Good morning from Brussels, Euractiv has seen a draft list of potential questions that the European Parliament’s Industry and Energy Committee (ITRE) and Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (ECON) intend to ask incoming commissioners. See the full document here. The EU lawmakers’ questions refer to critical matters shaping Europe’s policies in the next five years. Particularly, Spain’s Teresa Ribera needs to answer how she will reduce energy prices, her position on Chinese electric vehicles, and competition policy. For his part, Lithuanian Andrius Kubilius faces questions about reducing dependencies and providing better access for the European defence industry to raw materials. On economy, for Latvia’s commissioner-designate Valdis Dombrovskis, a key question is where he will find money to meet demands for huge public investment without cutting budgetary resources in other important areas. The candidate commissioners’ replies should be in writing before their in-person auditions starting on 4 November. |
|
The environmental cost of Europe’s hunt for lithium
In this episode, host Giada Santana sits down with Energy and Environment reporter Nathan Canas to explore the continent's expanding lithium production plans, the challenges that accompany them, and the broader implications for Europe’s sustainability efforts. Join us for a critical look at this pressing issue. Listen here. |
|
|
| Click on the picture to read the story | [EPA-EFE/CLEMENS BILAN] |
|
| French President Emmanuel Macron said over the weekend that shipments of arms to Israel used in the conflict in Gaza should be stopped, triggering a strong reaction from Tel Aviv. In this article, Aurélie Pugnet analyses which countries supplied major arms to Israel between 2019–23. Brussels kicks off today, the EU Week of Regions and Cities. The head of the EU’s Committee of the Regions, Vasco Alves Cordeiro, told Euractiv’s Jonathan Packroff that the incoming EU executive should follow through with Ursula von der Leyen’s promises that local authorities should be at the core of the bloc’s cohesion policy. Meanwhile, as Ukraine braces for a winter battle over energy, Alexandra Brzozowski reports on the ground from Moshun, a strategic point in the path of Russian troops on their way to capture Kyiv, on the damage Russia has made. Last but not least, analysts say Berlin’s vote against the European Commission’s proposed tariffs on China-made electric vehicles last week was a self-interested move aimed at discouraging Beijing from introducing retaliatory duties on German combustion engine vehicles. |
|
| Click on the picture to read the story | [Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance via Getty Images] |
|
| BERLIN MEP Svenja Hahn from Germany’s FDP was elected president of Europe’s largest liberal party family, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) party, on Sunday, as leading figures warned about their declining importance. Read more.
Analysts: Germany’s ‘selfish’ EV vote aims to channel Chinese retaliation onto France or Spain. Berlin’s vote against the European Commission’s proposed tariffs on China-made electric vehicles (EVs) last week was a self-interested move aimed at discouraging Beijing from introducing retaliatory duties on German combustion engine vehicles, analysts say. Read more. /// PARIS France’s Glucksmann gears up for possible elections next year. French MEP Raphaël Glucksmann, who leads the French Socialists in the European Parliament, said his Place Publique party would start preparing for possible new legislative elections, which could be held as early as July next year, at a rally near Bordeaux over the weekend. Read more. Israel says France’s call for halting sales of arms used in Gaza is a ‘disgrace’. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit out at France's President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday for saying that shipments of arms to Israel used in the conflict in Gaza should be stopped as part of a broader effort to find a political solution. Read more. |
|
| Click on the picture to read the story | [Michele Novaga/Anadolu via Getty Images] |
|
| ROME Leaders of the far-right Patriots for Europe gathered in the northern Italian town of Pontida for the annual rally of Lega, of which the leader, Matteo Salvini, received praise for combatting irregular migration. Read more. /// MADRID Spanish centre-right at odds with government over migrant crisis in the Canaries. Spain’s Partido Popular broke off negotiations with the government over the migration crisis in the Canary Islands, accusing the left-wing executive of not accepting help from the European Union. Read more. |
|
| Click on the picture to read the story | [EPA-EFE/OLIVIER HOSLET] |
|
| TBILISI | BRATISLAVA | BUDAPEST | SOFIA With Georgia passing yet another controversial law, this time against LGBTQ rights, a growing number of post-socialist EU states, such as Slovakia, Bulgaria and Hungary, appear eager to adopt similar laws, raising concerns within the EU about violations of its laws and the influence of pro-Russian ideologies. Read more.
///
WARSAW Polish MEP: Hard times ahead for commissioner hopefuls Serafin, Fitto, Hoekstra. Poland’s Piotr Serafin will face many challenges if he succeeds in becoming the new EU budget commissioner, while Italian and Dutch commissioners-designate Raffaele Fitto and Wopke Hoekstra are likely to be grilled the most during parliamentary hearings, said opposition PiS MEP Bogdan Rzońca (ECR). Read more. /// PRAGUE Czechia plans to push for major changes to EU’s car emissions goals. Czechia plans to push for changes to EU car emission targets, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Transport Minister Martin Kupka (both ODS, ECR) announced on Friday, confirming that the focus will be on speeding up the review of the internal combustion engine ban and re-evaluating emission limits for new cars and vans for next year. Read more. /// BUDAPEST Thousands protest in Hungary demanding end to state media propaganda. Thousands of Hungarians gathered outside the headquarters of the country's state television on Saturday, protesting against what they described as the government's "propaganda machine" and calling for an independent public service media. Read more. |
|
| SOFIA Key political player in Bulgaria arrested for influence peddling ahead of elections. Key lawmaker Ceyhan Ibramov, who is close to Ahmed Dogan, the founder of Turkish minority party Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), has been arrested on charges of influence peddling and accepting money to illegally buy votes. Read more. /// BUCHAREST Romanian Constitutional Court rejects presidential candidacy of far-right MEP. Romania's Constitutional Court rejected far-right MEP Diana Șoșoacă presidential candidacy over the weekend, according to sources suggesting judges found her recent statements incompatible with constitutional values. Read more. |
|
- EU: Eurogroup expected to discuss digital euro, capital markets union, preparation of international meetings, including exchange rate developments, and more;
- Commission President Ursula von der Leyen participates in a memorial ceremony for the one-year anniversary of October 7th;
- International Partnerships Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen speaks at Hamburg Sustainability Conference 2024 session “Representing Future Generations Through Long-Term Governance”, in Germany; Meets with President of Ghana Nana Akufo-Addo;
- Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Commissioner Iliana Ivanova participates in European Cultural Heritage Summit 2024 by Europa Nostra, in Bucharest, Romania;
|
|
| *** [Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Alice Taylor-Braçe] |
|
|
|
|
