Main opposition PASOK: PM has no choice but to immediately remove Dep. Minister Lazaridis
The prime minister has no choice but to immediately expel Deputy Rural Development Minister Makarios Lazaridis, following the minister’s admissions during an interview on OPEN television, said the main opposition party PASOK in an announcement on Tuesday. Just 11 days after he was appointed minister in a limited government reshuffle, Lazaridis is facing backlash over the degree he submitted to take the position of expert scientist in the office of late education minister Marietta Giannakou, in 2007. The main opposition party stressed that Lazaridis was ‘caught red-handed’ as he had been appointed without a university degree, deceiving the public sector in connection with a job that demands possession of both a bachelor’s and postgraduate degree, as well as two years experience. “He provocatively admitted that he possessed none of these… but had personality,” it added.
Two Greeks remanded after flag incident inside Hagia Sophia
Two Greek tourists – a man and a woman – have been arrested in Istanbul after allegedly unfurling a Greek flag inside Hagia Sophia and recording the act on video, according to Turkish media reports. The plain cross Greek flag bore a double-headed Byzantine eagle and the inscription “Orthodoxy or death,” Turkish outlets said.
Ministry rejects BBC allegations on foreign border mercenaries
The Ministry of Citizen Protection has rejected a BBC report claiming that police in Greece have been recruiting migrants to violently push other migrants back across its land border with Turkey. According to the BBC, the findings are based on a wide range of evidence, including internal police documents which reportedly describe the recruitment of so-called “mercenaries” as being ordered and overseen by senior officers.
IMF foresees 1.8% growth, 3.5% inflation, and a major drop in unemployment in Greece in 2026
The Greek economy will grow at 1.8% in 2026 and 1.7% in 2027, from 2.1% in 2025, according to projections by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its World Economic Outlook report released on Tuesday.
ATHEX: Strong start after Easter holidays
The Greek stock market returned on Tuesday to levels it had climbed to last Wednesday, before Thursday’s decline, with genuine hope that talks between US and Iran will resume later in the week. The drop in oil rates has also helped improve the morale of investors at Athinon Avenue, after the Easter holidays. There was considerable growth for bank stocks as well as for the daily turnover, both highlighting the inflow of fresh money.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1300888/athex-strong-start-after-easter-holidays
KATHIMERINI: “Fog” covers the Strait of Hormuz and the negotiations
TA NEA: Pensions: purchase of ‘plasmatic’ retirement years will become more expensive
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Mitsotakis and his deputy minister Lazaridis both deceived the people and benefitted from the latter’s illegal state appointment
RIZOSPASTIS: New revelations regarding the wiretappings and OPEKEPE scandals link them to the policies of the Greek government and the EU
KONTRA NEWS: Cry of despair by the MPs of New Democracy
DIMOKRATIA: The cover-up of the Predator procurement was ordered by then Minister of State Gerapetritis
NAFTEMPORIKI: Listed companies have created fortified positions
DRIVING THE DAY
GLANCING INTO THE DIGITAL ABYSS: Brussels will today take a regulatory dive into some of the darkest corners of the digital world — from online risks to children to increasingly powerful AI tools with unsettling capabilities. Whether you’re tech-savvy or tech-skeptic, brace yourself.
Child verification wallet: At 11 a.m., Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Executive Vice President Henna Virkkunen will share the podium for a joint statement. “The idea is to take stock of where we are on online child safety and provide an update on the [EU’s age verification] app,” a Commission spokesperson told POLITICO’s Eliza Gkritsi.
What’s that? The app — being tested in France, Greece, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Cyprus — aims to verify users’ age online, to ensure children aren’t able to access inappropriate content. Spain, Greece and Cyprus had already pushed the Commission for an update last month. “The EU has been testing this for a while — now it’s ready,” one EU official said. How ready? We’ll find out today.
Great timing, huh? The decision to issue a joint statement came together hastily. The Commission posted a placeholder for the announcement just hours after France’s Élysée Palace announced a Thursday video meeting of EU national leaders to discuss social media bans for minors (an initiative led by Emmanuel Macron to align EU countries on the file). It raises the question of whether Paris and Brussels are trying to steal each other’s thunder.
Who’s dialing in: Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain will join Macron’s Thursday’s call, according to the French presidency. Cyprus and Greece will also take part, my colleague Eliza learned. And von der Leyen is also expected to call — perhaps with fresh EU-level progress to showcase (something that could be announced as soon as today).
