Greece, East Libya strengthening collaboration: Gerapetritis meets with Saddam Haftar
The further deepening of Greece-East Libya relations was confirmed at a meeting in Athens on Monday between Foreign Affairs Minister George Gerapetritis and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces, Saddam Haftar. Particular emphasis was placed on the issue of maritime zones. FM Gerapetritis reiterated that Athens’ strategic priority remains the delimitation of an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) between Greece and Libya as two neighbouring countries with opposing coasts, based on the International Law of the Sea and the provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). On the issue of illegal migration, both sides agreed on the need to strengthen cooperation in order to reduce migration flows towards Crete and Gavdos islands. At the same time, they discussed continuing the training of Libyan Coast Guard officials in Greece, as well as the preparation of a new cycle of educational actions and technical know-how provisions.
Broad package worth €2 bln in the works
The government is working on a broad package of tax cuts and economic support measures worth more than €2 billion that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to present in his keynote speech at the Thessaloniki International Fair in September.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1306620/broad-package-worth-e2-bln-in-the-works
Alexandros Giotopoulos to return to Korydallos prison after Supreme Court ruling
The Greek Supreme Court has published a ruling accepting a proposal by Deputy Prosecutor Sofoklis Logothetis to overturn a decision by the Piraeus Court of Appeal Judicial Council that had recently ordered the release of Alexandros Giotopoulos, who was serving 17 life sentences for his role in the November 17 terrorist organisation. As a result, Giotopoulos was re-arrested and returned to Korydallos prison.
BoG: Inflation at 3.8 pct in 2026
The Bank of Greece (BoG) forecasts stronger inflationary pressures in the Greek economy in 2026 due to energy prices. In its Inflation Bulletin released on Monday, the Bank of Greece projected that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in Greece will rise to 3.8% in 2026, compared with 3.0% in the eurozone, driven mainly by the recent shock in energy prices.
https://www.amna.gr/en/article/1001040/BoG-Inflation-at-38-pct-in-2026
ATHEX: Benchmark covers all its losses from debt crisis
The main index of the Greek stock market closed a historic circle on Monday, as it has finally returned to levels not seen since November 2009, the month when the Greek debt crisis became apparent. The agreement reached between Washington and Tehran is expected to ease tension in the Middle East and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, releasing the forces of economic growth that had been kept in check since the outbreak of hostilities in end-February.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1306733/athex-benchmark-covers-all-its-losses-from-debt-crisis
KATHIMERINI: Hellenic Post: Zero hour after 350 million and 10 lost years
TA NEA: The drugs and vaccines of the next day
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Middle East: Agreement–defeat for the USA
RIZOSPASTIS: The peoples will win!
KONTRA NEWS: Tsipras: “Now it is time for society and citizens to speak”
DIMOKRATIA: Illegal Migration Minister
NAFTEMPORIKI: Global economy: Seven keys to exiting uncertainty
DRIVING THE DAY
KEEP TRUMP IN THE TENT: Kyiv’s allies will do their best to convince Donald Trump at the G7 today that taking a hard line against Moscow is the surest way to end the Russia-Ukraine war, according to officials and diplomats briefed on summit preparations.
Welcome back … sort of: The U.S. president signaled renewed interest in negotiating a settlement between Russia and Ukraine as he arrived, all smiles, at the high-stakes gathering in Evian. But that’s causing concern among EU officials, who are keen to bring Washington on board with their strategy, as my colleagues and I report this morning.
What to watch: Ukraine will dominate the summit today as leaders meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a two-hour session focused on what Kyiv needs to keep defending itself and how to resolve the conflict.
Steady on: Ahead of the meeting, both Ukrainian and EU officials underscored that their aim at the G7 is to align with Washington on the best way to end the fighting. “It’s important that the other G7 countries, in particular the United States … don’t degrade their position toward Ukraine,” an official from the office of French President Emmanuel Macron told journalists last week.
Money and pressure: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made clear on Monday how the EU sees things: More funds for Ukraine, more pressure on Russia. “Europe keeps up its unwavering support to Ukraine,” she said, noting that the bloc’s €90 billion loan covers two-thirds of Ukraine’s funding needs for this year and next. “For the remaining third, we need Ukraine’s partners to step up.”
