At UN, Greece calls for de-escalation
Greece, a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, expressed its “deep concern” about the escalation of conflict in the Middle East late Saturday, calling for “self-restraint” and a “return to meaningful negotiations” over Iran’s nuclear program.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/politics/foreign-policy/1296654/at-un-greece-calls-for-de-escalation
Protest rallies marking 3rd year since Tempi rail crash held in Greece and abroad
A protest rally marking three years since the rail disaster at Tempi, in which 57 people lost their lives, was held in Syntagma Square in central Athens on Saturday. With the central message “Their profits or our lives. It was not an accident, it was murder. We do not forget, we do not forgive”, the Association of the Families of Tempi Victims was joined by labour centres, the civil servants’ union federation ADEDY and other trade union organisations, student associations and other bodies, gathering opposite Parliament to demand “true justice” ahead of the trial over the rail crash.
Polls signal punitive vote
Political party headquarters are poring over opinion polls and conducting focus groups, arriving at a shared conclusion: The next national elections are likely to carry a strong punitive character. Voters may revive memories of the twin ballots of May 2012, though two key differences stand out. First, New Democracy maintains a stable and cohesive base of around 24% to 25%, compared with 18.85% in May 2012. Second, the near civil war-like climate of that divided Greek society nearly 15 years ago is absent. Anger within the electorate persists, but with different features and a different starting point. Public dissatisfaction is directed not only at the governing majority over stagnant living standards but also at opposition parties.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/politics/1296578/polls-signal-punitive-vote
Countdown has started for increases in the minimum wage, benefits and sectoral salaries
The countdown has started for a new round of government actions designed to boost household incomes in 2026 and 2027, starting with a planned increase in the minimum wage from April 1. Labour and Social Security Minister Niki Kerameus is expected to propose a new increase in the basic wage to the cabinet in March, once talks with the social partners on their proposals for wage increases have been concluded. The increase in the minimum wage will also push up a series of related benefits, including unemployment benefit, maternity benefit, parental leave, seasonal benefits for certain employment categories and welfare benefits.
ATHEX: February posted losses of 1.6%
The negative news on US inflation and the persistence of geopolitical concerns led to a decline on Friday for the Greek bourse, which also dealt with an MSCI index rebalancing that sent the day’s turnover soaring. The corporate results issued led to a variety of reactions, a phenomenon expected to continue in the coming week. February has therefore closed with a 1.61% monthly decline for the benchmark. The losses for the banks index were three times as high, though.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1296517/athex-february-posted-losses-of-1-6
SUNDAY PAPERS
KATHIMERINI: Greece under France’s nuclear umbrella
TO VIMA: Wiretappings scandal: Domino effect after the convictions
REAL NEWS: Frigates made in Greece
PROTO THEMA: Banks are blacklisting even those checking out the app for out-of-court settlements
MONDAY PAPERS:
TA NEA: Middle East is burning: Are we in danger?
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: The thriller has begun
KONTRA NEWS: Nightmarish scenarios for the economy
DIMOKRATIA: War for a new world order
NAFTEMPORIKI: Middle East and markets are burning
DRIVING THE DAY
A NEW TEST FOR DIVIDED EUROPE: The European Union is waking up to a new week and a new post-Khamenei world, in which events are moving rapidly. The American-Israeli conflict with Iran threatened to expand last night, with Israel launching attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon and reports of a drone strike on a British air base in Cyprus — bringing the war even closer to home.
How will Brussels respond? European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will convene an emergency meeting of European commissioners today, after a Sunday of frantic meetings. With ministers from the EU’s 27 members failing to see eye to eye on how to respond to the crisis, it’s now up to the Commission to pull together a coherent foreign policy response and ensure the bloc speaks with one voice, as my colleagues Seb Starcevic and Gerardo Fortuna report this morning.
Assertive defense: Europe’s largest military powers warned Iran late Sunday they were ready to take “defensive action” to destroy Iran’s ability to fire missiles and drones “at their source” unless Tehran stops its “indiscriminate attacks.” The warning from the E3 powers — France, Germany and the U.K. — doesn’t bring those countries directly into the U.S.-Israeli war, but it does suggest they’re willing to take action against a regime seriously weakened by the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.
French build-up: The statement came as France moved to bolster its military presence in the Middle East after an Iranian strike hit a French base in the United Arab Emirates, POLITICO’s Laura Kayali reports.
And in London … U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned Iran to “stop these reckless attacks immediately.” Britain has told the U.S. it can use the Diego Garcia military base on the Chagos Islands to launch air strikes — something Starmer had previously been unwilling to do, much to Trump’s dismay (and outrage).
EU, too: A senior EU official told journalists Sunday that the bloc’s Operation Aspides — a naval operation to guard commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Yemen — will be reinforced by two naval vessels provided by France. That will bring the total number participating in the mission to five, including French, Italian and Greek vessels.
Hands tied: There’s also a discussion underway about updating Aspides’ restrictive rules of engagement, said the official, who was granted anonymity to discuss non-public exchanges between foreign ministers during an extraordinary meeting on Sunday. (An EU diplomat confirmed the deployment of additional ships to Operation Aspides but not their number. A French official didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.)
