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, be sure to take a look at the interview with Ukrainian Deputy Agriculture Minister who said: “Winning the war, unblocking the ports is the only way to restore grain exports”.

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In today’s news from the capitals:

ATHENS

In a series of Greek-language tweets, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan directly threatened the Greeks not to go too far with their position in the Aegean or “they will regret it”.

The Greek government called for national unity in the face of an “unpredictable” neighbor, while former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras responded to Erdoğan in Turkish.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is traveling to Thessaloniki today to participate in the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), but Berlin’s mediation efforts are unlikely to succeed. Read more.

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EU INSTITUTIONS

The German car industry denounces the ban imposed by the European Parliament in 2035 on petrol and diesel cars. German car associations have rioted over the European Parliament’s decision to back a de facto ban on the sale of new combustion-engined cars from 2035, deeming it too ambitious and costly, and going against the market and citizens. Read more.

MEPs call on the United States to guarantee the protection of the right to abortion. The European Parliament on Thursday (9 June) approved a resolution on global threats to abortion rights in light of the potential overturning of the US Roe v Wade ruling, following a heated plenary debate on the state of the right to abortion, also in the EU. Read more.

BERLIN

Scholz warns against “de-globalization” after the war in Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned Thursday (June 9) that the world was heading towards a multipolar world order that could weaken international solidarity and lead to de-globalization. Read more.

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PARIS

Macron humiliates France in Ukraine, says opposition leader. French President Emmanuel Macron is “humiliating” the country in Ukraine, Sandrine Rousseau, one of the leaders of the French Greens, told EURACTIV France in an exclusive interview. Read more.

France announces the first measures before the imminent crisis of summer hospitals. France will adopt a first series of measures to limit the damage in public hospitals before a summer which promises to be difficult, announced Wednesday the Minister of Health Brigitte Bourgignon. Read more.

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VIENNA

Austrian Social Democrats want funds to fight violence against women. The opposition party demands the iImmediate disbursement of €228 million to create sustainable violence protection structures in the face of increasing violence against women and feminicides. Read more.

UNITED KINGDOM AND IRELAND

DUBLIN

Johnson has taken the ‘wrecking ball’ in Anglo-Irish relations, the UK opposition leader has said. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has taken a ‘wrecking ball’ in Anglo-Irish relations by dealing with the Northern Ireland Protocol, opposition Labor leader Keir Starmer said during a visit to Dublin. Read more.

NORDIC AND BALTIC

COPENHAGEN | PRISTINE

The Danish government does not fund the Kosovo prison because of conflict with EU law. The government failed to muster the necessary support in Denmark’s parliament, Folketing, to fund a prison it planned to rent in Kosovo due to a row over an EU-imposed tax. Read more.

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HELSINKI

Finnish media call Erdogan a “dictator” following censorship demands. YLE news director and editor-in-chief Jouko Jokinen brushed off Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s demands to stop airing interviews with ‘terrorist leaders’ on Thursday by describing them as ‘the delusional imagination of a dictator “. Read more.

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Finland will open its first LNG terminal. Finland’s first floating terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) will be installed on the country’s southern coast, in the port of Inkoo, some 60 kilometers west of Helsinki, it was announced on Thursday (9 June). Read more.

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VILNIUS

Lithuania must strengthen security where migrants “militarized” by Belarus live. Public security measures will be stepped up in municipalities where rejected asylum seekers who crossed into Belarus last year live, the Interior Ministry announced on Thursday. Read more.

SOUTHERN EUROPE

MADRID

Spain must give a “constructive, but firm” response to Algeria after the trade freeze. Madrid will soon respond constructively but firmly to Algeria after the country announced a temporary freeze on its foreign trade relations with Spain, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Thursday. Read more.

The EU prosecutor will investigate the alleged fraud of the bloc’s funds in Madrid during COVID. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has agreed to open an investigation into the alleged fraudulent use of EU money by the Madrid region in 2020 to purchase sanitary equipment to fight the pandemic. Read more.

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ROME

Von der Leyen declares “moral obligation” to rebuild Ukraine on trip to Rome. Europe will help rebuild Ukraine after the devastation of the Russian invasion because it is its moral obligation, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday during her visit to Rome. Read more.

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LISBON

Portuguese lawmakers approve euthanasia bill in first reading. PParliament approved on Thursday at first reading four bills from the Socialist Party, the Left Bloc, the IL and the PAN regulating the decriminalization of medical assistance in dying and is now following the work in committee. Read more.

VISEGRAD

WARSAW

More protests as rising inflation begins to hit Polish wallets. Poles are increasingly unhappy as National Bank and government decisions to cut prices do not appear to be contributing to the fastest price rise since 1998. Read more.

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PRAGUE

Czechia remains silent on the Russian gas embargo. Czech authorities are keeping their stance on future energy sanctions close to their chest. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba praised Czechia for supporting Ukraine’s path to EU membership. Read more.

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BUDAPEST

Ryanair passes on the Hungarian windfall tax to customers. Economy Jets Ryanair is passing on passengers a Hungarian government “extra profit” tax, charging €9.87 (3,900 HUF) even on bookings made before the tax was imposed, the company said on Thursday. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Statistics minimize Slovakia’s dependence on energy imports. Eurostat figures for 2020, which indicate Slovakia, which imports 56% of its total energy needs, is not considering nuclear, which would take the figure to more than 80%, analysts said. Read more.

BALKAN NEWS

PODGORIC

Montenegro ready to help Ukraine secure EU membership. Montenegro hopes that Ukraine will soon obtain EU candidate status and is ready to provide expert and political assistance, the prime minister of the Western Balkan country, a forerunner in the EU accession process, said on Thursday. EU. Read more.

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SOFIA

Bulgaria sets 3 conditions to lift North Macedonia’s veto. Bulgaria will lift its veto on neighboring North Macedonia’s EU accession talks if three conditions are met, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, whose coalition is currently facing unrest, announced it on Thursday. Read more.

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LJUBLJANA

The Slovenian opposition proposes mandatory drug testing for public office holders. Parliament’s largest opposition party, Democrats, MPs, ministers, secretaries of state, prime minister and president may soon be required to undergo mandatory annual drug testing, according to a bill tabled by the Democrats . Read more.

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BELGRADE

Diplomats: key to common EU future to bury enduring problems in Western Balkans. A common European future is the only solution to lingering problems in the Western Balkans, and Serbia should genuinely uphold EU values ​​as a new war looms against Europe, diplomats told a conference on Thursday in Belgrade. Read more.

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TIRANA

Albanian inflation and fuel prices are at historic highs. Inflation in May hit an all-time high of 6.7%, while the food rate hit double digits as prices continue to rise, creating problems for Albanian households who are still under shock from the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more.

AGENDA

• EU: Competitiveness, Justice and Home Affairs Council.
• European Parliament President Roberta Metsola meets Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė and Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod.
• France: Macron will meet Senegalese President Macky Sall to discuss geopolitical instability in the Sahel and global food insecurity.
• Swiss: World of Work Summit.
• Greece: Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis receives German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
• Vatican: Pope Francis meets with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
• Romania: President Klaus Iohannis and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda host the Bucharest-9 (B9) Summit at Cotroceni Palace.
• Armenia: Foreign Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) meet.
• Serbia: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visits Belgrade, where he will meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. Before Belgrade, Scholz will travel to Priština, where he will meet officials and inspect the German contingent within KFOR.
• Finance Minister Siniša Mali will meet Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. The signing of the memorandum of understanding on the continuation of cooperation in the field of energy.

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