Mystery odor alarms Athens suburbs
Authorities were still unable late Tuesday to determine the source of a strong odor that spread across Athens’ southern suburbs for hours, alarming residents and triggering widespread speculation about possible chemical leaks. The lack of official information fueled theories about the cause and composition of the smell, with attention turning to natural gas networks, the Revithoussa LNG terminal, refineries, commercial ships, fuel and liquefied gas storage facilities, and sewage treatment installations at Psyttaleia. DESFA said unofficially late Tuesday that the odor “is not related to its network or facilities,” noting that its high-pressure network does not pass through the affected areas. Enaon EDA also said inspections through late afternoon found no damage or gas leak in its system.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/environment/1304241/mystery-odor-alarms-athens-suburbs
Justice minister rejects criticism from European prosecutors on MP probes
Justice Minister Giorgos Floridis on Tuesday defended a proposed legislative amendment to speed up the investigation of cases allegedly involving members of Parliament, which has triggered complaints from the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. Earlier Tuesday, the EPPO said that “based on what we know about the intended legislative change, we are particularly concerned by the speed of the legislative process.” The EPPO has a fraught relationship with the Greek government. Its team in Athens is handling a massive European Union farm subsidy fraud case and has requested the lifting of governing New Democracy lawmakers’ immunity from prosecution.
Fighter jets to replace Karpathos missile battery
Greece has decided to deploy two Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to Karpathos island to signal that the withdrawal of Patriot missile batteries from the Aegean outpost does not represent a concession to Turkish pressure. Defense Minister Nikos Dendias ordered the deployment after directing the Air Force chief to develop a comprehensive plan for fleet availability. The Patriot systems, previously stationed at Karpathos and Didymoteicho, were repositioned on strictly operational grounds, with no prompting from NATO or the United States, ministry sources stressed.
PPC bids exceeded €12 billion
The share capital increase of Public Power Corporation began with huge momentum on Monday, confirming the major interest of the international investment community in the Greek energy group and its ambitious development plan.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1304131/ppc-bids-exceeded-e12-billion
ATHEX: Bourse slides due to a late selling spree
Tuesday’s session at Athinon Avenue was a game of two halves. Investors boosted prices at first, encouraged by the rise in fellow eurozone markets and the decline in oil rates as a new US offense on Iran was aborted, per Donald Trump, while sellers took over late in the afternoon to inflict losses on the ATHEX benchmark. The action led to daily turnover climbing to its highest in the last five sessions, with PPC remaining the focus of attention.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1304243/athex-bourse-slides-due-to-a-late-selling-spree
KATHIMERINI: Scent of unknown origin
TA NEA: Sea drone: change of story
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Justice Minister amendment for fast-track trials of politicians accelerates the “cover-up”
RIZOSPASTIS: Labor spaces are traps of death due to the hunt for profit
KONTRA NEWS: Tsipras’ party surpasses PASOK by 3 percentage points in polls
DIMOKRATIA: Elite trials for politicians
NAFTEMPORIKI: Consumption is a collateral damage
DRIVING THE DAY
EXCLUSIVE — NO DG IS SAFE: Every Commission department that handles EU cash is in the firing line as part of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s restructuring plans, according to five EU officials familiar with the discussions.
Who’s at risk: Last week, we told you that DG REGIO could be dismantled. But there could also be trouble ahead for several departments: DG AGRI, which manages Common Agricultural Policy money; DG EMPL, overseeing the European Social Fund; DG MARE, which deals with fisheries funding; and DG RTD, which manages Horizon research cash.
Dark side of the MFF: One Commission official, granted anonymity to speak freely, as were others in this section of Playbook, described the process as part of von der Leyen’s “absolute centralization” drive. But another official said it was an extension of the Commission’s plans to change how the long-term budget is distributed, with spending programs merged into two main funds.
DG INVEST is coming: The officials said they believe the plan is for a centralized service managing EU money. One senior official said the model is the recovery fund set up after Covid: with national plans, milestone-based cash disbursements and centralized oversight. “If everything moves to this system, it’s logical to create a service that does exactly that,” the official said.
One already fits the mold: Far from fading after boss Céline Gauer’s move to DG ENER, SG REFORM — the Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support that oversees the recovery fund and reports directly to von der Leyen— remains very much alive. In fact, it’s seen by officials as a model for a future DG INVEST. Declan Costello, a DG ECFIN veteran, is expected to replace Gauer, officials said.
