Brussels holds its breath for Draghi’s delayed report

Good morning from Brussels,

Former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi will present his much-anticipated report on the future of European competitiveness to EU diplomats and leaders of the European Parliamentary groups on Tuesday 4 September.

Although the report remains a closely guarded secret, Draghi has already given some indications in his public statements. In Brussels, some estimate that the Green Deal may be in the spotlight.

The fact that the report’s publication was expected before the EU elections but was postponed for September as well as a controversial meeting earlier this year between Draghi and EU commissioners, also give it a political angle related to EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen’s strategy.

Read all the details here.

The EU’s Green Deal promised new jobs in green industries, offsetting job losses elsewhere, but these jobs are currently being created outside Europe, warned Judith Kirton-Darling, general secretary of the bloc’s largest industry association. Jonathan Packroff has the story.

Moreover, ahead of the upcoming world climate conference, the EU will continue to insist that China and other large emitting countries pay their fair share of climate finance – but how remains subject to discussion.

In the energy field, Europe imported more gas from Russia than from the US in the second quarter of 2024, restoring a status quo that predates the invasion of Ukraine.

Last but not least, the EU’s ability to challenge ‘killer acquisitions’ was dealt a blow by the EU Court of Justice.

BERLIN

Germany’s centre-right CDU party has cleared the way for coalition talks with left-wing populist alliance BSW and the centre-left SPD in the state of Thuringia after regional elections narrowed the scope for a centrist formation. Read more.

Police investigate potential far-right electoral fraud in Eastern Germany. Manipulated ballot papers have been found in the state capital of Dresden following Sunday’s regional elections in Saxony, with at least 100 ballot papers reportedly altered in favour of the far-right fringe party Free Saxony.

Crosses on ballot papers were “pasted over very thinly and very professionally so that they could hardly be seen”, the German newspaper Bild reported, citing an unnamed source with knowledge of the matter.

On Tuesday, police announced that they had launched an investigation into the matter, in which all constituencies where Free Saxony candidates received a disproportionate number of votes will be examined. There are initial indications that fraud also took place in other constituencies, Bild added. (Nick Alipour | Euractiv.de)

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PARIS

France updates mpox’s vaccination strategy. France has updated its vaccination recommendations in the face of a rise in mpox cases in Central Africa linked to the clade I and clade Ib variants, despite the low risk of the virus being introduced into the country. Read more.

The three potential Prime ministers Macron isn’t sure he wants. Over a week into consultations, French President Emmanuel Macron has yet to settle on a future Prime minister to bring the country out of its continuing political impasse. Read more.

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THE HAGUE

Dutch data protection watchdog hits Clearview AI with €30.5 million fine for misusing facial recognition data. The Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) fined Clearview AI €30.5 million on Tuesday, for illegally building a database with over 30 billion photos. Read more.

ROME

As Italy’s Economy Minister Raffaele Fitto was put forward as Italy’s choice for the commissioner role, former economy minister Enrico Giovanni, who penned much of the country’s initial recovery and resilience plan, called for a stable transition. Read more.

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MADRID

Spanish socialists should not follow far-right’s discourse on migration, left-wing Sumar says.Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist Party (PSOE) should not “fall into the temptation” of echoing the discourse of the far-right as a possible electoral hook, a minister from left-wing coalition partner Sumar on Tuesday. Read more.

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LISBON

Lisbon to appeal fine imposed for sharing data of anti-Putin activists with Russia. Lisbon City Council will appeal a €1 million fine imposed on the municipality for sharing personal data on Russian anti-Putin activists with Moscow, the city council confirmed to Lusa on Tuesday. Read more.

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NICOSIA

EU Mediterranean countries call on the Commission to speed up water strategy. At a meeting in Cyprus on Tuesday, agriculture ministers from nine member states urged the bloc’s executive to make rapid progress on water security policies. Read more.

WARSAW

The Volhynia massacre, in which the Ukrainian Insurgent Army ethnically cleansed Poles in what is now eastern Ukraine during the Second World War, has come to haunt Polish-Ukrainian relations. Read more.

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PRAGUE

Nuclear tender in Czechia: nothing certain for South Korean winner. Facing complaints from failed competing bidders and an investigation from Czech competition authorities, South Korea’s company Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) will be less sure of finalising a contract with the Czech authorities to build new nuclear reactors. Read more.

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PRAGUE | BRATISLAVA

Bomb threats target Czech and Slovak schools. Schools in Czechia and Slovakia faced bomb threats on Tuesday morning, leading to school closures, modified schedules and urgent police investigations. Read more.

SOFIA

Turkey and Greece seek bypass around Bulgarian transport chaos. Transport operators from Turkey and Greece have united around the idea of finding an alternative corridor to bypass Bulgaria because of the ongoing transport chaos in the country, the Chamber of the Bulgarian Road Hauliers (CBRH) has said. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Romanian minister: Eastern Europe needs additional energy sources due to high prices. The Green Energy Corridor launched in Bucharest two years ago, entered a new phase on Tuesday with the establishment of a joint venture company to carry out the feasibility study and oversee the implementation of the gas supply initiative from the Caspian region to Eastern European countries. Read more.

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Martina Monti, Alice Taylor]