Donald Tusk Orbán-proofs Polish private media
Source: Euractiv
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In today’s news from The Capitals:
WARSAW
Poland will add private broadcasters TVN and Polsat to its list of strategic companies, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced after reports TVN could be bought by a company linked to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Read more.
WESTERN EUROPE
BERLIN
Scholz submits request to hold confidence vote, paves way for February elections. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz submitted a request to hold a vote of confidence on Wednesday, setting in motion the process for Germany to hold snap elections in February 2025, as planned. Read more.
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PARIS
Macron in Warsaw to pitch Ukraine peacekeeping mission after war ends. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to pitch a European peacekeeping mission on Ukrainian territory to prevent Moscow from breaking any potential future ceasefire deal when he meets with his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk, on Thursday. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ROME
Italian government divided over scrapping COVID-19 vaccine opponent fines. The Italian government’s decision to scrap fines for those who refused to take the compulsory COVID-19 vaccine has sparked widespread controversy, drawing criticism from health professionals, opposition parties and even ruling coalition members. Read more.
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MADRID
Puigdemont’s party urges Sánchez to pay ‘what he owes’ to Catalonia. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez should` support Catalonia in exchange for support for his government, said Miriam Nogueras, spokeswoman for Catalan separatist party JxCat, in parliament. Read more.
EASTERN EUROPE
PRAGUE
Czech EPP MEP says joining right bloc in EU Parliament is what ‘voters want’. Czech EPP MEP Tomáš Zdechovský asked Socialist, Green and Liberal groups in the European Parliament to respect voters’ will and side with the party amid criticism for voting alongside far-right MEPs. Read more.
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BUDAPEST
Ukraine-Russia war raised in Putin-Orbán call. Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed his country’s war in Ukraine in a phone call on Wednesday with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is casting himself as a possible peacemaker. Read more.
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BRATISLAVA
Slovak ombudsman and opposition to challenge information bill in Constitutional Court. Slovakia’s Public Defender of Rights and the opposition will challenge a controversial amendment to the information law in the Constitutional Court after parliament overrode a presidential veto. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
Bulgaria, Greece fine-tune details to lift border controls. Bulgaria and Greece have agreed on the details on how to completely abolish border controls between them, according to a communique by the Bulgarian interior ministry published on Wednesday. Read more.
AGENDA:
- EU: Justice and Home Affairs Council in its Home Affairs composition convenes to discuss Schengen, asylum and migration, internal security, and more;
- Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hosts World Economic Forum President Børge Brende; Meets with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte;
- Parliament President Roberta Metsola receives Belarusian democratic forces leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya; Addresses high level conference titled “Standing with the people of Belarus”;
- Trade and Economic Security Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency Commissioner Maros Šefčovič exchanges views with Parliament’s delegation to the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly;
- Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra delivers opening speech at 4th EnerGreenDeal conference; Meets with Nepalese Foreign Affairs Minister Arzu Rana Deuba;
- Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy Commissioner Jessika Roswall participates in Soil Monitoring Law Trilogue.
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Alice Taylor-Braçe, Sofia Mandilara]
The original article: belongs to Euractiv .
