Parliamentary Ethics Committee recommends lifting immunity for 11 MPs
The members of the Parliamentary Committee on Ethics have unanimously recommended the lifting of parliamentary immunity for the 11 sitting Members of Parliament of New Democracy whose names are included in a case file referred to the Hellenic Parliament by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, which concerns the Greek payment authority for EU agricultural subsidies, OPEKEPE.
Files on two more ND MPs named in subsidy scandal sent to Parliament
New files from an investigation by European prosecutors into a major farm subsidy scandal were forwarded to Parliament Tuesday, with the question of stripping two sitting lawmakers with the governing New Democracy party of their immunity from prosecution. A parliamentary ethics committee will decide whether to lift the automatic parliamentary immunity of Haralambos Athanassiou and Tassos Hadzivassiliou. It is expected to convene on April 20, after the Easter holidays.
Androulakis: ‘We must go to elections…we have a deeply corrupt government’
In an attack on New Democracy and the government on Tuesday, during which he repeated a call for early elections, main opposition PASOK-Movement for Change leader Nikos Androulakis claimed that a “plan is being orchestrated to discredit European institutions” – including assertions that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office was “playing games” at the expense of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the government.
Downward revision by BoG
The Greek economy will be affected by international instability and the war in the Middle East, the Bank of Greece confirmed in its 2026 forecast, noting that it is starting from a stronger position than in previous crises.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1300351/downward-revision-by-bog
ATHEX: Traders in bourse go for optimism
This three-day trading week opened on Tuesday with the Greek stock market benchmark advancing as traders chose to adopt the positive scenario of a de-escalation in the Middle East. The banks sector led the ascent, both because of foreign investor preference and since domestically the main corporate news concerned the acquisition of 69.6% of Alpha Trust Holdings by Alpha Bank, with a prospect of a public proposal for the rest of the shares.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1300444/athex-traders-in-bourse-go-for-optimism
KATHIMERINI: Greece releases 2 million fuel barrels
TA NEA: EFKA social security fund: Statute of limitations for debts halved
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: On the verge of a food crisis
RIZOSPASTIS: The USA and Israel are escalating the imperialistic massacre with ultimata and blackmails
KONTRA NEWS: Polls point at corruption and government popularity decline
DIMOKRATIA: The war is going to cause an economy crash
NAFTEMPORIKI: Deals in the power storage market ahead
DRIVING THE DAY
WHAT JUST HAPPENED? Trump’s announcement of the ceasefire and Iran’s 10-point plan came just hours after the president warned on Truth Social that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” if no deal was reached. History was coming at us fast.
What Trump said: The provisional truce hinges on Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said, adding that “almost all” key issues have been agreed and the two-week window would allow the deal to be finalized. As for what the final agreement would look like, the president said it would be aimed at “long-term PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East.”
Golden Age: In a subsequent post, Trump sounded upbeat about the region’s future. “There will be lots of positive action! Big money will be made. Iran can start the reconstruction process. We’ll be loading up with supplies of all kinds, and just ‘hangin’ around’ in order to make sure that everything goes well … this could be the Golden Age of the Middle East!!”
Iran’s plan: The BBC summarized the plan put forward by Tehran, quoting the Iranian state broadcaster. The Strait of Hormuz would be reopened in return for a permanent cessation of hostilities. Iran would receive a “full payment” of compensation for reconstruction costs and would commit itself to “not seeking possession of any nuclear weapons.”
Israeli caveat: The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it supported Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks, but the ceasefire wouldn’t apply to Israel’s operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Reuters reports.
Escalating rhetoric: The relief no doubt being felt across Europe today is matched only by yesterday’s spike in collective anxiety. Trump’s threat to wipe out an entire civilization — which he framed as “one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the world” — drew sharp responses. Pope Leo XIV, for one, called it “truly unacceptable.”
Calls to condemn Trump: Socialist MEP Brando Benifei, chair of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with the United States, described Trump’s messaging as a “very unpredictable and unrestrained series of announcements” and urged European leaders to be more vocal. “We have condemned Iran many times … maybe now we should also condemn what Trump is saying,” Benifei told Playbook.
