PM Mitsotakis: Greece focused on growth and a stronger role on the global stage
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis placed emphasis on the policies implemented by Greece to address the challenges and global crises of recent years during a roundtable discussion held as part of an event organised by the Hoover Institution at Stanford University in California. Mitsotakis, who took part in the discussion alongside former US Secretary of State and Hoover Institution Director Condoleezza Rice, focused his remarks on three key areas: strong economic growth, strengthening Greece’s position on the international stage and tackling inequalities.
Qatargate: Athens Court of Appeal closes file on Avramopoulos arrest warrant following withdrawal by Belgian authorities
The Athens Court of Appeal has closed the case file concerning an arrest warrant issued by Belgian judicial authorities against ruling New Democracy MP Dimitris Avramopoulos, following the withdrawal of the order by the competent Belgian authority. The case involved an arrest warrant issued by Belgium for the criminal inquiry into the former European Commissioner in connection with the Qatargate scandal. Following Avramopoulos’ in-person appearance before the issuing authority in Brussels, where he was questioned as part of the Belgian judiciary’s investigation, the warrant was withdrawn.
New wave of price hikes looms large
The market predicts and the government fears a wave of price hikes in basic food and household goods after October, which will only get stronger in early 2027 if the recent energy-related storm continues. With the cost of production and operation of businesses having already risen by 25-30% since March – not taking into account the hikes in recent days in energy product prices – the industry and retailers consider it inevitable that part of the increase will be passed on to retail prices. As Federation of Hellenic Enterprises President Spyros Theodoropoulos said a week ago, the “gentlemen’s agreement” between the government, suppliers and supermarkets for price reductions is valid until the end of October; there is no commitment to implement it until the end of the year. For now, 1,770 product codes are included in the initiative, with the announced reduction lasting for two months. So far, there is a commitment to a four-month price reduction on only 265 branded product codes and about 30 private-label codes.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1315825/new-wave-of-price-hikes-looms-large
Tanker truck caught discharging hazardous waste Into Athens drainage system
Greek police arrested three people Tuesday after officers caught a tanker truck dumping hazardous industrial waste into a storm-water system connected to the Kifisos River, a major waterway running through the Athens metropolitan area and into the sea. Police said investigators had received information that tanker trucks operated by a particular company were using the fuel station to dispose of industrial waste. The company collected waste from several industrial facilities as well as a state hospital, authorities said. E.I. Papadopoulos SA, a major Greek biscuit maker, said the tanker didn’t belong to its fleet. The company said it had contracted an outside operator to collect and transport wastewater from its factory in Tavros, near Athens, to a treatment facility in Metamorfosi.
ATHEX: Marginal fall after mixed stock session
The Euronext Athens (ATHEX) general index closed at 2,671.50 points, shedding 0.17% from Monday’s 2,676.02 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index contracted 0.27% to end at 6,848.53 points, though mid-caps expanded 0.50%.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1316008/athex-marginal-fall-after-mixed-stock-session
KATHIMERINI: Two marine parks with the seal of the EU
TA NEA: Cold shower for Turkey regarding the F-35 jetfighters
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Government between a rock and a hard place due to fuel prices
RIZOSPASTIS: As of today all roads lead to Tritsis Park for the Youth Festival of the Greek Communist Party (KKE)
KONTRA NEWS: Feta cheese price increases by 4 euro – Price of grains spikes
DIMOKRATIA: Dora Bakogianni vs. Kyriakos Mitsotakis
NAFTEMPORIKI: EU energy reserves are being depleted
DRIVING THE DAY
RIBERA REDUX? As energy moves back up the agenda and Spanish politics heats up ahead of elections there, Ursula von der Leyen’s latest hire is — on paper, at least — pretty much the political mirror image of Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera. Coincidence? People Max Griera and I talked to don’t think so.
