Nine countries, including Greece, commit to global defense bank
Nine countries have committed to a new global defense bank, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Tuesday, in a boost for the multilateral drive to help rearm allied nations. Carney said in a statement at the NATO summit in Turkey’s capital Ankara that Albania, Belgium, Greece, Latvia, Luxembourg, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine had all pledged their support to the Defense, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB), which will be based in Canada. The bank’s purpose is to bolster the defense of like-minded allied nations by raising up to £100 billion ($134 billion) in cheap financing.
ND has double-digit lead over Tsipras’ ELAS, new poll suggests
Governing New Democracy retains a double-digit lead over former prime minister Alexis Tsipras’ new Greek Left Alliance, or ELAS, party, according to a new opinion poll published Tuesday. The Interview survey for Political newspaper projects Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ ND getting 30.1% were elections to be held now, with Tsipras’ ELAS following at 17.4%. Socialist PASOK places third at 12.3%, followed by populist right-wing Greek Solution at 8.8%, and Karystianou’s Hope for Democracy at 7.4%.
New plaintiffs added in new spyware lawsuit against Intellexa
A new lawsuit against Israeli spyware firm Intellexa and 13 other individuals over the illegal wiretapping of their phones includes persons who testified in the trial as witnesses, but had not appeared in support of the charge. The eight victims of the wiretapping scandal have sued the Athens-based surveillance firm and individuals believed to be linked to it, seeking €1 million each for moral harm, their lawyer Zacharias Kesses said on Tuesday. The trial has been set for April 7, 2027.
DESFA: Greek gas exports triple in first half of 2026
Natural gas exports from Greece tripled in the first half of the year, while domestic consumption remained broadly stable, according to data released on Tuesday by the country’s gas transmission operator DESFA.
https://www.amna.gr/en/article/1006970/DESFA-Greek-gas-exports-triple-in-first-half-of-2026
ATHEX: Buyers take a break after recent rally
Following four straight sessions of stock growth that took the benchmark to a 17-year high, Athinon Avenue experienced the first losing session of the month on Tuesday, but without any dramatic sales that would put the positive trajectory at risk. The Euronext Athens (ATHEX) general index closed at 2,541.99 points, shedding 0.72% from Monday’s 2,560.34 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index contracted 0.74% to end at 6,454.83 points.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1308911/athex-buyers-take-a-break-after-recent-rally
KATHIMERINI: Trump praises Erdogan and makes promises regarding the F-35 jetfighters
TA NEA: NATO Summit: Many promises, show and bargaining
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: NATO Summit favors the “Sultan”
RIZOSPASTIS: Take measures for students’ housing now!
KONTRA NEWS: Trump gave everything to his friend Erdogan
DIMOKRATIA: The “Sultan” took it all
NAFTEMPORIKI: Funding worth 6,25 bln available for private investments
DRIVING THE DAY
CRANK UP THE MERRY-GO-ROUND: The summer break hasn’t even started, but Brussels is already looking to September and a fresh reshuffle of some of the Commission’s most powerful jobs.
Here we go again: The departure of several senior officials will trigger a domino effect across departments, according to nine EU officials and diplomats, granted anonymity to discuss the internal plans. As with previous reshuffles, one vacancy will spark the chain reaction — as happened with Sabine Weyand’s exit, which triggered the biggest shake-up of the von der Leyen era.
First domino: Gert Jan Koopman, the veteran Dutch official running Commission’s enlargement department DG ENEST, is expected to retire on Jan. 1, according to two EU officials. The smart money says his successor will be Michael Karnitschnig, currently acting director-general of DG MENA, who was praised for stepping in after Stefano Sannino’s controversial departure,
The fun begins: Karnitschnig’s promotion would leave the top DG MENA job up for grabs. Among the names circulating is that of DG CONNECT Deputy Director-General Despina Spanou. Another move officials say is almost certain is Olivier Bailly’s transfer from the EEAS to become DG MENA’s departmental deputy — yet another example, some note, of the Commission raiding the diplomatic service for senior talent.
Or … think bigger: Playbook revealed earlier this week that the Commission is weighing a broader overhaul of its external relations machinery. If several services are rolled into one super-DG, expect one name to dominate the speculation: Philippe Léglise-Costa, France’s ambassador to the EU since 2017.