Protection by design: In a transatlantic pincer movement, Consumer Protection Commissioner Michael McGrath is in California today, meeting with tech players to pitch the Digital Fairness Act, among his other files. “Children must be protected by design, not as an afterthought,” he told Playbook before departing for Silicon Valley, adding that consumers should be able to engage online “with confidence.”
Slight delay: The trip started some hours late due to a strike at Frankfurt Airport (unrelated to fuel shortages or delays caused by the EU entry-exit system), Playbook learned. McGrath still made it to San Francisco and met, while you were sleeping, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, who came fresh from a reported security scare at his home.
Talking to (the man behind) ChatGPT: Playbook already had an exclusive readout from the meeting, which wrapped up around 3 a.m. Brussels time. McGrath added to that via phone, describing it as “an open discussion about the opportunities and challenges AI presents to our societies and economies — and Europe’s role in AI.”
Beyond pitching the EU Inc. proposal, the conversation also covered AI in democracies — from harnessing its benefits to investing in media and digital literacy, along with tackling risks such as deepfakes. “Ensuring strong privacy standards remains central to a human-centric approach to AI,” McGrath said, describing a “constructive exchange” and “a shared commitment to upholding these principles”.
From one (tech) battle to another: McGrath is also set to meet Jeff Bleich, the general counsel for artificial intelligence company Anthropic (later today Brussels time, tomorrow in the U.S.). He will then speak at the aptly named “Brussels to the Bay” event — the annual gathering hosted by the EU’s Golden City representation.
The biggest fear: Anthropic last week limited the release of its new model Mythos, citing fears it could enable large-scale cyberattacks. In response, a group of MEPs led by Leïla Chaibi asked the Commission how it planned to prevent a potential “cybergeddon” and adapt EU rules to increasingly powerful AI systems.
We’re on it: The Commission said yesterday it has taken note of Mythos and was assessing the implications under the AI Act and the Cyber Resilience Act, and that discussions were already underway with Anthropic.
COMMISSION GOES TO WASHINGTON
CHANNELING THE SCHUMAN ROUNDABOUT IN D.C.: McGrath isn’t Robinson Crusoe stateside. A sizable chunk of the College has landed in Washington for the many IMF-World Bank spring meetings. Heavyweights such as Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis and Financial Services Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque are in the house, alongside the more geopolitical types: Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Šuica, International Partnerships Commissioner Jozef Síkela and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos. They will attend talks ranging from Ukraine to the Middle East.
Cash for reforms: Ukraine will move to center stage Thursday, with a ministerial dinner on the sidelines of the G20 Finance Track. Kos has offered us a glimpse of what will be announced: Brussels expects to disburse €2.5–€2.7 billion after Kyiv “finally delivered” on the required reforms under the Ukraine Facility (as anticipated by Playbook).
Wait, there’s more! The commissioner hopes to open all accession clusters for Ukraine and Moldova soon — these are the negotiating chapters needed for EU membership. The EU executive allowed both countries to start technical work on the chapters last month.
Cool your jets: It’s unlikely negotiations on Ukraine’s accession will be completed by the end of the year, despite Sweden and Denmark pushing for that outcome. “It is not possible that we will finish the negotiations on Jan. 1, 2027,” Kos said, while adding that unlocking the EU loan to shore up Ukraine’s finances could “give a new push” to accession talks.
No favors: Kos also had a pointed line for Hungary’s incoming prime minister Péter Magyar: expect the same scrutiny as EU hopefuls. “If I compare what we do with the candidate countries, we will now do or have to do the same with the new prime minister of Hungary. It is anti-corruption, it is the rule of law, it’s freedom of media, it is freedom of speech,” the commissioner told journalists, including POLITICO’s Kathryn Carlson.
Europe’s superpower: Beyond meetings, this is also a charm offensive — especially as Washington questions Europe’s geopolitical and military clout. Speaking at Georgetown University last night, Síkela recalled his youth under communism — reading Western authors, listening to punk bands in “dusty clubs” — before landing his pitch to Americans listening: “Europe is a lifestyle superpower.”
PARLIAMENT CORNER
MAGYAR SHOPPING IN BRUSSELS: PM-elect Péter Magyar has been an MEP since the start of the term … and now seems to be drawing on his Brussels network to staff his future government.