More advanced than expected: Executive Vice President Raffaele Fitto publicly hinted at the restructuring plans last week. But Playbook has learned the process is further advanced. On the Commission intranet, seen by Playbook, a dedicated “workstream” has been set up, tasked with examining how to “review directorates-general structures and better align them with Commission priorities and the future EU budget.”
Who’s deciding: The lead on the review is Valère Moutarlier, deputy director-general at DG GROW. Also involved are officials from DGs HR, CONNECT, EMPL, BUDG, REGIO and the Secretariat-General, including Richard Szostak, a former Jean-Claude Juncker adviser. Their recommendations will go to former Commission sec-gen Catherine Day in mid-July, two officials told Playbook.
Then comes the politics: Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin will present the final restructure suggestions to von der Leyen and the College by the end of 2026, a Commission spokesperson told Playbook. “We are reflecting on how to make DGs more efficient and ensure the best model for delivering our objectives,” the spokesperson said.
Nerves jangle in Agri: Officials inside DG AGRI told Playbook they had “definitely followed with interest” POLITICO’s reporting about DG REGIO’s possible dismantling. These concerns prompted a February “town hall” with DG HR boss Stephen Quest to discuss the broader review. Officials said Quest repeatedly used the word “adapting” — language that left many in the department uneasy.
And in Mare: Concern is also growing in DG MARE. “Simplification must not lead to excessive centralization of power in Brussels,” Parliament fisheries committee Vice Chair Stéphanie Yon-Courtin told Playbook.
Regio’s defenders: Political groups in the Committee of the Regions yesterday sent von der Leyen a letter, seen by Playbook, expressing “deepest concern” over plans to dismantle DG REGIO.
Takeaway: The Commission’s next budget battle is no longer just about how money is spent — but who controls it. And it’s being fought inside the Berlaymont.
BIG AND BREAKING
KEEP OUT: Greece’s government has submitted legislation to effectively block European prosecutors from investigating parliamentarians — a highly sensitive subject because of a major probe into political involvement in a massive farm fraud scandal.
NOT SO FAST: Why Europe’s red-tape hit squad finds simplification isn’t all that simple.
BLAST FROM LE PAST: François Hollande stepped down as French president in 2017 just months after netting a dismal 4 percent approval rating, but that hasn’t stopped him eyeing a long-shot ride back to the Elysée Palace.
NO NEW DRAWDOWNS — FOR NOW: NATO’s top military commander says he doesn’t expect more U.S. troop withdrawals soon, as allies privately press him to plug the gap created by Trump’s move to pull thousands of soldiers from Europe, Victor Jack reports.
PARLIAMENT POLITICKING
EXCLUSIVE — PERSONNEL PLANS: The Parliament’s main political families — the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), center-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and the centrist Renew Europe — are informally discussing placing their own staffers in senior administration jobs, according to two officials aware of the talks, Max Griera reports.
At the heart of discussions is which top admin job — likely a director role — Milton Nunes, head of cabinet to S&D Chair Iratxe García, will eventually be selected for, the officials said, adding that Renew also stands to gain posts for its staffers. The role for Nunes, who declined to comment, comes after the appointment of EPP chief Manfred Weber‘s right-hand man Udo Zolleis as a director in the administration. The officials were granted anonymity to discuss the confidential internal moves.
Reality check: Under EU rules, administrative staff are supposed to be politically neutral. But trade unions argue political groups have a tight grip on senior appointments — a practice they say must stop. You’ll find all the detail in our deep dive.
Package deals: Several director posts are expected to open soon, with vacancy notices for infrastructure and translation departments due shortly. Parliament’s finance department may also need a new chief, as Director-General Didier Klethi is approaching retirement age, as is Lorenzo Mannelli, director-general for innovation technologies and cybersecurity. Neither replied to a request for comment.
The top three posts in Parliament’s administration — Secretary-General Alessandro Chiocchetti and deputies Markus Winkler and Anders Rasmussen — are all informally viewed as aligned with the EPP, S&D and Renew, respectively. All three declined to comment.
