Hatzidakis: TIF package will focus primarily on reducing direct taxes and supporting vulnerable groups
The government will promise less at the Thessaloniki International Fair but also deliver on what it has promised, Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis stressed in an interview with SKAI television on Tuesday. Hatzidakis stressed that the TIF package, which will be finalised in August, will focus primarily on reducing direct taxes for citizens and supporting vulnerable groups.
AADE purposely excluded OPEKEPE whistleblower from top job, lawyer says
A decision by Greece’s tax authority AADE not to consider a job application by a whistleblower in a massive agricultural aid scandal was based on a provision that aimed at excluding her, her lawyer said Tuesday. Paraskevi Tycheropoulou applied for the position of head of department at AADE’s Directorate-General for Controls, Aid and Payments, but the tax authority responded that her application was ineligible. Tycheropoulou is the main witness in a major probe by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office into the illegal distribution of EU farm aid to thousands of ineligible recipients from OPEKEPE, the agency responsible for handing out the aid. After the scandal was exposed, she was demoted from her senior auditing position to a position in protocol – a decision deemed as illegal and vindictive by a court that ordered her reinstatement.
Prosecutor seeks guilty verdict for ND MP, ex-ministry official over ’email gate’
A prosecutor in Athens has recommended a guilty verdict for a ruling New Democracy party lawmaker and the former secretary-general of Interior Ministry over the leak of emails belonging to diaspora Greeks, a scandal known as “email gate.” The scandal concerns the unlawful use of personal data from the Interior Ministry’s special electoral register of Greeks living abroad. Former MEP Anna-Michelle Asimakopoulou was accused of using this data for promotional purposes without proper authorization while canvassing for votes ahead of the June 2024 European parliamentary elections.
New platform for real-time supermarket price comparisons launched
Greece will on Wednesday launch PosoKanei.gov.gr, a new digital platform that allows consumers to compare supermarket prices in real time, replacing and upgrading the existing e-Katanalotis service. The platform includes 7,973 products across six categories, including food, detergents, cleaning supplies, personal care items, paper products and pet goods. Food accounts for the largest share, with 4,810 products listed.
ATHEX: Stock price growth forces are released
The benchmark of the Greek stock market continued its ascent for a fourth straight day, climbing on Tuesday to another 16.5-year high, as the closing auctions consolidated the unsteady rise registered during most of the session at Athinon Avenue. Confirmation of the upcoming reopening of the Strait of Hormuz keeps unleashing the forces of price growth; besides the rise that banks and construction companies recorded, the day’s turnover remained on high levels.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1306874/athex-stock-price-growth-forces-are-released
KATHIMERINI: Two Greek warships to remove mines from the Hormuz strait
TA NEA: Consumer loans: No more fine print
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Survey: 13-hour work day is the new normal
RIZOSPASTIS: Strike call for June 24
KONTRA NEWS: Cap on loans’ interest rates
DIMOKRATIA: No more fine print regarding loans’ interest rates
NAFTEMPORIKI: Finance Ministry seeks to attract foreign investors
DRIVING THE DAY
EXCLUSIVE — NO THIRD TERM FOR VDL: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen won’t seek a third term helming the EU executive, her chief of staff said at a private dinner, according to two senior officials briefed on the discussions.
Why now? The topic of the Commission chief’s plans for 2029 came up as her head of cabinet, Bjoern Seibert, tried to reassure top officials at the gathering that von der Leyen’s planned departmental restructure, first reported by Playbook, wasn’t part of a grand power grab.
Keep calm: Seibert pointed to von der Leyen’s lack of interest in a third term to rebut accusations that the overhaul is part of a broader centralization drive, according to the two senior officials, neither of whom were at the dinner but were briefed on what happened. They were granted anonymity to discuss the confidential talks.
Not the right time: Asked to comment on the chances of a third five-year term, a Commission spokesperson told Playbook that the president is “fully focused on the current mandate and the key challenges Europe faces today. This includes the G7 and the European Council taking place this week.” The spokesperson added that “there will be space for reflections on 2029 at a later stage.”
Is it possible? While presidents of the European Council face a two-term limit under the EU treaties, there is no such provision for Commission presidents (to date, only Jacques Delors has served for three consecutive mandates, albeit for a total of just 10 years). Von der Leyen will be 70 by the 2029 EU elections.
