⊂ EUROPE ⊃

US trying to draw Russia into war, says Putin: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the West had „ignored“ Moscow’s security concerns in his first public remarks over the Ukraine standoff in more than a month. „It seems to me that the United States is not so much concerned about the security of Ukraine but its main task is to contain Russia’s development,“ Putin said. „In this sense Ukraine itself is just a tool to reach this goal,“ he said. Putin also suggested that if Ukraine were granted its wish to join Nato, it could drag the other members into a war with Russia. Earlier on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in a phone call that Moscow should pull back its troops from the border with Ukraine if it’s not intending to invade. In Ukraine, visiting UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson accused Putin of effectively „holding a gun… to the head of Ukraine“ and he called on the Kremlin to step back from a „military disaster“.
dw.com, bbc.com

• Russia denies responding to US on security proposals reuters.com
• Johnson announced 88 million pounds of additional UK funding for Ukraine wsj.com
• Ukraine to get bigger army reuters.com

Reports of imminent gas attack: EU arms itself against Fake News from Russia. stern.de

Nord Stream 2: European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovski assures Ukraine the EU won’t allow the „weaponisation“ of Nord Stream 2. euractiv.com

European Parliament: Delegation ends visit to Ukraine. europarl.europa.eu

Europe’s right-wing populists criticise Russia’s military build-up: At the invitation of Spanish party Vox, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Marine Le Pen from France gathered in Madrid. At the end of the meeting, there was a declaration with an astonishingly clear message for Russia, even if Russian President Vladimir Putin was not mentioned by name. The paper condemned „Russia’s military actions on Europe’s eastern border, which have brought us to the brink of war“, referring to „the threat of external aggression“.
sueddeutsche.de

Belarus: Reporters allowed to inspect work on Polish border wall with Belarus; Latvia extends state of emergency on border with Belarus. rnd.de; handelsblatt.com

EU Commission wants to declare nuclear and gas green: A European Commission proposal seeks to label nuclear and gas as sustainable. A first draft of the taxonomy, a classification system establishing a list of environmentally sustainable economic activities, stated that certain strings remain attached. For example, gas plants could only be considered green if the gas comes from renewable sources, such as biomass or hydrogen produced with renewable energy. Nuclear power plants would be deemed green if the sites can manage to safely dispose of radioactive waste.
dw.com

Radioactive waste: Sweden approves plan to bury spent nuclear fuel for 100,000 years. nasdaq.com

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Share of renewables in supply mix continues to rise: According to the European Statistical Office in Luxembourg, the main energy sources oil and natural gas both lost shares in 2020. Renewable energy sources such as wind, solar or hydroelectric power, on the other hand, gained and accounted for a share of around 17%. The statistics office attributes the developments, among other things, to the travel restrictions during the pandemic. Accordingly, only half of the paraffin was burnt in aviation. Fuel consumption for motor vehicles also declined noticeably.
deutschlandfunk.de

Auditors: EU’s energy taxation policy contradicts climate goals. euractiv.com

Study: Gas crisis brought Europe’s coal exit to a halt in 2021. euractiv.com

Fossil fuel-based plastics: Plastics clampdown is key to climate change fight, EU environment chief says. reuters.com

EU Covid certificate only valid for nine months: A new EU-wide rule entered into force on Tuesday, which will see the EU Digital Covid Certificate for the primary vaccine series be used for cross-border travel for a maximum of 270 days, equal to nine months. The new rule applies to those using the certificate for intra-EU travel and does not include booster doses.
euractiv.com

• WHO warns against ending Covid rules too soon br.de
• Denmark scraps restrictions despite Omicron surge euronews.com
• Clubs and discos in Catalonia may reopen on 11 February rnd.de
• Norway eases restrictions welt.de
• Portuguese PM António Costa tests positive for Covid politico.eu
• Austria’s Covid vaccine law comes into force amid resistance bbc.com

EU refers China to WTO following its trade restrictions on Lithuania: The EU has launched a case at the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the People’s Republic of China over its discriminatory trade practices against Lithuania, which are also hitting other exports from the EU’s Single Market. These actions, which appear to be discriminatory and illegal under WTO rules, are harming exporters both in Lithuania and elsewhere in the EU, as they also target products with Lithuanian content exported from other EU countries. The move comes after Beijing blocked most trade with Lithuania after the Baltic state deepened ties with Taiwan.
ec.europa.eu, politico.eu