Enter Cristina Lobillo Borrero: The new senior adviser for the clean transition in von der Leyen’s cabinet has landed in the heart of the president’s inner circle, advising on the EU’s energy policy as the bloc scrambles to lower costs for households and industry, strengthen its competitiveness and reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Why that hasn’t gone unnoticed: Lobillo is an energy heavyweight, a longtime Commission hand described as professional, knowledgeable and friendly by those who’ve worked with her. She also hasconnections with Spain’s center-right People’s Party (PP), which is leading the polls ahead of the country’s 2027 general election. Ribera, the Spanish commissioner responsible for a clean, just and competitive transition, hails from the country’s Socialist party, currently second in the polls.
Von der Leyen brought in Lobillo to serve as a “counterweight” to Ribera, one lawmaker from the European People’s Party — the European home of the PP — told Playbook, granted anonymity to speak frankly about how the party sees the civil servant.The move has also set up a direct line to Spain’s center-right at the heart of the Commission, the lawmaker said.
It’s no secret, the MEP argued, that Ribera and von der Leyen don’t always see eye to eye on energy. Lobillo gives the Commission president her own trusted voice on the file — and ensures the topic isn’t left entirely in the hands of her forthright executive vice president.
“The president’s cabinet is made up of a selection of the most experienced officials in their respective fields,” Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho told Playbook, adding that Lobillo was picked as “one of the most respected and senior energy officials” in the Commission.
“We have different profiles,” Ribera told Playbook. Lobillo has “a long and solid technical career in the European Commission. I trust her,” Ribera said, adding that the two have always had a very good relationship.
Complementary, not contradictory: Lobillo “is not there to undermine Ribera or anything of the sort; she acts following Ursula’s lead,” a second MEP told Playbook.
Lobillo proved particularly valuable to von der Leyen during the energy crisis and the scramble to ditch Russian gas, when she led a special task force to decouple from Russian fossil fuels, three Commission officials told Playbook. She became especially close to von der Leyen’s powerful chief of staff Bjoern Seibert during that period, two said — effectively becoming the key official giving them the technical background on energy.
“She is there to implement the energetic priorities of the president,” said one of the officials, adding that “with how vertical the Commission is, being in the direct line of command of von der Leyen, that makes her the most influential Spanish official in Brussels.”
Madrid subplot: Lobillo has no formal ties with Spain’s PP but her political origins are in working with PP heavyweight Miguel Arias Cañete — first in José María Aznar’s government, later as his chief of staff when he became EU energy and climate commissioner.
Regardless, her connections mean the EU’s center-right is eyeing her up as a potential key power player if the PP takes charge in Madrid next year, with the EPP lawmaker saying she is potential ministerial material back home. “If she has to defend a Spanish position, people know her and trust her at the Commission, the same in Council and Parliament,” the first MEP said.
BIG AND BREAKING
EXCLUSIVE — AI ANXIETY IS SWEEPING THE GLOBE: Pluralities of adults in the U.S., Canada and Europe want to pause AI development regardless of their political leanings — and most believe there’s a real risk the technology could destroy humanity, according to a new POLITICO Poll.
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SÁNCHEZ TEARS INTO TRUMP: Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez, after skipping a UNGA reception with Donald Trump, took a swipe at the U.S. president on The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart — calling Trump’s address to the assembly “ideological … not backed and supported by facts and data,” according to a preview clip posted to social media overnight.
Trump earlier used his UNGA speech to cast himself as a peacemaker, while also saying he was willing to “annihilate” Iran … and rejected the idea of a global body to oversee artificial intelligence (or what he called “super intelligence”).
Other leaders at the U.N. this week have been careful to stay onside with Trump — yet there is a distinct undercurrent of defiance toward Washington, my stateside colleagues report.
Also in New York last night: Canadian PM Mark Carney committed $100 million in assistance for Palestine, shortly before meeting U.K. PM Andy Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss a two-state solution.
LIBERTÉ, ÉGALITÉ, DÉLISTÉ: EU capitals struck a deal to remove billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the bloc’s Russia sanctions list after a high-stakes diplomatic play by France.
