Missiles sent to Ukraine, pressure mounting on Greece

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Today at Expresso : reassuring expectations of RTE, COP 15 and amnesty for the Poles fighting in Ukraine.

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Athens is under pressure from the United States and Russia to send anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine. The Greek government finds itself in a diplomatic bind as Washington pressures Athens to send Russian-made S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine, but remains silent about replacing them with US-made Patriot systems. Deepening Sarantis Michalopoulos.

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maintenance. Sali Berisha said Turkey had “interfered” in the 2009 maritime agreement between Greece and Albania. Turkey has never been interested in an agreement on the maritime borders between Albania and Greece, but it has operated ‘Really strong tackle’ when you sign it. So said Sali Berisha, former Prime Minister and President of Albania In an exclusive interview with EURACTIV.

the French corner

Energy • In its forecast for the electricity system for the winter, RTE is reassuring. Forecasts for winter for the French electrical system “more desirable” Compared to estimates since the beginning of autumn, according to the French electricity grid operator RTE, which on Tuesday welcomed the country’s lower energy consumption and higher production potential. Details with David Basso.

This fall, the European Union cut its gas consumption by 20.1%. compared to the average for the same months between 2017 and 2021, according to figures released on Tuesday (December 20) by Eurostat, the European Union’s statistics body. Characters with Kira Taylor, from Brussels.

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Environment • COP15: Ursula von der Leyen welcomes the “historic” agreement. After two weeks of heated negotiations, nations from around the world gathered in Montreal adopted a new set of measures aimed at combating biodiversity loss and restoring natural ecosystems. A look back at this convention with Valentina Romano, from Brussels.

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Economie • Without immigrants, parts of the Portuguese economy would “collapse”. Without immigrants, certain sectors of society would collapse, said Catarina Reis Oliveira, director of the Portuguese Migration Observatory, in a study presented on Monday (December 19). Article by Anna Henrik, from our media partner Lusa.

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Politics • Qatargate: Eva Kayley voted on a committee she was not a member of. The President of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in the European Parliament, Iratxi Garcia-Perez, summoned MEP Eva Kayley for her “ghost” vote in the LIBE Committee on Qatar, but the meeting never took place due to Ms Kayley’s arrest in connection with the investigation into the Qatar scandal. Details by Sarantis Michalopoulos, from Brussels.

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justice • Erik Zemmour’s conviction of “discriminatory” remarks approved by the European Court of Human Rights. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) dismissed far-right polemicist Eric Zemour on Tuesday (20 December) and upheld his conviction by French justice of inciting discrimination and religious hatred against the Muslim community, following remarks on France 5 in 2016. By EURACTIV France with AFP.

capital Cities

Berlin

Germany returns the first “Bronze Boys” to Nigeria. German Foreign Minister Analina Baerbock personally returned the first batch of 20 “Bronze Boys” from five German collections. These were plundered by British colonial forces in the former Kingdom of Benin, now Nigeria. According to the minister, this was the response “overdue”. Interpretations of Julia Dahm.

See also Quint Fonsgreaves. The weekend celebrates 10 years of Franco-Portuguese friendship
Warsaw

Poland: Amnesty for citizens fighting illegally for Ukraine since 2014. Polish lawmakers have signed a bill to grant amnesty to Polish citizens who illegally joined the ranks of the Ukrainian armed forces to fight Russian forces in Eastern Europe since 2014. By Bartosz Siniawski, our on-site correspondent.

Sophia

Bulgaria calls for holding a new summit between the European Union and Turkey on the issue of migration Parliament Speaker Fedi Rashidov said after talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday (20 December) that the country is offering to become the host country and mediator between the two entities. Article by Krasin Nikolov from Sofia.

Prague

Russia is increasingly isolating itself, even from China and India, As civilian infrastructure in Ukraine continues to be bombed, Deputy Foreign Minister Jaroslav Kurvorst told EURACTIV of the Czech Republic in an interview. Basics written by Ondřej Plevák in the site.

[Édité par Davide Basso & Traductions par Arthur Riffaud]