Good morning from Berlin, 

As Ukrainian military forces advance further on Russia’s territory and particularly the Kursk region, Kyiv may face funding issues with Berlin.

Due to budgetary constraints, Germany will not give Ukraine any fresh cash, as, according to the government, support should primarily be financed from interest on frozen Russian assets.

According to a letter that liberal Finance Minister Christian Lindner wrote to the foreign and defence ministries, “new measures” may only be taken if “funding is secured” in the budgetary plans.

Reporting from Berlin, Oliver Noyan has the story.

In other news from Europe’s capitals, an expert calls on Greece and the EU to change their mentality in approaching future wildfires which again this summer burnt thousands of hectares across the bloc, while in Rome, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with Matteo Salvini to discuss who to nominate as Italy’s next EU commissioner.

Eight EU universities made it into the top 50 of the Shanghai 2024 University Ranking, with Paris-Saclay achieving the highest score among EU universities, which, despite being the most numerous in the overall ranking compared to their US and Chinese counterparts, paled in the top 50. Sarah N'tsia and Théophane Hartmann have the story.

Moreover, the European Commission sent a request for information to Meta under the Digital Services Act (DSA) on Friday, seeking details on compliance with data access and election monitoring requirements. Julia Tar has the details.

PARIS

Macron under pressure to appoint a prime minister. Leaders of the leftist France insoumise (LFI) party have threatened to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Emmanuel Macron for what they describe as an “institutional coup against democracy” in the appointment of the next prime minister. Read more.

ATHENS

By only focusing on firefighting without a prevention-focused holistic approach, it will be hard for the EU countries to face future wildfires, an expert from Greece, where thousands of hectares of forest were again burned in a couple of days, told Euractiv. Read more.

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ROME

Italy’s Meloni interrupts holiday for key meeting on Commissioner hopeful. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni briefly interrupted her summer holiday to meet Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini at the Masseria in Puglia to discuss the Italian candidate for EU commissioner, who must be presented to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen before 30 August. Read more.

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MADRID

Irregular migrants enter Spain in record numbers, regions want urgent help. Irregular migrant arrivals from Africa reached record levels in Spain in the first two weeks of August with increases of 126% in the Canary Islands and 143% in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, leaving regions crying out for help. Read more.

OSLO | STOCKHOLM

Norway increasingly concerned by Swedish gangs. Norway is becoming increasingly concerned about Swedish criminal gangs, already known for their crimes in Denmark, where they operate throughout the country and are linked to a number of serious violent crimes. Read more.

PRAGUE

The City of Prague has cancelled plans to award a contract to PORR for the construction of the Nová Palmovka building, which is to become the new headquarters of the EU’s space agency. Read more.

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WARSAW

Lukashenko misquotes Polish minister, says Polish mercenaries helped in Kursk offensive. Polish mercenaries fought arm-in-arm with Ukrainian forces in the Kursk offensive, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told Russian state television, misquoting Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak. Read more.

SOFIA

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev did not veto the new anti-LGBTI law banning any kind of educational programmes on ‘non-traditional sexual orientation’ in Bulgarian schools, ignoring calls from the Council of Europe and civil society activists to veto it. Read more.

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