PM backs third term bid, highlights unity, jobs, growth, reform drive
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in a speech on Sunday closing the three-day New Democracy party congress, said Greece is strongest when the party is united, reiterating the government’s goal of securing a third consecutive term.
Dendias warns New Democracy over weak polling, urges party renewal
Defense Minister Nikos Dendias warned Saturday that declining polling numbers for the ruling New Democracy party should be treated as a “wake-up call,” urging internal renewal and closer engagement with voters ahead of the next national election.
Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Malta issue joint statement on preventing migration crisis resembling that of 2015
The leaders of Cyprus, Greece, Italy, and Malta underlined the need to prevent any possible migration crisis like that of 2015, in a joint statement released on Saturday on the occasion of the Europe Gulf Forum. Cyprus Republic President Nikos Christodoulides and Prime Ministers Kyriakos Mitsotakis of Greece, Georgia Meloni of Italy, and Robert Abela of Malta agreed to focus future discussions on four main areas. These include supporting regional security efforts, ensuring local populations receive necessary help, and fully implementing both the new EU Migration and Asylum Pact and the updated legal framework handling crises like migration instrumentalization and hybrid threats. Additionally, they will work on strengthening collective readiness to secure and control the EU’s external borders through coordinated initiatives, while fully respecting international law.
SYRIZA expels Polakis after clash with leader Famellos
Greece’s main opposition SYRIZA party expelled lawmaker Pavlos Polakis from its parliamentary group Saturday after a public clash with party leader Sokratis Famellos. The decision followed a sharply worded social media post by Polakis, a member of parliament from Crete, in which he accused Famellos of “silence, lack of initiative and indecision” and called for the immediate convening of the party’s political secretariat and central committee. In the same post, Polakis also questioned the leadership’s handling of internal debates and referred to broader political speculation about possible new party formations within Greece’s fragmented left, including around former prime minister Alexis Tsipras. He further suggested that internal paralysis and lack of direction risked weakening SYRIZA at a critical political moment.
ATHEX: Friday turned weekly gains into losses
The pendulum has once again swung the other way at the Greek bourse, with a steep decline on Friday following the growth of Thursday. The main reason cited by traders and observers has been the lack of any tangible progress at the US-China summit meeting in Beijing regarding the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. That sent oil rates rising and securities tumbling again, which meant Greek refinery stocks bucked the trend on the day that was led by banks.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1303960/athex-friday-turned-weekly-gains-into-losses
SUNDAY PAPERS
KATHIMERINI: Turkish “pincers” in the Aegean Sea
TO VIMA: Why Ankara is shaking the calm waters of the Aegean
REAL NEWS: Erdogan legislates his… rants
PROTO THEMA: Final Four for opposition parties
MONDAY PAPERS:
TA NEA: Aftermath of New Democracy’s party conference: 4 messages – Plus one split: Polakis ousted from SYRIZA’s parliamentary group
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Those who want to be New Democracy’s next leader… assumed positions
KONTRA NEWS: Tsipra’s charge is changing the political scenery
DIMOKRATIA: Zelenskyy looks down on Greece
NAFTEMPORIKI: Next days are crucial for the support measures
DRIVING THE DAY
EUROPE’S TURN TO STEP UP: With U.S. President Donald Trump’s negotiating team bogged down in the Iran crisis, the pressure is squarely on Europe to appoint a special envoy for Ukraine peace talks — and, remarkably, both Kyiv and Moscow say they’re open to it.
Why it matters: This is yet another watershed moment for Europe. First came Washington pulling the plug financially on Ukraine. Now, Europe may have to take the lead in negotiations.
The question is: who can do it? While Vladimir Putin’s suggestion of Gerhard Schröder was immediately rejected — Ukraine’s foreign minister joked to POLITICO that Putin might as well nominate Russian-friendly actors Steven Seagal or Gérard Depardieu — both Kyiv and Moscow seem to agree that Europe needs to pick one person, not a committee.
Kaja Kallas is an obvious candidate. The EU’s top diplomat long opposed direct talks with Russia but has since opened the door to appointing an envoy, saying foreign ministers will discuss it later this month. She even appeared to pitch herself last week, telling reporters: “I think I could see through the traps that Russia is presenting.”
However, three EU diplomats warned that Kallas’ strong anti-Russia stance would elicit a swift nyet from Putin. “She’s ruled herself out for this one, unfortunately,” said one senior EU diplomat. Speculation rages around other names, including:
Angela Merkel: The former German chancellor is available and has dealt directly with both Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin. Yet many Europeans believe her past failed mediation efforts are enough to disqualify her.
Alexander Stubb: The Finnish president has mediation experience in his country and has previously expressed interest. But he would need broad EU backing and Finland’s NATO membership may reduce his appeal in Moscow.
Mario Draghi: The former Italian prime minister is widely respected in Europe and seen as neither overly hawkish nor sympathetic to the Kremlin. Yet there’s been no public signal that the economically focused Draghi wants the role.
Get smart: People familiar with Kyiv’s thinking argue that the envoy should have strong EU support but not be from the bloc itself, which Putin deeply distrusts. This could point to figures like Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, an experienced Middle East hand, or even Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, who has maintained relations with both sides.
Takeaway: The biggest obstacle to the selection of a negotiator isn’t Putin or Zelenskyy, but Europeans’ inability to agree among themselves.
BIG AND BREAKING
CENTER-RIGHT SQUEEZED: Spain’s conservative People’s Party won an election in Andalusia but lost its majority in the local parliament — and may now need the backing of the far-right Vox to form a new government.
EYES ON THE PRIZE: Former French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe believes France’s mainstream conservative voters can propel him to the presidency.
AMBASSADOR SPEAKS: Andrew Puzder, the U.S. envoy to the EU, says the EU must honor its trade deal with Trump.
