Good morning from Brussels,

Ahead of a meeting of industry ministers in Brussels on Thursday, twenty member states have signed an initiative to remove single market barriers, an effort they feel has been largely neglected in the recent high-level reports by former Italian Prime Ministers Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi. 

In their position paper, the twenty countries call for a larger policy focus on further integrating the European single market.

In addition, a separate closed-door session on state aid will be held. 

Jonathan Packroff and Thomas Moller-Nielsen have the full story.

Meanwhile, Italy will seek a broad alliance with other industry ministers to table a so-called ‘non-paper’ asking the EU Commission to bring forward the planned 2026 revision of the bloc’s car emissions rules to the first half of next year. Anna Brunetti has more.

Albania's EU accession path will be decoupled from North Macedonia's, with the first clusters of negotiation set to be formally opened on 15 October, according to a unanimous decision of Ambassadors of European Union member states on Wednesday, a spokesperson told Euractiv.

Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, a high-level ministerial meeting co-hosted by the EU on Thursday is expected to push for renewed peace efforts and a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.

Moreover, experts, officials and diplomats struggle to pinpoint the cost of EU defence reform as both industry and national governments seek clarity ahead of fraught budget negotiations in the coming months. 

Last but not least, Google accused Microsoft of anti-competitive licensing practices in cloud computing contracts.

BERLIN

German coalition: Green leaders resign for ‘fresh start’ ahead of election.  Following a poor result in September‘s regional elections, the leadership of the Greens, one of two junior partners in Germany‘s coalition government, resigned on Wednesday, citing the need for new faces ahead of next year‘s national elections. Read more.  

ATHENS

The Greek government plans to proceed with its plan to build a new fence at the border with Turkey to prevent illegal migration, with or without EU funding, while the European Commission insists that smarter solutions should be implemented. Read more.

///

MADRID

Spanish far-right MEP Alvise Pérez implicated in black money campaign funding scandal. Spanish far-right MEP Alvise Pérez has been accused of accepting money from the head of a cryptocurrency firm and not declaring it to the tax authorities following an investigation by eldiario.es published on Wednesday.  Read more.

///

LISBON

Portugal sets dates for 2025 budget debates. The Leaders’ Conference on Wednesday looked at a proposed timetable for the general debate on the 2025 budget, to be held on 30 and 31 October, with the final overall vote scheduled for 28 November. Read more.

HELSINKI

Finnish MPs condemn activists after red paint stunt over peatland mining. Finnish MPs across party lines have condemned environmental activists who spray-painted the entrance pillars of the Finnish parliament in protest over the exploitation of peatlands. Read more.

///

OSLO

Tensions rise between the EU and Norway over fishing quotas. Member states and the European fishing industry are criticising Norway for unilaterally appropriating quotas for certain fish species, and are calling on the Commission to take trade sanctions to protect the European market. Read more.

BRATISLAVA 

Slovak MP ousted from parliament over LGBTI sticker, insulted by ruling party MP. The deputy speaker of the ruling SNS party, Andrej Danko, expelled opposition MP Lucia Plaváková (PS/RE) from a parliamentary session for promoting the LGBTI issue, while another SNS MP, Rudolf Huliak, added to the outrage by verbally attacking her. Read more.

///

WARSAW

Former PiS minister charged with abuse of office for disclosing patient records. Adam Niedzielski, the health minister in the previous conservative PiS (ECR) government, has been charged with abuse of office for publishing a patient’s private medical information. Read more.

///  

BUDAPEST 

Hungary to drop reference to telecoms market consolidation in new Council conclusions. The Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU is expected to delete any mention of consolidation of the telecoms market in the next draft of its conclusions on 9 October, four sources with knowledge of the matter told Euractiv. Read more.

BUCHAREST 

The United States and Romania signed a $920 million direct Foreign Military Financing (FMF) loan agreement on Wednesday, with Romania to use the funds to modernise its armed forces and boost ammunition production. Read more.

///

SOFIA 

Bulgarian employers oppose government’s minimum wage hike plans. One of Bulgaria’s main employers’ organisations said it opposes government plans to raise the minimum wage in one of the EU’s poorest countries, arguing that it is already too high. Read more.

• EU: Competitiveness Council convenes to discuss european competitiveness future, state aid framework, and more;
• High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell co-chairs EU – Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) ministerial meeting; Participates in UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) ministerial meeting; Participates in ministerial meeting on Palestine with all Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) members; Co-chairs Middle East Process (MEPP) ministerial event;
• Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders participates in UNGA high level side event on “Stopping the Destabilizing Flow of Sensitive Technology”;
• Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides delivers speech at UN General Assembly high level meeting on antimicrobial resistance;
• Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski participates in G7 agricultural ministers meeting;

***

[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Martina Monti, Alice Taylor-Braçe]