Good morning from Brussels, “We have a common concern about a regional actor that is cooperating with Russia against Ukraine, which is Iran,” EU's Special Representative for the Gulf region, Luigi Di Maio, told Euractiv ahead of today’s meeting between the EU and the Gulf states in Brussels. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) brings together leaders from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The EU's envoy also said closer relations with the Gulf countries would be “precious even in order to try to convince Russia to respect the territorial sovereignty of Ukraine”. Euractiv’s Alexandra Brzozowski digs deeper into the different aspects of this meeting, how a closer EU-Gulf states collaboration could break the Russia-Iran axis, and how to address—even late, as Di Maio said—the ongoing Middle East crisis. |
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Has the EU underestimated its relationship with Gulf countries?
Host Evi Kiorri spoke with Camille Lons, policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and Cinzia Bianco, visiting fellow at the same think tank. Listen here. |
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| Click on the picture to read the story | [European union 2024] |
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| Nuclear Alliance members again called for including nuclear power in existing and future European legislation, while the ‘Friends of renewables’ member states, also meeting on Tuesday, proposed a more conciliatory approach. In politics, representatives of seven European far-left parties announced on Tuesday the creation of a new pan-European party, the European Left Alliance, while stating that the existing parliamentary group would remain the same. Regarding the upcoming commissioner hearings, Euractiv has obtained a briefing note for the incoming commissioner for Climate, Net-Zero and Clean Growth, Wopke Hoekstra, who will be grilled by EU lawmakers on 7 November. In addition, on Tuesday twelve EU countries urged Brussels to back energy links, lower energy prices. On the foreign policy front, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend the EU leaders' summit in person on Thursday. After a tour of European capitals—Berlin, London, Paris, and Rome—last week, he will pitch his ‘victory’ plan as Kyiv faces its toughest winter since the start of Russia’s war. Moreover, NATO’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte is expected to report on how much the military alliance’s members (minus Hungary) spent on military aid to Ukraine over the first six months of the year after they committed to €40 billion annually. A large chunk is still missing, three diplomats told Euractiv, who remained confident the target can be reached before January. |
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| Click on the picture to read the story | [Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images] |
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| BERLIN Germany is convinced that the current stalemate in North Macedonia's EU accession process will be resolved after the snap elections in Bulgaria on 27 October, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday. Read more German chancellor hopeful backs up Poland amid EU asylum row. Germany’s opposition leader, Friedrich Merz, backed up Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk over his plan to suspend asylum rights and resist EU migration reform, as he expressed support for "Tusk‘s view" that new rules are needed. Read more Deutsche Telekom tells policymakers it is struggling, but investors it is thriving. The lobby for EU telecom incumbents Connect Europe often tells policymakers that the industry is suffering, but Deutsche Telekom (DT) boasts results that exceed expectations. Read more /// PARIS Von der Leyen throws support behind ‘return hubs’ – but France is stalling. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has set out key goals for a future EU migration policy, including exploring deportation hubs in non-EU countries – but France has warned that legal challenges await. Read more /// BERN EU not an ' à la carte menu', members tell Switzerland. EU ministers on Tuesday rejected a push by non-member Switzerland to add a clause to bilateral agreements under negotiation that would allow it to place limits on immigration from the bloc. Read more |
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| Click on the picture to read the story | [Narciso Contreras/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images] |
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| STOCKHOLM Sweden will boost its military defence by almost a third of its current capacity by 2030, with additional funding for civil defence, ammunition, spare parts and workshops. Read more Sweden mulling the introduction of mandatory state-run asylum centres. The Swedish government and its hard-right ally in parliament want to introduce mandatory state-run asylum centres to improve the monitoring of asylum seekers in the country. Read more. |
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| MADRID Puigdemont's party denies mulling partnering with PP, Vox, to oust Sánchez. The party of former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont denied on Tuesday that the separatist formation was considering joining forces with the centre-right and the far-right to table a motion of no confidence against the government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Read more |
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| Click on the picture to read the story | [EPA-EFE/Marcin Obara] |
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| WARSAW The Polish government has officially adopted a new, tougher migration strategy, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Tuesday, despite causing some division within the ruling coalition. Read more /// PRAGUE Czechia sends new ambassador to Moscow amid frozen relations. Czechia will send Daniel Koštoval, a seasoned diplomat with extensive experience in security and international relations, as its new ambassador to Moscow in the coming months. Read more /// BRATISLAVA EU hydrogen plans clash with market reality, Slovak experts warn. The Slovak transmission system operator Eustream and the gas storage operator Nafta support EU hydrogen initiatives and are developing projects but warn that the lack of guaranteed hydrogen production or consumption makes it difficult to secure a return on investment. Read more |
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| Click on the picture to read the story | [Arif Hudaverdi Yaman/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images] |
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| SOFIA Bulgaria, which transits Gazprom gas through the TurkStream pipeline, can play a key role in ending the current deal between Hungary and Gazprom amid ongoing supply negotiations, Martin Vladimirov, director of the energy and climate programme at the influential Bulgarian think tank Centre for the Study of Democracy, told Euractiv Bulgaria. Read more
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BUCHAREST Romania-processed products set to benefit from a mark-up cap. Products processed in Romania will benefit from a cap on commercial mark-ups, Romanian Agriculture Minister Florin Barbu told a press conference on Tuesday. Read more |
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| EU: First EU-Gulf Cooperation Council summit expected to focus on developping closer partnership on trade & investment, energy, climate, and more; Commission President Ursula von der Leyen receives EU and national social partners; Hosts Prime Minister of Estonia Kristen Michal; High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell delivers keynote address at 4th European Defence and Security Conference; Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni meets with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, in New York, United States; Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmit gives closing remarks at Joint Policy Conference of EESC Workers' Group and FEPS on algorithmic management for workers; Equality Commissioner Helena Dalli delivers keynote speech at G7 roundtable on Inclusion and Disability, in Umbria, in Italy; Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen meets with President of Senegal Bassirou Diomaye Faye, in Dakar, Senegal; |
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| *** [Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Alice Taylor-Braçe] |
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