EU SIZES UP CHINA
BERLAYMONT TAKES ON BEIJING: The European Commission will attempt to convince skeptical capitals to support a push against Chinese trade practices, hoping the EU’s industrial decline and new restrictions on critical raw materials will convince member countries.
The Commission has drafted plans for a “more assertive and effective trade defense policy” towards Beijing, my colleagues Gabriel Gavin and Carlo Martuscelli scooped late Friday. The proposals will be debated by commissioners later this month, before European leaders talk about curbs on rare earth metals at the G7 in France on June 15.
After that, the proposed China posture is slated to be discussed at a European Council next month before the Commission comes up with a full package of measures.
In the toolbox: The proposals currently include the possibility of opening more “safeguard investigations” into Chinese trade practices, as well as accelerating work on how to tackle cheap goods flooding the market.
Convincing the Council: The Commission has been angling for these trade defense powers for years and the exit of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán removes one key opponent to their passage, a diplomat and an official said of the plans. But they also acknowledged it will be an uphill to have the measures adopted, given Spain’s Pedro Sánchez is actively courting closer ties with Beijing.
SPEAKING OF THE G7: Finance ministers from the group gather in Paris today to talk about China and the Middle East, among other issues. German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil told POLITICO’s Rasmus Buchsteiner that the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is causing “massive damage to economic development.”
The ongoing crisis underscores a need for Europe to cooperate with Brazil, India, South Korea and Kenya, among other countries, Klingbeil added.
20-SECOND PLAYBOOK PRIMER
When will Ukraine get money from the EU? The bloc is close to approving the terms and conditions of the €90 billion loan that it agreed to give Ukraine. After that, a first installment of more than €9 billion will be ready. Brussels will purchase drones worth €5.9 billion and the European Commission will wire €3.2 billion to Kyiv, which the government can use to cover budgetary and administrative costs. Half of the €90 billion loan will be paid out this year, and the rest in 2027.
TALK TO PLAYBOOK: On the Brussels Playbook Podcast, Zoya asked for your favorite European museum. WhatsApp us on +32 491 050629 and listen from 7 a.m. to hear if we give you a shoutout.
THE PROSECUTION DILEMMA
IMMUNITY OR IMPUNITY? The European Parliament is engaged in a standoff with prosecutors over who gets to decide if legal action can be taken against MEPs.
Parliament’s posture: On Tuesday, the Parliament is expected to back a decision by the Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) not to lift the immunity of Angelika Niebler, who heads the Bavarian CSU delegation in the center-right European People’s Party. The European public prosecutor and a German prosecutor want to investigate Niebler over allegations she misused EU funds. She denies wrongdoing.
The problem: Parliament rules say JURI is supposed to lift an MEP’s immunity unless the case unduly affects their parliamentary work or appears politically motivated. But lawmakers are being accused of going much further by assessing the quality of prosecutors’ evidence before making a decision. One such case involved Italian Socialist Elisabetta Gualmini as part of the Qatargate probe. The committee refused to lift Gualmini’s immunity, arguing Belgian prosecutors hadn’t provided sufficient evidence.
In Niebler’s case,JURI invoked political persecution, arguing the lack of detailed allegations and the timing of the complaint “raise concerns that the intention behind the proceedings may have been to damage the reputation of Angelika Niebler,” according to a confidential report voted on by MEPs. In comments to Der Spiegel that Niebler shared with POLITICO, the lawmaker said it is “untrue that I used Parliament-funded assistants as drivers for the private appointments,” as has been claimed.
Malaise: Pressure is mounting to reform how Parliament handles immunity cases. Behind the scenes, some lawmakers and officials are questioning whether the lawmakers’ reluctance to lift immunity is justified. “It’s up to the national authorities to do their work, and we should not stand in the way of a fair process and a thorough investigation,” said one MEP, granted anonymity to speak freely. But others are concerned that prosecutors’ weak allegations could publicly tarnish lawmakers’ reputations.
5 MORE THINGS GETTING US TALKING
TAIWAN MAKES ITS CASE: Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te appealed to the Trump administration Sunday to continue selling arms to the self-governing island, insisting U.S. support is essential to push back against China’s increasingly aggressive military presence in the region.
NOT BANKING ON IT: Emmanuel Macron’s pick to run the Bank of France could be brought down by the president’s opponents.
FRONT COMPANY: The story of how a German trading company became a Moscow-controlled procurement operation.
YOU’VE NOT GOT MAIL: How an email glitchdelayedPoland from finding out that the U.S. wanted to pull a planned troop deployment.
OUTBREAK: The World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern over the Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda, which has caused more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths, the Associated Press reports.
BRUSSELS CORNER
WEATHER: A few showers. High 15C.
MOVING ON: After almost 29 years with DG TRADE, most recently as deputy director-general, Leopoldo Rubinacci has been made chair of the Regulatory Scrutiny Board, starting May 16, he announced on social media. The moves comes just two weeks before Ditte Juul Jørgensen takes over as head of DG TRADE.
COASTING: As the weather warms up, Playbook has you covered with the best destinations for day trips from Brussels. Today, Gabriel Gavin makes the case for Ostend, the classic seaside spot where his grandparents used to holiday on coach tours from Britain. The coastal city has changed little since then, save for the flood of visitors coming up from Brussels and elsewhere.
Get away: Famous for its long, flat beaches that stretch out to the channel, Ostend is an hour on the train from Brussels and host to a handful of seafront brasseries that serve Flemish specialities like croquettes and fresh fish. Fancier types visit Knokke or take the tram along the coast to more secluded spots. But there’s something to be said for piling into the sea with the holidaying masses, throwing a ball around or enjoying a beer in one of the local eateries. Expect to pay €24 for an off-peak return train trip from Brussels.