Greece to deploy Patriot battery to Karpathos
Greece will transfer a Patriot battery to the island of Karpathos, in the southeastern Aegean Sea, on Tuesday as part of the country’s efforts to boost its defense against possible aerial attacks, a day after a drone hit a British airbase in Cyprus, state-run broadcaster ERT reported. The move comes after Defense Minister Nikos Dendias announced it was sending two frigates and four F-16 fighter jets to Cyprus as security concerns escalate around the Mediterranean island.
No immediate threat to US base at Souda, says Gerapetritis
Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis has said there is “no danger at the moment” to US facilities in Greece, including the naval base at Souda, Crete, but stressed that authorities are taking preventive measures amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Opposition seeks broader consultation
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he is open to providing one-on-one briefings to any political leader who formally requests one, as opposition parties press for broader consultation over developments in the Middle East and Iran and the government’s decision to reinforce Cyprus with frigates and fighter jets. Mitsotakis is scheduled to meet at noon Tuesday with PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis, with talks focusing on regional developments and the dispatch of naval and air assets to Cyprus.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/politics/1296776/opposition-seeks-broader-consultation
Draft law for a more citizen-friendly state opens for public consultation
A draft law to make the state more citizen-friendly opened for public consultation on Monday. The proposed legislation contains 14 measures designed to improve everyday interactions between citizens and the government, while reducing bureaucracy.
ATHEX: Benchmark nosedives as war is raging
The outbreak of war in the Middle East last Saturday confirmed traders’ worst fears, with unpredictable effects on the global and local economy. In line with international markets, Athinon Avenue suffered severe losses on Monday, even if the benchmark appeared to bottom out and move away from the day’s lows. Proximity to the war zone, international trade jitters, shipping worries and tourism concerns weigh on the local economy and this was immediately reflected on almost all stocks.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1296790/athex-benchmark-nosedives-as-war-is-raging
KATHIMERINI: Shield for Cyprus amid storm
TA NEA: Nicosia calls Athens: SOS
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: The war has reached our yard
RIZOSPASTIS: The people must revolt now against the imperialistic war in the Middle East!
KONTRA NEWS: Dangerous games by Britain in Cyprus
DIMOKRATIA: Missiles against the hypocrisy of the Europeans
NAFTEMPORIKI: Trump: I will do whatever it takes
DRIVING THE DAY
A WAR EUROPE DOESN’T WANT: European Union countries are striving to avoid being dragged into a U.S.-Israeli war against Iran that is rapidly spreading as Tehran peppers Middle Eastern countries with drone and missile attacks.
Sirens blaring: The efforts go beyond securing vulnerable EU countries like Cyprus, which has been targeted by Iranian drones in the past few days. The EU is bracing for increased migrant flows, spiking energy prices and the potential need to evacuate thousands of Europeans residing in Gulf countries.
While you were sleeping … Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News that the joint American-Israeli action against Iran will be “quick and decisive,” and won’t lead to “endless war.” But there’s no sign of the conflict easing, with CNN reporting the U.S. is expecting a “major uptick” in attacks on Iran in the next 24 hours and Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying the “hardest hits are yet to come.” Rubio’s State Department warned Americans in more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries to “DEPART NOW” because of security risks.
Happening today: Cyprus, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU, hosts a meeting of the Integrated Political Crisis Response — an expert-level gathering to “look into implications of the evolving situation, including on issues such as energy, transport economic impact, supply chains and internal security,” according to an EU diplomat aware of the preparations.
Cyprus in the firing line: It was initially unclear whether Cyprus was being targeted by Iranian drones, although it was later confirmed by both London and Nicosia that a drone had landed at a U.K. air base Sunday, with more drones intercepted Monday. The strikes underscored the vulnerability of an island that lies less than 500 kilometers from the coast of Israel, Nektaria Stamouli reports.
Terror risk: Greece responded to the threats against a fellow EU country by sending two frigates and a pair of F-16 fighter jets to the area around Cyprus. An EU diplomat granted anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence briefings said there was “concern that Iran can mount terrorist attacks in the EU.”
Meanwhile, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, speaking in Parliament on Monday, said Gulf countries had sought help from EU nations, “in particular in the air defense sector and anti-drone protection.”
