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In at present’s information from The Capitals:
PARIS
France’s conservative proper is courting far-right voters after Marine Le Pen’s conviction, with an eye fixed firmly on the 2027 presidential race. Learn extra.
France plans e-commerce crackdown on China’s Temu, Shein. The French authorities has launched a brand new e-commerce technique to curb the annual inflow of round 1.5 billion parcels getting into the nation, half of which originate from China. Learn extra.
WESTERN EUROPE
BERLIN
Germany’s new digital affected person file: a win with shortcomings. In the present day, Germany begins the nationwide rollout of the digital affected person file (ePA), granting sufferers higher autonomy and entry to their private knowledge. Whereas the transfer will improve transparency, it provides solely restricted simplification of sufferers’ rights – particularly in circumstances involving cross-border medical errors. Learn extra.
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BERLIN | PARIS | WARSAW | PRAGUE
Drought fears for grains rising season mount in Central Europe. As Germany’s most important rising season kicks off in Might, considerations are rising that spring-sown crops might be in danger, with drought and erratic rainfall affecting the nation and far of Europe. Learn extra.
NORDICS & BALTICS
STOCKHOLM
Swedish authorities seeks to curb migrant welfare entry guidelines. The Swedish authorities is proposing stricter eligibility guidelines for migrants looking for entry to social advantages. The brand new measures would require non-EU residents – together with college students and employees from third nations – to have legally resided in Sweden for 5 consecutive years to qualify for social advantages similar to baby allowance, sick pay, or parental depart. Learn extra.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
LISBON
Portugal: PM proclaims impartial fee to look into energy outage. Portugal’s prime minister introduced on Tuesday that the federal government will arrange an impartial technical fee and request a European audit to evaluate the electrical energy techniques of the nations affected by Monday’s energy outage. Learn extra.
Portugal: airports nearly again to regular after energy outage. Operations at Portuguese airports had been working usually on Tuesday, though airport operator ANA mentioned there have been nonetheless some impacts associated to the flights cancelled or delayed on Monday because of the blackout and the excessive turnout for luggage supply.
“Operations at Portuguese airports are working easily, with all operational techniques up and working,” the airport operator mentioned in a press release.
In Porto and Faro, operations are working easily, nonetheless with some impacts associated to the flights cancelled or delayed the day past, whereas at Lisbon airport the “restoration of yesterday’s flights [Monday] presents higher challenges, however the scenario is below management,” ANA mentioned.
The airport administration firm additionally pointed to a excessive turnout at airline counters to reschedule flights and at floor dealing with providers to ship baggage. Because of this, it mentioned, a baggage dealing with plan is being carried out at Lisbon airport together with the assorted organisations, and “passengers will begin to be contacted by the airways with details about the supply of their baggage.”
(Maria João Pereira – edited by Pedro Sousa Carvalho | Lusa.pt)
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ROME
A nation on the ready listing: How politics is paralysing healthcare in Italy. Sufferers throughout Italy are dealing with rising delays for pressing medical check-ups as a deepening standoff between the federal government and the areas places additional pressure on an already overstretched healthcare system and pushes extra individuals to hunt non-public care – or none in any respect. Learn extra.
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VALLETTA
EU courtroom slams Malta for promoting passports to the wealthy. Malta broke EU regulation by promoting citizenship – and with it, EU rights – to rich foreigners, the EU’s high courtroom dominated on Tuesday. Learn extra.
EASTERN EUROPE
WARSAW
Poland to pilot shorter working hours. Poland will launch a pilot program aimed toward lowering working hours, with Labour, Household and Social Coverage Minister Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk (Left, S&D) saying that corporations becoming a member of the initiative shall be eligible for each monetary and knowledgeable help.
“The pilot shall be open to entrepreneurs, native authorities models, foundations, associations, and commerce unions, so that each employer can see what works finest of their case,” defined Dziemianowicz-Bąk. The minister pressured that this system is open to all entities that submit the suitable software, whatever the sector.
The discount in working time might contain shortening the variety of working hours in a single day, altering the variety of working days per week, or granting further days of depart.
“This would be the first pilot program on diminished working hours on this a part of Europe, the primary in our area, and the primary on such a big scale in Poland. We wish to promote shorter working hours and encourage various kinds of organisations to check numerous options,” Dziemianowicz-Bąk emphasised.
The Ministry is predicted to announce the principles and circumstances of the pilot program by the top of June this 12 months, with the recruitment of members set to start within the following months.
(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)
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PRAGUE
Czechia slams EU proposal for annual security checks on older automobiles. Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka has hit out at a European Fee proposal to introduce annual technical inspections for automobiles older than 10 years – twice as usually as at present required in Czechia.
