⊂ EUROPE ⊃
Five EU states to take in „Open Arms“ migrants: After a three-week standoff in the Mediterranean Sea, five EU states agreed to take in migrants from the Spanish rescue ship „Open Arms“. The migrants finally disembarked on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa on Tuesday night after an Italian prosecutor ordered the ship’s seizure and evacuation. Spain, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and Portugal have agreed to take all of them in, the EU Commission announced on Wednesday. France has become the first EU member state to say it would welcome some of the 356 migrants on board the stranded Norwegian rescue ship „Ocean Viking“. The Cyprus Coast Guard has rescued 33 migrants from an overcrowded ship in Cypriot waters.
reuters.com (Open Arms); euronews.com (Ocean Viking); de.euronews.com (Cyprus)
Merkel calls on Boris Johnson to find Brexit solution: During a visit by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she saw possibilities to solve the Irish backstop problem and avoid a no-deal Brexit, but she said it was up to the UK to come up with a workable plan. Merkel gave no indication that she would make a concession on the backstop to avoid a no-deal Brexit. Johnson accepted that he had thirty days to persuade the EU that there was a viable alternative to the backstop. Johnson is scheduled to travel on to Paris for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron over lunch on Thursday. Macron has already cautioned that there would be no renegotiation of the Brexit deal. European Council President Donald Tusk will meet Johnson on Sunday on the sidelines of the G7 summit.
politico.eu, theguardian.com (Merkel); uk.reuters.com (Macron); politico.eu (Tusk)
Greece says it will not help Iranian tanker: Greece will not facilitate the journey of the Iranian oil tanker „Adrian Darya 1“ sailing in the Mediterranean Sea. Deputy Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said Greece had sent a clear message that it would not allow the trafficking of Iranian oil to Syria, citing pressure from the United States. The US wants the tanker to be seized on suspicion that it is carrying oil to Syria in violation of sanctions as well as alleged ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Washington has warned Greece against assisting the vessel.
politico.eu, reuters.com
G7: France wants progress in Ukraine before Russia returns to G7 reuters.com
International Monetary Fund: IMF executive board recommends scrapping age limit to elect Georgieva as managing director reuters.com
Ryanair: Budget airline faces Europe-wide strikes bbc.com
Religion: Europe honours victims of acts of violence based on religion or faith neweurope.eu
⊂ COUNTRIES ⊃
Italy’s president searches for new government: Seeking to find a way out of a political crisis triggered by the resignation of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, President Sergio Mattarella has kicked off two days of consultations with various party leaders. The main opposition party PD said on Wednesday it was ready to hold talks with the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement over forming a government. The two parties, however, would need to overcome myriad difficulties for the plan to become reality. The most plausible option for Mattarella may be to install a caretaker government to draft Italy’s budget for 2020 and prevent a VAT increase, before calling new elections in either October or November.
reuters.com, theguardian.com
Germany supports Kurdish fighters in Iraq: German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer concluded her three-day tour of the Middle East on Wednesday. She expressed her gratitude to the Iraqi Kurdish fighters for their help in fighting the „Islamic State“ militants. The minister said Germany would not forget the sacrifices made by Iraqi Kurds, not just for the security of their own region, but for the security of Europe and Germany as well. Kramp-Karrenbauer also met with women and girls from the Yazidi minority group in northern Iraq who were enslaved and abused by Isis militants. She called for aid for those women who are still being enslaved by the jihadists.
dw.com
One quarter of Germans has migration background: Nearly one quarter of Germany’s population has an immigration background, according to statistics released on Wednesday. 52% of those with a migration background were German citizens while 48% had a foreign passport. The top reasons for immigration were for family, employment, and education. The vast majority of those who came for family or employment reasons were from other European countries.
dw.com
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Germany spends millions on US military bases: The German government spent €243 million over the past seven years to support US troops based in Germany. This accounts for costs such as benefits for former workers and operating costs associated with maintaining buildings and other properties. Another €480 million in financial support went toward contributing to Nato-related construction costs in Germany, almost exclusively on account of the United States. Left party politician Brigitte Freihold criticised that German taxpayers were subsidising US warfare. Government spokesman Steffen Seibert stressed that it was in Germany’s interest to have US troops stationed in the country.
dw.com, zeit.de
Netherlands: Plan for Whiskey ferry from Scotland to the Netherlands in light of approaching Brexit faz.net
Slovakia: President Caputova warns of Russia using Fake News to influence Europe faz.net
Germany: Police carry out massive human trafficking raids dw.com
Poland: Supermarkets introduce hour of silence for autistic people euronews.com
⊂ JOB-BOARD ⊃
politjobs.eu: Bitkom sucht Referent europäische Digitalpolitik (w/m) *** Int. Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory seeks Innovation Project Manager *** Int. Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory seeks Project Assistant for EU Funded Projects *** PwC seeks Public Affairs Senior Manager Belgium *** Johnson & Johnson seeks Policy Assistant, Government Affairs & Policy EMEA *** Public Policy Manager, Connectivity *** Ryanair offers Public Affairs internship
politjobs.eu, politjobs.eu/submit (Inserat schalten)
⊂ MALFUNCTION ⊃
Danish prime minister disappointed by Trump’s cancellation: Less than two weeks before a scheduled trip to Denmark, US President Donald Trump announced that he has postponed his visit to Copenhagen after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen disputed his interest in buying Greenland as absurd. Frederiksen said Wednesday she received the news that Trump had postponed his trip to Denmark with regret and surprise and had been looking forward to the visit. After Israel denied the two Democratic congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar permission to take part in a planned visit to the country, Trump criticised Jewish Americans who vote for Democrats, saying they lacked either knowledge or loyalty.
cnn.com (Frederiksen); cnn.com, independent.co.uk (Jewish Americans)