London piles on: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced late last night that the U.K. is imposing fresh energy sanctions on Russia, targeting Moscow’s illicit shadow fleet. It has also struck a deal to supply Ukraine’s nuclear plants for the next two years.
Add us to the guest list: Macron, meanwhile, underscored his demand that Europeans have a seat at the table in any future talks with Russia. “The right kind of negotiation is one with Ukraine and Russia sitting around the table, and the Europeans and Americans at their side,” he said in an interview with the French broadcaster TF1.
Different strokes: But Trump has shown little interest in pressuring Russia. In fact, he has eased sanctions while Europe hardened them. Nor does he want to send more money to Kyiv.
Usual suspects: His recent outreach to Russia’s Vladimir Putin — the two held a nearly hour-long call on Sunday — and the prospect of him sending negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner back to Moscow are stirring fears that Trump may want to handle negotiations without help from Europe.
Indeed … a senior Trump administration official told my stateside colleague Myah Ward that the “only person in the planet … who can bring the two sides together and try to negotiate the end of this war is Donald Trump.”
The bottom line: The G7 is one of the few places where Western powers can still try to come together as a bloc and show common purpose. But Trump could easily blow up any hope of unity — and Ukraine could well be the trigger.
BIG AND BREAKING
PARTY’S OVER: Diplomats in Brussels are mourning the dinners of the “like-minded” that used to be held at the U.S. ambassador’s residence — a tradition they say has all but ended since Trump returned to the White House.
THE MAN WHO MADE TRUMP WAIT: How mild-mannered International Trade Committee Chair Bernd Lange became the unlikely obstacle to a transatlantic deal, frustrating Washington and Brussels alike.
THE ANTITRUST EXODUS: After the Trump administration’s clampdown on what it calls the “snooty” American Bar Association, Europe’s competition community is building its own flagship gathering in Brussels.
DOOMSDAY PREPPING (BANKING VERSION): EU officials are drawing up a blueprint to keep a lender alive after a banking crisis, taking their cue from the Swiss government’s scramble to prevent the collapse of Credit Suisse three years ago.
FREEZE, PLEASE: Four of Europe’s largest steel and chemical manufacturers have requested an immediate halt to the rollout of the EU Emissions Trading System, arguing the bloc’s most important climate policy is too expensive.
LOBBYING LATEST
MORE BAD NEWS FOR MCC BRUSSELS: MPs in Hungary will start talks today on a law aimed at abolishing the think tank linked to Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party, while the organization also grapples with being kicked off the EU’s Transparency Register, Mari Eccles writes. Listing on the register is required to engage with EU institutions.
Finding closure: “Under the bill, the ironically named public interest trusts that in reality served private Fidesz’s interests — including the MCC Foundation — will be wound up in their current form, and the public assets transferred to them will be recovered,” Márton Hajdu, chair of the foreign policy committee in the Hungarian parliament, told Playbook. The process should be complete by Aug. 31.
Pumping up the volume: The think tank, which was suspended from the register in a dispute over the disclosure of financial information, is as bullish as ever. Its comms officer John O’Brien confirmed the group would appeal the decision, adding that it would continue to publish research, organize conferences and “engage” with the European institutions. “MCC Brussels’ voice will become louder, not quieter,” he added.
20-SECOND PLAYBOOK PRIMER
Jordan Bardella said he would cut France’s contribution to the EU budget if he becomes French president. But why isn’t he the National Rally’s election candidate? Well, he could be as soon as July 7, when a court will rule if Marine Le Pen can stand in the presidential election. Long-time National Rally boss Le Pen was convicted in March 2025 of embezzling European Parliament funds and barred from standing in elections for five years. She challenged that decision. If she wins the appeal, she’ll likely stand in the presidential vote next year (with Bardella as her candidate for prime minister). If she loses, it’ll be Bardella on the ballot.
TALK TO PLAYBOOK: On the Brussels Playbook Podcast, Zoya asked you to send in your story tipoffs. Whatsapp us on +32 491 050629 and listen from 7 a.m. to hear if we give you a shoutout.
