Good morning from Brussels,

A projected surge of far-right parties across Europe in the EU elections next June will send the wrong signal to the Western Balkan region who wish to join the bloc, the former prime minister and current opposition leader of Montenegro, Dritan Abazovic, said in an interview with Euractiv’s Alice Taylor.

“It is extremely important that parties which support enlargement get more support. If we come to a situation where far-right parties will have a lot of support, this will be a bad message- we don’t want to go backwards,” he said. 

He also said the EU Commission needs “refreshing” and the next mandate should avoid “soft politics”.  

Read the full interview here 

In other news from the Capitals, a new survey in Warsaw found that most Poles largely oppose joining the Eurozone while in Athens, the Greek Health Ministry dodged key questions over reports of possible irregularities in an EU-funded HPV test project. 

BERLIN

Coal phase-out: Germany shuts down 15 coal-fired power plants. Germany shut down 15 coal-fired power plants over Easter to ensure that the country would meet its climate neutrality targets, with Economy Minister Robert Habeck saying that the plants were “neither necessary nor economical”. Read more.

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PARIS 

French politicians hail Erdoğan’s local election defeat. The French political scene has hailed the defeat of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) party in the local elections over the weekend, saying it was a blow against “authoritarianism”. Read more.

STOCKHOLM

EU elections crucial for Swedish Centre Party’s leadership. The European elections this June will be critical for the leadership of Sweden’s opposition Centre Party, which faces extremely low numbers in the polls and lacks familiar faces on its EU election list. Read more. 

ATHENS

Greek health ministry dodges key questions over EU-funded HPV test project. The Greek Ministry of Health has reacted to reports of possible irregularities in an HPV screening project by saying it was merely following the advice of scientists and the example of other European Union countries while avoiding answering other vital questions. Read more.

Greece pledges to help islands of Crete, Gavdos handle surge in migrant arrivals. Greece’s conservative government promised on Monday (1 April) to offer extra financial aid and more staff to help the island of Crete and its tiny neighbour Gavdos handle a steep rise in arrivals of migrants trying to cross to Europe from Libya. Read more.

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MADRID

Podemos will not stand in the Catalan elections to avoid ‘fragmenting the left’. Podemos, the left-wing party that is no longer part of Sumar, the junior partner in Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez‘s executive, will not stand in Catalonia’s snap elections on 12 May so as not to “fragment” the progressive forces taking part in the regional elections, according to party sources. Read more.

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LISBON

Portugal’s new PM to break almost total public silence since election at swear-in.
Portugal’s new prime minister, Luís Montenegro, will break the almost total public silence he has maintained since election night at his swearing-in on Tuesday, except for an audience with the country’s president in Belém and a trip to Brussels. Read more.

WARSAW

Nearly 70% of Poles do not want their country to join the eurozone, with voters of the conservative PiS the most sceptical according to recent polls. Read more.

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PRAGUE 

Czech artists urge government to push for Gaza ceasefire. More than 400 Czech artists have now signed an open letter to the Czech government and president calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel. Read more.

SOFIA

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Sofia carried out searches in Bulgaria on Monday to gather evidence in a suspected case of embezzlement, misuse of EU funds and money laundering linked to the construction of Bulgaria’s largest infrastructure project, the Zheleznitsa tunnel. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Romania must use Social Climate Fund to reduce energy and transport poverty – report. Romania, which will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Social Climate Fund (SCF), must use the funds for investments that support vulnerable groups and citizens in energy or transport poverty, according to a report by the Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD). Read more.

• France: US Sectretary of State Antony Blinken on official visit;
• Netherlands: International conference on “Restoring Justice for Ukraine” takes place;
• Spain: Prime Minister on tour in Middle East;
• Portugal: Investiture of new government;

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Liene Lūsīte, Alice Taylor]