Jourová: EU Commission management is ‘on the edge’

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In today’s news from The Capitals:

PRAGUE

The European Commission is “on the edge” regarding its management, EU Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová said on Monday as she discussed the future structure of the European Union’s executive. Read more.

BUBBLING IN BRUSSELS

EU tables reform proposal for Ukraine weapons fund. A reformed EU weapons fund for Ukraine should be used to incentivise European joint procurement and apply stricter reimbursement rules to factor in national bilateral donations to the war-torn country, according to an internal EU memo circulated to the bloc’s member states, seen by Euractiv. Read more.

Azmani’s bid for EU liberals’ Renew presidency at risk over far-right scare. Malik Azmani’s chances at becoming the new Renew group chief are dwindling as centrist EU lawmakers criticise his party’s involvement in coalition talks with the Dutch far-right, favouring French President Emmanuel Macron’s pick, Valérie Hayer. Read more.

European Parliament probes centre-right MEP for anti-Sánchez slurs. The European Parliament has initiated an investigation into allegations of misconduct by Spanish MEP Antonio López-Istúriz White of the European People’s Party (EPP), an internal document and a source from the European Parliament confirmed to Euractiv. Read more.

Patience with Israel tested over video stunt as EU pushes for two-state solution. Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz, on Monday, sidestepped a discussion on the situation in Gaza and a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at talks with EU counterparts, opting to show them aspirational videos of future infrastructure projects in the region instead. Read more.

WESTERN EUROPE

BERLIN

German government parties dismiss AfD’s EU exit referendum call. Lawmakers from Germany’s governing parties on Monday rejected calls from the far-right AfD party to hold a Brexit-style referendum in Germany, saying “nobody in their right mind” would support such an idea. Read more.

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PARIS

French farmers’ unions give PM one month to take action at EU level. Representatives of the French Farmers’ Union have urged new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to get things moving in Brussels ahead of next month’s International Agricultural Show as the country grapples with growing farmer protests. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

MADRID

Spain’s Sumar set to make gains in EU elections as key progressive voice.  Spanish left-wing group Sumar is already working on presenting a strong candidacy for the EU elections, as the group sees the elections as the key to its project in Spain and the EU, Culture Minister and spokesman for the progressive Sumar platform Ernest Urtasun told a press conference on Monday. Read more.

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LISBON

Portugal says EU needs plan to promote water availability to fight scarcity. Responding to the threat of water scarcity must include creating a plan to promote water availability in the European Union, namely through management technologies that reduce waste, said Portuguese Agriculture Minister Maria do Céu Antunes on Monday. Read more.

EASTERN EUROPE

WARSAW

Tusk says Poland will remain Ukraine’s best ally, Orbán ‘won’t be fogiven’. Poland will maintain its military and political support for Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in Kyiv on Monday, after accusing his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán of betraying Europe. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

SOFIA

Bulgaria insists on quota volumes for Ukrainian grain imports. The Bulgarian government is insisting on the introduction of tariffs and quotas on Ukrainian grain imports to the EU, citing the “significant” suffering of local farmers since the EU lifted trade restrictions on Ukrainian produce following the war in Ukraine. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Farmers urge Romanian minister to demand resignation of EU agriculture commissioner. Romanian Agriculture Minister Florin Barbu has been urged to call for the resignation of EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski if Romanian farmers are not granted crop rotation and fallow land exemptions at Tuesday’s Council of Ministers. Read more.

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ZAGREB

EU trio visit Sarajevo to encourage Bosnia on EU path. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who recently has expressed reservations about Bosnia’s EU accession, will meet the country’s top officials in Sarajevo on Tuesday. Read more.

AGENDA:

• EU: Agriculture and Fisheries Council convenes to discuss future of agriculture in Europe, Resilient European forests, and more;
• 10th EU-Egypt Association Council takes place in Brussels; Agenda highlights include bilateral relations, human rights, security, counter-terrorism, migration, economic cooperation, and more;
• Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Sarajevo with Dutch PM Rutte and Croatian PM Plenkovic; Meets with BiH Presidency, Council of Ministers’ Chairwoman Borjana Krišto, Joint Collegium of BiH Parliamentary Assembly, and civil society representatives;
• Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič delivers keynote speech at launch of the Underground Hydrogen Storage Alliance; Speaks at 16th European Space Conference;
• Vice President Vĕra Jourová speaks at Czech Female Network meeting; Speaks at book talk on Protection of journalists in the European Union;
• Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni hosts President of European Investment Bank Nadia Calviño; Delivers opening speech at high level InvestEU event, organised by DG ECFIN;
• Neighbourhood and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi hosts Minister of Transport and Maritime Affairs of Montenegro Filip Radulović;
• Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson meets Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Ghada Waly; Participates in exchange of views with LIBE Committee on EU Cooperation with Tunisia on migration; Presents Anti-smuggling proposal to LIBE Committee; Participates in trilogue on Directive on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims;
• Financial services, financial stability and Capital Markets Union Mairead McGuinness meets with President of the Court of Auditors Tony Murphy;

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

Read more with Euractiv

Jourová: EU Commission management is ‘on the edge’

The European Commission is “on the edge” in terms of its management, EU Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová said on Monday as she discussed the future structure of the EU executive.