PM plans separate minister, MP roles
Seeking to recalibrate a political climate that has weighed heavily on his government following the arrival of a new case file concerning the OPEKEPE farm subsidy scandal, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis outlined on Monday a post-election institutional reform aimed at separating ministerial and parliamentary roles.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/politics/1300320/pm-plans-separate-minister-mp-roles
PASOK criticizes Mitsotakis’ proposal, calls for early elections
Main PASOK opposition party on Monday sharply criticized Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis following his proposal to bar ministers from simultaneously serving as lawmakers, accusing him of undermining the public interest and calling for early elections. PASOK spokesman Kostas Tsoukalas said the initiative, announced earlier in the day, was politically motivated and failed to address broader concerns about governance and accountability amid an ongoing European investigation into alleged misuse of European Union farm subsidies.
Parliament reviews immunity suspension requests
A special, emergency session of the 15-member parliamentary Ethics Committee is being held Tuesday to examine a request by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office to lift the immunity of eleven lawmakers named in a case related to the OPEKEPE farm subsidy scandal.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/politics/1300348/parliament-reviews-immunity-suspension-requests
IMF calls on Greece to target vacant homes to ease housing crisis
The International Monetary Fund has submitted to the government new policy proposals to address the housing crisis, as part of its annual regular assessment of the economy, completed a few days ago. It proposed to stimulate supply through a more active utilization of the stock of unused housing. To achieve this, the IMF recommends imposing a levy on vacant homes, especially in areas under great pressure due to demand. The IMF also proposes scaling up renovation programs for old homes based on income criteria.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/real-estate/1300203/imf-tax-all-vacant-housing
Government announces 700 million euros scheme to reduce industrial energy costs
A 700 million euros support scheme to reduce energy costs for industry, aimed at 23,000 small and large industrial enterprises, was presented today by the Minister for the Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou; the Minister for Development Takis Theodorikakos; and the Deputy Minister for the Environment and Energy, Nikos Tsafos.
KATHIMERINI: The “bet” of separating ministerial and parliamentary roles
TA NEA: The black holes of the PM’s address to the nation
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Mitsotakis: political fraud operation
RIZOSPASTIS: The people can make a fire out of a spark if they walk alongside the Greek Communist Party against the profiteering system and war
KONTRA NEWS: The government is in panic due to new judicial files being underway
DIMOKRATIA: The architect of the deep state
NAFTEMPORIKI: Oil sets the economy on fire in many ways
DRIVING THE DAY
TRUMP REJECTS IRAN CEASEFIRE DEAL: EU officials returning to their desks after a long Easter weekend face the prospect of a massive escalation in the Iran war, as Donald Trump rejects a ceasefire offer and ramps up his threats against Tehran.
Clock ticking: The U.S. president rejected the proposal put forward by countries working on a peace deal as “not good enough” (Iran also rejected the proposal, insisting on a permanent end to the war). Trump said Iran could be “taken out in one night” — which, he said, “might” be Tuesday. His official deadline for Tehran to clear the Strait of Hormuz or face massive attacks on its power plants and bridges expires at 2 a.m. Wednesday morning, Brussels time.
More uncertainty: Trump said Monday “I can’t tell you, I don’t know” when asked whether the war was winding down or escalating. “Depends on what they do,” he said during a White House press conference, referring to the Iranians. “We have to have a deal that’s acceptable to me.”
Why it matters for Europe: Iran has already warned of “devastating” and “widespread” retaliation if Trump carries through on his threat. This could mean further attacks against Gulf state oil production, worsening an energy crisis that has already led to fuel rationing in some EU countries.
Warning: Any U.S. attacks against power plants would further strain transatlantic ties that are already on the rocks, following Trump’s threats against Greenland earlier this year. European Council President António Costa set the tone Monday by warning that any attacks on civilian infrastructure would be “illegal and unacceptable,” as Gabriel Gavin reported.
War-crime workaround: Our stateside colleagues revealed overnight that the Pentagon is expanding a list of Iranian energy sites it can attack to include ones that provide power to both civilians and the military. This is seen as a likely workaround if the administration is accused of war crimes for striking basic infrastructure.
Russia/Ukraine angle: If Trump rains down fire and brimstone on Iran’s energy facilities, it will give Russian President Vladimir Putin a chance to justify his attacks on Ukraine’s power grid as simply what happens in times of war.
Bleak outlook: The economic fallout from the war is gathering pace, with International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva warning that, because of the war, “all roads now lead to higher prices and slower growth.”
Meanwhile … The U.N. Security Council is set to vote on a watered-down resolution to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reports. The text was weakened after China’s opposition to any authorization of the use of force.
