Good morning from Brussels,

Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis are set for tough talks on Thursday morning ahead of a pivotal vote by EU member states next week on the European Commission’s proposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. 

Ahead of the meeting, the Chinese raised the stakes, claiming that trade with the EU is “at a crossroads.”

On a diplomatic level, Beijing has approached some member states, causing fear of retaliation. Madrid said last week that the EU must reconsider its position. 

The Commission is confident about the upcoming vote, while some analysts insist it would be politically difficult for the EU executive to reverse course.

“We are trying to avoid a trade war with China, but we also need to defend our industries,” EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell told Euractiv earlier this week. 

Thomas Moller-Nielsen has all the details.

Ahead of the much-awaited grilling of Ursula von der Leyen’s new team by the MEPs, Euractiv’s Nicoletta Ionta looks into the commissioner candidates likely to face tough questions at upcoming hearings. 

On defence, Aurélie Pugnet writes that Defence Commissioner-designate Andrius Kubilius has put forward some controversial funding options, while Jacob Wulff Wold analyses the 30 new Commission initiatives to get Europe back in the tech game.

On the agricultural front, Angelo Di Mambro reports that EU lawmakers rejected on Wednesday two European Commission proposals to adjust limits for residues of some EU-banned chemicals in food. Meanwhile, NGOs and fishermen called for clearer labelling rules on canned fish.

In the energy sector, after years of stagnating electrification rates in the EU, the nomination of an electricity-friendly energy commissioner with a mandate to create an ‘Electrification Action Plan’ gives fresh hope to beleaguered power sector stakeholders. Nikolaus Kurmayer has the story.

Last but not least, Bárbara Machado digs into the priorities of the next transport commissioner, who got a guarded welcome from MEPs and stakeholders.

THE HAGUE

Wilders rejoices over unlikely Dutch EU migration opt-out request, dubs it ‘mini-Nexit’. Far-right PVV leader Geert Wilders described the Dutch official request to the European Commission to opt out of EU migration policy as a ‘mini-Nexit’, even though the Commission has already questioned its feasibility. Read more.

ROME

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has pledged to push for the review of the European Green Deal, criticising its “ideological approach” and warning that it risks leading to deindustrialisation. Read more.

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MADRID

Spain set to receive extra €14 million help with migration crisis in Canary Islands. The European Commission will soon make an additional €14 million package of financial assistance available to Spain to improve the Canary Islands reception capacity for irregular migrants, especially minors, European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas announced during an official visit to the region on Wednesday. Read more.

Spain’s centre-right leader compares Sánchez to former dictator Franco. Partido Popular (PP/EPP) leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, on Wednesday, compared Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to the late dictator Francisco Franco over a controversial media transparency plan presented on Tuesday. Read more.

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LISBON

Swathes of Portugal’s mainland burns as Spain sends army to help. The area burned in mainland Portugal since Sunday now exceeds 106,000 hectares, with the government declaring a state of emergency and neighbouring Spain even sending its army to help fight the fires. Read more.

PRAGUE

Czechia’s Foreign Ministry has denied allegations that the country is in any way involved in a plot to overthrow the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, days after Spain rejected the same claims. Read more.

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WARSAW

Polish ministry spokesperson resigns over loan proposal for flood victims. The spokesperson for Poland’s climate ministry resigned on Wednesday after the minister made a controversial promise of low-interest loans for flood damage. Read more.

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BUDAPEST

Gazprom-friendly Hungary blames EU for failing to end Russian gas dependence. Hungary’s energy security chief on Wednesday slammed the European Union for not providing enough support to help smaller, landlocked countries move away from Russian natural gas. Read more.

SOFIA 

Dozens of international environmental organisations have declared the European Commission-backed Danube Hydroelectric Project dangerous, which involves the construction of a dam and power plant on the Danube between the Bulgarian town of Nikopol and the Romanian town of Turnu Magurele. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Iohannis asks MPs to OK training of Ukrainian marines on Romanian soil. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis requested parliamentary approval on Wednesday to establish a maritime training facility on Romanian soil to help train Ukrainian marines. Read more.

• EU: Informal meeting of transport ministers expected to debate on EU transport sector’s competitiveness improvement, with a focus on connectivity between the EU and neighbouring countries;
• Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meets with and participates in joint press conference with Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk, Chancellor of Austria Karl Nehammer, Prime Minister of Czechia Petr Fiala, and Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico; Particiaptes in press event with Executive Director of International Energy Agency Fatih Birol;
• Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič hosts Foreign Minister of Spain José Manuel Albares, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom David Lammy, and Chief Minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo;
• Parliament’s plenary session votes on women in Afghanistan deteriorating situation due to recent adoption of law on “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice”;

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Martina Monti, Alice Taylor-Braçe]