Mitsotakis: Citizens should know that there is a wide range of housing programmes from which they can benefit
“There is currently a wide range of programmes from which citizens can benefit,” noted Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during a meeting he chaired on Tuesday at the Maximos Mansion, focusing on the presentation of the stegasi.gov.gr portal for housing policy. This portal allows citizens to easily, with just a few clicks, find all available programmes for purchasing, renovating, repairing, or upgrading a home that match their profile, as well as the subsidies, tax reliefs, or support measures available to both homeowners and renters.
Low wages, high living costs and the housing crisis deter Greeks abroad from returning, Androulakis says
Low wages, the high cost of living, and Greece’s worsening housing crisis are the main barriers deterring the return of Greeks who left during the financial crisis, as well as preventing efforts to stem the ongoing brain drain, main opposition PASOK-Movement for Change leader Nikos Androulakis said on Tuesday.
Marginal decline in economic sentiment
The economic sentiment in Greece weakened marginally in May, with the relevant index easing to 107.0 points from 107.4 points in the previous month.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1271538/marginal-decline-in-economic-sentiment
OECD: Greek economy’s growth is resilient – Forecasts GDP growth of 2% this year and 2.1% in 2026
The Greek economy is expected to remain resilient, with GDP growing by 2% in 2025 and 2.1% in 2026 thanks to investments from the Recovery Fund and an increase in the minimum wage and disposable income that will support consumption, according to an OECD report (Economic Outlook).
ATHEX: Non-bank stocks assist recovery
The decline of bank socks due to the dividend distributed by National and Piraeus did not stop the main index at Athinon Avenue from staging a small rebound on Tuesday after three downwards sessions. Therefore, buyers kept the upper hand in the end, with a number of non-bank blue chips as well as the majority of all stocks closing on a positive figure, led by construction and energy companies.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1271595/athex-non-bank-stocks-assist-recovery
KATHIMERINI: Presidential Decree regulates construction height bonuses
TA NEA: Competition for the recruitment of public employees: Last-minute test
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Social housing by private interests
RIZOSPASTIS: Housing has become an unbearable burden for simple folks
KONTRA NEWS: The government is toying with the people regarding cheap houses
DIMOKRATIA: Libyan general Haftar has turned his back on us as well
NAFTEMPORIKI: Double “hole” in the control of bank deposits
DRIVING THE DAY: THE COLLEGE LECTURE SERIES
THE LONGEST DAY: With May’s procession of European public holidays now over, the Commission’s schedule of events between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. is going to be, according to chief spokesperson Paula Pinho, “intense.” The agenda is so packed there isn’t even time to deal with it all today — so some of the official business will be unfurled at briefings on Thursday.
Reading list: The College of Commissioners, as Ursula von der Leyen’s band of policy chiefs likes to be known, will announce the following: a communication on the 2025 spring package, also known as the semester package; an announcement on Bulgaria’s convergence report; a communication on the recovery and resilience facility; a communication on a common European way forward for Ukrainian refugees; a water resilience strategy; and the 2026 draft budget. An ocean strategy and a digital strategy are now due Thursday.
Anything else? Yep. There are trade talks between the EU and the U.S. in Paris today (and in D.C.). And British and Ukrainian ministers are in Brussels to shake hands on critical minerals deals.
Marking homework: The European Semester Spring Package (another magnificently opaque title from the wizards of the Berlaymont) is essentially a big bundle of reports setting out whether EU countries are acing or flunking their fiscal and socio-economic policies.
Included in the mix are country-specific assessments (ouch) and recommendations on what the naughtier governments should do to rein in any overspending that could threaten European economic stability.
Who’s getting Fs? Today’s announcements mark the first year of the EU’s new fiscal rules. Eight countries ―Belgium, France, Italy, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Romania ― are already at the bottom of the class and have been told to trim their outgoings. Austria is likely to join them soon, POLITICO’s Giovanna Faggionato reports.