For starters: Tisza delegation chief in Brussels Zoltán Tarr, an MEP, is expected to take a government role, meaning he — like Magyar — would vacate his seat. “A couple of assistants could also move to [Hungary’s embassy in Brussels],” an EPP source told Playbook.
Magyar’s guru: Attention is also turning to Márton Hajdu, the architect of Tisza’s EU strategy and currently a press officer in Parliament. In both Brussels and Budapest, he’s seen as a contender for either the role of Hungary’s next EU ambassador or a senior EU affairs role, POLITICO’s Max Griera reports. Hajdu didn’t reply by the time of publication.
No stranger: Hajdu has been a constant presence alongside Magyar in Brussels. Since 2024, he has served as Tisza’s chief of staff in the European Parliament, after stints as spokesperson for Hungary’s EU representation and as a Commission official for years. But decisions on top posts are unlikely before the new government takes office in about a month.
Cut to the Berlaymont: One lingering question after Orbán’s political troubles is the fate of Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi — twice nominated by Budapest and long seen as a close ally of the outgoing prime minister. For now, there’s no sign of movement: Four senior Commission officials told POLITICO there has been no internal discussion about removing him.
Von der Leyen’s call: The link between governments and “their” commissioners is looser than it looks. Capitals nominate, but appointments — and removals — are at von der Leyen’s discretion. “It’s her prerogative to think about her college, it’s not up to us to interfere in this matter,” a Tisza official, granted anonymity to discuss internal thinking, told POLITICO’s Max Griera.
FROM S&D TO RENEW? One rumor doing the rounds in Parliament is that influential Vice President Pina Picierno could jump ship, moving from the Socialists to Renew. The trigger? She’s co-hosting a book event in Milan today with Carlo Calenda, leader of Italy’s Renew-affiliated Azione party.
It’s complicated: Contacted by Playbook, Picierno’s office denied any move. Still, tensions are simmering within the Italian S&D delegation, as Elly Schlein, the leader of Italy’s S&D-affiliated Democratic Party, shifts further left — unsettling the party’s more moderate wing, which incudes Picierno. It was, after all, a move to bring center-left Italians on board that inspired Parliament’s Socialist group to add the “D” for Democrats.
Sánchez, the new guide: More broadly, Europe’s socialist family is entering a defining phase more rooted in a purely progressive tradition, with Spain’s Pedro Sánchez stepping into a leadership role. Energized by opposing Donald Trump’s rhetoric, Sánchez has convened a rally of like-minded leaders — from Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa — in Barcelona this weekend. (Your Playbook author will be there, of course.)
SUCCESSFUL ECI TARGETING EU-ISRAEL DEAL: A European Citizens’ Initiative to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement has crossed the one-million-signature threshold, its organizers say. Backers include Left MEP Catarina Martins, who will mark the milestone today in a press conference at 1 p.m., alongside Manon Aubry.
What now? Martins told Playbook the ECI hit the threshold in record time — just three months. While the Commission isn’t obliged to legislate on the matter, it must at least formally respond. “Should the European Commission continue to choose inaction, this will create an even bigger rift between citizens and the European institutions,” Martins warned.
EU FOR SUDAN
SUDAN CONFERENCE IN BERLIN: As previewed in Playbook last month, the annual Sudan conference kicks off today in Berlin, focusing on the country’s political future after three years of civil war. EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas will co-chair, alongside Crisis Management Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, who will lead the humanitarian panel.
What’s at stake: This is the EU’s third co-hosted conference since the conflict began — and another attempt to shape the response to what two EU officials describe as a man-made humanitarian catastrophe. The structure is familiar: push for a ceasefire, mobilize fresh aid (new pledges expected) and keep alive the prospect of a post-war civilian transition. “We are supporting efforts to protect civilians and pushing for accountability,” one official said.
Keeping the spotlight on: A key objective is to refocus international attention as the conflict enters its fourth year. “With the world’s attention on the Strait of Hormuz, we can’t lose sight of what’s arguably the world’s worst humanitarian crisis,” one of the two EU officials told Playbook.
What to watch: Sudan is also expected to feature on the agenda of next week’s Foreign Affairs Council, giving Kallas added reason to take note. Lahbib is expected to announce a new “Team Europe” pledge. More broadly, the conference should produce an outcome document — the “Berlin Principles for Sudan” — setting out the EU-backed framework for a peaceful resolution.