Meanwhile, EU ambassadors meeting Sunday drilled down on how the Middle East crisis will affect the safety of thousands of Europeans in the region, as well as the implications for the bloc if the fighting were to continue, according to a diplomat.
Shipping-lane fears: Envoys zeroed in on the impact of strikes on air and maritime traffic, particularly if the key Strait of Hormuz is closed, Zoya Sheftalovich writes in to report. The strait, which is partly in Iranian territorial waters, is a key shipping lane through which 20 percent of the world’s oil passes.
Cyprus concerns: Britain’s defense secretary on Sunday said Iranian missiles had been fired “in the direction of” Cyprus — prompting a forceful denial from Nicosia, which said the EU member country had not been targeted. Overnight, the BBC reported that the British Ministry of Defence was investigating a suspected drone attack on the Royal Air Force Akrotiri base in Cyprus at around midnight local time.
Come prepared: Commission President von der Leyen will preside over today’s meeting of the Security College — a new format designed to promote situational awareness in the EU executive. Her head of cabinet, Bjoern Seibert, wrote to key officials asking them to prepare briefings on security, migratory trends and energy prices, among other issues, Gerardo reports.
Hard power needed: According to the senior EU official cited above, the crisis underscores Europe’s need to bolster air defenses and its hard-power capacity. “We are working to make sure that we also get in a position of being able to show more strength,” the official said.
The bottom line: The EU is built for meetings and statements, not missile and drone strikes from a weakened regional power. Europe may be adapting, but its limited capacity means its efforts are defensive — for now.
IRANIAN OPPOSITION
TRANSITION PLAN: Iran’s exiled “crown prince” Reza Pahlavi says the theocratic regime in Tehran is “collapsing” under the pressure of American-Israeli strikes and that it’s time for Europe to get off the fence.
I need your support: The U.S.-based Pahlavi, the son of the last shah of Iran, told POLITICO’s Tim Ross that he has a plan for a “stable transition to democracy” and the support in Iran to pull it off, as the “one national figure around whom the armed forces can rally and to whom they can defect.” Pahlavi claims he is making “final preparations to form a transitional government and to lead the country toward stability and peace.”
Plea to Europe: Pahlavi praised the EU’s decision to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization but said the bloc “now needs to go further and support our transition plan to rebuild Iran.”
Pick a side: “Europe has too long sat on the fence. This is the moment of decision. Stand with the Iranian people,” he said.
Not so fast: During a meeting on Sunday, EU foreign ministers stopped short of endorsing any opposition force. A senior EU official cited above said it was too early for the bloc to throw its weight behind any opposition group and stressed that the regime, although weakened, was still in place. “We may get there but we are not there yet,” the official said. “We are at very early stage.”
MORE READING ON IRAN:
— Chaos in Iran is a good endgame for Israel’s Netanyahu.
— Avocado toast, influencers and … panic: How the party ended in Dubai.
— Will Iranians rise up? Here are the odds.
— Many of Trump’s own voters didn’t want to attack Iran. Now he has to win them over.
MACRON ON NUKES
MACRON’S NUCLEAR DOCTRINE: As Europe grapples with yet another hot war at its periphery, French President Emmanuel Macron is in Brittany today to deliver a landmark address on the European dimension of France’s nuclear doctrine, Laura Kayali writes in to report. The event is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. (though Macron is often late, so don’t hold us to that).
Every French president gives one nuclear speech per term. But this one feels different, as wars and concerns about the reliability of a U.S. security guarantee ramp up talk about France extending its nuclear umbrella to other European countries.
The European audience: EU governments will be watching closely, looking for concrete, meaningful proposals (read our story here). A senior EU government official told POLITICO’s Victor Jack they hoped the speech would “really discuss practicalities of a [European] deterrent.”
In recent weeks, European countries such as Germany and Sweden have talked increasingly publicly about a homegrown nuclear deterrent. But there are limits. Not everyone is on board. Stockholm, for one, said Sweden wouldn’t host French nuclear weapons in peacetime. The Polish president’s top security adviser, Sławomir Cenckiewicz, said last week that the U.S. — not France — was the only credible nuclear partner.
The domestic audience: The European dimension of France’s nuclear deterrence is controversial at home. Whatever Macron says, his speech is unlikely to land well with the far-right National Rally and the far-left France Unbowed — and the French government already expects pushback.
Hands off our umbrella: Over the weekend, the National Rally’s President Jordan Bardella and Les Républicains leader Bruno Retailleau both criticized Macron’s outreach to European countries. Last year, France Unbowed said: “There is no French nuclear umbrella.”
Treasonous dealings: For years, some far-right officials have accused Macron of planning to sell France’s nuclear deterrent to the EU. Philippe Olivier, an MEP close to Le Pen, said ahead of the address that if Macron thinks he can give France’s nuclear weapons to the EU, he will “face impeachment proceedings for treason.” While it’s unlikely the RN would gather enough votes for an impeachment, the threats are a testament to how inflammatory the topic is.
Explainer: Paris released this five-point summary of its force de frappe.