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The Capitals brings you the latest news from all over Europe, thanks to Box reports through the EURACTIV media network. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.
Before you start reading today’s edition of the Capitals, feel free to consult Gerardo Fortuna’s article “The EU Health Agenda: More Than a Crown”.
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Rome
The Italian government is executing an agreement with Paris to impose COVID-19 control on tourists and staff returning from France and will do the same with Spain, as cases are also increasing. With the reciprocity agreement envisaged with Paris, checks will be carried out at the border, both on arrival and departure.
“There is already a discussion with the French government initiated through the Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza. The issue of reciprocity is being evaluated. Not only with France, as we also believe with Spain. I think it can just be a selection that protects people.” The undersecretary of the Ministry of Health, Sandra Zampa, told RaiNews 24. (Valentina Iorio EURACTIV.it)
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Brougham
Right-wing extremists typhoon the Reichstag the “protest opposed to the crown.” Despite the city’s attempts to ban the occasion on the grounds of public aptitude problems, mass demonstrations opposed to German restrictions opposing coronaviruses took place on Saturday (29 August) in Berlin. While most of the protests were peaceful, violence erupted outdoors from the Russian embassy and an organization of demonstrators typhooned the Reichstag building. Reports through Sarah Lawton from EURACTIV Germany.
Read also: German politicians condemn far-right flags in parliament
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Paris
French officer suspected of espionage. A French soldier stationed at a NATO base in Naples, Italy, has been charged and imprisoned for “intelligence with a foreign force that undermines the nation’s interests.”
The guy arrested through French counterintelligence is suspected of providing Russia with confidential information. “What I can verify is that a senior officer is being prosecuted for security breach,” Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly told Europe 1. (Anne Damiani EURACTIV.FR)
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Vienna
The Constitutional Service expresses doubts about the new COVID-19 law. While Austrian Health Minister Rudolf Anschober was ready to meet with the leaders of the country’s political parties today (August 31) to discuss adjustments to COVID-19 law, the Chancellor’s constitutional branch expressed reservations about adjustments to the law on Sunday (30). August), saying that the law can remain unconstitutional. The opposition has also continued its strong criticism. Read more.
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Brussels
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Helsinki
Finland is involved in Baltic Rail’s slow progress. While the new high-speed rail link between Tallinn and Warsaw, known as Baltic Rail, is expected to open to traffic in 2026, the allocation is progressing slowly. Many Finns are frustrated that the promise of faster export direction across the Gulf of Finland to Central Europe seems to fade. At the same time, Sweden is improving its direct links between Stockholm and Brussels. Pekka Vunttinen from EURACTIV reports from Helsinki.
Madrid
Spain authorizes the first clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine in humans. The Spanish fitness government has the first human clinical trials for a coronavirus vaccine in the country, EURACTIV partner EFE reported.
At a press conference, Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa showed Friday (August 28) that the vaccine is being developed through Janssen Pharmaceuticals and that 190 healthy volunteers aged 18 to 55 would participate. Euractiv’s partner, EFE, has the story.
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Athens
Turkey defies the EU ultimatum, threatens the war. If Greece expands its maritime borders in the Aegean Sea, it will be a war, Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlet ‘Avu-o’lu) said on Saturday (29 August). Read the full story here.
Prague
Thirst for justice. Hundreds of Czechs, Poles and Germans piled up on Sunday (August 30) on a tripod among their countries to demonstrate against a plan to expand the Polish coal mine in Tuw, near the border.
Although local citizens have noticed that the quality of their drinking water is minimized due to local mining activities, the Polish government has approved the extension of mining activities for the next six years. As the planned extension has not been communicated to the Czech government according to the Czech government, the country is taking the case to the EU Court in Luxembourg (Aneta Zachov EURACTIV.cz)
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Budapest
RFE back in Hungary. Radio Free Europe will air in Hungary in September, trading as a news story called szabadaueuropa.hu, according to 24.hu. The new press space will be run by Gyula Csok and Tibor Vovesz, two former workers of the Hungarian national radio station Kossuth Radio.
