MEP calls for ‘clarity’ on Greek Watergate before elections – EURACTIV.com

ATHENS. The investigation over the Greek wiretapping scandal should be completed before the national elections so “any shadow of a doubt is lifted”, Dutch MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld told EURACTIV amid concerns in Athens that some politicians whose phones were bugged may be blackmailed, potentially affecting the post-election coalition talks. Read more.

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EU INSTITUTIONS

Adjust prices to save drugs, generics industry tells EU. The generics industry is urging EU and national governments to show “leadership” and take immediate action against rising inflation, which has resulted in drug shortages and has put patients in need to the test. Read more.

NOTE: Do not miss the “Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan: eradicating inequalities within cancer Care” event organised by the European Commission and the Swedish EU Presidency.

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PARIS

French pension protestors take to streets, Macron won’t back down. Protestors took to the streets for the second time in two weeks against President Emmanuel Macron’s pensions reform, putting the government’s stability at risk as it intends to push through the bill, come what may. Read more.

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BERLIN

Conservative CDU leads polls as top court OKs Berlin election re-run. The conservative CDU is leading the polls with 23% as the traditionally left-leaning capital of Berlin is gearing up for an election re-run on 12 February that the Constitutional Court ruled in favour of Tuesday following 2021’s botched elections. Read more.

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VIENNA

Austria slips further down in international corruption ranking. Austria is becoming more and more corrupt, as the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) published on Tuesday gave the country 71 out of 100 points, thus ranking 22nd, closely followed by countries such as Seychelles, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates. Read more.

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BRUSSELS

Qatargate: Parliament JURI committee greenlights Tarabella, Cozzolino’s immunity waiver. The European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) unanimously approved the reports recommending the waiver of Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella and Italian MEP Andrea Cozzolino’s immunities on Tuesday. Read more.

NORDICS AND BALTICS

STOCKHOLM | BUDAPEST

Hungarian FM says Sweden should act ‘differently’ to join NATO. The Swedish government must act differently if it wants to secure Turkey’s support for its NATO bid, Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Tuesday, in reference to the Qur’an burning that took place last weekend. Read more. 

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NORDICS

Nordic journalists’ unions resign from International Federation. The Union of Journalists in Finland announced its withdrawal from the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on Tuesday, following Denmark, Norway, and Iceland’s journalists’ unions. after the organisation failed to follow up on administrative problems. Read more.

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HELSINKI

Finland ranked second least corrupt country. Finland was ranked as the second least corrupt country in the world by Transparency International, with a total of 87 out of 100 points, marking the country as one of the most “clean” out of 180 countries worldwide. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

ROME

Young Italians emigrate amid high unemployment rates, few prospects. Masses of young Italians under 35 are emigrating abroad as the labour market remains in crisis with a high unemployment rate and disappointing retirement prospects. Read more.

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MADRID

Spain shows ‘clear signs’ of corruption risk, warns NGO. The level of corruption perception in Spain has worsened for the second year in a row as the country scored 60 out of 100 points in 2022, falling by one point compared to 2021, a report by NGO Transparency International revealed. Read more.

Spain’s bid to return exiled Catalan politicians boosted by EU Court judgement. The grounds on which member states can reject European arrest warrants were limited by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on Tuesday in a move that could boost Spanish efforts to return Catalan politicians who fled in the wake of a controversial independence referendum. Read more.

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LISBON

Europe’s biggest solar farm to open in Portugal. Iberdrola and Prosolia Energy obtained an environmental license to build the largest photovoltaic project in Europe in São Domingos near Santiago do Cacém with 1,200 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity, the companies announced on Tuesday. Read more.

VISEGRAD 

BRATISLAVA

Slovak’s EU-skeptic parties lead in polls ahead of autumn elections. Former Prime Ministers Peter Pellegrini and Robert Fico, both of whom belong to Hlas-SD and Smer-SD respectively, are leading the polls ahead of autumn elections, and as both parties have been drifting away from EU policy, the election results could put Slovakia’s EU future at stake. Read more. 

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WARSAW

Secret Polish workshop repairs Ukrainian military equipment. About 400 mechanics and engineers have been restoring military equipment damaged on the frontlines in Ukraine in a secret workshop in an undisclosed location in Poland, according to reporters from Wall Street Journal. Read more.

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PRAGUE

Czechia decreases Russian gas dependence over eight months. The country reduced its Russian gas dependency from 97% to 3-4% in eight months, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced on Tuesday. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

BELGRADE 

‘War profiteers’ double rent prices in Serbia. Rent prices in Serbia have been driven to astronomical heights due to the large influx of Russian and Ukrainian citizens pressuring many locals to either pay far more on rent or vacate the apartments they had been renting. Read more.

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SOFIA

Bulgarian ambassador returns to Skopje. Bulgaria has returned its ambassador to Skopje following escalating tensions with North Macedonia that have erupted over the past three weeks. Read more.

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SARAJEVO 

Bosnian city to build first solar power plant. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s southern city of Mostar will build a solar power plant for its own needs, in the hope of bringing down electricity prices, Klix.ba reported on Tuesday. Read more.

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TIRANA

Albania improves slightly in corruption index, remains among Europe’s worst. Albania has registered an improvement in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2022 with an increase of one point compared to the year before, but it still ranks among the most corrupt in Europe. Read more.

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PRISTINA

Citizens protest as international pressure for Serb association in Kosovo mounts. Citizens gathered in Pristina to protest against the demand for the Association of Serb Municipalities on the day the US Embassy called a closed-door meeting to discuss its formation, even against the government’s will. Read more.

AGENDA

• EU: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presents proposals to support industry in face of energy crisis and US, Chinese subsidies; Participates in the College of Commissioners meeting to prepare the February European Council meeting;
• Vice President Frans Timmermans delivers opening remarks at the European Climate Pact Flagship event: Together in Action;
• Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides opens the high level conference Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan: “Eradicating Inequalities within Cancer Care” in Stockholm, Sweden;
• Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton participates in the signing ceremony of the Singapore Digital Partnership, together with Minister for Communications, Information and Cyber security of Singapore S. Iswaran;
• European Parliament holds plenary session; Highlights include the preparation of the Special European Council meeting of February, in particular the need to develop sustainable solutions regarding asylum and migration, transparency and targeting of political advertising, and more;
• Parliament President Roberta Metsola hosts Italian Minister for European Affairs Raffaele Fitto;
• Bulgaria: President Rumen Radev, Serbian President Alexandar Vucic attend ceremony to launch new gas pipeline link;
• Latvia: Polish President Andrzej Duda on official visit to Riga;

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