Moving up a grade: Another report out today will see Bulgaria given a pass mark to join the single currency. It was an announcement that POLITICO scooped more than a week ago. Bulgaria’s green light for joining the euro will mark a major moment for Sofia as well as for the euro project, which currently has 20 member countries, covering almost 350 million people.
Disruption in class: The prospect of joining the euro hasn’t been universally welcomed, POLITICO’s Carlo Martuscelli reports. Over the weekend, thousands of nationalist protestors took to the streets of Sofia in opposition. A survey by pollster Myara found that over half of those questioned oppose joining the currency union. (In Poland,there is even less interest in adopting the euro than in Bulgaria, Kathryn Carlson and Izabella Kaminska report.)
Greek lessons: Memories of the experience of southern European countries like Italy and Greece, which found themselves in a fiscal straitjacket during the financial crisis after adopting the euro, are clear. But Bulgaria has worn that straitjacket for years, having pegged its national currency, the lev, to the euro since 1999. At least joining will give it an — admittedly marginal — voice at the policy-making table.
OLD GRUDGES DIE HARD: Meanwhile, Bulgaria has pressured the European Parliament into delaying a report about North Macedonia’s EU accession progress for the third year in a row, Max Griera and Jacopo Barigazzi report. Despite an agreement between the major political families to adopt the report, three officials told POLITICO the EPP will today ask for the vote to be postponed so as not to generate anti-EU sentiment in Bulgaria on the eve of its big euro move.
Bringing in the big guns: Bulgarian MEPs signed a letter addressed to the Parliament’s foreign affairs committee chair denouncing Thomas Waitz, the Green lawmaker who drafted the North Macedonia report, arguing he was unduly influenced by Skopje, among other issues, according to my colleague Antoaneta Roussi. Waitz said the real issue is that the Bulgarians don’t want the report to mention North Macedonia’s culture, identity and language, and accused them of orchestrating “smear campaigns.”
UKRAINIANS GOING HOME
UKRAINE NEEDS ITS PEOPLE BACK: Some 4.3 million Ukrainians live in the EU, with the highest numbers in Poland, Germany and Czechia. Under a temporary protection program, those who fled Vladimir Putin’s invasion have full rights to live and work in the bloc. That deal was only ever meant to be time-limited but it has been extended repeatedly, and Brussels is now starting work on what happens next.
When the war ends: Ukraine will need its people back, for rebuilding the communities that have been wrecked by Putin’s war, and the country more widely. Today, the Commission will begin sketching out a plan for the process of returning Ukrainians to their homeland once the fighting ceases.
Easy does it: The emphasis is on taking things as carefully as possible, with a coordinated approach that seeks to minimize the risks of a sudden and widespread flow of people from one part of the region to another. A disorderly movement could put intense pressure on both Ukraine and potentially EU countries.
Unity hubs: Brussels is recommending that EU countries set up “unity hubs” — info centers providing advice and support for those considering returning home, as well as help finding work in a host country or back in Ukraine. The centers will also offer language lessons and cultural activities, with some of the first hubs set to open in Germany and Spain.
For now: Another extension will take the temporary measures forward by a further 12 months, from March 2026 to March 2027 to provide legal clarity for Ukrainians, according to a person briefed on the details. Once that period expires, EU countries should help Ukrainians move on to a different legal status. Leeway will be recommended for people who are sick, pregnant or have children at school.
“More than anything, Ukraine needs its people,” said Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner. “We have to help Ukrainians make informed decisions about their future — whether that be to return home or to continue supporting Ukraine from here for the time being.” Brunner will present the plan alongside Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov.
CRITICAL FRIENDS: Stéphane Séjourné, the Commission’s industrial strategy supremo, will set out deals the EU is striking on critical mineral supplies with non-EU countries. One deal will be with the U.K. on the extraction of tungsten and the other with Ukraine on graphite, according to a person briefed on the matter.
The purpose is to support the EU’s industrial resilience, especially in the production of battery technology. Under the critical minerals initiative, the EU can fund projects from non-member countries that will then supply the bloc with the raw materials it needs. The announcement follows the unveiling of 47 European projects for the extraction, processing and recycling of critical raw materials within the EU.
