SYRIZA braces for decisive weekend
The polarization and disintegration of leftist opposition SYRIZA was on full display again on Thursday at the meeting of the political secretariat, which, tellingly, lasted just one and a half hours, a historic low by the party’s standards. Since there was no completed proposal for the party statute, all the attention was on the leadership challenge faced by SYRIZA President Stefanos Kasselakis, who, however, did not pick up the gauntlet thrown down by Pavlos Polakis.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/politics/1247899/syriza-braces-for-decisive-weekend
PASOK to hold two debates as part of leadership contest
Opposition party PASOK will hold two debates as part of its leadership contest. Party spokesman Thanasis Glavinas said the debates will take place “both before the first round and before the second round of the internal party elections.”
Intervention by 12 industrial associations on the cost of electricity
In a joint statement, twelve industrial associations emphasize that the high cost of electricity threatens the survival of industries in Greece.
ELSTAT reports unemployment drops below 10% for first time since 2009
The Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) announced on Thursday that its labor force survey for the second quarter of 2024 shows a decline in unemployment below 10% for the first time since 2009. According to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, “this confirms the government’s employment policy, as unemployment has decreased by 7.1 percentage points compared to the second quarter of 2019.”
ATHEX: Energy stocks bolster index at the bourse
Not only did the benchmark of the Greek bourse recover all its Wednesday losses on Thursday, but it also did it on increased turnover, which confirmed that local stocks are gathering interest again this month. The rise in prices was led by non-bank blue chips, especially those in the energy sector, but extended across the market.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1247863/athex-energy-stocks-bolster-index-at-the-bourse
KATHIMERINI: Incentives to attract more youngsters to military schools
TA NEA: Behold the government package of measures for cheap housing
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: SYRIZA leader Kasselakis is being shown the exit; he is searching for a way out
RIZOSPASTIS: Greek Communist Party workers union calls for rallies demanding better wages and employment contracts with modern rights
KONTRA NEWS: SYRIZA leader Kasselakis clings to his chair and acts absurdly
DIMOKRATIA: New shocking evidence regarding the fatal Tempi rail crash
NAFTEMPORIKI: Direct award of state contracts in full swing
DRIVING THE DAY: BARNIER’S WAY
LE PEN THE KINGMAKER: French President Emmanuel Macron campaigned to keep the extremes out of power in Paris. In choosing Michel Barnier as his next prime minister, Clea Caulcutt writes, he has now handed them a sword of Damocles to dangle over the next government.
Victory from the jaws of defeat: In appointing the conservative premier (as we revealed he was set to do Thursday), Macron now depends on support from Marine Le Pen and her National Rally party to prop up his government. The left-wing alliance that came first in July’s snap election has vowed to back a vote of no-confidence in Barnier. That gives Le Pen major leverage in blocking Macron’s agenda, including budget cuts that are likely to be proposed to fix France’s dire debt issues. It also calls into question whether the cordon sanitaire to keep the far right out of power remains intact in Paris. Read more from Clea on Le Pen’s dramatic return as a power player despite National Rally’s disappointing third-place finish in the election.
Right man, right time: Barnier is arguably better known abroad than he is in France, having previously served as the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator and twice as a European commissioner. Victor Goury-Laffont has this guide to the conservative heavyweight’s politics. Despite his Brexit-era reputation as a defender of Europe, his views on matters such as migration sometimes clash with EU policies.
Hey, wait a second: What is a French prime minister’s job anyway? Giorgio Leali explains.
D´ÉTENTE: Von der Leyen’s congratulatory message to Barnier seems a lot more interesting when you know the backstory. Barnier, a member of France’s conservative Républicains, said at the European People’s Party Congress in March that he wouldn’t back von der Leyen’s nomination for a second term. His complaint: Her decision to attend the launch of Macron’s Renaissance party campaign the previous year.
That was then. Now Barnier is the one helping Macron’s presidency stay afloat — and von der Leyen, once again ensconced as Commission president, despite EPP defections, is glad for it. “I know that Michel Barnier has the interests of Europe and of France at heart,” she said.
No détente here, though: Chief Brexiteer Nigel Farage is not pleased.
COMMISSIONER PUZZLE
VON DER LEYEN SETS A DATE: Ursula von der Leyen will talk commissioner names and portfolios with the Parliament’s political chiefs on Sept. 11 at 8 a.m., Parliament spokesperson Delphine Colard said on X Thursday evening, confirming the widely anticipated date. It’s a key requisite for the Parliament’s committees to start setting up confirmation hearings.
MORE SPECULATION: Euronews detailed a “table making the rounds” with possible nominees and assignments, adding more grist to the mill. That one anticipates Austrian Finance Minister Magnus Brunner getting the antitrust portfolio, among other plum gigs for EPP members. The center-left and liberals would get “crumbs,” as Euronews puts it.