BUDGET BATTLE
ONE DOWN, MANY TO GO: European affairs ministers meeting in Luxembourg today will sign off on the architecture of the new seven-year budget starting in 2028. It’s a major win for northern European countries that are pushing to remodel the budget away from farm and regional spending and toward EU-wide priorities, like competitiveness and defense.
Ministers are set to broadly approve this structure, proposed last year by the Commission, although many thorny issues remain for leaders to settle in the coming months, Gregorio Sorgi and Zoya Sheftalovich tell us. EU ambassadors managed to resolve one such issue over the weekend by agreeing to give capitals greater power to freeze funds for countries that breach the bloc’s democratic and judicial standards, Gregorio reports (for Pro subscribers).
T-3 to summit: Today’s talks mark the first minister-level discussion of the bloc’s next budget since the Cyprus presidency unveiled its negotiating box, which for the first time put concrete figures on the table. The discussions will give the clearest indication yet of whether rival blocs of countries might be open to shifting their entrenched positions ahead of Friday’s European Council budget showdown. “Too many delegations are not stepping up” to make the concessions needed to get negotiations moving, one EU diplomat warned.
5 MORE THINGS GETTING US TALKING
HUAWEI IMMUNITY VOTES: The European Parliament will vote today on a committee recommendation to retain legal immunity for MEPs Daniel Attard, Nikola Minchev and Salvatore De Meo in the Huawei case, and to lift immunity for EPP lawmaker Fulvio Martusciello. As Playbook reported last week, Martusciello has been lobbying colleagues to keep his protection in place.
CARNEY ON THE CALENDAR: As Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney seeks closer ties with Europe, officials have confirmed a landmark EU-Canada summit will take place in the North American country from Oct. 29-30.
GROWING PAINS: The EU is in the process of developing tough new conditions to ensure the next wave of new member countries don’t renege on their commitments, Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos told Gabriel Gavin, as the bloc moves ahead in talks with Montenegro, Ukraine and Moldova.
YOU HAD TO BE A BIG SHOT: The unlikely story of how New York’s former Mayor Mike Bloomberg taught Greater Manchester’s Andy Burnham to play on a bigger stage.
CLOSING THE DOOR ON ORBÁN: Hungarian lawmakers passed a constitutional amendment yesterday that retroactively limits prime ministers to eight years in office, effectively barring Viktor Orbán from returning to power.
BRUSSELS CORNER
WEATHER: High of 24C. Overcast.
SMALL STEP FOR PARLIAMENTARY RENOVATION: More than two years after deciding to renovate the Paul-Henri Spaak building, which houses Brussels plenary sessions, the European Parliament is … one step closer to getting a permit. According to a document uploaded Monday, the consultative committee of Brussels’ municipal government delivered a positive opinion for the renovation.
The Strasbourg option: The consultation for the proposed renovation, partly designed to improve the building’s environmental performance and fire safety, attracted seven responses — including one calling for the renovation to be scrapped and the Parliament moved to Strasbourg instead. The aim is to start the works in 2027.
HUNGARIAN-BRUSSELS HISTORY: At a time when Brussels and Budapest are trying to mend fences, why not find out more about Mary of Hungary, sister of the 16th century Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and regent of the Habsburg Netherlands? The Coudenberg Palace’s MARY4ALL exhibition opens today.
PROTEST AGAINST TALIBAN TIES: People from Afghanistan will joinNGOs, including Amnesty International, on Wednesday to stage a protest on Brussels’ Trône square to denounce all forms of collaboration between Belgium or the EU and the Taliban regime.
The European Commission says it has reached out to representatives of the Taliban regime to discuss the return of Afghan nationals, with Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert saying Brussels’ contacts with the Taliban are of a “technical” nature and nothing new.
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CORRECTION: Monday’s edition of Playbook misstated which countries were opposed to sanctioning Itamar Ben-Gvir. Austria backs sanctions.
TOP OF THE PLAYBOOKS
Berlin: Friedrich Merz spent his first evening at the G7 in a generally optimistic mood — but now comes the hard part.
London: Keir Starmer’s time in Evian could be his last waltz on the world stage.
Paris: Emmanuel Macron is approaching the G7 with a clear objective: strengthen military and financial support for Ukraine before negotiating with Russia.
Washington PM: Donald Trump says the Strait of Hormuz will be opened “permanently toll-free,” but Iran appears to be hedging on fees.