PM Mitsotakis to convene emergency meeting on electricity wholesale price discrepancies
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will convene an emergency meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Environment and Energy on Tuesday at 10:00 AM to address discrepancies in electricity wholesale prices.
Ex-commissioner throws in hat in PASOK leadership race
Anna Diamantopoulou, a former European Union commissioner for social affairs and minister, is expected to announce her candidacy for leader of socialist PASOK this week, bringing the number of hopefuls to seven.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/politics/1243961/ex-commissioner-throws-in-hat-in-pasok-leadership-race
Prosecutor recommends guilty verdict for ex-defense minister’s money laundering case
The prosecutor in the trial of former socialist defense minister Yiannos Papantoniou for money laundering has proposed a guilty verdict for him, his wife and a close associate.
Finance ministry reports state budget primary surplus of 2.9 billion euros in first half of 2024
The state budget primary balance on a modified cash basis amounted to a surplus of 2.9 billion euros in the first half of 2024, against a primary surplus target of 1.204 billion euros and a primary surplus of 2.116 billion euros performed in the first half of 2023, the National Economy and Finance Ministry announced on Monday.
ATHEX: Banks push local stock market up
Athinon Avenue had a relatively balanced session on Monday, with mid-caps declining and rising stocks outnumbering dropping ones by the narrowest of margins, but banks showed some healthy gains that boosted the benchmark and the blue-chip index to see the bourse start the week on a positive footing. Daily turnover managed to remain above the 100-million-euro mark.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1244057/athex-banks-push-local-stock-market-up
KATHIMERINI: Windowshops of electronic fraud
TA NEA: Retroactive payments for 2015-2016: The crucial ruling expected until the end of July
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Greeks are champions in working hours (even before the 6-day working week was established)
RIZOSPASTIS: Rally against the lay-off of LARKO workers
KONTRA NEWS: Ex-defense minister Giannos Papantoniou found guilty for kickbaks
DIMOKRATIA: New “bomb” regarding electricity prices
NAFTEMPORIKI: Heatwave for electricity prices
HOWDY. Welcome to Tuesday’s edition of Brussels Playbook, coming to you from Strasbourg, where new MEPs are about to experience their first plenary — and that feeling of FOMO when more powerful players hijack the news cycle.
DRIVING THE DAY: EUROPEAN ELEGY
WHY TRUMP’S PICK FOR VP IS BAD NEWS FOR EUROPE: Europe was already panicked about a second Donald Trump presidency and its implications for U.S. foreign policy. Now, with the announcement of J.D. Vance as Trump’s running mate, that alarm has escalated, Suzanne Lynch reports from the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin.
While you were sleeping: Former President Trump received thunderous applause when he appeared at the convention arena in Milwaukee for his first public appearance after surviving an assassination attempt on Saturday. His ear bandaged, Trump stood next to his new VP pick taking in the scene as some in the crowd broke into chants of “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
America First: By selecting Vance, an Ohio senator, as his running mate, Trump has opted for one of the most isolationist members of the Republican Party. The erstwhile Trump critic turned evangelist is vehemently opposed to helping Ukraine and has blasted what he sees as Europe’s overdependence on the United States for foreign policy help.
‘Disaster’: One senior EU official, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly on the issue, said in an interview Monday that the appointment of Vance was a “disaster” for Ukraine — and by extension for the EU’s efforts to support the country against Russian aggression.
Recap: In case you missed it, POLITICO sat down with Vance at the Munich Security Conference in February, where he couldn’t have been clearer about where he stood on Ukraine.
“We simply do not have manufacturing capacity to support a ground war in Eastern Europe indefinitely. And I think it’s incumbent upon leaders to articulate this for their populations,” he told Suzanne. “How long is this expected to go on? How much is it expected to cost? And importantly, how are we actually supposed to produce the weapons necessary to support the Ukrainians?”
Better things to do: Vance also skipped a meeting between a bipartisan group of senators with Zelenskyy at Munich and doubled down on his view that Ukraine will ultimately have to cede territory to Russia.
Trade headaches: Vance’s skepticism about the fundamental underpinning of the rules-based international order extends beyond foreign policy. The Ohio senator, whose best-selling “Hillbilly Elegy” chronicled his upbringing in the rust-belt states of America, has long championed the cause of the American worker and the importance of the U.S. manufacturing sector. Expect him to advocate a turning inwards economically if he is elected vice president on the Republican ticket in November, as well as a push for stronger action against China.