THE INSCRUTABLE IRISH NOMINEE: Kathryn Carlson has this highly readable profile of Ireland’s tough-to-read Commission pick, Michael McGrath, from Renew-linked Fianna Fáil. Dublin didn’t send a subtle signal by choosing an ex-accountant who served as finance minister: It expects an economic portfolio.
THE UBIQUITOUS FRENCH NOMINEE: Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton scored a glowing profile as one of the TIME 100 in AI for 2024. He’s in the “Shapers” category, which also includes Scarlett Johansson. (The latter, unlike Breton, does appear to have agreed to an interview.)
NEXT UP — OMBUDSMAN RACE: After voting yea or nay on the commissioners, MEPs get to choose the watchdog in charge of holding everyone accountable. Last week, the Parliament published its call for nominees to serve as the next European Ombudsman, with the second of Emily O’Reilly’s two terms set to end.
Pitches begin: Some have started campaigning already. Emilio De Capitani, a Parliament civil servant-turned-transparency activist, wrote to MEPs asking for their support. “It is more than evident that so far the institutions, agencies and bodies of the Union are holding back a real change of method and culture, to the detriment of the image and of the legitimacy of the European Union,” De Capitani wrote, vowing to use the Ombudsman’s influence to push for change. He’ll need the backing of 39 MEPs from at least two countries.
Other aspirants: Jonas Grimheden, a Swede heading Frontex’s fundamental rights office, is also in contention (campaign website here). More traditional candidates from civil society and legal circles are also likely to enter the race; Estonian judge Julia Laffranque is expected to try again after coming second to O’Reilly five years ago in a race with partisan undertones. Nominees have until Sept. 30 to shore up the minimum support.
FRANCO-GERMAN WATER BREAK
MACRON AND SCHOLZ MEET IN EVIAN: After a brutal week of domestic politics for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, today’s trip to Evian-les-Bains, directly opposite Lausanne on the French side of Lake Geneva, feels like a recovery program, Berlin Playbook’s Hans von der Burchard writes in to report — even if things rarely run smoothly with host Emmanuel Macron.
Humbled giants: The French president, with a momentary reprieve from his government crisis, meets a counterpart in Scholz who is weaker than ever. The occasion is a business forum in Evian; but first, the two leaders meet to discuss priorities for the new Commission and the situation in Ukraine.
Competition commonality: They both want flexible competition policy — more mergers to create larger airlines and mobile phone providers and looser subsidy rules. They presented a proposal in Meseberg in May.
But elsewhere, disagreement prevails: Work is just beginning on the next EU budget, in which France’s desire for more debt meets Germany’s reluctance (for at least as long as Christian Lindner is finance minister). Scholz also wants to get the Mercosur agreement across the line, which is currently being negotiated in Brazil, while Macron fears it would anger farmers.
NATO
BYE BRUSSELS, HI BUCHAREST: NATO’s Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoană is due to step down on Tuesday, marking an end to the tenure of the most senior alliance figure from the eastern flank. His next step? Geoană is widely expected to run in the Romanian presidential election this winter, with polls placing him at the top of public trust in potential candidates.
No. 3 steps up: NATO’s current Assistant Secretary-General Boris Ruge will temporarily step into Geoană’s role. Ruge’s main job would be to ensure a smooth transition as NATO boss Jens Stoltenberg transfers power to his successor, Mark Rutte, on Oct. 1.
The head hunt goes on: Over the summer, Rutte was urged to nominate a woman from the eastern flank as his deputy, though a NATO diplomat said this week that the search went beyond the reported names of Bulgarian ex-deputy PM Mariya Gabriel and North Macedonia’s former Defense Minister Radmila Šekerinska.
In Brussels for another reason: Diplomats said Latvia’s ex-PM Krišjānis Kariņš had also been in the race. But after unsuccessfully running for the European Parliament in June and resigning from the Latvian parliament last month, his time in Brussels now appears to be occupied with a different mission: serving as a senior adviser for consultancy Kreab, as our colleagues over at EU Influence reported Thursday.
DEFENSE UNION TO-DOS: A new paper from Nicole Koenig, head of policy for the Munich Security Conference, endorses the idea of a debt-based fund to fuel weapons procurement as part of a European defense union.
HUNGARIAN PRESIDENCY
MINISTERS TO TALK BABY-MAKING: Demographics are set to dominate an informal meeting of cohesion and regional policy ministers in Budapest today, my colleague Aude van den Hove reports, as the Hungarian Council presidency brings its preoccupation with low birth rates onto the EU agenda.
Rising inequalities: “An unchanged demographic situation could increase inequalities between EU regions in the long term,” the Hungarian presidency said in a press kit, “while fixing it is key “to sustain [the EU’s] global competitiveness.”
The link is real, saidDanielle Brady, an analyst at the European Policy Centre think tank. “The EU as a whole is undergoing demographic change,” and this will impact regions differently, she said. Because the rural population is aging more rapidly, for example, the pool for labor market participation is becoming smaller, meaning that these areas could trail behind economically. If Europe doesn’t deal with this now, Brady said, there could be a “massive crisis” that would impact the labor market, health systems, social insurance and pensions.