POWER VACUUM: Romania’s potential next prime minister, the European People’s Party MEP Siegfried Mureșan, told Playbook’s Gabriel Gavin that the country’s political deadlock risks handing power to the far right.
CAPITAL CONNECTIONS
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: Welcoming Brussels Playbook Capitals, POLITICO’s new weekday afternoon briefing drawing on our reporting across Europe to connect the national political moves shaping the EU and its place in the world. Read the first edition here.
The fresh addition to the Playbook family was announced at POLITICO’s inaugural Brussels Playbook Live event yesterday.
ICYMI: France’s Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad warned about the consequences of slashing the EU’s Global Europe budget after Playbook revealed Commission simulations involving cuts as high as 40% of the total, telling POLITICO’s Kathryn Carlson: “Look at the consequences of the cuts of USAID. I think it’s been detrimental, including, by the way, to U.S. interests.”
Reports of possible cuts to Global Europe have prompted warnings from advocacy groups and MEPs about the risk of slashing EU global outreach. “Drastic cuts would be a betrayal of everything the EU stands for in the world and only mimic the short-sighted ideology behind President Trump’s USAID cuts, which have already had a devastating impact,” Renew lawmaker Barry Andrews said in a statement.
Also at our summit: Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Vsevolod Chentsov, announced that Kyiv is open to a grain truce with Russia … Canada’s EU envoy Jonathan Wilkinson said Ottawa and Brussels will announce a comprehensive set of partnerships within the coming year — though the shape of the future relationship is still up for discussion … Finnish EPP lawmaker Mika Aaltola said his party won’t rule out voting with the far right to deliver its policy agenda, and that the EU is weighing closer economic cooperation with the U.K. … and Jonathan Martin, POLITICO’s U.S. politics bureau chief, told attendees that getting the White House onside isn’t about ideology — it’s about popularity.
SPOTTED … at the Brussels Playbook Live and Back to School Party, getting the scoop from us Playbookers and podcasters: Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Vsevolod Chentsov; MEPs René Repasi, Mika Aaltola, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Udo Bullmann, Andreas Glück and Lukas Sieper; Poland’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Ignacy Niemczycki; French Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad; Canada’s EU envoy Jonathan Wilkinson; NATO’s James Appathurai; and Axis Advisors’ Sebastian Vos …
Plus … ambassadors Ioannis Vrailas of Greece, Marcos Alonso of Spain, Angus Campbell of Australia and Simon Draper of New Zealand; Cefic’s Marco Mensink; GLOBSEC’s Daniel Braun; Commission spokespeople Arianna Podestà, Olof Gill and Anna-Kaisa Itkonen; Commission comms advisers Clémence Robin, Célia Dejond, Ana Apse-Paese, Lukas Gassner, Giulia Bedini and Antoine Guéry; Vodafone’s Darren Ennis; the U.S. Mission’s Norman Thatcher Scharpf; McCourt’s Shéhérazade Semsar-de Boisséson; HP’s Maxime Bureau; OpenAI’s Olga Nowicka; Uber’s Sophie Bonnecarrère …
And breathe … the Parliament’s Jüri Laas, Mina Andreeva and Delphine Colard; European Council’s Maria Tomasik; Ireland’s perm rep spokespeople Eoin Kasai Flavin and Peadar Ó hÚbáin; Belgium’s Alexandre Brecx and Sofia Smorscek; Alexandros Yennimatas from the Greek perm rep; the Indonesian embassy’s Emilia Hartuty Elisa; and POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin, John Harris, Kate Day, Annie Allen and Carrie Budoff Brown.
OSLO’S BEEN TOO SLOW
NORWEGIANS WOULD? Norway wants to rejig the way it goes about influencing EU policy — and start lobbying Brussels earlier to better protect its own interests.
The key change: Norwegian officials should start working on a proposal when it is put forward by the European Commission, rather than waiting until EU countries have given their final sign-off, according to new government proposals.