Unless he’s playing the long game: Two EU officials say Léglise-Costa has long been lined up for a Commission role, helped by his close ties to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s influential head of cabinet, Bjoern Seibert. But one of the two officials, and a third official familiar with the thinking, believe Léglise-Costa is still holding out for his dream job: EU Council secretary-general. As Jacopo Barigazzi reminds me, that’s a race he lost to his compatriot Thérèse Blanchet in 2022.
Not everyone is buying it: Blanchet isn’t expected to leave before late 2027, one EU diplomat noted. “That’s a long wait,” the diplomat said. The other strong candidate for the post is Agnieszka Bartol, currently Poland’s EU ambassador.
Other DGs in play: Don’t forget DG DEFIS. Timo Pesonen is also expected to head for the exit before the end of the year, opening another post with clout. And then there’s DG FISMA, where the succession race — expertly reported for Pro by POLITICO’s Bjarke Smith-Meyer — is already in full swing.
DG FISMA derby: John Berrigan’s retirement at the end of September has kicked off the contest. The names most often heard around the Berlaymont are: Paulina Dejmek Hack, Jessika Roswall’s head of cabinet, who was appointed yesterday as FISMA deputy; Michael Hager, Valdis Dombrovskis’ trusted lieutenant; and DG EMPL chief Mario Nava, although his appointment would trigger another vacancy.
Right of reply. All those named in this report were offered the opportunity to comment but didn’t respond. A European Commission spokesperson told Playbook that the EU executive “does not comment on speculation regarding senior management appointments.”
Not just jobs: September won’t only be about who gets which office. On Sept. 2, the College heads off for its annual retreat, this year in Ireland, a week after the other traditional gathering of heads of cabinet. The last edition of the commissioners’ retreat featured plenty of team building after a bruising spell of internal clashes. This time, the official theme is simple: “reflection.” Perhaps a reminder to play nicely before Brussels gets busy again.
BIG AND BREAKING
MADE IN… WHAT? Mark Rutte has launched a new “Made in NATO” industrial drive. My defense colleagues reckon it could soon collide with Brussels’ own “Buy European” agenda.
FOES IN D.C., FRIENDS IN BRUSSELS: The Trump administration and Big Pharma are battling over drug prices in Washington. In Europe, they’re finding common ground … on keeping prices high.
KEEPING LIVESTOCK ALIVE: Europe has gone from debating herd reductions to declaring livestock part of its security infrastructure. Brussels insists no one’s coming for your steak.
EXCLUSIVE — MEGA DEBT EXPANSION: Spain has proposed a major expansion of EU joint borrowing, urging the European Commission to issue an annual €850 billion in bonds to save countries billions of euros in interest costs. The proposal, seen by POLITICO’s Gregorio Sorgi, is set to inflame tomorrow’s meeting of eurozone finance ministers. (More on Morning FS, for subscribers).
SERBIA SHOWDOWN
GROWING PAINS: The European Commission, France and Germany face a setback today when ambassadors convene for a Coreper meeting. Berlin, Paris and Brussels are pushing for the bloc to open a new round of negotiations designed to advance Serbia’s application to join the EU — despite the country’s close links to Russia, warnings over democratic backsliding and skepticism from other members.
Berlaymont on board: Ahead of the discussion, the Commission circulated a five-page paper arguing that Serbia has now made “progress” in key areas and calling on ambassadors to open Cluster 3. You can read the briefing note, obtained by Playbook.
Carrot and stick: Serbia has been a candidate country for EU membership since 2014 and receives huge financial support from Brussels — despite progress on its application grinding to a halt. But that money is now at risk.
Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos told us in April that she was prepared to strip Serbia of €1.5 billion in funding if the government didn’t change course on key areas of concern. Since then, Belgrade has launched a charm offensive and changed a string of laws to comply with advice from the EU and international legal experts.
But not everyone is convinced. The Netherlands is prepared to veto any effort to open a new negotiating cluster in the accession process, four diplomats and officials said, while others point to the Commission’s own assessment from just weeks ago that warned of a lack of progress on human rights and institutional reforms. The European Parliament will vote today on a report critical of Serbia’s domestic human rights record.