Séjourné will host British Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds and Ukrainian Natural Resources Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk to answer media questions on the deals at 12:30 p.m.
ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL
WE DON’T NEED NO THOUGHT CONTROL: Former French PM and EU Brexit honcho Michel Barnier has his own beef with the top-down style from those in the building where he used to work. Centralizing authority inside the Commission risks robbing the heart of the EU of the spirit that defines what it means to be European, he says.
In an interview with POLITICO’s Clea Caulcutt, Nick Vinocur and Nicolas Barré in Paris, Barnier lamented that the EU executive branch too often felt like a “bubble” more focused on its own imperatives than those of European citizens.
Hear the people: “There isn’t enough listening to the people,” said Barnier (sounding more than a little like a Brexiteer to this Playbook author’s British ears). “That’s also the role of the commissioners to behave like politicians and not super technocrats.”
Power nab: In a new book titled “What I learned from you,” out this week in French, the conservative politician laments what he calls an “authoritarian drift” inside the EU’s most powerful institution. Von der Leyen, he writes in a passage reflecting on his one-year overlap with the German politician, “wants to decide on everything.”
Gentle reminder: Asked to expand during the chat in Paris, Barnier said: “I can’t judge now because I’m not on the inside, but there has been a tendency since [former European Commission President José Manuel] Barroso, amplified by Ursula von der Leyen, toward a very presidential management of the Commission. So it’s worth underlining that the Commission is a College.”
Fuel in the tank: At age 74, Barnier, whose three-month tenure as French PM was the shortest of the 5th Republic, isn’t throwing in the towel. His name has been mentioned in the French press as a possible (long-shot) presidential contender in 2027. But he wouldn’t be drawn on any plans to return to frontline politics. If you want to ask him yourself, head to the Filigranes bookstore next Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., where Mr. Brexit will be signing copies of his book. Read the full interview here.
TRADE WAR LATEST
SPRINGTIME IN PARIS: The EU and the U.S. sit down to test out each other’s negotiating positions in high-level trade talks in Paris. Will true love blossom?
Diplomatic back and forth: Chief negotiators Maroš Šefčovič for the EU and Jamieson Greer for the U.S. are meeting in the French capital this morning on the margins of an OECD ministerial gathering, while Germany’s new Chancellor Friedrich Merz will catch up with Donald Trump Thursday, POLITICO’s trade guru Camille Gijs reports.
Deadline day: Pressure is mounting on the European top dogs, with Trump’s new 50 percent tariff on steel and aluminum entering into force today, as well as a 50 percent universal tariff set to kick in in just over a month, when the presidential “pause” expires. The European Commission on Monday vowed to accelerate its retaliation should talks with Washington fail.
SCOOP: More concessions coming. Brussels is going to offer matching U.S. regulations around autonomous driving, people with knowledge of the negotiations told Jürgen Klöckner and Jordyn Dahl.
Taking the temperature: Ignacio García Bercero, a former Commission trade civil servant from Trump’s first term, told Camille that today’s talks would probably clarify “what the flexibility from the U.S. side will be” on key aspects of Trump’s trade assault. “The 50 percent tariff on steel indicates that Trump might not be very flexible to negotiate on those,” he said.
GOING DUTCH
NOT ANOTHER ONE: Far-right firebrand Geert Wilders torpedoed the Dutch government on Tuesday when coalition partners refused to endorse his 10-point migration plan. It wasn’t really a surprise, but the upshot is that the Netherlands is now facing a likely snap election after its government had been in place for less than a year.
Poll dancing: The next election could deliver another seismic shift in the Dutch political landscape. “If you did the maths a few months ago, there was no electoral interest for anyone to break up [the government]. Those maths are changing now,” Rachid Azrout, assistant professor of political communication at the University of Amsterdam, told POLITICO’s Hanne Cokelaere.
