European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is concerned over the increase in antisemitic incidents in Europe and calls for better protection of Jewish life. In other news: Franco-German nuclear tensions, as France insists on the recognition of the role nuclear power can play in the production of low-carbon hydrogen. The next steps are taken towards a digital euro as a complement to cash.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is worried about the level of migrant landings in Italy. EU and US envoys want Kosovo and Serbia to find a political solution to their conflict. Albania, France and Germany have signed a cooperation agreement to reform the Albanian energy sector. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is lukewarm about the idea of a European Union army.
The European Commission presents new plans for industrial competitiveness, access to critical raw materials and the electricity market this week. The Council of Europe reports that Slovakia has failed to implement recommendations by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI). Austria and six other Schengen countries raise the alarm about the onward movement of migrants within the EU.
The European Parliament has been in the eye of the storm since it was announced that a large-scale corruption case is under investigation. Other news: A green hydrogen pipeline to be built between the Iberian Peninsula and the rest of Europe, subsidy dispute between the EU and the US, and potential EU enlargement in the Western Balkans.
At an emergency meeting about increasing migration figures, opinions of the Member States on the situation differed. On his upcoming trip to the US, French President Emmanuel Macron wants to ask for exemptions for European manufacturers penalized by US law. Spain and the EU propose to the UK to eliminate “the fence” between Spain and the British territory Gibraltar.