Good morning from Tbilisi, 

In another test for West-Russia reflexes and regional influence, all eyes in Brussels are on Saturday’s parliamentary elections in Georgia. These will determine the country’s direction toward the EU or Russia. 

Last week, the first round of Moldova’s presidential elections and an EU referendum already sent Brussels a wake-up call.

Euractiv’s Alexandra Brzozowski reports from Tbilisi that several pro-European opposition parties have formed small coalitions but failed to form a single united front as initially intended. 

According to polls, they could form a 51% majority against pro-Russian Georgian Dream's oligarch founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, who seeks to hold on to power for a fourth term and ban opposition parties.

A key scenario observers are worried about is that both sides believe in their Saturday victory and could be reluctant to accept defeat.

Asked by Euractiv, President Salome Zourabishvili said if Georgia's united opposition wins, Tbilisi could potentially look to open EU accession talks by summer 2025. 

EU leaders are expected to urge the European Commission to come up with ideas to find cash to boost the EU defence industry’s production capacity at their informal summit in Budapest in November, according to a draft seen by Euractiv’s Aurélie Pugnet.

Moreover, according to another document on the “Competitiveness Deal” seen by Thomas Moller-Nielsen, the EU is urged to undertake a range of ambitious measures to integrate its capital markets and banking sector to avoid lagging behind the US and China.

Meanwhile, Charles Michel has said Europe’s future should not rely on the US election result, as he suggested that both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris would stick to protectionist policies.  

In foreign policy, the European Parliament debated on Wednesday evening the necessary actions to address Russia's export of oil using 'shadow tankers' to circumvent EU sanctions and continue to supply it to third countries.

PARIS

More than €900 million in humanitarian aid and military training were pledged at the Conference on Lebanon held in Paris on Thursday, but French President Emmanuel Macron's calls for a ceasefire seemed to fall on deaf ears. Read more.

France eyes tighter partnership with Morocco on return migration. Paris wants to tighten its bilateral relationship with Rabat to improve return migration movements and readmissions into Morocco – as both capitals look to move beyond years of diplomatic tensions. Read more.

French health minister in favour of taxing sweetened drinks and food products. French Health Minister Geneviève Darrieussecq expressed her support for action targeting sweetened products and drinks at a Thursday Senate hearing on the 2025 health budget (PLFSS). Read more.

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BERLIN

Germany ups defence exports to Israel, bucking European trends. Germany increased its arms exports to Israel in the second half of the year, contrary to European trends, amid claims that the government resumed suspended arms sales after receiving assurances from Israel that weapons would be used by international law. Read more.

DUBLIN

Ireland data protection authority fines LinkedIn €310 million. The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has imposed a €310 million fine on LinkedIn due to its data practices concerning users' behavioural analysis and targeted advertising, according to a Thursday press release shared with Euractiv. Read more.

ROME

Police in Rome and Frosinone arrested several people - including a Fratelli d’Italia mayor - and seized assets on Thursday as part of a major investigation into a criminal network accused of illegally securing public contracts for migrant reception services funded by the EU's Recovery and Resilience Plan. Read more.

Italy-Albania deal ‘will work’ regardless of legal challenges, Meloni says. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that the Italy-Albania deal "will work" despite facing legal hurdles, including a recent Italian court ruling against migrant detention in Albania. Read more.

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MADRID

Far-left Catalan separatists step up demands to continue supporting Sánchez. The left-wing platform Sumar, its former far-left ally Podemos and the Catalan separatist party JxCat are stepping up pressure on Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to accept their political demands in exchange for a vote on the 2025 national budget, key to the government's survival. Read more.

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LISBON

Portugal to step up security in Lisbon after riots sparked by police killing. The government will continue to increase security in Lisbon's urban neighbourhoods and on buses, where riots have broken out since Monday following the death of a person shot by police, the Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro announced on Thursday. Read more.

STOCKHOLM

To deter migration, Sweden calls for a better link between aid and migration policy. Aid policy should be more clearly linked to migration policy to encourage people who want to come to Sweden to stay in their own countries, the Swedish government and its far-right partner, the Sweden Democrats (ECR), announced Thursday. Read more.

WARSAW

The EU's Migration and Asylum Pact cannot be fully implemented as it threatens Poland's national security due to the country's geographical proximity to Russia and Belarus, the Polish government's press service told Euractiv. Read more.

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PRAGUE

Czech government under fire over solar subsidy cuts. The Czech government's proposed cuts to solar power subsidies have sparked heated debate, with experts warning that the move will undermine investor confidence and may also breach EU law. Read more.

SOFIA | BUCHAREST | ATHENS

Experts dash hopes of EU compensation for high electricity prices in the Balkans. Leading Bulgarian energy experts have dashed the government's hopes of receiving compensation from Brussels for high electricity prices as recently requested by Bulgaria, Romania and Greece,  Euractiv Bulgaria has found. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Hungary hopes to win the support of Romania on the post-2027 EU farm policy. After Bucharest was the only EU country not to back the Council conclusions for a "dedicated" CAP, Hungarian Agriculture Minister István Nagy met his Romanian counterpart, Florin Barbu, on Thursday. Read more.

• EU: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meets with Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency, in Sarajevo; Meets with Chairwoman of Council of Ministers Borjana Krišto; Holds meetings with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Prime Minister Miloš Vučević, in Belgrade, Serbia;
• International Partnerships Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen attends IMF-World Bank Group annual meetings, in Washington D.C., United States; Represents EU at Development Committee;
• Equality Commissioner Helena Dalli delivers keynote speech at PES Women Statutory meeting;
• Parliament President Roberta Metsola meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in Rome, Italy;

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