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00:00European Parliament centrist groups have cut a deal to approve the new EU commissioners.
00:12Snow has begun falling across Europe as a front of cold air sweeps across the continent.
00:24The main centrist parties of the European Parliament, the European People's Party and
00:29the Social Democrats and Liberals have struck a deal to approve the new members of the European
00:33Commission.
00:35It means the new commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, can take office on the 1st
00:40of December.
00:41The three-party compromise cleared the way for six future vice-presidents of the commission,
00:46including the Spanish Teresa Ribera, who was criticised by the Conservatives for her management
00:51of the floods in Valencia.
00:54However, the EPP continues to call for her resignation in case she is indicted.
01:01What we as parliament have to guarantee is that the new commission is a commission who
01:05can really deliver, who can really act.
01:08And if you have the possible shadow above you or the possible burden on your shoulder
01:16that you are involved in court cases, for example, at home, it is not so easy to do
01:20then the task on European level.
01:22Alongside the six vice-presidents, Hungary's Oliver Varhey also received the green light.
01:28But not everyone in the European Parliament was pleased with the backroom deals surrounding
01:33the candidates.
01:35So unfortunately, the assessment of the most important ones, the six executive vice-presidents,
01:41have become a mockery of a proper assessment.
01:44And that is not good for the European Parliament.
01:47So in that sense, we are very disappointed about that process, absolutely.
01:51The three parties have also signed a cooperation agreement for this legislation with key policy
01:56areas, although it is not binding.
01:59The full college of commissioners will be voted on next Wednesday at the European Parliament
02:03in Strasbourg.
02:08Spain has announced a reform to its migration policy, which will grant residency and work
02:13permits to about 300,000 undocumented migrants each year for the next three years.
02:21The reform will simplify work and residence permit procedures, allowing migrants to register
02:26as self-employed or salaried workers and granting them additional labour rights.
02:44The policy will come into effect from May 2025 and is part of the country's efforts
02:56to expand its labour force in the face of an ageing population.
03:01Spain needs around 250,000 registered foreign workers a year to maintain its welfare state
03:08and it's one of the European countries that receives the most irregular migrants annually.
03:14Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has often described his government's migration
03:19policies as a strategy to combat the country's low birth rate.
03:26Danish and Nordic teams are continuing to inspect undersea cables after two were damaged
03:31in the Baltic Sea between Germany and Finland and Sweden and Lithuania.
03:37In the Baltic Sea, I would like to make it clear that this is of course very serious,
03:42not least in light of the current political situation.
03:47I also note that both the German and Swedish side have said that they suspect that there
03:52could be sabotage. And in that case, of course, it is very worrisome.
03:59It comes after the Danish military announced it's monitoring a Chinese ship spotted in
04:04the waters just two days after the cables were cut.
04:08Marine traffic vessel tracking data showed the Chinese vessel Yipeng 3 anchored in the
04:13Kattegat Strait between Denmark and Sweden on Wednesday.
04:20Thousands of workers in Greece have taken to the streets in protest as part of a 24-hour
04:25general strike called by labour unions to protest the rising cost of living.
04:30The strike action, backed by both public and private sector workers on Wednesday,
04:34disrupted economic activities in the capital, Athens, as well as the northern city of Thessaloniki.
04:41We demand, since we have taken out of the memorandums, new pensions for our new employees.
04:51The government cannot spend millions on military equipment.
04:57It cannot participate in the genocide of the Palestinian people by sending frigates and
05:04spending huge amounts of money on NATO.
05:08We demand a collective labour agreement, better working conditions for our brothers,
05:13and above all, for the accuracy of what is happening.
05:17The biggest problem right now for the rights of young people is the issue of housing.
05:20Greece's financial crisis saw a quarter of the country's economy wiped out after decades
05:26of profit-gate spending.
05:31French farmers protested for a third day on Wednesday after setting up a blockade on the
05:36highway near the French-Spanish border.