That might sound obvious to the average Playbook reader … but it would mean a significant change in approach for Norway which, despite not being part of the EU, adopts most of the bloc’s rules due to its membership of the European Economic Area (EEA). “We are making changes that make it possible to start promoting Norwegian positions and interests earlier – that is where the real room for action lies,” Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said.
Areas of interest: “We will now be earlier and more active in the development of European policy, particularly in the area of industrial policy,” Trade and Industry Minister Cecilie Myrseth said. Oslo also wants closer cooperation with the EU in areas outside — or only partly covered by — the EEA agreement, including health preparedness, defense and security, competitiveness and economic security.
Long time coming: “The business community had long called for concrete measures to ensure a more proactive administration of the EEA agreement,” Anne Line Kaxrud, deputy head of international affairs at the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise, told Mari Eccles.
But but but: Norway’s ability to influence EU policy “remains limited since its many agreements with the EU do not permit participation in the EU’s decision-making bodies. Only EU membership can change that,” said Oda Helen Sletnes, a senior adviser at the consultancy Kreab and a former Norwegian ambassador.
20-SECOND PLAYBOOK PRIMER
The U.S. is investigating Germany’s system for pricing new medicines. Why? It’s part of Donald Trump’s effort to drive down the high cost of drugs in America, which he says is effectively subsidizing lower prices in Europe. Trump has threatened to impose additional tariffs unless European prices go up. Germany is the first EU country to come under specific U.S. pressure to raise drug prices. Berlin rejects claims that its drug pricing system is an unfair trade practice.
EU, TRUMP EVENT SWAP
STILL ON BOARD: The EU hasn’t joined Donald Trump’s Board of Peace. Yet Brussels and the board’s top officials keep turning up at each other’s events. The courtship continues at the U.N. General Assembly — another sign that Ursula von der Leyen’s parallel diplomatic track with Washington is alive and well.
Oops, she did it again: Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Šuica — once dubbed by Playbook as “von der Leyen’s other top diplomat” — will attend a high-level Board of Peace briefing in New York today, an EU official confirmed.
On the menu: In an invitation seen by Playbook, the briefing promises an update on the Board’s “roadmap and ongoing negotiations,” its immediate priorities and projects and “the broader outlook for the next phase of our collective efforts.”
This isn’t Šuica’s first Board of Peace meeting. She also showed up for the inaugural gathering — though the Commission has been careful to stress that attending that party does not mean joining the club.
All back to mine: The board is returning the favor, with its High Representative Nickolay Mladenov attending an EU delegation event today showcasing two European waste and water projects for Gaza, one EU official said. “We need to work together with all actors — internationally, regionally and on the ground — to create the conditions for sustainable recovery, peace and stability,” Šuica told Playbook. “This is just the beginning.”
The real diplomatic coup would be Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and peace envoy, who has been invited to the EU event. He joined an EU conference in July by video link. The State Department declined to say whether he will show up.
There’s substance behind the mingling: Some board projects could overlap with the EU’s Team Gaza initiatives, one EU official said. Nobody quite knows yet how the two tracks will fit together — but they’re increasingly trying to find out.
5 MORE THINGS GETTING US TALKING
SWEDEN IS BACK: Magdalena Andersson, the Social Democrat leader now tasked with forming a government in Stockholm, wants to refocus Swedish foreign policy — and to give the EU more muscle, she tells Tim Ross.
MERZ’S WORST ENEMY: One of the problems facing Germany’s embattled Chancellor Friedrich Merz is that when things get difficult, he has a way of making them worse.
DIVIDED IN EUROPE: The EPP is splitting along national lines over what “Made in Europe” should actually mean — just as the fight over the Industrial Accelerator Act heats up.
UNPACKING THE GREENLAND DEAL: Donald Trump hailed the agreement with Greenland and Denmark as a “fantastic” deal that would give the U.S. all the control and military access it needs — but what does that mean in practice? POLITICO breaks it down.
SPOOKING THE NEIGHBORS: EU countries are worried that Britain’s plans to release thousands of prisoners early could lead to nationals being returned with little warning.