The measure would hit Czechs notably onerous, because the nation’s automotive fleet has a mean age of 16.4 years – one of many oldest in Europe.
“The European Fee’s proposal for annual inspections of older automobiles is a bureaucratic whip and an pointless burden on residents – each in money and time,” Kupka wrote on X
“We’re in opposition to it and can actively oppose it! Pointless rules must be diminished and never multiplied,” he added.
Czech MEP Tomáš Zdechovský from the Christian Democrats additionally rejected the proposal, saying that it “hits atypical individuals’s wallets”.
For Kupka, the answer lies elsewhere. He believes highway security is much less about rising inspection frequency and extra about sustaining a dependable community of high quality management freed from rogue or non-compliant testing stations, a problem that has been reported in Czech media in current months.
(Aneta Zachová | Euractiv.cz)
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BRATISLAVA
Extremist linked to Fico authorities despatched to custody. The Slovak Supreme Courtroom dominated on Tuesday that Daniel Bombic, charged with extremist crimes, shall be held in custody as a result of considerations that he might proceed his felony exercise. The choice overturned an earlier ruling by the Specialised Felony Courtroom, which had launched Bombic on 19 April.
Earlier than being taken away, Bombic waved to his supporters and flashed the “White Energy” hand signal – an act he’s additionally being prosecuted for.
Bombic has grown more and more near lawmakers from Robert Fico’s ruling coalition. Judita Laššáková, a MEP for Fico’s Smer-SD (NI), has been his long-time ally and co-hosted with him livestreams that includes politicians on YouTube – amongst them Fico himself and Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák. All three have publicly defended Bombic on a number of events.
Bombic’s authorized illustration additionally comes from Kallan Authorized, a regulation agency co-owned by Prime Minister Fico’s advisor David Lindtner and Defence Minister Kaliňák.
Bombic spent a few years in the UK. After being charged with a number of extremist offences based mostly on his social media content material, three worldwide arrest warrants had been issued in opposition to him. He was lastly extradited to Slovakia in January 2025 aboard a authorities jet.
After his arrival, Slovak courts initially allowed him to stay free, requiring him to put on a monitoring bracelet and proscribing his on-line exercise. Nonetheless, the prosecutor argued that Bombic violated these circumstances by persevering with to publish hate-fuelled content material on-line.
(Natália Silenská | Euractiv.sk)
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
Bulgaria’s nationalists signal cooperation settlement with with Putin’s celebration. The professional-Russian nationalist celebration Vazrazhdane (Revival) has signed an settlement for joint cooperation and equal partnership with the ruling celebration United Russia of Vladimir Putin. This was introduced by Vazrazhdane in a press launch about their delegation’s go to to the Russian capital Moscow on the invitation of Putin’s celebration. Learn extra.
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BUCHAREST
US approves Patriot missile sale to Romania. The US State Division has permitted the sale of a MIM-104 PATRIOT air defence system to Romania, the US embassy in Bucharest introduced on Tuesday. The system will substitute the one Romania donated to Ukraine in September 2024.
In accordance with Romania’s nationwide defence ministry, the estimated price of the brand new system is $262 million.
Funding for the system will come from exterior grants offered by a coalition of allied nations and the Speedy Motion on Air Defence Initiative.
The most important contributor is Norway, which is able to present about $127 million, in line with an announcement made on the Nordic Council of States assembly in Reykjavik in October 2024.
Romania is pursuing a $3.9 billion programme to amass seven PATRIOT surface-to-air missile techniques. To date, 4 techniques have been delivered, together with the one to Ukraine.
(Catalina Mihai | Euractiv.ro)
AGENDA:
- EU: Fee President Ursula von der Leyen participates in 2025 EPP Congress, in Valencia, Spain;
- Fee Vice President Teresa Ribera delivers keynote speech on the International Competitors Legislation Centre (GCLC) annual convention on “Current and Way forward for Competitors Coverage below the umbrella of the EU’s Open Strategic Autonomy”;
- Vice President Roxana Mînzatu delivers keynote speech at Abilities Summit on “Scaling Up STEM Training for Competitiveness and Social Equity”;
- Equality Commissioner Hadja Lahbib hosts Pink Cross EU Coordination Group Chair Eero Rämö;
- Well being and Animal Welfare Commissioner Oliver Várhelyi holds videoconference with Medicines for Europe representatives; Meets with European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations representatives;
- Parliament President Roberta Metsola participates in 2025 EPP Congress, in Valencia, Spain.
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[Edited by Vas Panagiotopoulos, Charles Szumski, Daniel Eck, Sofia Mandilara]