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In today’s Capitals news:

MADRID

Spain’s Partido Popular (PP) was foolish if it thought European People’s Party (EPP) leader Manfred Weber would break the grand coalition with the S&D and Liberals in the European Parliament in exchange for torpedoing future Commissioner Teresa Ribera, Ignacio Molina, an expert on European politics, told Euractiv.es. Learn more.

SOUTHERN EUROPE

ROME

The German far-left party BSW takes part in the M5S rally in Italy and restarts discussions on a new left-wing bloc. Sahra Wagenknecht, leader of Germany’s far-left BSW party, was in the spotlight on Sunday at the Italian M5S (The Left) constituent assembly, reigniting speculation about a possible alliance with M5S leader Giuseppe Conte and rumors of a new left-wing European bloc. Learn more.

The outcry around the Italy-Albania migration agreement continues. Following a drastic reduction in law enforcement personnel at migrant detention centers created under the deal, operators are now expected to return to Italy, a turn of events that prompted opposition parties to denounce the agreement with Tirana as a total failure. Learn more.

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ATHENS

Greece’s wounded left elects new leader. After months of violent internal struggles and successive ruptures, the Greek left party Syriza (European Left) elected Socrates Famellos as its leader on Sunday. Learn more.

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LISBON

Portugal welcomes the decisions of COP29 and deplores the “lack of ambition” in terms of mitigation. The Portuguese government on Sunday welcomed the agreement reached on Sunday at the UN COP29 conference in Baku, but regretted the lack of ambition in terms of climate change mitigation. Learn more.

EASTERN EUROPE

WARSAW

The Polish PiS chooses the little-known Karol Nawrocki as its presidential candidate. Poland’s main conservative opposition party, PiS, has nominated Karol Nawrocki as its candidate for next year’s presidential election, hoping he will succeed former PiS candidate Andrzej Duda. Learn more.

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PRAGUE

Czechia is not asking for an extension of the exemption for Russian oil imports. Czechia will not seek an extension of its exemption from the EU ban on imports of Russian oil products, the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade has confirmed, following a previous report from Reuters. Learn more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

BUCHAREST

The Romanian Prime Minister and the far-right candidate are tied in the first round of the presidential election. Partial tallies showed that Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, a far-right critic of NATO and center left, found himself in a deadlock after the first round of Sunday’s presidential elections, a shock result that threatened the Romania’s resolutely pro-Ukraine position. Learn more.

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SOFIA

Foreign police officers will provide assistance at the Bulgarian-Turkish border after entry into the Schengen area. Around 100 border police officers from Romania, Hungary and Austria will be deployed to guard the border between Bulgaria and Turkey after that country joins the Schengen area, the head of Bulgarian border police, Anton Zlatanov. Learn more.

AGENDA:

• EU: The Council for Education, Youth, Culture and Sport, in its Education and Youth composition, meets to discuss “glocal” opportunities for young people living in rural and isolated areas, demographic trends, and more;
• The European Economic Area (EEA) Council is expected to focus on the overall functioning of the EEA agreement, followed by an informal meeting on Ukraine/Russia, the Arctic and the Middle East;
• Parliament President Roberta Metsola and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meet;
• Commission President Ursula von der Leyen receives the presidents of the European People’s Party group, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats and the Renew Europe group, Manfred Weber, Iratxe García-Pérez and Valérie Hayer;
• Equality Commissioner Helena Dalli delivers online opening speech for EUROSTAT, EIGE and FRA.

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(Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Alice Taylor-Braçe, Sofia Mandilara)