Holding fast: But Nicosia has made no move to activate the EU’s 42.7 collective defense clause, a move that could drag the EU closer to becoming a party to the war. Another sign of Europe’s unease: Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said last night his country won’t participate “in any way,” including providing military facilities.
But avoiding the fallout is another matter. European governments are scrambling to get their citizens out of the region amid severe travel turmoil. Berlin, for one, is dispatching crisis teams to Muscat, Doha and Dubai, exploring overland routes via countries whose airspace remains open and using its embassy in Cairo to help organize departures from Israel, my Berlin Playbook colleagues report.
Migration alert: An EU official told Playbook there’s also concern in Brussels over the impact of the Mideast conflict reigniting a refugee crisis. Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner held talks Monday with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the situation.
Another angle — energy prices: EU energy chief Dan Jørgensen heads to Azerbaijan today to talk up the EU’s energy ties just as Europe’s supplies face a further squeeze with Iran, the U.S. and Israel pummeling the Gulf coast. Ben Munster writes in to report that the conflict could hamper EU efforts to diversify its energy supply away from Russia and the United States after Qatar — a key alternative supplier — halted production at the world’s biggest liquid natural gas plant.
This won’t help: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said last night that the Strait of Hormuz — a vital chokepoint for oil exports — is closed and that it’ll fire on any ships that try to pass through it, Reuters reports. Rubio said Washington has a plan to stabilize oil prices roiled by the conflict: “We’re going to destroy their Navy,” he told reporters.
NOW READ THIS: The EU’s response to U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran has laid bare familiar divisions at the top, with two of the bloc’s most senior leaders, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and High Representative Kaja Kallas, on a collision course over who coordinates the bloc’s reaction to the crisis. The parallel responses have added further doubts about the EU’s ambition to position itself as a global player, we report this morning.
ALSO HAPPENING TODAY: The war against Iran and Europe’s response will no doubt come up when German Chancellor Friedrich Merz meets Donald Trump at the White House at 5 p.m. Brussels time. If you’re hoping for another Oval Office spectacle, you’ll likely be disappointed — Trump seems to have stopped doing press conferences with visiting leaders, my U.S. colleagues write. POLITICO’s Berlin team has a preview of the meeting here.
PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW
FRANCE ON ENLARGEMENT — STICK TO THE PLAN: The European Union’s enlargement schedule shouldn’t be dictated by foreign powers such as Russia or the United States. That’s the message from France’s Europe minister, Benjamin Haddad, who spoke to Playbook ahead of a planned gathering of ministers in Cyprus that was called off due to security concerns.
We decide: “No power outside the EU should decide on enlargement in place of the member states,” said the minister, who represents France at gatherings about EU enlargement.
Outside factors: Haddad’s comments coincide with a push by the European Commission and some EU members to bring Ukraine into the bloc as early as 2027, using an innovative approach known as “reverse enlargement” that would grant new members limited membership privileges.
The carrot: The push from Brussels is partly motivated by the fact that EU membership is a bargaining chip in ongoing American-led peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is seeking EU membership for his country by 2027.
Haddad’s take: Neither the U.S. nor Russia should have any influence over EU enlargement policy, he said. Paris favors Ukraine joining the bloc, with Haddad insisting that Kyiv, Moldova and the Western Balkans shouldn’t be left in a “grey zone, vulnerable to foreign influence and aggression.”
But France is less favorable to proposals to change the way Europe admits new members: “This enlargement must remain demanding and merit-based to ensure its success and credibility,” said Haddad. Stay tuned for more from our interview.
MONTENEGRO INBOUND
FINISH LINE IN SIGHT: Despite misgivings from some corners, Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos says talks between Brussels and Montenegro on EU membership have entered their final year — with the tiny Balkan country first in line to join the bloc.
Crunch time: “It is time to start discussing the Accession Treaty for Montenegro,” Kos told Playbook ahead of the cancelled General Affairs Council meeting in Cyprus. “The Commission is currently in the final phase of preparing a draft treaty.”
Hedging: The next step, the commissioner added, is determining “which safeguards we need to ensure that future member states continue to respect their commitments after accession.”