The bigger picture: The Commission president’s supporters argue that tighter control from the top has helped the EU respond to major challenges, including Russia’s war in Ukraine and growing trade frictions with the U.S. But critics condemn what they see as the overly centralized leadership style of von der Leyen’s second term.
Hearts and minds: Seibert made the comments at a Tuesday evening dinner with around 15 senior Commission officials in early June, another EU official confirmed. Von der Leyen’s chief of staff has been hosting such dinners as discontent grows over the institutional revamp that has placed several Commission departments on the chopping block.
The longevity question: One of the attendees pressed Seibert on why a president would spend political capital on an institutional shake-up so late in her mandate unless she expected to remain around long enough to benefit from it, the first official said. Seibert said three separate times that von der Leyen won’t be running again, while also noting that the restructure is far from finalized, the second official confirmed.
Angst prevails: The debate around the restructuring is triggering broader conversations about the Commission’s direction. Some officials at the dinner wanted to know who would succeed von der Leyen at the helm, according to a fourth senior EU official involved in wider discussions around the departmental review.
BIG AND BREAKING
G7 UNITES: Group of Seven leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump issued a joint declaration last night promising to boost military support to Ukraine and to strengthen sanctions against Russia. It followed a surprisingly upbeat day of talks.
THE AI G7: Brussels is choosing engagement over escalation on AI, as European leaders and Trump sit down with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei today.
MACRON WORLD PURSUES BARDELLA: A loyalist of French President Emmanuel Macron has unloaded on Jordan Bardella ahead of the 2027 presidential race, saying the National Rally leader’s position on migration is a “big fraud.”
PARLIAMENTARY NUMBERS GAME: Czech MEP Nikola Bartůšek has joined the European Conservatives and Reformists — a signal that political groups are already counting numbers ahead of the Parliament’s midterm reshuffle in January 2027.
NOT A TRADE WAR — YET: EU leaders aren’t heading into this week’s European Council looking for a fight with China, but the mood is hardening as Brussels focuses on rebalancing the fraught economic relationship.
ENERGY TURMOIL CONTINUES: Markets cheered the provisional U.S.-Iran agreement, sending oil and gas prices tumbling. But Europe’s energy headaches are far from over.
TRANSATLANTIC THERAPY
DEMS TO THE RESCUE? Democratic members of the U.S. Congress are pitching themselves to EU officials as reliable partners — particularly on climate — as Brussels searches for ways to preserve transatlantic cooperation.
Let’s talk: The U.S. delegation is set to meet Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera and officials from Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen’s cabinet today, after discussions with Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra on Monday.
Still in the game: “The message is that the United States is still in the climate game. We’ve hit a bump in the road with this administration, but don’t count us out,” Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove told POLITICO. The delegation pointed to continued backing from businesses, along with Democratic states and local governments.
The long game: Congresswoman Deborah Ross said her party hopes to reinforce bilateral commitments if it regains control of Congress after November’s midterm elections. Democrats could take over key foreign affairs, budget, trade and finance committees, bringing “a much more open approach to working with Europe,” including on Ukraine aid and AI cooperation, she said.
House to house: The European Parliament has also stepped up its contact with Congress during Trump’s second term, with President Roberta Metsola appointing longtime aide Amelie Giesemann to lead Parliament’s D.C. office. “As tensions increased between the White House and the Commission, U.S. Congress and European Parliament communications increased too,” said a senior Parliament official, granted anonymity to discuss internal strategy.
A friendly face: While efforts to build closer ties have now been largely put on hold until after the midterms, according to the official, many in Parliament say the dialogue remains a priority. “It’s sometimes easier to work with Congress than with the administration on certain issues,” said Brando Benifei, chair of the Parliament’s U.S. delegation.
20-SECOND PLAYBOOK PRIMER
Europe’slargest steel manufacturer and the world’s biggest chemical company want the rollout of the EU’s Emissions Trading System to be halted because it’s costing them too much. But how does the ETS work? It sets a limit on the overall amount of greenhouse gas emissions and forces big polluters to buy permits for every ton of carbon they emit. This is meant to create a financial incentive to go green. The original idea was that there would be a fixed number of these permits in circulation, but industry says factors such as high energy prices and competition from China are making the scheme unworkable.