In addition, Hungary will close its borders to foreigners from 1 September, while Hungarians returning from a foreign country must submit two negative coVID-19 evidence, 48 hours apart, to be exempt from a mandatory 14-day quarantine. Hungary experienced its largest increase in daily coronavirus cases, while the country recorded 292 cases in 24 hours, koronavirus.gov.hu said on Sunday morning. (Eljko Trkanjec EURACTIV.hr)
Bucharest
No vote of confidence. Romanian MPs will vote on a censorship movement presented through the PSD Socialist Party opposed to the centre-right government.
While the Socialists need to install a technocratic prime minister in case the NPT loses its vote of confidence, LNP and Save Romania Union MPs (who are part of RE) have said they will boycott the vote. Romania will hold general elections in a few months, while local elections are scheduled for 27 September. (Bogdan Neagu EURACTIV.ro)
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Zagreb
Always positive about the economy. While the National Bank of Croatia (HNB) reported that the 15.1% decline in GDP at the time of the 2020 quarter was higher than expected, the country’s Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) recorded a significant increase of 7.7 emissions in August compared to July. , achieving a total of 90.9 issues.
Meanwhile, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Croatian National Bank agreed to extend a liquidity line in euros for six months until the end of June 2021. The ECB and HNB established a currency exchange in April whereby HNB can borrow 2 billion euros. ECB in exchange for Croatian kuna.
In addition, President Zoran Milanovic has appointed an Energy Transition Council to discuss the transition to target and sustainable energy and climate protection. (Eljko Trkanjec EURACTIV.hr)
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Ljubljana
Pressure opposite the Minister of Agriculture. An investigation has been opened against Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec to find out if she acted in violation of the anti-corruption law and the integrity of state agents on some of her official travels.
Her party, the Slovenian Pensioners’ Democratic Party (DeSUS-RE), voted against her at last week’s party meeting, it is unclear whether she remains the party’s president. Early elections are not expected as Prime Minister Janez Jana has enough leeway lately, according to the Social Democrats (SD). (Eljko Trkanjec EURACTIV.hr)
Another 11,000 people are still missing after the wars. More than 70% of the estimated 40,000 people at the end of the fighting in the Western Balkans have been identified, the International Commission on Missing Persons announced on the International Day of the Disappeared. However, the fate of another 11,000 people who disappeared in the 1990s, of whom approximately 2,000 are from Croatia, has not yet been established. (Eljko Trkanjec EURACTIV.hr)
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Belgrade
Vucic can simply turn down talks with Trump. Serbia won the official schedule for the next assembly between Belgrade and Pristina in Washington, which included “an unacceptable point,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told Pink TV in an interview on Saturday (August 29). EURACTIV Serbia is in the matter.
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In addition, today will be the XV Bled Strategic Forum, attended by President Vucic. This year’s forum, which some will sign up for through virtual platforms, will talk about demanding situations and opportunities in a post-COVID-19 world.
According to the announcements, Vucic will participate in the panel: “Leader Panel: Europe After Brexit and COVID-19”. The panel will also consist of Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, Croatian Andrej Plenkovic, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. (EURACTIV.rs betabriefing.com)
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Sarajevo
The criteria for the EU club are too high. The President of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH), Zoran Tegeltija, said that the EU had established too high criteria for Bosnia and Herzegovina as a candidate for EU club. However, Tegeltija admitted that the greatest challenge was internal. “A lot of that is up to us because we haven’t solved some vital challenges that are much more vital to us than the EU,” he said. (Eljko Trkanjec EURACTIV.hr)
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Podgorica
Pyrrhic victory. After 29 years in power, Milo Ukanovic’s DPS party did not get enough votes to form a government, even with its own old coalition partners.
Although the participation is the highest (75.9%), the DPS won only 29 of the 81 seats in parliament, and with its coalition partners, the bosnian and Albanian minority lists and two social democratic parties (SD and SDP) can only have a total of 39. By comparison, “For the Future of Montenegro” won 28 seats and, in opposition, the “Peace is our nation” coalition received 10 terms and URA four, which made the ARU the king’s craftsmen. EURACTIV Croatia has more.
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Pristina
Apple puts Kosovo on its map. Apple Maps has made the decision to mark Kosovo’s call on the map and recognize its border with Serbia. This comes after an online petition in change.org asking Apple to put independent Kosovo on their letters over the summer gained support from some 200,000 others and then educated through two Kosovo pop divas, Dua Lipa and Rita Ora. (Eljko Trkanjec EURACTIV.hr)
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[Edited through Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Benjamin Fox]
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