SCHINAS BACK IN TOWN (FOR A DAY)
FAMILIAR FACE: EU bubble veteran Margaritis Schinas — former MEP, ex-chief Commission spokesperson and vice-president in Ursula von der Leyen’s first term — is back in the Berlaymont today. This time: as Greece’s agriculture minister.
Mission of reassurance: He’s meeting Commissioners Christophe Hansen, Kostas Kadis and Olivér Várhelyi, alongside DG AGRI’s top brass. The timing is delicate, as POLITICO’s Ketrin Jochecová writes in to report: a widening agricultural fraud scandal forced the resignation of Schinas’ predecessor Kostas Tsiaras and two other senior officials, with at least 10 MPs from New Democracy under scrutiny.
Giant agri fraud: At the core of the scandal are dozens of cases in which farmers allegedly claimed EU funds for land they didn’t own or lease — or for work never carried out. This diverted money from legitimate beneficiaries. The multi-year, multi-million-euro scheme was exposed in a POLITICO investigation in February 2025.
Turning the page: Speaking to Playbook, Schinas said he wants to show Brussels that Greek agriculture is moving beyond patronage toward a modern, fully functional payments system, insulated from political pressure. “By the start of the Greek EU Presidency in July 2027, I’m sure we will have turned the page,” he told me. “We’re rebuilding trust.”
IN OTHER NEWS
AMBOS GALORE: A busy day for EU diplomats, with both Coreper formats on the agenda. Coreper II will focus on preparations for next week’s key moments: Monday’s Foreign Affairs Council and Thursday’s informal EU summit in Cyprus. European Council President António Costa set the tone in his invitation letter, flagging two priorities: guidance on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028–2034 and the situation in the Middle East.
On MFF: Members of the Parliament’s budget committee vote today on a draft interim report by MEPs Siegfried Mureșan and Carla Tavares on the next long-term EU budget. But tensions are already brewing: Parliament’s negotiators are refusing to engage on the €1.8 trillion package until member states agree on the overall size — meaning formal talks may not kick off before 2027.
On the Middle East: Costa struck a cautiously optimistic tone in an interview with CNN, saying he still sees a path forward in the Islamabad talks and urging leaders to use the ceasefire’s momentum. “The first round was not a great success, but the window of opportunity is not closed,” he said. On the Strait of Hormuz, he added: “Blockades are never the solution and do not help resolve broader regional tensions.”
Gulf developments: Media reports overnight suggested talks could resume in Pakistan over the next two days, while European countries including France and the UK are preparinga plan to help free up shipping through the Strait of Hormuz once the fighting stops.
ORBÁN-LESS EUCO: As the next EU summit approaches, Brussels is adjusting to a new reality without Viktor Orbán. The question now is: Who takes over as the bloc’s disruptor-in-chief? POLITICO’s Seb Starcevic has more.
TRUMP DUMPS MELONI: Another twist in the Trump-vs-everyone saga — this time targeting Giorgia Meloni. In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Donald Trump said he was “shocked” by her, adding: “I thought she was brave, but I was wrong.” The swipe came after Meloni described Trump’s attack on Pope Leo XIV as “unacceptable.” Meanwhile, Italy has suspended defense cooperation with Israel, amid growing concerns over military attacks on Lebanon, Reuters reports. And Trump has renewed his attack on Pope Leo.
TRANSATLANTIC BROMANCE: My colleagues Tim Ross and Mickey Djuric have dug into the close personal relationship between Canadian PM Mark Carney and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. The jogging buddies, who talk and text regularly while quoting one another, have presented a model for how liberal centrists can respond to the upended world order. They’ll have plenty to discuss as Stubb visits Ottawa with a delegation of more than 30 businesses.
RUSSIAN TROLLS TARGET ESTONIA: A cluster of anonymous Russian-language social media accounts has been posting memes and messages calling for the takeover of the Estonian town of Narva and the surrounding Ida-Viru county. The campaign has echoes of information operations that preceded Russia’s incursions into Crimea and eastern Ukraine, fueling international speculation that the Kremlin may want to test NATO’s eastern flank. Or is it all a prank? Eva Hartog reports from Narva.
Meanwhile … The Wall Street Journal is reporting that a fallback plan to ensure Europe can defend itself using NATO’s existing military structures if the U.S. departs is gaining traction, after it received buy-in from Germany, a long-term opponent of a go-it-alone approach.