05:39Their aim is to block heavy goods vehicle traffic from Spain to France, protesting against
05:44an EU-Mercosur trade deal with South American nations.
05:49The French Minister for Agriculture condemned the blockade, saying it risked undermining
05:54public empathy for the profession.
05:56To protest against Mercosur, to express our concerns, to demand a certain number of advances
06:04in different areas is legitimate.
06:06Without taking the goods, without taking the people, to permanently block the country,
06:10that is not acceptable.
06:12The farmers say producers from countries that are part of the Mercosur agreement are not
06:18subject to regulations as strict as those in Europe.
06:21They also say it creates unfair competition with third countries.
06:31The European Union's anti-fraud office opened an investigation into a Hungarian nursery
06:36that cost around 1.8 million euro, but has only 12 places available.
06:41The new nursery opened in September, but the problem is that each child attending will
06:45cost around 150,000 euro in EU funds.
06:48That's more than the price of a large family house in the local village.
06:52It's obvious that this is theft.
06:54Especially if we look at the company and who they asked for the offer from,
06:59we can find connections there as well.
07:03Of course, this was not a real contract, it was a directed contract.
07:21This should be investigated by an expert.
07:25If there is one, it should be investigated independently.
07:41We managed to reach the mayor of Geceák on the phone,
07:44but he didn't want to be filmed.
07:46He says he doesn't trust the media.
07:48He said, however, that an investigation had already started
07:51about the possible over-pricing of the nursery,
07:53and the local government will only release a statement after that.
07:56Zoltán Siposegyi, Euronews, Kazár.
08:19In Europe, automakers must sell enough electric vehicles
08:23to meet new, lower limits for carbon dioxide emissions in 2025.
08:28Most of the job cuts, 2,900 in total, will come in Germany,
08:33where car sales have dropped significantly.
08:36This comes as consumers remain weary of inflation,
08:39while Germany also dropped government purchase incentives
08:42for electric vehicles.
08:44Car makers are also facing increasing competition
08:47from Chinese-made electric vehicles.
08:53Snow has begun falling across Europe,
08:56as a front of polar cold air sweeps across the continent.
09:01In Belgium, Tuesday's heavy rain and gale-force winds turned frosty,
09:06forming a layer of snow on the peaks near the Signal de Botrange.
09:12In Austria, truck drivers at the Alberg Pass
09:15were forced to put snow chains on their vehicles until the late morning,
09:19while motorists in Poland were advised to put on winter tyres.
09:27Tourists in Poland have also been warned not to hike certain routes,
09:32as an avalanche warning is in place.
09:36Temperatures in the Czech Republic dropped by up to 10 degrees
09:40overnight into Wednesday,
09:42as rainfall turns to snow at altitudes above 400 metres.
09:48The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute says
09:51up to 12 centimetres of snow may fall in the east of the country
09:55on Thursday and Friday.
09:57And in Denmark, snowfall has led to slippery roads,
10:01causing a truck crash on the motorway
10:03between the cities of Nyborg and Odense.
10:07Climate change has led to worsening symptoms of pollen allergies,
10:11with around one million Danes claiming they can feel the effect
10:15as temperatures rise.
10:18The amount of pollen produced from plants
10:20has increased significantly since the 1980s,
10:23exacerbated by higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
10:37Warmer and wetter conditions are also leading to an increase
10:42in other infections and viruses.
10:55Changing global temperatures mean for people like Mette Lund,
10:59who takes allergy medication once a day,
11:02the onset of hay fever symptoms are starting to occur all year round.
11:11A volcano has erupted on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula,
11:15triggering civil defence to declare a state of emergency
11:19and order evacuations of Grindervik and the Blue Lagoon.
11:25It's the country's seventh volcanic eruption this year,
11:29but the Icelandic Meteorological Office says
11:32it's a lot smaller than the previous one in August.
11:35The area's chief of police said there was no immediate danger
11:39and residents are well-versed in how evacuations are carried out.