Good morning from Warsaw, Bratislava

This weekend, two crucial elections will take place in Slovakia and Poland. 

In Bratislava, in what is set to be a tight race, Slovaks will choose between pro-EU diplomat Ivan Korčok and Robert Fico’s coalition partner Peter Pellegrini on Saturday. 

An analyst and the opposition warn that while the fate of liberal democracy in Slovakia is at stake, it may also strengthen extremist forces within the EU. Natália Silenská has all the details.

In Warsaw, Poles also head to the polls, this time to elect their local representatives.

Sunday’s vote will be the first test of public approval for Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s new government after four months in power. Aleksandra Krzysztoszek has the story.

Poland and Finland have resisted requests to support the divisive Nature Restoration Law and instead switched to becoming explicit opponents, seriously limiting the Belgian EU Council Presidency’s options to move forward with the file, report Donagh Cagney and Aleksandra Krzysztoszek.

Meanwhile, the US trade chief Katherine Tai warned on Thursday that the US, EU economic system is struggling to “survive” against China’s “very effective” alternative economic model. Euractiv’s Thomas Moller-Nielsen has all the details. 

Moreover, the European Parliament and Council on Thursday reached a deal on a new €6 billion facility to support Western Balkan countries that are on the path to European Union membership, with provisions including the need to align with EU foreign and security policy, likely to be a stumbling block for some. Alice Taylor reports. 

Last but not least, the EU’s emissions trading scheme sectors, industry and power, saw emissions drop by 15% in 2023, putting them on track for their 2030 targets, but experts question whether this was because of – or despite – Europe’s carbon trading framework. Nikolaus Kurmayer has more.

BERLIN

Germany announces reforms of Bundeswehr to get ‘ready for war’. To bring Germany’s ailing armed forces back on track, the government is reorganising its operative command and making cyber and IT a full-fledged military branch on par with the navy, air force and ground forces, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius announced on Thursday. Read more.

Germany says Russia ‘very likely’ responsible for Baltic GPS disruptions. Russia is “very likely” behind a series of disturbances affecting GPS navigation in the Baltic region, the German Defence Ministry said on Thursday, pointing to the Kaliningrad exclave as a source of the problem. Read more.

MADRID

The Spanish government will launch a major international “offensive” against three regional governments ruled by the Spanish People’s Party (Partido Popular/EPP) and the far-right VOX party for having repealed several laws aimed at honouring the memory of the Spanish Civil War, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (PSOE/S&D) announced Thursday. Read more.

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ROME

Italy uncovers alleged €600mn Recovery Fund fraud. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and the Italian financial police have jointly uncovered an international fraud scheme involving €600 million related to the Next Generation EU recovery fund, and extensive raids are underway across Italy, the EPPO said in a press release on Thursday. Read more.

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ATHENS

Greek centre-right loses ground, leftist opposition rises in new poll. Amid an intense debate over a train accident that killed 57 people, a new poll has found that the ruling centre-right New Democracy party (EPP) is losing significant support ahead of the EU elections, while the main opposition leftist Syriza (EU Left) is gaining ground. Read more.

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LISBON

Portugal no longer reluctant over Ukraine’s EU bid, says new diplomacy chief. The new Portuguese government of Prime Minister Luís Montenegro favours Ukraine joining the European Union, Portugal’s new foreign minister Paulo Rangel said on Thursday, criticising the previous government’s hesitation. Read more.

COPENHAGEN

Danish defence in turmoil as lawmakers keen to press on with revamping military. Between an accidental missile launch on Thursday and the sacking of the head of the Danish armed forces the day before, it has not been a good week for Denmark’s military, but lawmakers are still keen to push ahead with current negotiations over multi-billion euro investments in military hardware. Read more.

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HELSINKI

Finland signs Ukraine security deal, Zelenskyy warns of Russia troop plans. Finland’s president on Wednesday signed a 10-year security deal with Ukraine in Kyiv where President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he believed Russia planned to mobilise 300,000 new troops for its war by June. Read more.

PRAGUE

While efforts to combat disinformation and voter manipulation are in full swing in Europe ahead of the June 2024 EU elections, in the US, European Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová told Euractiv.cz that the authorities are “calm” about hybrid threats before November’s federal polls, with no apparent evidence they have any preparations in place. Read more.

SOFIA

Bulgarian customs chief under investigation for money laundering. Bulgarian prosecutors have opened an investigation into officials, including new customs chief Petya Bankova and her deputy Lyudmil Marinov, as prosecutors claim to have evidence of smuggling, money laundering and bribery. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Romania takes on deepfake content used amid election campaigns. The Romanian government is set to approve a memorandum to tackle the spread of deepfake content during election campaigns, Research Minister Bogdan Ivan announced on Thursday. Read more. 

• EU: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan participate in joint EU-US-Armenia high level meeting in support of Armenia’s resilience;
• Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton delivers keynote speech at plenary meeting of EU-US Trade and Technology Council;
• Norway: White Paper on defense for 2025-2028 presented;

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