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IN THE FEATURES
Dear readers of L’Expresso,
It was a close call for Teresa Ribera (PSOE, S&D), the Spanish Minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, and European Commissioner-designate for Competition.
After the tragedy of the Valencia floods, the Spanish center-right Partido Popular (PP), affiliated with the European People's Party (EPP), blocked his nomination, accusing him of being responsible for the mismanagement of events.
Last week, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the president of the PP, asked the German Manfred Weber, president of the EPP, to prevent the confirmation of Teresa Ribera at all costs.
But yesterday the situation accelerated. Manfred Weber broke his alliance with the Partido Popular, allowing Teresa Ribera to obtain the blessing of MEPs, as explained in Fernando Heller's article.
Yesterday, the pro-EU political groups (centre-right EPP, socialists and democrats, Renew Europe) indeed found a compromise to unblock the approval of the remaining nominations, including that of Teresa Ribera, and open the path to the new European Commission taking office on December 1st.
European socialists notably crossed their red line of not supporting far-right politicians in the Commission's highest posts. They gave the green light to the Italian Rafaelle Fitto (ECR) as executive vice-president and the Hungarian Olivér Várhelyi (Patriots for Europe).
Euractiv has been informed that EU leaders such as Spain's Pedro Sánchez, Poland's Donald Tusk and Greece's Kyriakos Mitsotakis have been heavily involved in ensuring that the Parliament groups reach an agreement, while Ursula von der Leyen was in contact daily with the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola.
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Sarah N'tsia
Editor of L'Expresso
CAPITALS
COPENHAGEN
Cables damaged in the Baltic Sea: a Chinese ship closely monitored by the Danish army. The Danish military said it remained close to a Chinese ship currently stranded in Danish waters, days after two fiber-optic data telecommunications cables were cut in the Baltic Sea. By Charles Szumski.
ROME
Italy: the health sector on strike against budget cuts and deterioration of working conditions. Italian health professionals have started a 24-hour strike to protest against salary increases deemed insufficient in the public sector, urging the government to reverse the recently approved health budget. By Alessia Peretti.
BERLIN
Germany: Olaf Scholz's political future at stake. As the February snap elections approach and in the face of worrying polls, more and more leaders of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD) see Boris Pistorius, current Minister of Defense, as a better candidate for the race for chancellor. By Nick Alipour.
Germany refutes Poland's claims of consensus on EU “defense obligations”. Germany has refuted Polish claims that the EU's five largest member states are in favor of European “defense obligations” and compensation for possible reductions in US support for Ukraine. By Nick Alipour.
NEWS FROM EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS
Donald Trump could adopt “broad and aggressive” trade policies, warns an American source. Donald Trump, who will return to the White House in 2025, will likely implement measures “vast and aggressive” facing the EU in order to reduce the American trade deficit, according to a former senior American trade official. By Thomas Moller-Nielsen.
Ukraine: Vladimir Putin turns to Donald Trump and the EU clings to Joe Biden. Tension is growing between Russia and the West. As reports suggest re-elected US President Donald Trump could negotiate a peace deal on Ukraine directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin, European officials say the EU will continue to work with the Biden administration. By Charles Szumski and Thomas Moller-Nielsen.
While its turnover has increased by 17%, the defense industry wants more orders in the long term. In the race for rapid, high-volume, European-made production, the continent's defense industry has done well, but says governments should commit more money to see beyond short-term needs linked to the war in Ukraine. By Aurélie Pugnet.
Avian flu in Brazil: MEP Pascal Canfin warns of “failing controls”. Centrist MEP Pascal Canfin, opposed to the free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur, unearthed a recent European audit report pointing to a lack of guarantees from the Brazilian authorities on the surveillance of avian flu in poultry farms. Euractiv France with AFP.
[Éditions par Sarah N’tsia & traductions par Marine Béguin]
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