Good morning from Europe,

THE HAGUE

Effective EU policy-making towards China is hampered by certain EU member states, like Greece, being too dependent on the East Asian country, Foreign Trade Minister Liesje Schreinemacher (VVD/Renew) stated in an interview on Thursday. Read more.

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BERLIN

Greens eye French, Spanish model for German energy subsidies. Germany could subsidise electricity prices despite EU state aid rules, the Green Party, a junior partner in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government insisted, pointing to efforts by France and Spain to extend their own subsidies. Read more.

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PARIS

French ambassador to Niger remains in place despite mounting pressure. France continues to refuse to recognise the authority of the putschists in Niger, who have now instructed police to expel the French ambassador to the country, a letter revealed on Thursday reads. Read more.

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BRUSSELS

EU Commission questions Belgium for suspending reception of single male asylum-seekers. The European Commission will contact the Belgian authorities to inquire about the announcement by Secretary of State Nicole de Moor that Belgium’s Asylum Seeker Reception Agency (Fedasil) will no longer accept single male asylum seekers, the EU executive said at a press briefing on Thursday. Read more.

STOCKHOLM

Sweden to crackdown on irregular migrants. It could soon be mandatory to report the irregular stay of migrants in Sweden, according to a proposal being prepared by the Swedish coalition and its far-right ally, which also plans to tighten internal immigration controls with random checks and DNA tests. Read more.  

MADRID

Catalonia’s Puigdemont to set terms for talks with Sánchez. Former Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont announced he would hold a meeting in Brussels to define his party Junts per Catalunya’s framework to open formal negotiations with the PSOE and would set the terms of the talks. Read more. 

PRAGUE

Several Czech banks and the Prague Stock Exchange were targeted by hackers on Wednesday and Thursday, with strikes aimed at banks’ websites or internet banking services, and the stock exchange’s website. Read more.

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WARSAW

Polish court discontinues proceedings in Turów mine case. The Voivodship Administrative Court in Warsaw has suspended proceedings against the decision to extend the concession for the Turów mine until 2044, meaning that the mine, which has been the subject of a long-running dispute between Poland and the Czech Republic, can continue to operate unhindered for more than 20 years. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Slovak battery production projections lowest in Visegrad. Slovakia’s projected battery production capacity will reach 10 GWh by 2030, faring lower than those projected for Visegrad counterparts and beating only Croatia’s two GWh in the Central European region, an analysis of the vehicle production-dependent country by Erste Group reads. Read more.

SOFIA

Bulgarian political stability is threatened by a fuel market crisis as the ruling coalition wants to cut dependence on Russian oil, which would mean clashing with Russian private company Lukoil, which owns the Burgas refinery and has a monopoly on the wholesale market, several EURACTIV sources in parliament and government confirmed. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

EU Commission experts visit Romania to improve EU-Ukraine grain links.  A team of EU Commission experts will visit the Romanian cities of Constanța and Galaţi from Friday to Saturday as part of the EU Executive's quest to find solutions to improve transit, and commodities flow along 'solidarity lanes' the Commission set up to improve EU-Ukraine connectivity for grain exports. Read more.

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BELGRADE

Vučić: No solutions if other side doesn’t look for them. It is difficult to find a solution in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina when talking to people who do not want to look for a solution said President Aleksandar Vučić. Read more.

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TIRANA

Rule of law issue, minority rights, or vote buying? Albania-Greece saga continues. Greek and Albanian foreign ministers traded statements on Thursday as the dispute over Fredi Beleri, an Albanian ethnic Greek mayor arrested on suspicion of vote buying and held in pre-trial detention, rumbles on. Read more.

• EU: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hosts the members of the Committee of the Permanent Representatives of the Member States to the European Union (COREPER); Holds a meeting with Prime Minister of Romania Marcel Ciolacu;
• Parliament President Roberta Metsola meets with Prime Minister of Romania Marcel Ciolacu;
• France: Pension reform comes into force;
• Belarus: Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation performs drills;

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson]