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In today’s news from the Capitals:

BERLIN

The liberal FDP (Renew), a junior partner in Germany’s three-way coalition, will block any attempts to relocate refugees from Lampedusa to the country, the party’s general secretary announced on Monday as Italy’s Giorgia Meloni has made a U-turn from a “nationalist” approach and is now seeking a European solution to the issue. Read more.

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VIENNA | BUCHAREST

Romania threatens to sue Austria over Schengen veto. Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has threatened to take Austria to the EU Court of Justice if it fails to lift its veto on the country’s Schengen accession bid by December. Read more.

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PARIS

French minister offers support for Italy, welcomes those ‘eligible for asylum’. French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin travelled to Rome on Monday to “help Italy hold its border” as the Italian island of Lampedusa faces a major influx of migrants. Read more. 

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BRUSSELS

Brussels city wants more non–Belgians to participate in local elections. The Brussels authorities are keen to encourage more non-Belgians to exercise their right to vote in municipal elections, a right most have not used since it was granted to them in 2006. Read more.

Belgium commits to new global job fund alongside Spain, Germany. Belgium is committing €3 million to the Global Accelerator for Jobs and Social Protection and Just Transitions, Belgium’s Development Cooperation Minister Caroline Gennez announced, as Germany and Spain respectively committed €7 million and €10 million to the new fund ahead of the UN General Assembly session in New York Monday. Read more.

UK & IRELAND

DUBLIN 

Ireland’s two Green MEPs to stand again in 2024. MEPs Ciarán Cuffe and Grace O’Sullivan will run again in the 2024 elections with a focus on social justice and improving the environment, the candidates told Euractiv on Monday. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

MADRID

Spanish Socialists urge EU ‘not to veto’ Catalan from joining EU-official languages. The Catalan branch of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSC) urged on Monday all EU member states not to veto a proposal to make Catalan a new official language of the European bloc, as demanded by regional separatist forces on Monday on the eve of a General Affairs Council meeting in Brussels. Read more.

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LISBON

Bank of Portugal: keeping interest rates at current level decisive in lowering inflation. Keeping interest rates at their current levels will be ‘decisive’ in bringing down inflation, governor of the Bank of Portugal, Mário Centeno, said on Monday, adding that he considers the inflation rates ‘more socially unjust’ than measures to combat it. Read more.

EASTERN EUROPE

PRAGUE

Czech MEP: New transparency rules will make honest lawmakers struggle. The EU Parliament has revised its Rules of Procedure to strengthen its integrity and transparency after the recent Qatargate corruption scandal, but Czech MEP Alexander Vondra warns that the new rules will make the work of the decent and honest ones more difficult. Read more.

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KYIV

Ukraine files WTO lawsuit against Poland, Slovakia, Hungary over agri import ban. Ukraine has filed lawsuits at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against Poland, Slovakia and Hungary following their decision to ban Ukrainian agricultural goods unilaterally. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Resistance to agricultural greening will remain after Slovak election. Many politicians vying for seats in the Slovak parliament have shown a distinct lack of enthusiasm for greening the EU’s agricultural policy on GMOs, pesticides and unproductive land as the 30 September election looms. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

PRISTINA

Accusations of bias against Kosovo dialogue special envoy mount. The EU’s Special Envoy to Kosovo-Serbia dialogue has been accused of being biased in favour of Serbia, according to Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who has sent letters to the leaders of Italy, Germany, France, and the US regarding the situation. Read more.

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SOFIA

Bulgarian minister: Russian propaganda caused protests against Ukrainian grain imports. The problem with the import of Ukrainian grain into Bulgaria was created by Russian propaganda, Transport Minister Todor Gvozdeykov said on Monday after Bulgarian grain producers – who have been demanding a ban on the import of agricultural products from Ukraine – blocked off key roads in the country. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Grain exports: ‘Gentleman’s agreement’ between Romanian and Ukrainian PMs. Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and his Ukrainian counterpart, Denys Shmyhal, held discussions on Saturday and Sunday to resolve their grain dilemma after the EU Commission’s decision on Friday not to extend the restrictions on grain exports from Ukraine to the EU. Read more.

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BELGRADE 

Serbian minister of Eurointegration: our outline to fight climate change. It is not only EU rules that we need to introduce, but also regional agreements to fight against climate change in the region very well, Serbian Minister of Eurointegration told Euractiv. Read more.

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PRISTINA

Von Cramon: Serbia must choose EU or Russia, Albanian rights in south must be addressed. If Serbia does not want to join the EU and prefers instead to nurture its relationship with Russia, the EU should not force it, said MEP and rapporteur to European Parliament for Kosovo, Viola von Cramon, in an interview with Euractiv, also addressing the erasing of Albanians from civil registries in southern Serbia. Read more.

AGENDA:

• EU: ​​General Affairs Council convenes to discuss 2023 rule of law report by the Commission, Spain’s request to include Catalan, Basque and Galician in the EU’s language regime, and more;
• Commission President Ursula von der Leyen participates in the opening of the 78th UN General Assembly in New York, United States;
• Vice President Maroš Šefčovič meets with United Nations Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions Michael Bloomberg; Co-chairs the Covenant of Mayors board meeting;
• Vice President Dubravka Šuica participates in UNGA side event “Children as Agents of Change – A Call to Action to Enable Inclusive Child Participation to Accelerate Implementation of the SDGs”; Participates in “Alleviating suffering of Ukrainian children affected by war” event;
• Commission Vice President Vĕra Jourová on official visit in China: visits Institute for Artificial Intelligence at Tsinghua University;
• Vice President Margaritis Schinas delivers keynote speech at the gala dinner of the European Shipping Summit;
• Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski holds videoconference with Greek Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Lefteris Avgenakis;
• Roberta Metsola holds meeting with President of the United Nations General Assembly Dennis Francis;
• EPP holds press conference on its vision for the agriculture in Europe, chaired by Manfred Weber;
• Germany: Defence ministers meet for Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting;
• France: President Emmanuel Macron hosts Britain’s Labour party leader Keir Starmer;

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

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