Key events
‘Some judges … want to govern,’ Meloni says in protest against her probe
And a quick update on Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, who caused quite an uproar with her comments last night, insisting that a probe into her role in the release of a Libyan war crime suspect was politically motivated.
We covered the context yesterday (here).
But Meloni insisted last night that passing the probe by a Rome prosecutor to a special court that considers cases against ministers was “clearly a deliberate act. Everyone knows that the prosecutors of these things have their discretion,” AFP says.
More broadly, she said the actions of “politicised magistrates” were “not normal”, adding: “Some judges, fortunately few… want to govern.”
She said the prosecutor involved had previously brought a case against her deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, and added: “I cannot be blackmailed, I will not be intimidated.”
Italy’s National Association of Magistrates (ANM) said there had been a “total misunderstanding” of the role of the prosecutor, who it said was obliged by law to pass complaints against ministers to the court, without investigating them.
The special court of ministers will now assess the complaint against Meloni and the others, but would need parliament’s approval to proceed.
But, but, but … if you’re already looking up flights and planning your trip to Paris to see the balloon, let me suggest an alternative place to consider: the Polish capital, Warsaw.
(I admit, I may be slightly partisan here – sorry, not sorry!)
Chef Karol Adamiak writes for Guardian Europe today on how the city has changed over the last two decades.
Warsaw has been ranked among the top vegan cities in the world by HappyCow (a vegan ranking website) for the past six years. In 2022, it was National Geographic’s number one vegan city in the world. Maybe your perception of Poland is all kielbasa (sausage) and conservative politics. Herring and hate. It’s more complicated than that. In the past two decades there has been a quiet vegan revolution in the country.
In February, we’re taking over Lotos, a traditional restaurant open since 1958, famous for its nóżki w galarecie (legs in jelly – literally a chicken soup served cold so the collagen has become gelatinous, with veg and carrots suspended in it). The owner, Hanna Szymańska, told us she’s looking forward to putting out a vegan menu for the night: “You have to move with the times.”
As the German debate continues – we will return to it for the vote, unless something significant happens earlier – let’s take a look at news elsewhere, starting with Paris.
Remember the flame-free Olympic balloon, the symbol of last summer’s Olympic Games in Paris?
French president Emmanuel Macron has just announced it will return every summer up until the next edition of summer games in Los Angeles 2028.
Jakub Krupa
Reminder: this draft law, if passed, would still have to go to the upper chamber, and wouldn’t get passed before the election on 23 February.
But emotions are flying high because of what’s at stake: both electorally, but also in terms of “the firewall” principle.
Merz explains that the measures proposed in this draft bill do not go beyond German and EU law, and urges lawmakers to vote for it to send a clear signal to voters that the parties of the centre are serious about the challenges the country faces.
He says his party also takes some blame for the rise of the AfD, and insists more needs to be done if they are to be stopped.
He also urges others to dial down their rhetoric, saying the parties will have to be able to talk to each other after the election next month.
He gets briefly annoyed when asked by Alliance 90/The Greens’s co-leader, Felix Banaszak, if he contemplates a scenario in which he gets elected chancellor with AfD votes.
In response, Merz asks Banaszak if he’s read any papers of the last few weeks and says that he has repeatedly ruled out such scenario.
Foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, for the Alliance 90/The Greens group, speaking next.
We will get back to their debate when we get closer to the vote.
Merz starts distancing himself from the AfD, as he says they are largely “a radical-right extremist party” which seeks to undermine democracy.
But in response to demands from the SPD, he refuses to apologise for passing the first migration motion on Wednesday with the AfD’s votes, even as he directly warns against the risks the party poses.
He insists that it is necessary to act after the recent knife attacks, and refuses to back down.
He presents the draft law outlining its three key elements: reducing immigration, suspending family reunification rights for asylum seekers, and expanding powers of the country’s police.
We can ‘close the gates of hell together,’ SDP lawmaker says
Mützenich ends his speech with a passionate plea to “close the gates of hell together,” not give up the “firewall” against the far right, and not allow for the draft law to be carried by the votes of the Alternative für Deutschland.
