The Capitals brings you the latest news from across Europe, thanks to on-the-ground reporting by EURACTIV’s media network. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.

Before you start reading today’s edition of Capitals, take a look at the cost of living crisis that is set to cause social unrest across Europe, according to a poll by Benjamin Fox.

European news you deserve to read. welcome to Capitals by EURACTIV.

In today’s news from the capitals:

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is a “destabilizing factor” for the country and citizens cannot stand his “authoritarian” attitude, socialist lawmaker Michalis Katrinis told EURACTIV after it was revealed that the secret service had put on listens to the phone of Greek socialist opposition leader and MEP Nikos. Androulakis. Read more.

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EDITORIAL OPINION

EURACTIV poll: We haven’t lost the war with Russia, say readers. Fifty-three percent of our readers believe that we have not lost the war against Russia despite the severe consequences facing Europe. But will we say the same after receiving the first energy bills? Read more.

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EU INSTITUTIONS

MEPs criticize the Commission on the impact of pesticide reduction on food safety. Lawmakers and stakeholders have criticized the European Commission for not emphasizing the potential impact of its proposal to halve the use and risk of chemical pesticides by 2030 on food production. Read more.

Political tensions delay the hearing of MEPs targeted by spyware in the European Parliament. MEPs targeted by the spyware, including the Greek opposition leader and Catalan separatists, will not be invited to speak at next week’s Pegasus committee hearing in the European Parliament. Read more.

The European Medicines Agency authorizes the first suitable COVID-19 booster vaccines. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has approved two tailored mRNA COVID-19 vaccines targeting the original strain of COVID-19 as well as the BA.1 Omicron subvariant. Read more.

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PARIS

Macron under fire for keeping energy negotiations at government level. Opposition parties have criticized President Emmanuel Macron for scheduling an emergency meeting on gas and electricity on Friday to be held strictly between ministers as he did for the COVID-19 situation during the pandemic. Read more.

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BERLIN

The German government announces a fifth floating LNG terminal. Berlin has organized a fifth floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal to increase the amount of LNG the country can import, which could be a boon for the country’s landlocked neighbors. Read more.

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VIENNA

The Wien Energie crisis causes political tensions. The failure of the social-democratic mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig, to reveal the poor financial situation of Wien Energie has caused dissatisfaction with his liberal coalition partner at the state level and the ruling Greens at the federal level. Read more.

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THE HAGUE

The Netherlands will halve nitrogen emissions despite opposition from farmers. The Dutch government will not change its mind on its target to halve nitrogen emissions by 2030 despite objections from farmers, according to Dutch media NL Times confirmed. Read more.

UNITED KINGDOM AND IRELAND

DUBLIN

Ireland to face another dramatic rise in electricity and gas bills. Electricity and gas bills will rise significantly from October for the third time since May due to a sharp rise in wholesale gas prices, the country’s largest electricity supplier, Electric Ireland, said on Thursday. Read more.

NORDIC AND BALTIC

STOCKHOLM

A Swedish far-right official will celebrate the Nazi anniversary before the elections. Ten days before the legislative elections, a far-right Swedish Democrat official invited his colleagues to celebrate the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s 1939 attack on Poland, according to an internal email sent to the official parliamentary office. Read more.

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HELSINKI

The Finnish government announces an aid program to fight against rising energy prices. The government announced its long-awaited electricity package on Thursday which will include measures to tackle the effects of rising energy prices. Read more.

SOUTHERN EUROPE

MADRID

Spain will temporarily lower VAT on gas due to rising prices. In Spain, VAT on gas will be reduced from 21% to 5% from October until the end of the year to help mitigate the impact of energy price hikes faced by the most vulnerable, a Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Thursday. Read more.

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LISBON

The Portuguese Prime Minister will announce measures to deal with the rising cost of living. Measures to help Portuguese families cope with the rising cost of living will be announced on Monday, Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa told reporters on Thursday, saying “strength comes from calm”. Read more.

