The Capitals brings you the latest news from across Europe, through on-the-ground reporting by EURACTIV’s media network. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.

Before you start reading today’s edition of the Capitals, we invite you to read the Special Report “Europe’s new Climate Law: Leaving no-one behind?”.

Regarding the latest developments at the Greek-Turkish border take a look at the following stories:

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SOFIA | ZAGREB | BELGRADE

Following the chaos at the Greek-Turkish land borders, leaders from the Balkan region have urged the EU to take immediate action to prevent a repeat of the 2015 migration crisis.

In Sofia, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov is today preparing to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara. He called on the EU to “do everything” and “quickly” to give Turkey the money it needs to readmit and take care of the refugees.

In Zagreb, Domestic Affairs Minister Davor Bozinovic has said Croatia is ready for another migrant wave at its borders. “We have plans in case of escalation, but this is an issue that needs to be addressed diplomatically”, he said, adding that the current migration wave is exactly the same as the one in 2015. “The EU has not learned its lesson”, he emphasised.

In Belgrade, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic promised on Sunday that Serbia “would continue to treat migrants fairly,” but warned it would not let them remain “trapped” in Serbia in large numbers.

Read the full story by Krassen Nikolov, Karla Junicic and EURACTIV Serbia

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BERLIN

SPD and Greens call for ‘concrete actions’ after racist attack. In light of the 19 February shooting in Hanau, Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens proposed over the weekend concrete steps to address racism in the country. Both parties wish to create an independent “Racism Commissioner”, and the SPD intends to put the matter on the agenda for the next Grand Coalition committee meeting on 8 March. EURACTIV Germany’s Sarah Lawton has the detail.

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VIENNA

Gender quota effective for supervisory boards but fails to trickle down. The Austrian quota system came into force in January 2018: All market-listed companies and some non-listed with over 1,000 staff had to have at least 30% of men or women respectively, meaning that not more than 70% could be of the same gender. However, no fines are levied in case of non-compliance; if no fitting candidate had been put into place, the seat would just remain empty. What are the results though? Philipp Grüll has more.

Also read: Austria says it will stop any migrants trying to rush its border

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PARIS

Surprise on retirement law. In the midst of a coronavirus crisis, the French government ‘surprised’ MPs by resorting on Saturday to a procedure that allows a law to be passed in parliament without a vote: Article 49.3 of the Constitution, concerning the law on pensions. EURACTIV France has the story.

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BRUSSELS

Coronavirus crisis talks. Over the weekend, a ministerial emergency meeting convened by Belgian PM Sophie Wilmès (MR) to examine measures to be taken in response to the coronavirus crisis. Alexandra Brzozowski reports.

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HELSINKI

Million euros to find a sustainable solution. Helsinki has launched a competition to find a sustainable urban heating system. The solution must not rely on fossil fuel or biomass fired heating. The aim is to get rid of coal as the main source of district heating for good. Pekka Vänttinen digs deeper.

UK – IRELAND

LONDON

Bullying row overshadows Johnson’s baby. Home Secretary Priti Patel is at the centre of a bullying row after the top official in her department, Sir Philip Rutnam, resigned on Saturday citing a “vicious and orchestrated” campaign against him by Patel. Benjamin Fox has the story.

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DUBLIN

Coronavirus school closure. An unnamed secondary school in the east of Ireland is to close for 14 days following the first case of coronavirus in the area. “Contact tracing has assessed that close contacts of this patient includes pupils and teachers of a secondary school,” Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health said.

“Public health doctors are in direct contact with pupils, their parents and the staff involved. Patient confidentiality in this case, and in all cases, should be respected. The Department of Health will provide updated information as necessary.” (Samuel Stolton | EURACTIV.com)

EUROPE’S SOUTH

MADRID

New coronavirus cases but citizens still not concerned. As coronavirus cases continue to soar in the EU, Spanish Health authorities reported on Sunday a total of 73 new confirmed cases in the Iberian country, EURACTIV’s partner EFE reported. Read more in English.

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LISBON

After decades of debate over the best location for a second airport in the Lisbon region, the start of work on the new Montijo airport was scheduled for this year, but a law giving the local authorities involved the right to veto the project threatens to put a brake on the work.

The association of airlines in Portugal (RENA) has recently asked the government and the Lisbon airport concessionaire (ANA) to immediately complete “the urgent infrastructure work”, in addition to the “development of the new airport” at Montijo. (Carla Jorge and Jorge Eusébio, Lusa.pt)

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ROME

Commission’s competition watchdog wants to find out if the Italian government’s December decision to loan national airline Alitalia €400 million was illegal state aid. Rome’s €400m loan was ostensibly meant to help Alitalia streamline its operations so that the carrier could find a potential buyer. Sam Morgan has the story. (EURACTIV.com)

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ATHENS

Charles Michel heads for Greece. EU Council chief Charles Michel expressed yesterday his full support for Greek efforts to protect the European borders. “Closely monitoring the situation on the ground. I will be visiting the Greek-Turkish border on Tuesday,” he tweeted.

