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In today’s news from the Capitals:

BERLIN

On Thursday, July 15, German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit US President Joe Biden at the White House on what will be his last trip to Washington after nearly 16 years in power. The general objective is to renew transatlantic links. But the details of the West’s strategy towards China and the future of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline will determine the sustainability of the announced new start.

EURACTIV Germany contacted politicians and analysts who underlined their expectations of the visit. Read more.

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EU PRESIDENCY

Slovenia gives priority to electric mobility and alternative fuels in transport negotiations. The main transport priorities of the Slovenian EU Presidency are electric mobility and alternative fuels, Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec said on Tuesday during the presentation of the Presidency agenda to the EU’s Transport Committee. European Parliament. This will also be the main subject of an informal ministerial on transport scheduled for September. After.

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PARIS

Macron’s vaccine strategy provokes strong reactions in France. President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement of stricter rules for unvaccinated people has increased the number of new vaccine candidates but has also drawn strong criticism, with critics hailing the arrival of “vaccination apartheid” . Read more.

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BERLIN

German the army launches a space command center. The first German space command center with defense operations including military reconnaissance, satellite surveillance and hazardous space waste tracking was officially opened by Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer on the site of the Air Operations Center in Uedem, near the Dutch border. Read more.

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VIENNA

Austria is not satisfied with the road pricing directive. The European Parliament’s Transport Committee has given the green light to revised rules on road pricing – the so-called Eurovignette – Tuesday, much to Austria’s annoyance. Read more.

UNITED KINGDOM AND IRELAND

LONDON

British MI5 spy chief says: Beware of Russian and Chinese agents. Britain’s top spymaster on Wednesday warned the public to treat the spy threat from Russia and China as vigilantly as terrorism, warning that foreign spies were seeking to steal technology, sow discord and attack infrastructure. Read more.

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DUBLIN

Ireland will soon reopen indoor hotels. Irish parliament’s health committee voted to forgo pre-legislative consideration of a new bill to allow indoor hospitality, which will speed its passage through parliament, news RTE news reported. Read more.

BALTIC

VILNIUS

Lithuanian parliament votes to allow mass detention of asylum seekers. The Lithuanian parliament on Tuesday approved the mass detention of migrants and restricted their right to appeal, a move intended to deter large numbers from crossing the border into Belarus but which sparked an uproar among humanitarian groups. Read more.

However, NGOs say the amendments will legalize human rights violations and put vulnerable people at risk. Lawyers also say the amendments could go against the constitution. So far, 1,716 migrants have been detained at the Lithuanian border with Belarus this year, compared to 81 people detained throughout 2020, 46 in 2019 and 104 in 2018.

(LRT.lt/English)

SOUTHERN EUROPE

LISBON

The European Court rejects the request for annulment of the appointment of the Portuguese European Public Prosecutor. The EU General Court in Luxembourg rejected the request presented by lawyer Ana Carla Almeida to annul the appointment of José Guerra as Portugal’s choice for the post of delegated prosecutor at the new European Public Prosecutor’s Office (European Public Prosecutor’s Office), but the magistrate announced Tuesday that she would appeal the decision to a higher court. Read more.

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ATHENS

Greece hardens its position on the unvaccinated. The Greek government has decided to toughen its stance against unvaccinated citizens, introducing compulsory vaccination in nursing homes and health facilities, as well as allowing only vaccinated people inside when these are bars and restaurants. In the event of non-compliance with the new measures, heavy fines will be imposed. Read more.

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MADRID

The new Spanish “feminist” cabinet begins to work on the recovery. Spain’s new “feminist” cabinet has officially started its work following a reshuffle of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, with economic recovery high on the agenda, reported EURACTIV partner EFE. Read the full story.

VISÉGRAD

BUDAPEST

Tests show a lack of antibodies for people vaccinated with the Chinese vaccine. A test of a 60-year-old sample vaccinated with the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine showed that a quarter did not have antibodies to the coronavirus, according to Budapest Municipality results released Tuesday. Read more.

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PRAGUE

Slovenia says the EU should accept all of the Western Balkans. Slovenian President Borut Pahor said that the EU is not complete without enlargement to include the entire Western Balkans and that it should speed up the accession process. Read more.

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WARSAW

Polish court delays ruling in landmark EU case. Poland’s highest court on Tuesday delayed delivering a ruling in a landmark case over the primacy of the Polish constitution or EU law in the member state, amid a bitter dispute with Brussels. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

The deposed Slovak Prime Minister visits the representation of the European Commission. Former Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, dismissed from his post after the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak in 2018, visited the European Commission representation in Bratislava. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

SOFIA

Former Bulgarian Prime Minister summoned for questioning by the police. Former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has announced that he has been summoned for questioning by Acting Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov over alleged threats against a Bulgarian businessman. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Romania has its work cut out for it before drawing on cohesion funds. Romania, one of the main beneficiaries of the EU’s cohesion policy, still has a lot of work to do on its operational programs before it can draw funds from the period 2021-2027. Read more.

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ZAGREB

The Croatian Ministry of Finance is ready to discuss with the hotel industry. Cafe and restaurant owners on Tuesday called on the government to cut VAT on drinks to 13% or treat labor costs as a tax deduction, which would help the hotel industry recover, expand and grow salaries. Read more.

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BELGRADE

The Serbian President and the Prime Minister of Kosovo will meet in Brussels. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti will meet in Brussels on July 19 as part of a new round of Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, with the participation of EU High Representative Josep Borrell and the support of the EU Special Representative for Dialogue, Miroslav Lajčak.

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SARAJEVO

EU: Reform progress in Bosnia and Herzegovina is limited. Following the Fourth Stabilization and Association Council with Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said there had been some momentum and steps taken since the year last. Read more.

Agenda:

• Belgium: European Commission unveils proposals to govern the transition to a low-carbon economy, dubbed “Fit for 55”
• Germany: ECB board discusses digital euro launch
• France: On July 14, President Emmanuel Macron will attend the traditional military parade on the Champs-Elysées.
• Italy: Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Minister of Justice Marta Cartabia will visit Santa Maria Capua Vetere prison, where in April 2020 there were serious cases of prison police violence against detainees, recently denounced by the Italian press .
• Poland: The first National Immunization Program Lottery Prize draw will take place on Wednesday. Five prizes of 50,000 PLN and 60 electric scooters will be awarded.
• Malta: Valletta to close borders to unvaccinated travelers
• Romania: President Klaus Iohannis attends the weekly government meeting, which will adopt his national project Educated Romania.
• Croatia: A conference on the role of women in building the future of Europe is being organized within the framework of the Conference on the Future of Europe. Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Ministers Nikolina Brnjac, Nina Obuljen Koržinek, NataÅ¡a TramiÅ¡ak and Marija Vučković are expected to attend the event.

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulous, Alexandra Brzozowski, Daniel Eck, Paula Kenny, Zoran Radosavljevic, Josie Le Blond]