Different vibe: Despite Trump’s public attacks on NATO, EU officials say the energy with U.S. officials behind closed doors is different. When Secretary of State Marco Rubio met his G7 peers late last month, he didn’t demand that other countries charge into the Strait and was understanding of the allies’ position that they could only help to secure it after fighting has died down, according to an EU official aware of the exchanges.
JD VANCE VISITS HUNGARY
VICE PRESIDENTIAL VISIT AS ELECTION NEARS: With just days to go before Hungarian voters head to the polls, U.S. Vice President JD Vance touches down in Budapest today to throw his weight behind Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s reelection bid.
What to expect: Vance, traveling with his wife Usha, will meet with Orbán, who continues to trail rival Péter Magyar by 10 percentage points, according to POLITICO’s Poll of Polls. Vance is expected to appear alongside Orbán at a “Mass Rally on the occasion of Hungarian-American Friendship Day” this afternoon, before spending the night in Budapest, Max Griera tells us.
Talking turkey: Vance told reporters as he departed from Joint Base Andrews that he looked forward to talking with Orbán and that he was “sure Europe and Ukraine and all the other stuff will figure in pretty prominently,” France 24 reports.
Sights and sounds: Vance’s visit is expected to cause major disruption in the Hungarian capital, with half of the city shut down to make way for his movements, according to local media. That’s assuming, of course, that Vance isn’t called away early for sensitive negotiations with Iran, if back-channel talks advance to the point of requiring a face-to-face meeting.
Why it matters: Orbán is getting a major display of MAGA support during the crucial last dash of his reelection campaign ahead of the April 12 vote. But the impact of the prime minister’s special relationship with the U.S. is unclear. In this analysis out today, Jamie Dettmer and Eli Stokols suggest Orbán is unlikely to see much of an election bump from his day with Vance. In Hungary, like elsewhere, local issues centered on the economy are dominating voters’ concerns.
Look closer: Orbán may also struggle to convince Hungarian voters that his special MAGA relationship has paid dividends. A pledge that the United States would backstop Budapest financially against penalties from Brussels never materialized. In fact, other than removing one Hungarian minister from a U.S. sanctions list, the message from Washington boils down to this: “Good luck — we love what you’re doing!”
The bottom line: The Vance visit remains the big set-piece moment that Orbán hopes can tilt the election his way, in a campaign that has been lurching from one twist to another. Yet none of this seems to be moving polls. That said — elections are slippery things. Stay tuned.
Speaking of plot twists: Euronews is reporting that Serbian authorities have opened a probe into the explosives found near the Turkstream pipeline. Monday’s Playbook brought you the government of Serbia’s initial revelation that bombs had been found near Kanjiža. Later in the day we reported that Serbia’s intelligence chief had rejected the Hungarian government’s claims that Ukraine had been behind the alleged bombing attempt.
NOW READ THIS: European foreign policy is failing and needs to be overhauled. That’s the alarming diagnosis that emerged from conversations with nine EU diplomats, lawmakers and experts who shared their views with your Playbook author. As proof of the problem, the officials zeroed in on issues ranging from the EU’s failure to approve a €90 billion loan for Ukraine to blocked sanctions against violent West Bank settlers and attempts to rein in Russia’s shadow fleet.
The common denominator: Hungary’s refusal to align with EU foreign and security policy goals came up repeatedly.
It’s the veto, stupid: German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul came out over the weekend in favor of moving to qualified majority voting for foreign and security policy. “We should abolish the unanimity principle in the EU in foreign and security policy,” he was quoted as saying to Germany’s Funke media outlets.
IN OTHER NEWS
HOMEWARD BOUND: The Artemis II astronauts pointed their capsule towards earth Monday night, after taking in the first views of the moon’s far side and setting a new distance record for humanity. The BBC has collated some of the best photos from the lunar mission. Trump spoke the crew, saying he looked forward “to having you in the Oval Office at the White House, and we will celebrate your incredible achievements and triumphs.”
LET US IN TO KEEP RUSSIA OUT: Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Cristina Gherasimov told POLITICO that while EU accession would be a security guarantee for her country, it is “equally a strategic investment in Europe’s own security.” Stanislav Secrieru, the Moldovan president’s national security adviser, told Marion Solletty that the country’s unique contribution would be “hard-won knowledge and field-tested solutions to Russian hybrid threats.”
DEFENSE INDUSTRY’S EXISTENTIAL CHALLENGE: A new generation of defense startups is posing real competition for incumbent arms manufacturers such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Thales and BAE Systems, a senior NATO commander has told POLITICO’s Laura Kayali.
FORGET NEFLIX – YOUTUBE IS IS FRENCH TV’S MAIN RIVAL: YouTube has become the primary competitor to television and should be regulated more heavily by the EU, the top executive of France’s largest private broadcaster TF1 said in an interview with POLITICO. CEO Rodolphe Belmer warned of a growing regulatory imbalance with the video-sharing platform.