Was it just the art of the deal? “May God save us all today,” one EU official told Seb Starcevic yesterday afternoon, ahead of the looming deadline. Another diplomat privately dismissed the post as “classic Trump hyperbole.” Yet Trump’s words were enough for a G7 minister to invoke Hiroshima and Nagasaki in a parliamentary hearing, suggesting nuclear escalation was on the table.
Rutte to the rescue: There’s one European heading to Washington for a high-stakes mission: NATO chief and Trump-whisperer Mark Rutte. He’s arguably facing one of the toughest challenges of his tenure: preventing a transatlantic rupture over the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
He’s done it before: At the height of the Greenland drama, a meeting with Rutte helped defuse tensions, with Trump dropping tariff threats and cooling talk of annexation. “I do not envy [Rutte],” one senior European official told POLITICO’s NATO correspondent Victor Jack. “But we rely on his ability to talk to Trump in his own style.”
Cringe-central: Another EU official put it to Playbook more bluntly: better a familiar face who can “play it nice” in this moment. Jokes about Rutte’s “daddy” comments to Trump may still be doing the rounds, but this could be the best chance at de-escalation. “Hopefully, once again, the end will justify the cringe,” one diplomat said.
Father figure: Rutte arrives with far less leverage than he had with Greenland. He’s grappling with stiff opposition from European allies, while also aware of NATO’s limited power in the Middle East and the absence of clear demands from Washington. He’ll only have two tools at his disposal: his persuasiveness and a solid personal relationship with Donald Trump, Victor writes.
Hands tied: “It is obvious that [Rutte] can offer nothing from NATO in Iran,” said one senior alliance diplomat. Rutte “can probably market NATO as a Trump success story,” a second NATO diplomat said, but he cannot offer anything concrete as “he does not dictate the policy of NATO” — only allies do.
One unexpected upside for the EU: Trump’s tariffs and volatile foreign policy — from Greenland to Iran — are sending spooked investors into the arms of EU debt. As Gregorio Sorgi reports, Brussels is suddenly looking like the safer bet for markets.
Journalist freed: In other news from the region, Reuters reports that Rome-based U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson has been freed, after she was abducted in Baghdad at the end of March. “We are relieved that this American is now free and are working to support her safe departure from Iraq,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
EU REACTS
EU (IN)ACTION: The Commission has largely ducked the latest Middle East escalation and has sidestepped Trump’s warlike rhetoric — including what liberal MEP Barry Andrews calls the president’s “genocidal language” (the EU executive’s silence is the story, POLITICO’s EU Chief Correspondent Zoya Sheftalovich suggests). But there is some movement afoot.
Kallas flies to Riyadh: The EU is at least trying to keep the mediation door open — particularly with Gulf partners. Foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is flying to Saudi Arabia today, Playbook can reveal. On the agenda: meetings with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Jasem Al Budaiwi, among others.
“This is a dangerous moment for the region,” an EU official told Playbook about the visit, which was kept under wraps for security reasons. “The Gulf is caught in a conflict it did not choose” — a reference to Iran firing hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at its neighbors. Kallas is expected to push de-escalation and test possible diplomatic off-ramps. But why go in person? “Diplomacy works better face-to-face,” the official said.
Better say something: The EU’s loudest line condemning Donald Trump’s threats against Iran to date has come from European Council President António Costa. Why’s that? Fellow Playbooker Gabriel Gavin has the answer (and the inside story): EU leaders worry they can’t denounce alleged Russian war crimes while staying quiet on comparable U.S. action, according to four diplomats briefed on internal talks.
Keeping it quiet: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been surprisingly muted on the issue, despite being vocal during the initial strikes on Iran. One EU official’s take is that her low profile may have come at the request of member countries.
Saddle up: For example, von der Leyen had a chance to jump into the issue in Hanover yesterday, in her acceptance speech for the Niedersächsische Landesmedaille, awarded by Lower Saxony. But the closest she came to current events was a metaphor about horses, in which she said that they “radiate an incredible calm and resilience, and I believe they are an ideal symbol for our tempestuous times.”
Energy nerves: Behind the scenes, concern is building fast over a potential jet fuel crunch as long as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. To address this, the Commission has convened a special meeting of the Oil Coordination Group today, with representatives from the aviation and fuel industries.
How bad is it going to get? The agenda, seen by POLITICO’s aviation reporter Tommaso Lecca, starts with a broad exchange involving both member countries and industry. It then shifts to coordination among capitals. Key questions the Commission’s DG ENER will ask include: How is the Hormuz disruption hitting supply, logistics and costs? And, if nothing changes, what do the end of April and the month of May look like?