CDU/CSU’s Merz, the frontrunner to win next month’s election, is speaking next.
SPD’s Rolf Mützenich accuses CDU/CSU of trying to force their proposal through.
He describes long negotiations, but says they ultimately failed.
“If you want to put [the draft law] to the vote today, that’s up to you,” he turns to Merz.
Bundestag back in sitting after hours of delay
The sitting is back under way.
Apparently it would take an average person up to 21 hours to read Merkel’s 736-page book.
(The English edition is marginally shorter at 720 pages.)
Also, it appears that the picture of the book on government benches was originally first taken by Der Spiegel deputy editor-in-chief, Melanie Amann.
And yes, we are still waiting.
Merkel’s biography placed on government benches as a signal to CDU/CSU
The eagle-eyed Robin Alexander of Die Welt has spotted that Angela Merkel’s biography is now placed on the government’s benches, between the seats of chancellor Olaf Scholz and vice-chancellor Robert Habeck.
A clear signal to, or probably more accurately a warning for, the CDU/CSU to listen to their former boss.
Serbian students continue protest ahead of blockade of Danube bridges
After a freezing night out in the open, hundreds of striking Serbian students have resumed their 2-day anti-graft protest march from the capital, Belgrade to the northern city of Novi Sad, the Associated Press reports.
They plan to blockade three bridges over the River Danube this weekend, marking three months since a huge concrete construction at the railway station in Novi Sad collapsed on Nov. 1, leaving 15 people dead.
But AP also reported a worrying incident as a driver in Belgrade rammed their car into silent protest, slightly injuring a woman, the third such incident in weeks.
First poll shows Scholz’s SDP up after Wednesday’s vote
Kate Connolly
in Berlin
German media is reporting the first poll to emerge since the Bundestag showdown on Wednesday shows that Merz’s CDU/CSU has fallen by 1 percentage point, to 29%, while the SPD of Olaf Scholz has gained 1.5 points, bringing it to 17%, its best result since the end of December.
The AfD remains stable at 22%. The Greens have gained half a percentage point. The poll was carried out for INSA, exclusively for the tabloid Bild.
Jakub Krupa
Back to Germany, we’re hearing that there is a chance we could be back under way at 1.30pm.
Let’s see.
Note that this breakthrough in budgetary talks is by all means not the end of the drama in Paris: as our correspondent, Angelique Chrisafis, explained yesterday:
The national assembly remains politically divided and the government does not have an absolute majority. Without majority backing, Bayrou may decide to use article 49.3 of the constitution, which allows a government to force through legislation without a vote in parliament.
This would probably cause opposition lawmakers to trigger a vote of no-confidence later next week, potentially on Wednesday.
Breakthrough in budgetary talks in France
Meanwhile, it looks like there may have been a breakthrough in budgetary discussions in France.
Reuters is reporting that Boris Vallaud from the Socialist party said that French lawmakers’ panel has reached an agreement regarding the budget.
The agreed budget is likely to be put to vote on Monday.
You can read more about the process in this update from our yesterday’s blog (13:07).
Political deadlock comes after Merkel’s intervention – analysis
Kate Connolly
in Berlin
The CDU’s parliamentary secretary Thorsten Frei requested the interruption to the plenary session this morning to enable a meeting of the Union faction which was supposed to take half an hour.
Well over an hour since that break was called, we are hearing that the Union is negotiating behind the scenes with both the SPD and the Greens about the possibility of getting a majority without the AfD, by amending the law.
We understand the Greens and SPD have no intention of supporting the law – damaged goods, you might call it. Even if it is amended, there is no way they could give it their backing.
Merz is reported to have told his CDU/CSU MPs this morning:
“We have to weather this storm,” and said the members had to prepare themselves for tough times.
According to some in the Union parliamentary faction, many of the dissenters belonged to Angela Merkel’s ‘camp’.
Were they swayed, or at least felt supported in their reluctance to back the law by Merkel’s public pronouncement yesterday in which she strongly criticised Merz for his U-turn on cooperating with the AfD?
