Good morning from Brussels,

EU foreign ministers to consider options for next steps in Gaza response. As fighting continues in Gaza, EU foreign ministers on Monday are expected to discuss possible next steps in response to the Israel-Hamas war, including a crackdown on Hamas’ finances and travel bans for Israeli settlers responsible for violence in the West Bank. Read more.

BERLIN

Germany’s Scholz rules out welfare cuts despite budget crisis. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD/S&D) has ruled out cutting welfare spending to close the country’s budget gap following a constitutional court ruling, rejecting calls from liberal Finance Minister Christian Lindner. Read more.

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PARIS

Interview of Le Pen’s lead EU candidate in Guadeloupe turns into media freedom debate. Five French MPs from Guadeloupe and three leading EU candidates have publicly expressed their disagreement with Radio Caraïbe International Guadeloupe‘s decision to remove its journalist from its 1 pm news programme following a tense interview with Jordan Bardella, the Rassemblement National’s leading candidate for next year’s EU elections. Read more.

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MADRID | LONDON

Spain pushes for EU-UK Gibraltar deal to include joint management of airport. The future agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom on Gibraltar must “of course” have the joint use by London and Madrid of the disputed territory’s local airport, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said. Read more.

PRAGUE

The EU and its member states should stop importing duty-free yet low-quality agricultural products from Ukraine, farmers’ organisations from Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have said in a recent appeal to their governments, calling for a joint approach and protection of farmers and producer interests. Read more.

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WARSAW

Poland’s PiS to likely lose confidence vote, paving way for second Tusk government.  Lacking seats to form a coalition government, the currently governing Law and Justice (PiS) party will almost certainly lose Monday’s confidence vote in parliament and pave the way for a new cabinet of former European Council President Donald Tusk. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Slovakia to go ahead with justice reform despite Brussels’ objections. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico appears to have ignored the European Commission’s calls to discuss further his plans for judicial reform, which has been criticised by President Zuzana Čaputová and resulted in protests. Read more.

SOFIA | BUCHAREST

News from Austria suggesting that Vienna is considering easing Romania and Bulgaria into the EU’s Schengen free-travel zone by giving the go-ahead to abolish airport passport checks was welcomed in Bucharest but firmly criticised in Sofia. Read more.

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BELGRADE 

Watershed elections in Serbia: Happy New Year 1997? With just one week before Serbia elects a new national parliament and several local parliaments on Friday, predictions point to possible significant setbacks to the government that could echo the 1997 elections, which ultimately led to mass protests and a shift in political power. Read more.

Serb election campaign not female­-friendly as women still ‘follow orders from men’. As Serbia gears up for the upcoming elections, the visibility of female candidates is not as strong as in the previous 2020 campaign, as representation in the Serbian Assembly has only slightly increased over the past decade, according to the Academy in Women’s Leadership. Read more.

• EU: Ongoing Agriculture and Fisheries Council discusses CAP strategic plans – stocktaking, new genomic techniques, Sustainable use of pesticides, and more;
• Eastern Partnership Foreign Affairs Ministerial meeting brings together EU foreign ministers and counterparts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine; Agenda highlights include acceleration of Economic and Investment Plan for Eastern Partnership, regional roaming, road safety and transport, and more;
• Foreign Affairs Council convenes to discuss Russian war against Ukraine, situation in Middle East, Sahel, and more;
• Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meets with Parliament’s President Roberta Metsola; Receives Chair of the European People’s Party Group Manfred Weber;
• Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič participates in event to mark first 50,000 workers trained by the European Battery Alliance’s Skills Academy; Hosts delegation from US Chamber of Commerce; Participates in event organised by British Chamber of Commerce, EU & Belgium;
• Vice President Margaritis Schinas hosts Deputy Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Edil Baisalov;
• Dubravka Šuica delivers opening and closing remarks on “Demographic Change in Europe: We have a Toolbox for Action” international conference, in Zagreb, Croatia;
• Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič participates in the UN OCHA’s launch of the 2024 Global Humanitarian Overview, in Geneva, Switzerland; Meets President of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Mirjana Spoljarić;
• Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni participates in 13th Recovery and Resilience Dialogue with Parialement’s ECON and BUDG committees;
• Neighbourhood and Enlargement Commissioner Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Ilia Darchiashvili;
• Climate Action Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra participates in COP28 and closing plenaries in Dubai, United Arab Emirates;

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