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.

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

Thanks for reading today’s edition, the last one before the Capitals go on summer vacation. We will be back on August 22.

In today’s news from the capitals:

Hello from Istanbul,

Turkish media reported that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed interest in acquiring French first-generation Rafales fighter jets during a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on July 16.

The call was not on Macron’s public agenda. Contacted by EURACTIV, the French Ministry of Defense said it had “no comment to make on this issue”. Dassault Aviation, which produces Rafales, did not respond to EURACTIV’s request for comment. Read more.

///

PARIS

Macron mourns the departure of Draghi. French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday paid tribute to Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, whose resignation opens a period of uncertainty, according to French EU Minister Laurence Boone. Read more.

///

BERLIN

NORDIC AND BALTIC

HELSINKI

Finland continues to coordinate the development of European ground combat capabilities. The European Commission has approved 95 million euros for the second phase of the European project FAMOUS (Future Highly Mobile Augmented Armored Systems), which aims to develop the technologies and performance of future armored vehicles and improve their ground combat capabilities. Read more.

SOUTHERN EUROPE

MADRID

Sánchez reshuffles the Socialist Party before the elections. After a politically significant defeat in Andalusia, Spanish Prime Minister and leader of the Socialist Party (PSOE), Pedro Sánchez, announced on Thursday an overhaul of his party ahead of next year’s general elections. Read more.

///

ROME

Italians are due to go to the polls on September 25. Snap elections in Italy are scheduled for September 25, after President Sergio Mattarella dissolved parliament on Thursday following Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s report on Wednesday’s vote in the Senate and his resignation. Read more.

///

LISBON

More recycled water, increase in renewable energies, according to the Portuguese government. Environment Minister Duarte Cordeiro has promised a radical increase in renewable energy production in Portugal, more licenses for recycled water and a strategic environmental assessment of projects to boost flow in the middle part of the Tagus. Read more.

///

ATHENS

Greek public debt amounts to more than 357 billion euros. Greece’s public debt has increased significantly compared to last year and amid a global price crisis and high inflation, bringing the level of total debt to 193% of GDP, raising concerns that the country could heading for a financial crash. Read more.

VISEGRAD

WARSAW

Polish lawmakers are considering leasing German nuclear power plants. A proposal of left-wing parliamentarians to save Germany’s nuclear power plants from extinction was warmly welcomed by most opposition parties. Read more.

///

PRAGUE

The European Commission closes the case of illegal subsidy of ex-Prime Minister Babiš. The European Commission has found conflicts of interest in the distribution of EU funds and therefore Czechia will see these amounts deducted from future grants. Read more.

BALKAN NEWS

SOFIA

New perspectives for government formation in Bulgaria. The chances of forming a new government increase after President Rumen Radev gave the mandate to form a government to the Bulgarian Socialist Party, which succeeded in bringing in the populist party “There is such a people”, which left the ruling coalition in the middle -June, back to the negotiating table. Read more.

///

BUCHAREST

The Romanian government is preparing the budget revision. The government plans to revise this year’s budget in the first half of August, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Thursday. Read more.

///

ZAGREB

Croatia will present energy reduction guidelines next week. Recommendations and guidelines to reduce energy consumption will be presented by the government next week, Economy Minister Davor Filipović said on Thursday. Read more.

///

BELGRADE

The Ukrainian ambassador hopes that the new Serbian cabinet will join the Russian sanctions. Ukraine is counting on more support from Serbia, and the country will introduce sanctions against Russia, Ukrainian Ambassador Volodymyr Tolkach said on Thursday, adding that he hopes this will happen when the new cabinet is formed. Read more.

///

SKOPJE

The Macedonian government is implementing measures to deal with the economic crisis. New measures to deal with the economic crisis, including the ban on the export of wheat, flour, wood and pellets while removing the tax on the import of oil for domestic use until the end of the year, have been approved by the government of North Macedonia. Wednesday. Read more.

///

TIRANA

Albania has two countries in the crosshairs following a cyberattack. The cyberattack that has crippled government websites since last Friday was coordinated by another country, but there was no ransom, according to Prime Minister Edi Rama. Read more.

///

UK sanctions anonymous Albanians for organized crime and corruption. The UK has designated several Albanian citizens for their involvement in organized crime and corruption, according to a statement by Sir Stuart Peach, the special envoy for the Western Balkans. Read more.

AGENDA

• EU: Commissioner Vĕra Jourová meets the President of the Czech Senate Miloš Vystrčil in Prague.
• Commissioner Mairead McGuinness in Riga, Latvia.
• Netherlands: The UN’s highest court rules on its jurisdiction to consider a case accusing Myanmar of genocide against the Rohingya.
• Czech Republic: Demolition of a pigsty on the site of a WWII Roma concentration camp begins to make way for a memorial.
• Russia: Central Bank meeting with decisions on rates.
• United States: Public hearing on the storming of the United States Capitol.

***

[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Vlad Makszimov, Daniel Eck, Benjamin Fox, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Alexandra Brzozowski, Sofia Stuart Leeson]