Blasting Berlin: Vance’s views on the transatlantic relationship don’t just spell trouble for Ukraine. He’s also hit out at Europe’s dependency on the U.S. for defense and security, blasting Germany in particular in a speech on the Senate floor in April, Suzanne reports.
Go deeper on the Vance pick: Why Trump chose him … The backstory on how it happened … Vance’s policy agenda … How Democrats responded … 55 things to know about Vance.
Catch up with Global Playbook: Look out for the latest edition of Global Playbook landing in your inboxes later today from the RNC, where Trump was officially anointed as the Republicans’ pick for president on Monday. Read and sign up here.
TRUMP ATTACK SPARKS FEAR IN EUROPE: Across the continent, politicians from all sides watched the attack on Trump on Saturday with a sense of dread, Mason Boycott-Owen reports. The incident in Pennsylvania was a reminder of the growing danger in their own countries, reflected in the shooting of Robert Fico, the assault on Mette Frederiksen and other recent acts of violence against European politicians.
At the same time: Populist politicians from Spain to Serbia are using the Trump shooting to slam the left.
BIDEN DEFENDS HIS MENTAL FITNESS: While Trump basked in adulation at the RNC, President Joe Biden tried again to calm doubts about his faltering campaign last night, telling NBC News: “I’m old. But I’m only three years older than Trump, number one. And number two, my mental acuity has been pretty damn good.” Biden also said it was a mistake to urge Democrats to put Trump “in a bullseye” days before the assassination attempt.
LETTA’S LET-DOWN: Former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta told EU finance ministers on Monday night that they needed to prepare for Donald Trump becoming U.S. president again, Giovanna Faggionato reports. “After what happened in Butler, it is clear that [Donald] Trump is going to win the election, it will be difficult to avoid that, and it is absolutely necessary to be autonomous and independent,” Letta told ministers, according to a person in the room. More for subscribers to POLITICO Pro Fair Play.
Winding down: Stocks of Danish wind energy companies were down on Monday, evidence of investors preparing for “Trump Trade,” per Quartz.
BOOST FROM BUDAPEST: One vector of the transatlantic alliance will surely be strengthened if Trump wins. Vance and Balász Orbán — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s political adviser (they’re not related) — are already buddies, apparently. “A Trump-Vance administration sounds just right,” the aide tweeted with a photo of his arm around the senator.
HUNGARIAN PRESIDENCY
COMMISSION OPTS FOR QUIET QUITTING: Commissioners will skip meetings hosted by Budapest as part of its rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, Barbara Moens and Pieter Haeck report, sending civil servants in their place. It’s the Berlaymont’s version of the boycott planned by EU capitals, which will send bureaucrats to Hungary’s foreign affairs meeting, instead of ministers, to protest Viktor Orbán’s rogue “peace missions.”
I’m rubber, you’re glue: Hungary, which has tangled with Brussels over rule-of-law breaches, argued that Brussels is now guilty of political overreach. The Commission cannot “cherry pick” the institutions and member states it wants to cooperate with, said Hungarian EU Affairs Minister János Bóka on X.
Campaign angle: The move is “clearly a part of” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s bid for a second mandate, tweeted Kinga Gál. Sure, Gál is a top Fidesz MEP — but Playbook can assure you that Orbán’s allies are not the only ones who see this in the context of Thursday’s planned vote in Parliament.
Speaking of the Parliament: The ball is now in the democratically-elected institution’s court to decide how it will deal with Orbán’s Council presidency. While some MEPs want to see the Parliament refuse to invite Orbán for the traditional exchange of views on the presidency priorities (already delayed to the September plenary by the July top jobs votes), the Parliament’s leaders are more likely to want to haul Orbán in for a grilling. It’s also a safe bet that the customary junket by the Parliament’s Conference of Presidents (so many presidents!) to Hungary won’t happen.
‘MISSION’ REPORT: Orbán sent Council President Charles Michel a 10-point note with conclusions and suggestions based on his “peace missions,” including his call on Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Dated July 12 and viewed by Axel Springer’s Paul Ronzheimer, the note warns that in a “likely” Trump victory, the EU’s proportion of the financial burden of supporting Ukraine “will significantly change to the EU’s disadvantage.”
