French cities ‘calm overnight’ after targeted curfews, prime minister says – Europe live

The French parliament will look into formally opening an inquiry into the protests and violence seen in recent days, including the law enforcement measures used in response, after a political agreement was reached on this point, BFMTV reported.

No doubt we will hear more on this in due course.

I am also keeping an eye on events in Oslo, where US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in the last hour for talks with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the leaders of Norway and Finland.

Norway’s PM Jonas Gahr Støre and Finland’s Alexander Stubb will also join the discussion.

Televised images from Norwegian public broadcaster NRK showed Witkoff’s private jet landing just before noon at Oslo’s Gardermoen airport, AFP reported.

Ahead of the meeting with Witkoff, Zelenskyy spoke with US secretary of state Marco Rubio and said the pair had “a substantive conversation.”

“I am grateful for his readiness to help and his clear position. First, ballistic missile interceptors, which are needed to protect lives. Second, early warning of Russian ballistic missile attacks, which is vital. Third, the situation with Starlink/Starshield, which needs to be restored. Of course, all of this comes against the backdrop of our diplomatic efforts to end this horrific war and the constant killing of people.”

On his part, Rubio insisted that “nothing is being deliberately denied to Ukraine,” AFP reported.

Meanwhile, the EU’s trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said the bloc’s relationship with the UK is of “vital importance in the current geopolitical, security and economic context,” as he set out the bloc’s expectations ahead of next month’s EU-UK summit on 20 November.

Speaking at the European parliament in Strasbourg minutes after holding a phone call with UK’s Europe minister Hamish Falconer, he said the EU had three priorities for any talks with London.

Crucially, he wanted the two sides to fully implement the existing agreements, which include the protection of six million EU citizens resident in the UK and about a million UK nationals in the EU.

“We must ensure they can fully enjoy their rights now and in the future. That is why we continue to push for solutions on all matters affecting them,” he said.

He also said that “the work continues” on implementing the Windsor framework agreement, with its significance for Northern Ireland.

Šefčovič said the summit will also be a chance to look at sectoral issues, pointing to last year’s progress on fisheries, energy and Erasmus+.

“We aim to complete negotiations on a common sanitary and phytosanitary area, a linkage between our emissions trading systems and the creation of a youth experience scheme as a package for the summit,” he said.

He said there are also ongoing talks about the UK’s participation in the EU’s internal electricity market, and “an appropriate financial contribution from the UK towards the reducing economic, social and territorial disparities between regions in the union.”

The summit will also look at foreign policy issues, given the EU and the UK’s continued support for Ukraine.

He added that “given the geopolitical context, which is much changed since the withdrawal of the UK from the EU,” there is also scope for more work on supporting integrated value chains between the EU and the UK.

For a good summary of where we are when it comes to the French protests, you can catch up with Jon Henley’s commentary for The Latest.

“What we saw on Saturday was really an exceptional level of violence, even by French standards. In several towns and cities, there were attacks on those institutional targets. …

If this kind of violence continues, then that’s clearly a message that’s going to start appealing to more and more French voters.

Facing growing political pressure over the protests and riots, France’s PM Sébastien Lecornu will convene political parties for a meeting on Thursday, a member of his team said.

The conversation is also likely to touch upon the issue of policing, with critics saying the initial response to the protests was too heavy-handed.

He will also meet with trade unions on Wednesday.

The government has come under criticism from parties across the political spectrum, with far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen describing the unrest as a “wake-up call” that exposed a “profound crisis” of authority.

Meanwhile, president Emmanuel Macron has secured the delivery of an additional 200,000 tonnes of diesel per month from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain during a tour of the Gulf, the French presidency said.

With the addition of deliveries from Saudi Arabia, France has commitments for 295,000 tonnes per month, representing just over 10 percent of its consumption, the presidency added.

Macron is undertaking a tour of key energy suppliers in the Gulf in an effort to secure oil and diesel supplies and bring down prices in France, after a weekend of violent protests sparked by soaring living costs.

A 40-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of being involved in the arson attack that ravaged Limoges town hall over the weekend, French media reported.

The man is reportedly a “far-left activist” with a prior record that saw him placed on the security services’ watchlist, according to Le Figaro.

French prime minister Sébastien Lecornu said that targeted curfews introduced in parts of Paris and other major cities “have contributed to calm overnight,” as he suggested more curfews could be introduced if needed today.

In a particular symbol of stepped up security measures, a helicopter flew over the French capital’s Place de la Republique, one of the epicentres of the unrest, sweeping a powerful searchlight across the square, AFP said.

While some restrictions, such as those in Paris, initially applied only for the night from Monday to Tuesday, others, particularly in Bordeaux and Nice, were set to remain in force for several days, the agency noted.

Meanwhile, Italy’s government decided to dispatch 500 army troo…