Expert verdict: Michael Davenport, former British ambassador and ex-head of the EU delegation to Serbia, told Playbook that Brussels was clearly looking to “mitigate the political tendency of Serbia to look to other partners, especially to Moscow and Beijing.” But “the likelihood seems to be that this proposal will not go through.”
So — why do it? The Commission is increasingly trying to use the prospect of EU membership as a geopolitical tool to keep partner countries onside. “At a time when Europe is facing profound geopolitical challenges, advancing the accession process of countries that are implementing reforms is an investment in the Union’s own security, resilience and competitiveness,” Serbia’s Foreign Minister Marko Đurić told POLITICO.
Question of timing: But one diplomat from another country said that it’s not clear why the push for Serbian accession is happening now: “Ukraine and Moldova haven’t opened all their clusters yet and Serbia now has elections coming. So it doesn’t seem like a good ‘geopolitical’ move.”
20-SECOND PLAYBOOK PRIMER
As the leaders’ summit in Ankara enters its final day, what’s the relationship between NATO and the European Union? To start with, they share 23 member countries (the four EU states that aren’t in NATO are Austria, Cyprus, Ireland and Malta). As well as both NATO and the EU taking part in a range of meetings together, there’s a NATO Permanent Liaison Team, part of the EU Military Staff section of the European External Action Service, and an EU Cell at SHAPE (NATO’s strategic command for operations in Mons, Belgium). The two sides have signed a range of agreements over the years, the latest of which was a 2023 joint declaration resolving to address geostrategic competition, resilience issues and the protection of critical infrastructure.
POLAND-UKRAINE SPAT REVIVED
PARLIAMENT PONDERS ZELENSKYY WARNING: Center-right MEPs from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s party are pushing to include a condemnation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an annual report on Ukraine’s bid to join the EU. It’s expected to be voted on today with the backing of the European People’s Party, Max Griera reports.
The amendment comes after Zelenskyy renamed an elite military unit in honor of the “Heroes of the UPA.” The move angered Poland, as the Ukrainian Insurgent Army was responsible for the ethnic cleansing of tens of thousands of Poles during World War II. That has generated a diplomatic row between Ukraine and Poland, as Kyiv seeks to join the EU and gain further military support.
Black and white: If adopted, the text would mean the Parliament is officially criticizing Zelenskyy’s “unnecessary and unprovoked escalation” and “regrets the disregard for Polish sensitivity and grief,” especially in light of Poland’s “steadfast” support to Ukraine in fighting Russia. “This decision undermines neighborly relations … and is not in line with European values,” the text reads.
“It’s our European warning. Europe’s future lies in your hands,” the head of Tusk’s party in the Parliament and EPP Vice-Chair Andrzej Halicki told POLITICO. “We all want Ukraine to defeat [Russian President Vladimir Putin] and we want a European Ukraine as well,” he said. But he added this: “There can be no place within our community for glorifying those whose past and activities were based on persecuting minorities and who were also responsible for acts qualifying for genocide.”
5 MORE THINGS GETTING US TALKING
DMA’S BIG DAY IN COURT: Apple’s challenges of the Commission enforcement of the Digital Markets Act will be the subject of landmark rulings by the EU General Court today. Morning Fair Play (for pro subscribers) has all you need to know.
NO ENTRY/EXIT PAUSE: Despite ongoing problems with the EU’s Entry/Exit System, an EU official ruled out a blanket suspension of the new biometric border checks for non-EU citizens, with no plans to extend current flexibility beyond this summer’s travel season (More in Morning Mobility, for subscribers).
SLOVENIAN FEUD: Ahead of today’s vote on the expulsion of Slovenian MEP Branko Grims from the EPP over his contact with far-right lawmakers, Renew Europe MEP Irena Joveva has called EPP chief Manfred Weber to keep up the momentum and also kick out Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša and his party.
MCC SUSPENSION: More than 50 MEPs from right-wing parties have written to von der Leyen demanding answers, after Viktor Orbán-backed think tank MCC Brussels was suspended from the EU Transparency Register, according to a letter obtained by Playbook.
FAKE CONDOMS: The European Anti-Fraud Office said it had identified more than 200,000 counterfeit condoms sold across Europe under a well-known brand.