Do the maths: Looking at the polls, Wilders’ PVV, while still in the lead, has lost some ground since the 2023 election, and is now essentially neck-and-neck with its coalition partner, the liberal VVD party, and the largest opposition party, the Greens-Labour alliance of Frans Timmermans. Unsurprisingly, both Timmermans and VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz said they favor holding an election “as soon as possible.” The two other government parties, BBB and NSC, have lost nearly all the support they won in the 2023 election, according to POLITICO’s Poll of Polls.
Keep waiting: The Dutch government collapsed pretty quickly, but it could take until mid-October before an election is held, according to some estimates. Anything could happen between now and then.
Fast, then slow: Election campaigns in the Netherlands are infamously volatile. Last time, Wilders was a rank outsider before an 11th-hour surge in the polls in the final days before the vote. It then took eight months to form a government. If repeated, that could mean what’s left of the current coalition remains in place as a caretaker administration for maybe as long as a year.
MORE UKRAINE
HEGSETH OUT: U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth won’t attend today’s Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, POLITICO’s Paul McLeary reports. It’s the first time in three years that an American defense secretary has skipped the meeting.
KREMLIN: SHALL WE ZOOM? Luxembourg’s MEP Fernand Kartheiser, who recently traveled to Moscow to discuss peace in Ukraine with Russian officials, told POLITICO the Kremlin has offered to establish permanent communications via video calls with lawmakers in the European Parliament, as well as further in-person visits.
The EU has no choice but to officially restart diplomatic channels with Moscow, Kartheiser argued, especially as Ukraine and the U.S. are already engaged in peace talks with Russia. “The EU wants to have a role in Ukraine once the peace talks are finished, so they have no choice but to engage with Russia. I can’t tell you when and where and under which circumstances, but the fact alone I think cannot be doubted,” he said.
Kartheiser is set to be kicked out of the ECR today during a group meeting at 2 p.m., in a clear message that his own conservative group has no intention of starting diplomatic ties with Russia.
MEANWHILE, SHOIGU’S IN NORTH KOREA (AGAIN): Russia’s Secretary of the Security Council Sergei Shoigu is in Pyongyang for the second time in just over two months and is scheduled to meet with dictator Kim Jong Un, Russian state media reports.
VDL BACKS TRUMP’S 500 PERCENT SANCTIONS: Ursula von der Leyen suggested the EU is ready to match a U.S. plan to impose 500 percent tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil and gas and other products. “If the Americans decide to impose sanctions, then the 500 percent will be included” in the EU’s 18th round of sanctions, she told Berlin’s Playbook Podcast.
IN OTHER NEWS
BUDGET CUTS TO HIT PARLIAMENT COMMS DEPT: The European Parliament is bracing for cuts in its communications department, with some staffers fearing they’ll lose their jobs, Max Griera reports this morning.
Facing the ax: The Parliament’s outreach and campaign activities are likely to be most affected, with the administration considering withdrawing funding for events such as the Brussels 20-kilometer race, grants for organizations at the regional and local level and art exhibitions, according to a draft plan seen by Max.
No prizes: The Parliament may also slash part of its prize budget, affecting the LUX Audience Award for films,the European Citizen’s Prize and the European Charlemagne Youth Prize. Read Max’s story in full.
FROM FRUGAL 4 TO FRUGAL 3: Denmark will drop its “frugal” stance on the EU budget to counter the threat from Russia, per Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
HUNGARY SLAMMED AGAIN: Hungary’s latest transparency bill risks “severe” interference in the work of civil society and fails to meet basic legal standards, warned Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Michael O’Flaherty in a letter published today, Šejla Ahmatović reports. The draft law officially targets organizations receiving foreign funding that allegedly “threaten the sovereignty of Hungary,” but O’Flaherty says the text is so vaguely worded it could cover “a wide range of legitimate activities.”
DE CROO’S U.N. BID: Former Belgian PM Alexander De Croo is in the running to take over the U.N. Development Program. According to Belgian media, he has the backing of the country’s current government for the role.