Good morning from Chișinău, 

Amid accusations that Russia bought 300,000 votes, Moldovans voted on Sunday for their next president as well as for a referendum on whether to enshrine EU membership in the constitution. 

The results do not look promising for the pro-EU forces and Brussels. 

According to the latest figures of the referendum, with (98.29%) of the ballots counted, 50% (730,100) of Moldovans had voted ‘Yes’, and another 50% (730,021) said 'No'.

Regarding the presidential elections, incumbent President Maia Sandu gained 41.86% of the votes and will now face Alexandr Stoianoglo (26.32%), a former prosecutor backed by the pro-Russian Socialists, on 3 November.

Analysts suggest that Sandu’s mission in the second round will be tough.

But the headaches for Brussels seem not to stop here. Next Saturday, Georgia holds parliamentary elections, a test of whether Georgia returns to Russia’s orbit or maintains its pro-Western orientation. President Salome Zourabichvili sent a strong pro-EU message in a speech on Sunday.

An EU official told Euractiv that losing influence in both countries would “deeply hurt” Europe’s interests.

Reporting on the ground from Chișinău, Alexandra Brzozowski explains what is next. 

The European Commission has drafted a list, seen by Euractiv, of several flagship defence projects that could be turned into EU defence projects of common interest and benefit from €500 billion of available funding.

In the field of environment, the UN Biodiversity Conference starts today in Colombia, and Bárbara Machado explains why much is at stake. Meanwhile, Donagh Cagney analyses Europe’s unspoken plan to decarbonise aviation.

Last but not least, the IMF's chief economist has warned that an ongoing surge of Chinese electric vehicles, coupled with decreased demand for internal combustion engines, is dividing Europe into countries that benefit from it and those that do not.

BERLIN

Germany’s opposition has criticised the fact Poland was not been included in talks between European leaders and US President Joe Biden on peace in Ukraine, as the question of who should be included in talks on Europe's post-war order comes to the fore. Read more.

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THE HAGUE

There are 'very different opinions' in NATO on inviting Ukraine, Dutch minister says. NATO countries will need to discuss conditions for Ukraine to get a membership invitation and to join the alliance in response to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's "victory plan", Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans said on Friday. Read more.

LONDON

UK, Italy, Japan move forward on next-gen fighter jet project. The UK, Italy and Japan agreed to speed up a project to produce the next generation of fighter jets on Sunday, in a move that signals political support for the programme from the new British and Japanese governments. Read more.

ROME

The Italian government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is working on a decree to amend the list of safe countries to overcome legal obstacles to the implementation of its Italy-Albania migration model after a Rome court ordered the first 12 migrants processed under the new model to be returned to Italy. Read more.

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MADRID

Far-left Podemos urges Sánchez to break relations with Israel. Spain's far-left Podemos will stop supporting the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez if his government does not sever diplomatic and trade relations with Israel, the party's secretary general, Ione Belarra, has warned. Read more.

PRAGUE

The populist ANO party (Patriots for Europe), led by former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, would dominate parliamentary elections scheduled for autumn 2025 with 35.5% of the vote, the latest polling data from Kantar CZ for the Czech Television reads. Read more.

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WARSAW

Poland’s Morawiecki confirms he wants ECR top job after Meloni. Former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has confirmed his interest in taking over the presidency of the conservative ECR group, currently held by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Read more.

SOFIA

Early elections won't solve Bulgaria's political crisis, analysts warn. Bulgarians will head to the polls on 27 October for the seventh parliamentary election in three and a half years, but there is little hope that the country's deep political crisis will end with the formation of a stable government. Read more.

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BELGRADE

Serbia’s President thanks Putin for natural gas supplies. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said he thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday for helping his country secure sufficient supplies of natural gas for the winter. Read more.

• EU: Agriculture and Fisheries Council convenes to discuss farmer-focused post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy, food chain challenges, conservation of Atlantic Tunas, Baltic Sea fishing opportunities, and more;
• Commission President Ursula von der Leyen receives Chair of European People’s Party Manfred Weber, Chair of Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats Iratxe García-Pérez and Chair of Renew Europe Group Valérie Hayer;
• Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas delivers opening remarks at Green Economy Forum & Exhibition 2024, in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam; Meets with Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam Bùi Thanh Sơn;
• Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Commissioner Iliana Ivanova participates in high level launch event of European Innovation Council (EIC) Trusted Investors Network and EIC Scaling Summit inauguration, in Athens, Greece;
• Parliament’s plenary session begins in Strasbourg, France;
• Parliament President Roberta Metsola meets with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen; Participates in "Much More Than a Market" report by Enrico Letta presentation;

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Liene Lūsīte, Alice Taylor]