Trump whisperer: Citing his discussions with Trump, Orbán claims he can “surely state that shortly after his election victory, he will not wait until his inauguration, but will be ready to act as a peace broker immediately. He has detailed and well-founded plans for this.” Orbán does not offer any details on these well-founded plans. (The FT also has a write-up.)
Right on cue: If Trump wins, “we will work with him. I am not afraid of it,” Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday. More from Veronika Melkozerova.
PARLIAMENT TOP JOBS
METSOLA SET FOR SECOND TERM: The European Parliament is expected to give a resounding endorsement to its EPP-affiliated President Roberta Metsola serving another 2.5-year term this morning.
Symbolic challenge: The only other candidate, the Left’s Spanish MEP Irene Montero, is only running to put up a symbolic challenge. Even the “vast majority” of the hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group will swing behind the Maltese MEP Metsola, according to a statement praising her as pragmatic, able to bridge divides and strong on Ukraine.
NO WHITE SMOKE YET: Negotiations on the full package of jobs, ranging from vice presidents and quaestors to committee chairs, were not concluded last night and will continue this morning, two people with knowledge of the matter told Playbook.
MELONI’S MEP FACES CRUNCH VOTE: The Parliament will also elect its 14 vice presidents, who will act as speakers for plenary debates and as substitutes for Metsola and five quaestors who handle the nitty-gritty of internal parliamentary business. The ECR has put up Brothers of Italy lawmaker Antonella Sberna as a vice president, but it remains to be seen whether she will make it through or be challenged by one of the groups that sought to extend the cordon sanitaire to Meloni’s party during the campaign.
From guarding the border to being trapped by the cordon:The National Rally’s Fabrice Leggeri, a former Frontex chief, will be the Patriots for Europe’s pick for vice president after it was allocated a slot by the Parliament’s internal rules. But it seems all but certain that other groups will impose a cordon sanitaire and block him by proposing their own candidate, possibly from the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group.
VON DER LEYEN’S PRIORITIES: Britain’s big moment back in the European fold — as host of the European Political Community meeting under the new Euro-friendly Labour government — will be overshadowed by Thursday’s Parliament vote on Ursula von der Leyen’s second term as Commission chief. Von der Leyen will be skipping it, Barbara Moens and Tim Ross report. Jetlagged from last week’s NATO summit in Washington, other EU leaders wish they had an equally compelling excuse.
Not backing von der Leyen: As an ex-MEP, Sophie in ‘t Veld won’t get to participate in the secret ballot on reappointing the Commission chief, but her position is no secret. Eddy Wax has this exit interview.
IN OTHER NEWS
THE FRENCH LEFT DOESN’T HAVE A PLAN: A week after its unexpected victory in France’s snap parliamentary election, the left-wing alliance still can’t seem to decide who should govern. Its four founding parties have already put forward at least six candidates for prime minister, all of whom have been shot down, and negotiations appear to be at a standstill. My colleague Victor Goury-Laffont has the latest from Paris.
GROWING TENSION OVER CAR CHIPS: The EU is considering action against Chinese competitors to safeguard its chip industry, which is crucial for the continent’s automotive sector. The move could escalate trade tensions with Beijing, amid existing disputes over EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. Concerns about subsidized Chinese firms targeting leading European chip manufacturers have prompted discussions on potential measures to bolster chip-making capacity within the EU. Pieter Haeck has the story.
IT ALL STARTS WITH A QUESTIONNAIRE: With European countries struggling to restaff their troops, Sweden’s new conscription model seems to offer a promising solution. The country, which recently joined NATO, intends to screen up to 110,000 teenagers in 2024, enlisting those who pass both the physical and mental tests — whether they want to or not. Germany and the Netherlands are already eyeing the project.
DIPLOMATIC ROW AHEAD: Fresh off its Euro 2024 victory, Spain’s national football team took part in a ticker tape parade through Madrid on Monday that concluded with its members gathered on a stage and improbably breaking out in a chant of “Gibraltar is Spanish!” that was echoed by tens of thousands of supporters. Spare a thought for the Spanish foreign minister, Spain’s ambassador to the U.K. and the European Commission team that has spent years attempting to forge a definitive post-Brexit agreement on the Spain-Gibraltar border — their week just got a lot more complicated.