The new cohesion policy: The current cohesion policy and its funding are due for a reset when it ends in 2027. Changing demographics should be “strongly factored” into the next version, Brady said. More for Pro subscribers in the Fair Play newsletter.
RACISM IN THE EU
UNCOVERING EMBEDDED DISCRIMINATION: European governments aren’t collecting racial and ethnic data — a “colorblind” policy that obscures the effects of discrimination, activists say. A report out this week from the Migration Policy Group and funded by the Robert Bosch Foundation tries to reckon with structural racism in eight EU countries. Playbook reporter Šejla Ahmatović has these four takeaways:
1. Health care, education and housing are the sectors where structural racism hits hardest. Roma, Black people and Muslims are most affected, per the report. In 2018, a scandal around the Netherlands’ childcare benefits revealed a biased algorithm that wrongly accused many low-income parents — especially those from ethnic minorities — of fraud; some 70 percent of victims were from migrant families. To this day, the Dutch government hasn’t taken meaningful action to address this issue, said Carmine Conte, the think tank’s legal policy expert.
2. The “invisible minority”: Anti-Asian racism is a growing problem since the Covid-19 pandemic, but it’s especially hard to track. “Some Asian groups tend to minimize microaggressions and do not like to assume the role of victims,” said Conte. Antisemitic discrimination also tends to be underreported.
3. There are bright spots: Romania is taking steps to level the playing field for Roma students by implementing initiatives that give them a shot at reserved spots in high schools and universities. Greece is setting aside 0.5 percent of university slots specifically for Muslim minority students, and working on programs to help them integrate into society while honoring their cultural backgrounds.
4. Taking responsibility: Launching campaigns and workshops where these sensitive topics can be discussed would help empower affected communities, and foster discussions in society in general. The report also calls for governments to acknowledge past wrongs, apologize (!) and work “towards reconciliation and healing.”
RUSSIAN WAR
UKRAINE CONTACT GROUP MEETING AT RAMSTEIN TODAY: Defense ministers and high-ranking military officers from around 50 countries will meet at the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany this morning to discuss further support for Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend, as he tries to convince his Western allies to allow Ukraine to use their weapons deep inside Russian territory.
Also coming: John Healey, the new “Mr Ukraine” at the head of Britain’s military. Esther Webber has this profile.
PUTIN’S HAPPY PLACE … is in east Germany, write POLITICO’s Nette Nöstlinger and Svetlana Shkolnikova in this analysis of how a post-election debate over U.S. missiles and military aid for Ukraine is hampering coalition building in Thuringia and Saxony.
RUSSIA’S CYBERWAR: The U.S. and nine allied nations, including five from the EU, put out a joint alert Thursday formally accusing the Russian government of masterminding cyberattacks on critical Ukrainian infrastructure and targets in NATO countries. Agencies pinned the attacks, which mostly used a type of malware known as “WhisperGate,” on GRU Unit 29155, a Russian military hacking group, POLITICO’s Maggie Miller reported.
HUNGARY LOSING PUTIN DISCOUNT: For the last two years, Hungary has enjoyed access to Russian oil at well below market rates — but new Ukrainian sanctions are changing that, and Budapest is fuming, report Gabriel Gavin and Victor Jack.
KYIV’S NEW ENVOY: Andrii Sybiha,a former aide to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is Ukraine’s new foreign minister, after Dmytro Kuleba was ousted in this week’s major shakeup.
IN OTHER NEWS
THE HUNT FOR PAVEL DUROV: How did French police investigating “online sexual exploitation” close in on the Telegram messaging app CEO? My colleagues Océane Herrero, Victor Goury-Laffont and Elisa Braun have the must-read inside story.
HUNTER BIDEN PLEADS GUILTY: U.S. President Joe Biden’s son Hunter pleaded guilty Thursday to tax evasion and other tax crimes, in a surprise move just as his second trial was about to begin. Write-up here.
LISTEN TO THE BACK-TO-SCHOOL BLUES: In this week’s episode of the EU Confidential podcast, we talk about Ursula von der Leyen’s chaotic rentrée. Chief EU Correspondent Barbara Moens and Policy Editor Joanna Roberts join yours truly to look at the hot-button issues on the agenda and consider how European voters’ call for a rightward shift in June could be reflected in policy — or not. We also talk to Tech reporter Pieter Haeck about the trend of banning smartphones in the classroom. Listen here.
Teaching Mussolini a thing or two: Emilio Casalicchio visits Japan to ask how to get trains to run on time for this week’s Westminster Insider podcast.
HAPPY BDAY! POLITICO’s Declassified column is celebrating its fifth birthday by doing what author Paul Dallison does best: poking fun at folks who take themselves a little too seriously.