Spain’s political clash reaches Brussels – Le Pen ‘very vigilant’ over AfD

Good morning from Brussels, Madrid and Berlin

Spain’s clash over socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s decision to step back from his duties for a few days as his wife faces a preliminary investigation over corruption allegations has also increased the political temperature in Brussels.

A comment made to Euractiv by the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) Secretary General Thanasis Bakolas, “What comes around, goes around”, has triggered the strong reaction of his EU socialist counterpart Giacomo Filibeck, who accused the EPP of supporting “fascist tactics” to topple Sánchez.

Max Griera has the story.

On Monday, Sánchez will announce his next steps and here are the three scenarios on the table.

Meanwhile, in Berlin, the ruling socialist democrat SPD party, the other large delegation in EU socialist group, banks on far-right fears to have an EU election comeback.

“In Germany […] hundreds of thousands of people are taking to the streets [to protest against the far-right],” SPD lead candidate Katarina Barley told Euractiv’s Nick Alipour.

Shaken by espionage revelations and links to foreign powers such as China, the German far-right AfD, which is in deep crisis mode, must provide answers as their French Rassemblement National (RN) ally remains “very vigilant”.

“Our international reputation is ruined,” a party source exclaimed as the election campaign for the European Parliament is about to kick off this Saturday (27 April). Kjeld Neubert has all the details.

A European space law would have benefits that would ripple outside EU borders, Rodrigo da Costa, executive director at the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) told Euractiv’s Théophane Hartmann in an interview.

In another interview, Esther Lynch, head of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), said cutting the EU regulatory burden could imply undercutting workers’ protections. Jonathan Packroff has the whole story.

Last but not least, EU lawmakers clashed on Wednesday in Strasbourg over the future of the Green Deal ahead of the elections in June.

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BERLIN

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz‘s ailing SPD bets on fears of a looming far-right shift to turn around underwhelming ratings and deliver a much-needed boost to Europe’s socialists, even though polls suggest otherwise and analysts remain unconvinced. Read more.

Germany, France table reform of European defence cooperation scheme. Germany and France want to make collaboration on defence projects more attractive, by lessening the administrative burden and avoiding empty-shell projects, according to an informal discussion paper, seen by Euractiv. Read more.

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PARIS

Macron at Sorbonne: Energy key to French president’s ‘new European paradigm’. French President Emmanuel Macron set out his vision for the future of Europe, placing energy, including nuclear, at the core of his approach, in a speech at Sorbonne University on Thursday. Read more.

STOCKHOLM | RIGA

Sweden to send NATO military battalion to Latvia. The Swedish government will send a small battalion to the NATO Multinational Force in Latvia as part of the country’s contribution to the transatlantic alliance, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced on Thursday. Read more.

MADRID

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s recent announcement that he is considering stepping down has resulted in a flurry of speculations, with analysts and media suggesting there could either be an imminent resignation, a call for snap elections, or a vote of no confidence. Read more.

WARSAW

Polish FM: close ties with US, revising Weimar Triangle key amid Russia threat. Poland must maintain close ties with the US, and the Franco-German-Polish Weimar Triangle must be urgently revived, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski told parliament on Thursday, noting that NATO as a defensive mechanism would withstand a Russian attack on its members and result in defeat. Read more.

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PRAGUE

EU accession has benefited Czech exports, investment. The Czech economy has benefited from joining the European Union 20 years ago, as accessing the European market boosted Czech exports and helped the country’s GDP, Marek Rojicek, chairman of the Czech Statistical Office (CSU), said on Thursday. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Slovak media freedom under threat amid controversial bill, Jourová warns. European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová called for the respect of media freedom in Slovakia during her meeting with Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová and other Slovak government officials on Thursday, a day after the government approved the new draft law to overhaul public broadcaster RTVS. Read more.

PRISTINA | BERLIN

The government of Kosovo plans to introduce same-sex unions in May, Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced on Thursday, with the measure being part of his country’s efforts to join the Council of Europe. Read more.

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SOFIA

Bulgaria risks losing billions in EU funds over coal miner spat. Bulgaria risks losing €4.4 billion in EU funding under its Energy Recovery and Sustainability Plan as its parliament delays key legislative decisions due to a backlash from coal miners, which is likely to result in the European Commission withholding money from Bulgaria’s Recovery and Resilience Fund. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Romanian Orthodox Church welcomes Moldovan priests wanting to join. Romania’s Orthodox Church says it will keep welcoming priests bolting from Moldova’s Russian-linked Orthodox Church to join a growing rival body subordinate to Bucharest as it believes the ex-Soviet state’s future lies with Europe. Read more.

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