HUNGARY ELECTIONS
VEEP IN ORBÁN’S DEN (DAY 2): U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is still in Budapest, speaking this morning at the Mathias Corvinus Collegium, the Orbán-aligned think tank that has had a Brussels presence since 2022. Vance caused a stir yesterday by accusing the Commission of meddling in Hungary’s elections. Will he continue to stir the pot today?
Fighting EU interference: Vance made clear this wasn’t just a courtesy stop. “One of the reasons the president sent me here,” he said, was that “the amount of interference coming from the bureaucracy in Brussels has been truly disgraceful.”
The charge sheet: From an alleged attempt to “destroy the economy of Hungary” … to efforts to “make the country less energy independent” … to claims that the Commission is “telling social media companies what information to provide to Hungarian voters” … All of it, Vance argued, is being driven by “bureaucrats in Brussels” who “oppose this guy,” gesturing toward Viktor Orbán.
Not telling you how to vote: Vance insisted he “wouldn’t tell the people of Hungary how to vote. I would encourage the bureaucrats in Brussels to do the exact same.” That didn’t stop him from saying earlier, from the same podium: “We’ve got to get Viktor Orbán reelected, don’t we?” turning his speech into a not-so-subtle boost for Orbán’s campaign
Antihero on the horizon: Orbán’s main rival, Péter Magyar, was quick to call out Vance’s comments. (Worth a read: a fresh POLITICO profile of Hungary’s political challenger ahead of Sunday’s vote).
Commission responds: “In Europe, elections are the sole choice of the citizens,” Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier told Playbook. As for digital rules, he said the EU’s Digital Services Act aims to curb disinformation and manipulation by requiring platforms “to mitigate those risks to protect our democracies.” In Europe, “elections are not the choice of Big Tech and their algorithms,” he added.
Unreliable on energy: The Commission spokesperson also took aim at Vance’s line on energy. “Going back to importing from Russia — an unreliable supplier waging an atrocious war against Ukraine — would be a strategic mistake,” Regnier said.
Now that you mention it: My colleagues Gabriel Gavin and Zoya Sheftalovich have obtained exclusive documents showing Hungary quietly signed a 12-point plan with Russia to deepen economic, trade and energy ties.
Trend positively: The deal — not previously public — includes opening the door to Russian involvement in new electricity and hydrogen projects and a commitment to “reverse the negative trend in bilateral trade” following sanctions linked to the war in Ukraine.
The mouse and the lion: Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that the Hungarian PM told Vladimir Putin in an October 2025 call that Hungary would help “in any way” he can and would be at his “service,” casting his country as the “mouse” to Moscow’s “lion.”
HAPPENING TODAY
COUNCIL’S TURN AT TURNBERRY: Trade diplomats meet this morning to go over the European Parliament’s amendments to the EU-U.S. trade truce struck last July. It’s the Council’s first real chance to weigh in on the tweaks — from sunrise and sunset clauses to other additions slipped into the text by MEPs.
ALSO SEEN ON MASTERCHEF INDIA: In the European Parliament’s agriculture committee, MEPs will look at how the Commission spends money promoting EU food abroad. An example of this policy: the EU teamed up with TV show MasterChef India, asking contestants to create dishes inspired by Indian cuisine using EU-certified ingredients. It was part of a branded European Union Mystery Box Challenge, POLITICO’s Ketrin Jochecová reports.
CRUNCH TIME: Negotiations over a virtual extension of euro banknotes and coins known as the digital euro are entering the endgame. Lead MEP Fernando Navarrete has called two meetings — today and tomorrow — to try to seal a deal on the digital euro. While the overall design is largely settled, the sticking point now is the compensation model: who pays, and how much, for the system’s services.
IN OTHER NEWS
GET BEHIND SOCIAL-MEDIA AGE BANS: The international community, including the EU, should get behind a global movement to shift the norms and laws around how kids use social media, Australia’s Ambassador to the U.S. Angus Campbell told POLITICO. Australia’s under-16s ban, which came into effect in December, needs global support to produce “substantive, enduring change globally to the algorithms and a change to the design behaviors of big tech companies,” Canberra’s envoy said.