Ankara bristles at Athens’ energy moves
Two major energy projects in the Eastern Mediterranean – hydrocarbon exploration south of Crete and the resumption of work on the Greece-Cyprus power interconnection – have prompted sharp reactions from Ankara, underscoring renewed tensions between Greece and Turkey.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/politics/foreign-policy/1279374/ankara-bristles-at-athens-energy-moves
Sinai archbishop ‘under siege’
Amid mounting tensions at the historic Monastery of Saint Catherine in Sinai, Archbishop Damianos issued a new video appeal to the Egyptian government, urging authorities to secure the delivery of medicine, food and other essentials.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/politics/foreign-policy/1279393/sinai-archbishop-under-siege
PM Mitsotakis: We will intervene if energy prices don’t fall
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis issued a warning to energy companies, stressing that if the sharp drop in wholesale electricity prices in August is not reflected in retail prices in September, the government will step in to protect consumers. The remark was made in his weekly post reviewing government activity.
https://www.amna.gr/en/article/929067/PM-Mitsotakis-We-will-intervene-if-energy-prices-dont-fall
Greece approves operation of four non-state universities in 2025-2026
The Education Ministry announced on Friday that four foreign university branches will operate in Greece in the academic year 2025-2026, following the government’s decision to open its higher education system to the private sector.
Banks lead fourth losing ASE session
The Athens Stock Exchange sustained losses for the fourth consecutive session Friday, but still managed to end August with overall gains – a record 10th consecutive month it did so.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1279382/banks-lead-fourth-losing-ase-session
SUNDAY PAPERS
KATHIMERINI: 700 schools remain closed every year
TO VIMA: Debate on TIF 2025 expected announcements: “What i do not want to hear from the government”
REAL NEWS: Workers’ salaries: The package of increases for 2026
PROTO THEMA: TIF 2025: Handouts and dilemmas for PM Mitsotakis
MONDAY PAPERS:
TA NEA: Athens International Airport: “Black holes” in its radar
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Everyone against Migration Minister Plevris
KONTRA NEWS: Servicemen and policemen implicated in Cretan mafia cartel
DIMOKRATIA: Suspicious immunity for OPEKEPE’s administration
NAFTEMPORIKI: Tax-evasion prognosis with AI
DRIVING THE DAY
CIAO, BAYROU: This week will see frantic politicking in France as Prime Minister François Bayrou tries to save his flailing minority government from losing a no-confidence vote scheduled for Sept. 8. Seeking to enact a highly unpopular €43.8 billion budget squeeze to curb soaring public debt, Bayrou and his boss Emmanuel Macron wagered that Marine Le Pen, who controls the largest opposition party in the National Assembly, would decide not to pull the plug on the government, according to my colleague Marion Solletty. (After all, she’s currently banned from running for political office — a ban she’s trying to reverse.)
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Snookered: “In fact, Le Pen and her National Rally party, which tops the polls in France, look set to play a decisive role in ejecting Bayrou,” writes Marion. “They are adamant they want to seize on the deepening political crisis to press for a parliamentary election, and the resignation of President Emmanuel Macron.” Asked if Bayrou’s likely ouster would lead to another dissolution of parliament and fresh elections, Macron said on Friday he would not engage in “fictional politics.” He’s also ruled out quitting.
Misfortune or carelessness? If Bayrou is defeated, as seems likely, Macron will have lost three prime ministers in just over a year. To misquote Oscar Wilde’s indomitable Lady Bracknell, to lose one prime minister, Mr. Macron, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose three looks like carelessness.
Franco-German axis: Macron’s domestic political woes won’t help his joint effort with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to revitalize Europe. On Friday in Toulon, they discussed geopolitical crises roiling Europe — Ukraine, Gaza, Iran — and their shared desire to boost the bloc’s competitiveness and galvanize defense and security cooperation. But Merz, too, has his domestic troubles with coalition partners the Social Democrats getting restless and griping within his own party’s ranks over the direction of fiscal policy.
When Paris and Berlin are working in harmony the EU is stronger. Yet domestic political constraints are likely to hedge them as they try to renew a Franco-German partnership that fared less well when Olaf Scholz was Germany’s chancellor.
TUSK DISMAYED: Bayrou isn’t the only European prime minister feeling sorry for himself. Poland’s Donald Tusk is engaged in open political warfare with the country’s newly elected right-wing President Karol Nawrocki. Those internal divisions, writes POLITICO’s Wojciech Kość, will be on full display on Wednesday, when Nawrocki visits the White House to chat with his transatlantic political pal Donald Trump. The U.S. leader openly campaigned for Nawrocki during the Polish presidential election earlier this year.