VISEGRAD

PRAGUE

Former Prime Minister BabisThe censure motion in Fiala is doomed to failure. The vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s government for poor management of the energy crisis tabled by the opposition led by former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš risks failing for lack of a majority. Read more.

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WARSAW

Poland will demand 1,300 billion euros in war reparations from Germany. Representatives of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PIS) party said they would demand around 1.3 trillion euros in war reparations from Germany on Thursday, the 83rd anniversary of the German attack on Poland. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Slovakia is moving towards a national gas price cap for households. The Economy Ministry has proposed a gas price cap for households, and its minister, Richard Sulík, hopes to extend the current electricity price cap. Read more.

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BUDAPEST

Hungarian teachers “mourn” the start of the school year. Leaders of the Hungarian teachers’ union staged a protest dressed in black on Thursday to “mourn” the start of the school year as government demands for higher wages and better conditions have yet to be heard. Read more.

BALKAN NEWS

SOFIA

Bulgaria’s overcrowded refugee centers in the spotlight. Refugee centers in Bulgaria have exceeded their maximum capacity by more than 20%, reaching levels not seen in the last two or three years, reported the BGNES news agency. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Romania extends energy price cap for one year. The Romanian government will keep an energy price cap system in place until the end of August 2023, ministers announced on Thursday. Read more.

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BELGRADE

European lawmakers are urging Serbia to lift the EuroPride ban. EU lawmakers from several political groups have called on Serbian authorities to lift the ban on the EuroPride march scheduled for September, although the letter, signed by 145 members of parliament, not counting EPP President Manfred Weber and Parliament President Roberta Metsola. Read more.

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BELGRADE

Open Balkans plus Hungary and Turkey meet to discuss cooperation in Belgrade. The “Vision of Summer” wine fair was held in Belgrade on Thursday, organized as part of the Open Balkans initiative, a somewhat controversial regional collaboration between Serbia, Albania and North Macedonia. Read more.

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SARAJEVO

The Bosnian entity urges citizens and businesses to rationalize the use of energy. The authorities of the Bosnian-Croatian entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday called on citizens and businesses to use energy rationally and asked public companies to draw up savings plans, in particular for the cooling and heating of buildings. , Croatian HRT reported. Read more.

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TIRANA

Albanians said to turn off the lights before the long, dark winter. Following the lead of authorities across Europe, the Albanian Electricity Cooperation (KESH) has called on citizens to save energy as a long and costly winter looms. Read more.

Agenda

• EU: Informal meeting of ministers responsible for cohesion policy, cohesion policy and reform Commissioner Elisa Ferreira participates.
• Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson attends the G20 Energy Transition Ministerial Meeting and meets Australia’s Environment and Energy Minister Chris Bowen.
• European Parliament committee meetings.
• European Parliament President Roberta Metsola meets Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
• Germany: July foreign trade data.
• Chancellor Olaf Scholz meets the prime ministers of the eastern coal-producing regions.
• The Netherlands: EMA press conference on COVID-19 and monkeypox vaccines.
• UK: Former police officer Wayne Couzens, jailed for the murder of Sarah Everard, in court on charges of indecent exposure.
• Norway: Conference on freedom of expression with Nobel laureates Maria Ressa, Dmitry Muratov and Juan Manuel Santos.
• Sweden: Defense ministers from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Norway and Sweden meet.
• Italy: European House – Ambrosetti Economic Forum.
• Serbia: President Aleksandar Vučić, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Prime Minister of North Macedonia Dimitar Kovačevski, Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazović and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zoran Tegeltija will participate in the Balkan Open Summit in Serbia. The Hungarian and Turkish Foreign Ministers, Peter Szijjarto and Mevlut Cavusoglu, are also present.

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Vlad Maksimov, Daniel Eck, Benjamin Fox, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Eleonora Vasques]