Rebel forces seize strategic Debaltseve: Two days after a ceasefire agreement was supposed to come into force, pro-Russian separatist forces seized parts of a strategic railway hub of Debaltseve in intense street fighting. On Tuesday, the battle for the town escalated, with both the Ukrainian Army and Russian-backed rebels saying that their soldiers were engaging in pitched street battles. The separatists claim to have captured Debaltseve. An unraveling of the ceasefire agreed upon in Minsk could lead to further sanctions and make it more likely that the United States will deliver arms to Ukraine.
reuters.com, nytimes.com, bbc.com
Greece applies for extension: Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem has set Athens a deadline until Friday to apply for an extension to its bailout. The EU Finance Ministers will meet in Brussels on Friday should Greece make the request. A source close to the government said Greece intends to ask on Wednesday for an extension for up to six months of a loan agreement with the euro zone, on conditions to be negotiated.
reuters.com, bbc.com
Germany takes Commission to court over EEG: Berlin has filed a suit with the European Court of Justice against the European Commission to settle the question of whether the feed-in tariff support under its Renewable Energies Law (EEG) is subject to EU state aid rules. In June of last year the German government reached an agreement with the EU on how to make its green energy proposals compatible with EU state aid rules. The court case aims to settle the legal question of whether the EEG measure should be regarded as aid. The Commission has reservations about the fact that some industrial companies with a high power consumption are exempted from paying the EEG apportionment.
welt.de, euractiv.com
European Investment Bank manages EFSI: The European Finance Minister welcomed a proposal for the European Investment Bank Group to manage the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) within the EIB under the Investment Plan for Europe. The fund will be backed by the EIB and the European Commission. The EFSI is intended to support 315 billion euros of new investment across Europe over the next three years.
europa.eu, eib.org
EU supports the Palestinian people: The European Union has released the first tranche of its 2015 financial support to the Palestinian Authority and to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The total amout of the fund will 212 million euros. This new funding is intended to provide vital basic services such as education, healthcare and social services to the Palestinian people.
europa.eu
Tax benefits Parliament discusses current practices of members states europa.eu
Appointment Juncker appoints Micheld Barnier as Special Adviser on European Defence and Security Policy europa.eu
„I consider the deportation of radicalized returnees to be barbaric and a tragedy. We cannot dimiss these young people. Of course the transition to Islamic State is a mistake, but I support rehabilitation, not exclusion. We want to give a signal that young muslims have a future in Europe.“
Katherine Brown from the Institute of Defense Studies at the King’s College London believes that many, who feel pulled towards IS, are being ostracized in Europe.
derstandard.at„The only answer to this is that killing does not prompt us to change. We do not negotiate with murderers. That is misguided thinking.“
The Swedish artist Lars Vilks who was a presumed target of the attacks in Copenhagen.
sueddeutsche.de
Putin in Budapest: The Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Tuesday welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin to Hungary’s capital. A total of eight commercial aircrafts flew in Putin and his delegation. The two leaders reiterated their commitment to a 10 billion euro nuclear energy project, which will be developed by the Russian company Rosatom and financed by the Kremlin. Putin also expressed determination to build an alternative gas pipeline to replace the ill-fated South Stream project, which was cancelled last year.
financialtimes.com, independent.co.uk
Danish security service admits oversight: Three days after the terrorist attack in Copenhagen, the Danish intelligence service PET is coming under scrutiny. PET issued a statement acknowledging that the country’s prison authority had alerted it to the fact that the suspect was in its estimation at risk of radicalization. He had repeatedly spoken about his admiration for Islamic state while in prison. 30,000 people gathered in Copenhagen on Monday night to commemorate the victims of the shootings.
dw.de, yahoonews.com
Pavlopoulos to be Greece’s president: The conservative former Minister of the Interior and Professor for Administrative Law, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, was nominated to be the new Greek President. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras nominated Pavlopoulos on Tuesday as his Syriza party’s candidate for president. The presidential election will take place today in the parliament in Athens. The President of Greece, a largely honorary post, is elected for a five-year term. The incumbent Karolos Papoulias’s term will end on March 13th.
yahoonews.com
Spain’s debt at record level: Despite the country’s austerity policies, state debt rose to record levels of 1.03 trillion euros. Compared to the end of the previous year, this is an increase of 7.0 percent, according to the Central Bank in Madrid. Spain’s debt amounts to about 98.1 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 0.5 percentage points less than the Spanish government had expected.
nasdaq.com, welt.de
Court convicts students for insulting Erdogan: A court in Turkey has sentenced a 17-year-old student to prison for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The court has suspended the sentence for three years. According to the Turkish media, the student insulted Erdogan in a speech he made in the southern city of Antalya during a protest. A group of teenagers protested the death of Gezi Park protester Berkin Elvan who had died two days earlier.
n-tv.de
Kosovo celebrates Independence Day: Kosovo is celebrating the seventh anniversay of its independence from Serbia. The famous symbol of indepence, the lettering „Newborn“, shone in new bright colors. Prime Minister Isa Mustafa laid a wreath at the statue of the first Kosovar President Ibrahim Rugova.
yahoonews.com
France Reform package by decree instead of law euronews.com
Russia Court upholds conviction for Kremlin critic Navalny euronews.com
Exports from the EU to Russia dropped by about 13 percent and imports dropped by 10 percent due to sanctions.
bloomberg.com, faz.net
politjobs.eu: ONE seeks Policy Officer, Agriculture and Inclusive Growth *** AEC seeks Chief Executive Officer (CEO) *** Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum seeks Communications Manager *** interel EU seeks Consultant *** European Climate Foundation seeks European Relationship Manager *** European Peacebuilding Liaison Office seeks Executive Director
politjobs.eu, politjobs.eu/submit (Inserat schalten)
Broomsticks instead of guns: German soldiers used broomsticks painted black instead of machine guns at a NATO maneuver in Norway. This is apparently not an isolated incident, according to „Report Mainz“, the German unit of the NATO Response Force is not entirely operational. The defense ministry denies this claim but acknowledged that the broomstick incident had happened.
derstandard.at