Western diplomats meeting Taliban link respect for human rights to humanitarian aid: Western diplomats Tuesday linked humanitarian aid to Afghanistan to an improvement in human rights after meeting a Taliban delegation on a landmark visit to Europe. On the final day of the Taliban’s first official trip to Europe since returning to power in August, the fundamentalists held talks behind closed doors with several Western diplomats. The European Union’s special envoy to Afghanistan, Tomas Niklasson, wrote on Twitter that he had „underlined the need for primary and secondary schools to be accessible for boys and girls throughout the country when the school year starts in March“.
france24.com

EU condemns coup in Burkina Faso: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell warned of new punitive measures against Burkina Faso last Wednesday after a military junta took control of the West African country. The African Union suspended Burkina Faso from all its activities in response to last week’s military coup, effective until constitutional order is restored, the AU said on Monday. Burkina Faso’s military junta said Monday it had restored the constitution a week after taking power and appointed the coup’s leader as head of state for a transitional period.
dw.com, reuters.com, france24.com

Downing Street parties: Boris Johnson condemned over „failures of leadership“: Senior civil servant Sue Gray has published her initial findings into parties held in and around Downing Street and Whitehall during the Covid pandemic. The long-awaited report condemned „a serious failure“ to observe the standards of government, and said a string of mass gatherings were „difficult to justify“ while millions were unable to meet their friends and relatives. It also revealed that the police are investigating at least 12 events – including at least two Johnson attended, and a third held in his flat that he previously told lawmakers did not happen.
bbc.com, cnn.com

Chip shortage: EU aims to invest billions euros in chip push reuters.com
Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Kustomer by Meta ec.europa.eu
State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into German support measures in favour of DB Cargo ec.europa.eu
Eurostat: Europe’s economy shows resilience to a surge in coronavirus infections nytimes.com
Crisis between Mali and EU states: Are Wagner mercenaries taking the reins? de.euronews.com
Pig fattening in Europe: Piglets worth less, feed more expensive de.euronews.com
This Wednesday: EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides at „Ensuring equal access for all: cancer in women – Europe’s plan to fight cancer“ presseportal.de

⊂ QUOTE OF THE DAY ⊃

„We have been having, the European Union and Kenya, a long standing relationship. But we are no longer the donor of development aid. We are a strategic partner.“
The EU will no longer be a ‘donor but a trading partner’ with Kenya, said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell as he set out plans for a ‘strategic dialogue’ between Brussels and the East African state.
euractiv.com

⊂ COUNTRIES ⊃

Suspects in police shooting in Germany had been poaching: Two men arrested over the nighttime killing of two police officers on a rural road in Germany apparently opened fire with hunting weapons after being caught with poached wild animals in their van, investigators said Tuesday. Two men were arrested on Monday afternoon in Sulzbach, about 37 kilometres from the scene of the shooting. A judge on Tuesday ordered them to be kept in custody on suspicion of murder pending a possible indictment. Investigators believe that the suspects used at least two weapons, a shotgun and a hunting rifle, and that both shot at the police officers. Neither suspect has a previous conviction, officials said. However, one was known to authorities for suspected poaching and fleeing the scene of an accident; and the other for suspected fraud.
apnews.com

Ruling Socialists win parliamentary election in Portugal: Portugal’s ruling Socialist Party has won an unexpected outright majority in Sunday’s snap general election for only the second time in its history. The Socialist Party won 117 seats in the 230 seat parliament, up from 108 in the outgoing assembly. The main opposition centre-right Social Democrats won 71 seats. The election was called when Prime Minister António Costa failed to pass a budget after losing the support of two smaller parties. In his victory speech, the prime minister promised he would govern for everyone.
bbc.com

Mattarella re-elected as Italian president: Italy’s current president Sergio Mattarella has been re-elected for a second mandate. His re-election marks just the second time in history that an Italian president has served a second term. Mattarella became president in 2015 and had previously ruled out staying in office after his seven-year term expires on 3 February. However, Italy’s ruling parties failed to agree on a new candidate after a chaotic week of voting that began on Monday. Earlier on Saturday, they said they were in agreement that Mattarella should remain president ahead of the eighth round of voting. Prime Minister Mario Draghi said the re-election of Mattarella was „fantastic news for Italians.“
cnn.com

Italian League’s Salvini calls for new alliance based on US Republicans: The Italian League leader, Matteo Salvini, has proposed creating a rightwing political force styled on America’s Republican party in a move that threatens to spell the end of his tense partnership with his far-right sometime rival Giorgia Meloni.
theguardian.com

