outdated calculation of the spending limit that did not account for inflation and failed to use one of its options to pressure the Slovak government to uphold the rule of law. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
New Bulgarian government looking to hinge on collapse of pro-Russian party. The rapid collapse of the pro-Russian radical party Greatness will likely determine the successful formation of a regular Bulgarian government after the country headed to polls for its sixth parliamentary election in three years earlier last month. Read more.
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BUCHAREST
EU Commission clears Romania’s plans to build two new nuclear reactors. The European Commission has issued a positive opinion on the technical and nuclear safety aspects of the project for units 3 and 4 of Romania’s only nuclear power plant, the Romanian Energy Ministry announced on Tuesday. Read more.
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SARAJEVO
Energy Community ministers meet in Bosnia and Herzegovina as EU tariffs loom. EU candidate countries from the continent’s South and East are meeting in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, 3 July, to reinforce efforts to integrate with the bloc’s energy markets to avoid potential tariffs on power exports to the EU. Read more.
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BELGRADE
Serbian president hosts high-level Russian diplomat. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on Tuesday lauded the two countries’ “bilateral relations” during a rare high-level visit to Belgrade by top Russian diplomat Alexander Grushko. Read more.
AGENDA:
EU: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen participates in EPP Group Study Days, in Cascais, Portugal;
Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič delivers keynote speech at European Initiative for Energy Security event on “Implementing a whole-system European energy and supply chain security strategy”;
Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson delivers keynote speech at Energy Transition and Green Hydrogen Dialogue meeting, in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Meets with Minister of Economy of Argentina Luis Caputo; Participates in EU-Argentina high level Energy Dialogue meeting;
International Partnerships Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen hosts EU Special Representative for Central Asia Terhi Hakala;
Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson attends signing of Working Arrangement between EU Drugs Agency and Ecuador, in Lisbon, Portugal; Gives address at European Union Drugs Agency launch;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Alice Taylor, Sofia Mandilara]
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