Scholz’s coalition suffers defeat in mid-term state elections

Good morning from Berlin,

A serious hardening of the diplomatic reaction of the EU against Azerbaijan following the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh can be expected at the diplomatic level in order to prevent aggression towards the Armenian sovereign territory, Bulgarian MEP Radan Kanev (EPP, Democratic Bulgaria) said during an exclusive interview for Euractiv Bulgaria. Read more.

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PARIS

France’s radical left party La France insoumise has been condemned over it’s wording related to Hamas’ attacks on Israel last Friday, which has been unanimously condemned by the entire French political class. Read more.

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PARIS | BERLIN | VIENNA | LONDON

France, Germany, Austria, UK up police protection of Jewish spaces. France, Germany, Austria and the UK have decided to increase the protection of Jewish schools, institutions and places of worship in response to Hamas’ attack on Israel, with French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin saying the main reason for the increased protection was to prevent any potential spillover and Austria’s politicians taking aim at protesters supporting Hamas. Read more.

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THE HAGUE

Football arrests lead to Dutch-Polish spat. Last week’s arrest of two Legia Warsaw players following a match against AZ Alkmaar has led to a diplomatic row between Poland and the Netherlands, with Polish politicians calling for an investigation and legal action to be taken. Read more.

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LUXEMBOURG

EPP stands to gain Council seat after Luxembourg election. The centre-right CSV (EPP) is likely to dethrone liberal Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and lead Luxembourg’s next government after the country shifted to the right following Sunday’s national elections. Read more.

LISBON

Portuguese Prime Minister and Socialist Party (PS) Secretary-General António Costa called for action from the Party of European Socialists (PES) against the Slovak party led by Robert Fico, adding that parties cannot remain in PES if they make deals with the far-right. Read more.

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MADRID

Thousands protest Sánchez’s ‘coup’ pardoning Catalan separatists. Thousands demonstrated in the streets of Barcelona on Sunday to reject what they say is a “coup” being prepared by the Spanish government to pardon those involved in the 2017 secession attempt, while the left-wing Sumar platform announced plans to present a proposal to include the extraordinary pardon measure in the Spanish Constitution on Tuesday. Read more.

WARSAW

State-owned petrol giant Orlen S.A. is using military oil tankers to deliver fuel to stations after reduced prices led to major shortages all over the country, the company announced over the weekend. Read more.

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PRAGUE

Czechia supports Israel’s right to self-defence, call to cut EU funding for Palestine. Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas attacks, according to various Czech politicians, with some calling for an end to EU funding for Palestine. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Christian Democrats could shake up Slovakia’s government formation. The presidency of the Christian Democrats (KDH) said they were still against a coalition with Smer leader Robert Fico in a statement on Friday, but cooperation could be on the cards in exchange for restrictions on abortion access, according to several reports. Read more.

BUCHAREST

Romanian president worried about drugs threatening national security. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis convened the Supreme Council for National Defence on Wednesday to address the serious threat to national security posed by drugs. Read more.

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BELGRADE

Blaming Serbia is ‘always easier’, Vučić says about Kosovo terrorist attack. It is "always easier" to blame Serbia, President Aleksandar Vučić said of the recent standoff between Kosovo police and heavily armed Serbian men at a Serbian Orthodox monastery near the northern village of Banjska in late September, in an interview with Sky News in which he reiterated Serbia's non-recognition of Kosovo. Read more.

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