TALK TO PLAYBOOK: On the Brussels Playbook Podcast, Ianasked what you’d name a new European social network. Whatsapp us on +32 491 050629 and listen from 7 a.m. to hear if we give you a shoutout.
HOT MIC HIGHLIGHTS
MAGIC HOT MIC: Leaders at G7 summits can forget that the cameras recording their every move are also listening in to their conversations. Here’s a highlight reel of hot mic moments from the ongoing leaders’ gathering in Evian-les-Bains:
Italy’s Giorgia Meloni on smoking: Asked by Friedrich Merz if she’d had a cigarette that morning, the Italian prime minister responded that she hasn’t smoked “since the first of May.” Canadian PM Mark Carney then asked Meloni: “Do you have a patch?”
Carney on EVs: The Canadian leader could be heard speaking to Trump, presumably referring to Carney’s deal with China on electric vehicles: “Less than 3 percent of our market, 49,000 cars,” he said, adding: “It’s a cap … I thought you’d actually like that.” Trump answered: “That’s good. I like that.”
France’s Macron on meeting Trump: “Yesterday we had a difficult discussion in front of the camera,” he told Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy, referring to Trump.
Not on Macron’s watch: Noting Macron left his wristwatch in the meeting room, Carney said: “He’s left his watch here. We’ve got his watch.” Trump chimed in: “Give me it if he left. Gimme.”
DASHBOARD
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WHO STAYS AND WHO GOES: MEPs will vote today on migrant return rules that aim to make the return of unsuccessful asylum-seekers faster and more effective, including by permitting countries to establish deportation hubs outside the EU. “This regulation tells everybody that it’s us and not the smugglers deciding who can stay in the European Union and who must leave,” Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner told MEPs yesterday.
The tougher rules were negotiated with the support of the center-right European People’s Party, the right-wing ECR and the far-right Patriots for Europe and Europe of Sovereign Nations groups. Left-wing and centrist groups opposed the rules over concerns they open the door to human rights abuses.
Malik Azmani, a Renew Europe MEP, said the Parliament had worked hard to make sure the new rules are “fully anchored in the rule of law and our European values.” But Socialist MEP Murielle Laurent said “Europe does not need to choose between effectiveness and its values … This regulation makes this choice appear inevitable and that’s precisely where it fails.”
5 MORE THINGS GETTING US TALKING
GUESS WHO’S BACK: Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is in Brussels today to speak to journalists and Patriots for Europe MEPs — his first visit since his election defeat in April.
SOFIA SAYS NO: Bulgaria signaled it opposes parts of the EU’s 21st Russian sanctions package, according to two diplomats(for Morning Trade subscribers).
THE BRITISH ARE COMING: The long-awaited EU-U.K. joint summit has been scheduled for July 22 in Brussels, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer pushes for closer ties and a reset with the bloc.
HEALTH LOSES OUT IN COMMISSION SHAKE-UP: Health is becoming “a lower-priority area” in the Commission’s overhaul of DG GROW, according to internal emails scooped by POLITICO’s Claudia Chiappa. (More for subscribers in Morning Healthcare.)
DEFENSE YES, COMPENSATION NO? Germany and Poland are celebrating 35 years of their neighborly treaty with a new defense pact and the return of looted artifacts (including a 16th-century gold ring belonging to King Sigismund I), Berlin Playbook’s Hans von der Burchard writes in to report.
BUDGET WATCH
CYPRUS FACES FRIENDLY FIRE: We’ve already seen a barrage of criticism from northern countries against Cypriot’s modest budget cuts. But southern heavyweights Italy and Spain used Tuesday’s ministerial discussions to add concerns of their own.
The Italian sob: “We do not consider traditional policies [agriculture and regional payouts] to be sufficiently safeguarded,” said Italian European Affairs Minister Tommaso Foti, noting that Italy stands to lose €37 billion in EU funds during the next seven-year budget cycle.
With friends like these: Spain’s EU minister Fernando Sampedro echoed the criticism, saying Nicosia’s two percent cuts to the overall size of the budget were excessive.
But other EU funding recipients, including Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Greece and Bulgaria, welcomed Nicosia’s proposal.
Two weeks left: Cyprus’ nego box will come under scrutiny again during a budget discussion among leaders on Friday morning. Nicosia may take comfort in the knowledge that its presidency will be over in two weeks.