VISEGRAD

WARSAW

Opposition rallies. On Saturday, three main opposition candidates held rallies as part of their presidential campaigns. Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska (PO), who is closest in the polls behind the incumbent Andrzej Duda, promised to undo many PiS reforms, and restore the rule of law and be “a true president”, because “it is time for Poland to have a female president”. EURACTIV Poland’s Łukasz Gadzała reports from Warsaw.

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BRATISLAVA

The art of losing. “What would others give for 18%”, said Smer-SD party leader and ex-PM Robert Fico in what was supposed to be acknowledgment of his defeat. “There are three losers, one winner. You (media) have lost, the third sector has lost and Smer has lost,” he added. Fico is not considering leaving the party’s chairmanship. However, he might be challenged by the ousted PM Peter Pellegrini, who got more preferential votes than Fico.

Opposition leader wins parliamentary election. The conservative movement Ordinary People (OĽaNO) party won Saturday’s (29 February) parliamentary elections in Slovakia and will be the dominant player in a likely government coalition of opposition parties. Its leader Igor Matovič promises zero tolerance for corruption. Full story here. (Zuzana Gabrižová | EURACTIV.sk)

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PRAGUE

Not having it. Czech MEP Tomas Zdechovsky (Christian Democrats) will take legal steps to defend himself against PM Andrej Babiš who called him and another Czech MEP, Mikulas Peksa, ‘traitors’. Babiš said that Zdechovsky and Peksa act against the Czech government by opening the topic of his suspected conflict of interest in the European Parliament. The PM criticised the two in connection with the fact-finding delegation of the EP, led by Budgetary Control (CONT) chair Monika Hohlmeier, that visited some authorities in order to check Babis’ conflict of interest in Prague last week. [Full story here]. The suspicion is based on last year’s European Commission audit report on subsidies from the EU’s structural funds.

Coronavirus infection arrives. The health minister has confirmed the first three cases of coronavirus in the Czech Republic. Cases seem not to be connected, but all three patients, one of them a travelling American student, were in Italy recently. Babiš has already proposed a ban on direct flights from Milan and Venice. (Ondřej Plevák | EURACTIV.cz)

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

BUCHAREST

Transition Fund eligibility. Six counties in Romania are eligible for Just Transition Fund projects, according to a preliminary analysis of the European Commission, cited by MEP Siegfried Muresan. Hunedoara, Gorj, Dolj, Prahova, Galati and Mures are the counties that could need the largest support to comply with the targets of the European Green Deal, said Muresan, Parliament rapporteur on the funding for the Green Deal. The Commission plans to allot some 10% of its proposed €7.5 billion Just Transition Fund for Romania projects. (EURACTIV.ro)

More details here

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LJUBLJANA

Corona-free area. Slovenian government announced at noon on Sunday that no coronavirus infection has been confirmed in the county. So far, 201 tests have been completed.

Surplus of €11 million in the state budget in January. Slovenia’s state budget had revenues of €904.5 million in January and expenditure of €893.6 million. The surplus reached €11 million, while last year there was a hole in the budget of €52.4 million. Taxes totalled €839.7 million in January, up 8.4% from last year. (Željko Trkanjec | EURACTIV.hr)

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BELGRADE

Parliamentary elections in Serbia to be called on 4 March. President Aleksandar Vucic said he would call parliamentary elections in Serbia on 4 March, immediately upon his return from Washington, where he is attending a meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Vucic said on 29 February that the election campaign will last 50 days.

“When the campaigns last for that long, it is necessary not to rush, you can’t reach the campaign peak if you don’t have a strategy for that, everyone will have time to prepare one. I hope that the list I’m leading will make a good result,” he said. (EURACTIV.rs)

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SARAJEVO

Independence Day that Bosnian Serbs don’t recognise. As in previous years, ever since the country declared its independence in 1992, only half of BiH is marking Independence Day on 1 March, as the holiday is celebrated mainly by ethnic Bosniaks and Croats and their administrative half of the country. In the other, Serb-dominated half, 1 March is just a regular working day. Republika Srpska instead celebrates 9 January, the date when it was established in 1992. (Željko Trkanjec | EURACTIV.hr)

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PRIŠTINA

Urgent parliament session. Kosovo Parliament is set to convene today after opposition MPs asked for an urgent session to discuss the government’s proposal on abolishing tariffs with Serbia. The initiative came from former PM Ramush Haraidnaj’s Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), who continue opposing revocation of tariffs. As PM, Haradinaj introduced in November 2018, a 100% tax on all Serbian imports. Speaker Vjosa Osmani, a member of the LDK, a coalition partner in Albin Kurti’s government, said Kosovo cannot hinder its relations with the US only because of the tariffs. Haradinaj has also been criticised by Albanian PM Edi Rama. (Željko Trkanjec | EURACTIV.hr)

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Zoran Radosavljevic, Benjamin Fox]