Tusk sent a nitpicking message to Nawrocki, reminding him that under the Polish constitution it’s the government led by the prime minister that sets Polish foreign policy. Nawrocki’s office reacted with disdain to getting instructions from the foreign ministry on the goals of the U.S. visit, dubbing them a “joke.”
RUSSIA’S WAR
FORGET ABOUT GETTING YOUR MONEY BACK, MOSCOW: That was the blunt message from the EU’s High Representative Kaja Kallas following talks among foreign ministers exploring the possibility of using more than €200 billion of frozen Russian assets currently held by Belgium’s Euroclear, writes POLITICO’s Nick Vinocur.
You broke it, you pay for it: “One thing absolutely clear which everyone agreed: Given the devastation that Russia has caused, it’s unthinkable that Russia will ever see this money again unless it fully compensates Ukraine for the damage caused,” the former Estonian PM told a press conference on Saturday during the summit in Copenhagen. “There are risks [to unfreezing the assets] but I’m confident that we are able to mitigate those risks.”
Look a bit closer: The European Commission is working on possibly moving the frozen assets into a so-called special purpose vehicle to minimize legal risk for Belgium in the event the assets are confiscated. (The EU is currently using them to guarantee a €50 billion loan to Ukraine, but isn’t touching the principal.)
Baby steps: Belgium — where the assets are held — is a longtime opponent of such a move; Berlin and Rome aren’t keen either. Saturday’s discussion was the first formal exchange on the matter among foreign ministers. No breakthrough for now.
COME ON DONALD, MATCH OUR SANCTIONS: That was the other takeaway from Copenhagen — EU foreign ministers urging Donald Trump (without mentioning him by name) to follow their lead and apply more U.S. pressure on Russia.
ICYMI: POTUS has repeatedly issued threats and set deadlines for Putin to accept a ceasefire. So far, all of them have been allowed to expire without consequence for Moscow. “Of course, measures would be stronger if matched by our transatlantic partners,” Kallas said. More by Nick here.
PUTIN THE “PREDATOR”: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen didn’t mince words about Vladimir Putin during a visit to Poland’s border with Belarus on Sunday, reports POLITICO’s Antoaneta Roussi. “He is a predator,” von der Leyen said. “We have to keep the sense of urgency because we know that Putin has and will not change.”
Security guarantee update: Von der Leyen told the FT the EU is working up some “pretty precise plans” for potential military deployments to Ukraine. “Security guarantees are paramount and absolutely crucial,” she said. “We have a clear road map and we had an agreement in the White House … and this work is going forward very well.”
Working Trump: Meanwhile, there are signs the Kremlin’s efforts to blame Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Europe for failed peace negotiations seems to be paying off. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has been leading the charge, banking the messaging will stick with Trump. According to Axios, senior White House officials suspect that while some European leaders publicly support Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine, behind the scenes they’re trying to undo any progress.
MIDDLE EAST
RIBERA, TOP OFFICIALS RESPOND TO COMMISSION PROTESTERS: Four top EU officials have privately responded to an internal protest over the bloc’s stalled Israel policy, in what some staff see as evidence of a widening rift in the upper echelons of the EU executive.
Boiling over: Staff unrest at the Commission and other institutions has grown in recent weeks amid concerns EU leaders aren’t doing enough to pressure Israel to halt or moderate its military campaign in Gaza.
Good effort: In a letter dated Aug. 28 and seen by Playbook, Commissioners Teresa Ribera, Marta Kos, Hadja Lahbib and Michael McGrath appeared to welcome the perspective of employees who in late July circulated an internal letter — now carrying almost 1,750 signatures — calling for hastier action. The commissioners thanked civil servants for their “letter and engagement,” and stressed the need for action as a “critical first step.”
Pinch of salt: To be sure, protesting staff members acknowledged to Playbook that the letter sent by Ribera et al is a far cry from a full-throated endorsement. It largely reiterates the Commission’s support for severing European trade and research ties with Israel and appears to attribute the EU’s failure to adopt such measures to grinding indecision from national leaders. “The Commission made a proposal to Council in July for the partial suspension of Israel’s participation in Horizon Europe,” the commissioners write, pointedly adding that “this was not agreed by Member States in the Council.”
But some dismissed the letter as empty rhetoric. “The letter essentially says, ‘take it up with the Council’ to block contracts/payments to Israel,” one letter-signer told Playbook, arguing that the Commission itself should be “systematically raising concerns on human rights compliance, and refusing to sign anything without ad hoc authorization of the Council.”