Northern Ireland marks 50 years since Bloody Sunday killings: On Sunday, locals in the city called either Londonderry or Derry, Northern Ireland, marked 50 years since Bloody Sunday, in which British soldiers fired upon a crowd of protesters in what’s now considered one of the most pivotal events of The Troubles. Video showed hundreds of people walking through the streets, some holding images of those shot. The violence took place during a march organised by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association. A public investigation later concluded that British soldiers fired on the unarmed protesters even though none of those killed posed a threat to the soldiers.
npr.org

Plagiarism accusations against Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel: Prime Minister Xavier Bettel gave up his postgraduate degree on Tuesday, months after a journalistic investigation found that he had plagiarised the overwhelming majority of the work.
luxtimes.lu

Austria’s former Vice-Chancellor Strache charged with bribery: Former Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache has been charged with bribery in another case. A businessman bribed the politician to get a position on the supervisory board of the state-owned motorway operator Asfinag and another group, the public prosecutor’s office in Vienna announced. In addition, the entrepreneur had donated money to an association close to the right-wing populist FPÖ. Both face up to five years in prison if found guilty.
zeit.de

Prosecutors probe pregnant woman’s death in Poland: Prosecutors in southern Poland are probing the death of a 37-year-old woman in a hospital who had been pregnant with twins, a situation in which her family and women’s rights groups blame Poland’s strict anti-abortion law, alleging it fatally delayed doctors’ decision to terminate the pregnancy.
apnews.com

Munich Cardinal Marx to remain in office: Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx said he wants to remain in office, at least for the time being, despite findings critical of how he handled some abuse cases in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. The cardinal had offered his resignation last June, but Pope Francis rejected his offer.
catholicregister.org

Far-right mass killer Breivik has parole request rejected: The Norwegian judiciary on Tuesday rejected a request by neo-Nazi Anders Behring Breivik for parole just 10 years after he killed 77 people in the Nordic country. As Breivik has never shown remorse after perpetrating the bloodiest crime ever committed in Norway in peacetime, this court decision was widely expected. The 42-year-old right-wing extremist was sentenced in 2012 to 21 years in prison, the maximum sentence that can be extended for as long as he remains a threat to society.
euronews.com

Dutch publisher apologises for controversial Anne Frank book: The Dutch publisher of “The Betrayal of Anne Frank,” a new book scholars have criticised for putting forward inconclusive findings, apologised for “offending anyone” in an email sent to its authors, and said it would delay printing more copies of the book until further notice. Sullivan’s book is an account of an investigation led by a retired FBI detective that concluded Arnold van den Bergh, a Jewish notary from Amsterdam, was most likely the informant who revealed the Frank family’s whereabouts to the Nazis. Dutch experts in World War II history and the Holocaust said that the authors and investigators lacked adequate evidence to make such a charge, and that they based their case on leaps of logic, rather than on any hard evidence or forensic science.
nytimes.com

World War II: Belgium launches investigation into railways’ role in wartime deportations to German death camps. politico.eu

Belgium reaches agreement to cut household energy prices: Belgium will temporarily cut taxes and hand out cash to households to compensate for soaring energy prices, the government announced Tuesday. „We want to protect and strengthen people’s purchasing power at a difficult time,“ Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said during a press conference to unveil the new measures. The Belgian government is mainly targeting electricity prices.
politico.eu

• Belgian inflation rises to highest level since 1983 euronews.com
• Belgium has a „leave-me-alone“ law de.euronews.com

Greece: Prime Minister Mitsotakis survives confidence vote called over snowstorm response theguardian.com
Slovakia: President Caputova approves controversial military treaty with US derstandard.at
France set to return a Klimt and other Nazi-pillaged artworks to Jewish families cnn.com
Cyprus: British woman’s ‚false rape‘ conviction overturned dw.com
Twelve times as many farm animals as humans: Climate interest conflict in the Netherlands de.euronews.com
Germany: EU Commission approves €1.7 billion German measure to recapitalise Berlin Brandenburg Airport ec.europa.eu
Austria: Foreign Minister Schallenberg visits Armenia derstandard.at
Bulgaria welcomes Greek LNG terminal decision for diversification of supply euractiv.com

⊂ POLITJOBS ⊃

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⊂ LAST BUT NOT LEAST ⊃

Germany names „boostern“ its best anglicism of 2021: The expression „boostern“ has been named the German language’s English loan word of 2021, a jury for the annual „Anglicism of the Year“ initiative announced on Tuesday in Berlin. Although not strictly an English word, and used as a verb in German, boostern derives from the English term „booster“ or „booster shot,“ referring to an additional dose of a coronavirus vaccine. Linguist Anatol Stefanowitsch said the expression first appeared in common parlance in October 2021 and then „almost seamlessly became a fixed part of the German vocabulary.“
dw.com