In other words: Countries may be admitted into the club at a faster rate than before, but they may also face limits on their membership. “This is an important lesson learned from past enlargements,” Kos said.
H-word: The unnamed reason for that caution is Hungary, which was admitted in the union’s most recent wave of expansion in 2004. “We need an insurance policy against the risk of Trojan horses in the EU, countries that work against our common objectives,” Kos said. Among the limits being proposed by the Commission are “innovative” safeguards to protect the union’s budget, core policies and decision-making structures, including the commitment to loyal cooperation.
PARLIAMENT CORNER
SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC SOUL-SEARCHING: The EU Parliament’s Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group is going on a day retreat to Mix Brussels — a modernist hotel, spa and gym in Watermael-Boitsfort — to brainstorm ways to improve internal coordination, Max Griera writes in to report.
When a problem comes along … The idea is to avoid lawmakers revolting against the group line, with discussions on “strengthening personal engagement, collective political judgment, internal trust and coordination and our shared capacity to act effectively as a group,” according to an invitation letter sent to S&D lawmakers and seen by POLITICO.
… you must whip it! “The emergence of an increasingly stable right-leaning majority, the organized coordination between the EPP and far-right groups and a more fragmented political landscape have altered both the space for influence and the conditions for cooperation,” the letter says. “The effectiveness of the S&D Group depends not only on the strength of our policy positions, but also on how we work together internally.”
No more rebels: After some members revolted against a simplification package for green rules agreed by S&D Chair Iratxe García and European People’s Party chief Manfred Weber, the S&D’s leaders want lawmakers to stick to the group line by establishing a whipping system.
IN OTHER NEWS
HEBDO BLOWOUT: Last night’s meeting of Commission cabinet chiefs dragged on for four hours due to heated disagreement over the EU’s Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), a person briefed on what happened during the closed-door session told Zoya Sheftalovich.
The regulation, which has been repeatedly delayed because of pushback from within the College of Commissioners and a group of countries led by Germany that favor deregulation and free trade, is meant to finally be published this Wednesday — assuming everyone gets on board with the latest draft. At the “hebdo” meeting, there was significant debate over who will be eligible for the Made in EU criteria and which sectors will be included in the proposal.
Back at it today: The cabinet chiefs will gather again at 9 a.m. after they wrapped up yesterday’s marathon meeting at 8:30 p.m., having only discussed the IAA and none of the other agenda items. Today they’ll talk about the Industrial Maritime Strategy, the Gender Equality Strategy and the Intergenerational Fairness Strategy.
MACRON BREAKS NUCLEAR TABOOS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday broke several decades of French nuclear taboos — promising to increase the number of warheads and listing European countries ready to work with Paris on nuclear deterrence. And he wants to move fast. A high-ranking French official told POLITICO’s Laura Kayali that it’ll be difficult for the next president to overturn the moves Macron announced.
MIGRATION MOVES: Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner and International Partnerships Commissioner Jozef Síkela are in Senegal today for talks about a new Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership that will step up EU investment while increasing cooperation on smuggling networks and migration — part of the Commission’s drive to use diplomacy to control the number of people arriving in the bloc.
“Instability elsewhere spills over to Europe,” Síkela said ahead of the trip. The Commission wants to finalize the partnership by the end of the year, with a view to creating opportunities for young Senegalese people and “strengthening the fight against smugglers and preventing dangerous irregular departures.”
Meanwhile, in Brussels … International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director-General Amy Pope is meeting Crisis Management Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Šuica and special envoy for Ukrainians in the EU Ylva Johansson today. Pope told POLITICO she wants to discuss how the IOM can help the EU “deliver effective and humane migration outcomes that protect people and build trust in the system” as it prepares to put its major migration reforms into practice. But the escalating violence in the Middle East and the potential for mass displacement are bound to come up, too.
SWITZERLAND GETS CLOSER: Swiss President Guy Parmelin was in Brussels Monday to sign a package of agreements with Ursula von der Leyen after years of negotiations, Ferdinand Knapp reports. Switzerland will commit to contributing financially to the EU’s cohesion efforts and to aligning parts of its domestic legislation with EU law in return for broader access to the bloc’s internal market.