Pervasive: A senior Parliament official in the administration said they had been informally branded part of a political camp and accepted the label because it was the only way to advance. “Either you have the backing of a political party, or you can’t get to the top,” they said.
Parliament’s press department denied political affiliation aides the technically apolitical appointments. They said the administration “has taken a number of steps in recent years to further strengthen transparency, documentation and consistency in senior management selection procedures” and that secretaries-general “do not represent any political group” and act solely “in the interests of the institution.”
20-SECOND PLAYBOOK PRIMER
With Brexit being referenced by candidates to dethrone Keir Starmer, could the U.K. rejoin the EU? Yes, in theory. British PM Starmer set some “red lines” for closer ties (no return to the single market, no freedom of movement) that clash with the EU’s rules. It’s also unlikely that the EU would let the U.K. rejoin on the same terms as before — when it was a member it it didn’t have to adopt the euro and had a rebate that reduced budget contributions.
TALK TO PLAYBOOK: On the Brussels Playbook Podcast, Ian asked whether you’ve ever seen a peacock in Brussels. WhatsApp us on +32 491 050629 and listen from 7 a.m. to hear if we give you a shoutout.
MISSING ROMANIANS
CALLING BUCHAREST: Despite being the EU’s sixth-largest country by population, Romania is missing in action from Brussels diplomacy, five diplomats and officials told Gabriel Gavin. The country — which occupies a hugely strategic part of southeastern Europe and is consistently one of the largest recipients of EU funds — rarely signs up to contentious initiatives or publicly lobbies for its interests in the bubble, they said.
Nobody home? That situation has been compounded by the collapse of the pro-EU government earlier this month, making it harder to get political instructions from the capital. But the Romanians’ invisibility long predates that and is an intentional strategy, according to one Romanian official speaking in a personal capacity. The delegation keeps its head down in Brussels to avoid rocking the boat and facing blowback from partners, the official says.
Small team: Of the 27 member countries’ EU embassies, Romania is the only one not to have a spokesperson or press officer in post to set out the country’s positions. A public list names just one communications staffer and the perm rep hasn’t issued a press release for close to a year. The embassy’s website is also frequently down, as is that of the country’s foreign ministry. The perm rep declined to comment and Bucharest’s foreign ministry didn’t immediately respond to request for comment.
Lights are on: A fifth diplomat argued that Romania is more active on the technical level, advocating for things it sees as mattering most to its interests — like the Friends of Cohesion group pushing for continued regional funding — and raising issues like drone incursions at Foreign Affairs Council. Bucharest’s delegation is also very active at NATO headquarters, my colleague Victor Jack points out.
TAKEDOWN: Romania’s growing role in European defense was on show Monday night when a Romanian F-16 training with NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission shot down a rogue drone in Estonia’s airspace.
SPOTTED: Speaking of Romanians, POLITICO saw former Romanian Prime Minister and Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Cioloș in the lobby of the Berlaymont yesterday, meeting with Dragoș Tudorache from Stéphane Séjourné’s cabinet.
DASHBOARD
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MIGRATION RETURN REFORM: The EU is today likely to reach a deal to increase the number of failed asylum seekers leaving the bloc, despite criticism it could open the door to abuse and human rights violations, Hanne Cokelaere reports. The number of people who leave the EU after being refused the right to stay remains low and increasing that return rate has become a key push for politicians advocating tough migration measures. “The new rules will give us more control over who can come to the EU, who can stay, and who must leave,” Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner told POLITICO.
4 MORE THINGS GETTING US TALKING
CASH CASE: The European Parliament on Tuesday paved the way for Spanish authorities to investigate far-right Spanish lawmakerLuis “Alvise” Pérez for alleged campaign finance violations by voting in favor of a motion to strip him of his parliamentary immunity.
YOU OR ME? Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and President Petr Pavel are at loggerheads over who will represent Prague at July’s annual NATO summit in Turkey.
LEADERSHIP ROADMAP: In the U.K., Andy Burnham’s team is working on a plan for his first 100 days in government in case he wins a crunch by-election and replaces Keir Starmer. Sam Blewett took a deep dive into the Burnham operation.
LITMUS TEST: An Irish parliamentary by-election on Friday could deal a blow to Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and transform Ireland’s most famous criminal godfather Gerry Hutch into an unlikely kingmaker.