Hot air: “The fact we’re celebrating a partial response and not a complete shift in action doesn’t make me feel like we’re making progress,” a signatory of the staffers’ letter told Playbook. “The letter was meant … to raise responsibility at the highest level of management to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe that we’re living through right now — so no, I’m not celebrating that a few commissioners finally answered.”
Take what you can get: But some more optimistic officials argue the very fact the commissioners responded is noteworthy, saying it contrasts with the frostier response from the European Commission’s press office, which largely dismissed the internal agitation as “political” when contacted by POLITICO last month — while acknowledging civil servants’ right to raise their concerns. Moreover, Ursula von der Leyen, whom staff have also lobbied, hasn’t issued such a letter herself, they noted. “Words like these never saved human lives but the fact they’re being said encourages people to think they’re right to pursue further action,” said an official.
Playing the long game: That interpretation also squares with the increasingly critical tone of Ribera, who slammed the EU’s decision-making process in an interview with Playbook in early August. The Spaniard is one of Europe’s most prominent Socialist politicians and the Commission’s second-most senior official after von der Leyen.
TRUMP’S GAZA “RIVIERA” PLAN STILL KICKING: The Washington Post says it’s got its hands on a 38-page prospectus circulating around the Trump administration that envisages Gaza being transformed into a gleaming tourism and high-tech center under U.S. trusteeship. Its more than 2 million residents would be “voluntarily” relocated to other countries or moved into restricted secure zones in the besieged territory during reconstruction.
HOUTHIS DETAIN U.N. STAFFERS: Iran-backed Houthi rebels stormed the offices of the World Food Program and UNICEF in Yemen on Sunday, detaining 11 U.N. staff. U.N. chief António Guterres demanded their “immediate and unconditional release.” AP has more.
EU APPEALS TO IRAN AHEAD OF SNAPBACK DEADLINE: The so-called E3 countries — France, Germany and the United Kingdom — have notified their intent to re-impose crushing sanctions of Iran within 30 days. But the weekend’s messaging from France and Brussels was conciliatory: There’s still time to come to the negotiation table.
AXIS OF UPHEAVAL
XI ROLLS OUT THE RED CARPET: He was the first foreign leader Trump welcomed to the Oval Office after his inauguration, but Narendra Modi’s bromance with the American president appears to be over and the Indian leader is looking for friends elsewhere. Modi is among 20 leaders (including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian) attending a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tianjin. “Always a delight to meet President Putin!” Modi posted on X, along with a photo of the two embracing.
It was Modi’s first time in China in seven years. President Xi Jinping met him on the SCO sidelines on Sunday, and told him their two countries should be partners, not rivals. Modi echoed that sentiment, proclaiming there was now an “atmosphere of peace and stability” between them. The visit comes after years of tension between Beijing and Delhi, including over a long-running border dispute. More here.
What Xi’s up to: He unveiled his ambition for a new global security and economic order that poses a challenge to the U.S. No big deal, then.
New phone, who dis? Meanwhile Ivo Daalder, writing for POLITICO, argues Modi’s turn to Beijing can be blamed on Trump’s mishandling of India. The relationship soured largely thanks to U.S. trade tariffs imposed on India, including stiff secondary sanctions for Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil, and is now so bad Modi is no longer taking Trump’s calls.
HAPPENING WEDNESDAY: The SCO gathering in Tianjin comes ahead of Wednesday’s main event: China’s Victory Day parade. Putin is due to attend that one too, alongside North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong Un and Iran’s Pezeshkian — a grouping commentators have dubbed the “axis of upheaval.”
And guess who else will be there: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is expected to meet with Putin on the sidelines.
IN OTHER NEWS
BACK TO BUSINESS: Coreper ambassadors kick off the new political season with an informal breakfast today with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. Denmark’s presidency ambassador will debrief on the work carried out in August — Ukraine, Israel/Gaza and U.S. trade talks — and flag what’s coming up, including the need for the Parliament and Council to advance crucial files such as the European Defense Industry Program, the EU’s “omnibus” simplification plan and trade. Speaking of which …
TRADE DEALS COMING: The European Commission plans to present the text of its trade agreements with Mercosur and with Mexico this Wednesday at the commissioners’ College meeting, Hans von der Burchard reports. Mercosur, in particular, faces huge political opposition from France.
Now read this: Trump’s attempts to lure companies away from China are backfiring, report my Stateside colleagues.
FARAGE STIRRING: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is heading to Washington this week and seems intent on stirring up trouble. He’s set to launch a full-scale attack on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer when he testifies on Wednesday before a congressional committee examining the effects U.K. and European online safety laws are having on American citizens and U.S. tech. Farage plans to highlight so-called U.K. backsliding on free speech, and he’ll accuse Starmer of jeopardizing trade relations with Washington as a result, according to the Times.