Country on political ‘roller coaster’
The government is enduring what sources within the administration describe as a political “roller coaster ride,” as the past two months have been marked by dramatic ups and downs, with polls showing fluctuating support.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/politics/1266895/country-on-political-roller-coaster
Dendias: We are strengthening defence relations and strategic cooperation between Greece and France – Contract for 16 Exocet missiles signed
The further strengthening of the relations in defence and strategic cooperation between Greece and France within NATO and the EU dominated a meeting between Defence Minister Nikos Dendias and French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Monday, at the defence ministry in Athens.
Androulakis: EU and Greece were not prepared for developments after Trump’s tariff decision
The European Union and Greece were not prepared for the developments after US President Donald Trump’s decision to increase tariffs, whereas they should have been, based on the experience during Trump’s first four years in office, main opposition PASOK-Movement for Change leader Nikos Androulakis pointed out on Monday, during his meeting with the president of the Greek Exporters’ Association, Simeon Diamantidis. According to Androulakis, what we are now seeing “is a broken telephone between European countries”.
Up to 15 Greek satellites set for launch within two years
Between 10 and 15 Greek satellites are expected to be launched into orbit over the next two years by the Ministry of Digital Governance in collaboration with the Hellenic Space Center. These satellites are being developed by Greek companies that have taken advantage of government incentives and have established operations within Greece.
ATHEX: Stocks grow as volatility recedes
The about-face in Washington regarding tariffs on European products, and the advent of Easter have helped reduce volatility in the stock markets, with Athinon Avenue showing some significant gains on Monday, albeit on a reduced turnover – set to decline further ahead of the four-day Easter break to come.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1267034/athex-stocks-grow-as-volatility-recedes
KATHIMERINI: Battle for a position in pilot elementary schools
TA NEA: French shield until 2031
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Product prices “resurrected” – Consumers crucified
RIZOSPASTIS: Strike on May 1st – Our lives vs. their profits
KONTRA NEWS: The tariffs war is killing the economy
DIMOKRATIA: Yet another crime regarding two other power cables
NAFTEMPORIKI: Bigger tax for self-employed entrepreneurs
DRIVING THE DAY: EU-US TRADE WAR
ŠEFČOVIČ DEBRIEF: EU ambassadors will today gather for a debrief on top EU trade negotiator Maroš Šefčovič’s trip to Washington. Šefčovič met with Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and trade representative Jamieson Greer for around four hours on Monday.
Last-minute briefing: The 1 p.m. meeting was added to the Coreper schedule only on Monday, several EU diplomats confirmed to Koen Verhelst and Camille Gijs, our top colleagues from Morning Trade. They report that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s right-hand man, Björn Seibert, is expected to deliver the update.
Deescalation bid: Šefčovič’s approach going in was to seek deescalation, while warning that Brussels could yet retaliate with “further EU countermeasures” should the talks “not prove satisfactory,” the Commission said in a statement.
Readout: Last night, Šefčovič said his trip was all about “seizing the 90-day window for a mutual solution to unjustified tariffs.” He reiterated the EU “remains constructive and ready for a fair deal — including reciprocity through our 0-for-0 tariff offer on industrial goods and the work on non-tariff barriers.” But, he acknowledged, “achieving this will require a significant joint effort on both sides.”
Reminder: The European Union was meant to be slapping tariffs on goods worth €3.9 billion of U.S. exports today as part of a broader €21 billion package of retaliation against Washington’s steel and aluminum tariffs. But Brussels has hit the pause button following Trump’s own 90-day suspension of his more punitive levies.
Digital platforms in bullseye: Should negotiations for a detente fail, the timeline on when the EU would introduce its countermeasures isn’t clear. They would come in response to Trump’s 10-percent blanket tariffs as well as his levy on foreign-made cars. Any fresh measures are expected to target U.S. services such as large digital platforms — a threat that EU diplomats say is serious enough to bring Washington to the negotiating table. (The Commission also published the final lists of goods it’s going to hit should negotiations break down.)
O DMA FINE, WHERE ART THOU? More than two weeks have passed since the Commission was expected to issue decisions on Meta and Apple breaking the Digital Market Act (DMA), prompting speculation that the trade tensions are influencing enforcement of digital laws. While the Commission maintains it’s “business as usual,” there are doubts on that, report Francesca Micheletti and Jacob Parry.
No biggie: On April 7, the Commission’s competition directorate downplayed the size of the fines, saying it’s not about punishing the tech giants but about compliance. “If we do not see willingness to cooperate we will not shy away from imposing the fines identified by the law,” Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera said back then. The Commission has yet to deliver.
Tech in the center: The EU’s regulatory crackdown is a flashpoint with the Trump administration, which has threatened retaliatory tariffs and accused Brussels of targeting American companies through regulations like the DMA, calling them “extortion.”
IN THROUGH THE SIDE DOOR: Meanwhile, Europe’s leaders are lining up to try their luck with the Trump administration, which so far has been much more open to dealing with national leaders than EU reps. Spain’s Economy and Trade Minister Carlos Cuerpo is meeting with the U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent early this afternoon, a spokesperson said, while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni meets with Trump on Thursday.
‘HUNGARY-PROOFING’ SANCTIONS
EU WORKS ON HUNGARY WORKAROUND: It’s the big question haunting EU officials: What if Hungary blocks the rollover of the European Union’s sanctions against Russia when they come up for renewal in July, unraveling the bloc’s pressure campaign against Moscow?
Conventional wisdom: For years, diplomats have insisted they can get around Budapest’s opposition to Ukraine policy, pointing out that Hungary has so far allowed 16 rounds of sanctions to go through without vetoing any of them despite threats to do so.
Will Orbán blink again? But concern is growing that, this time, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán could change tack and instruct his reps in Brussels to block the rollover. This would fit with Hungary’s refusal to endorse March European Council conclusions on Ukraine, as well as with the Trump administration’s ambivalent attitude toward Kyiv. Budapest can be expected to follow Washington’s instructions, the thinking goes.
The scenic route: According to six European diplomats who spoke to Gabriel Gavin, yours truly and Koen Verhelst, several EU countries are now actively exploring ways of circumventing a potential Hungarian veto on the sanctions rollover. Read the full story here.
Top option? Transposing the EU-level sanctions into national law in any European country willing to do so. “We all — member states and institutions — need to be in the mindset where we know it’s possible sanctions won’t be renewed,” said one of the diplomats, granted anonymity because of the confidential nature of the discussions. “We have to make sure the whole sanctions regime is resilient.”
Not just Ukraine hawks: Significantly, those considering the move include nations that have previously been reluctant to impose restrictions outside of the EU umbrella, like Belgium and the Czech Republic. “If our usual suspect is creating a huge problem then there will be ways to go around that,” another EU diplomat said, referring to Hungary. “I can say that if the certain member state” were to try to block the sanctions rollover, “that would be a very serious situation,” they added.
Going nuclear: There is also the option of using the EU’s legal tools to strip Hungary of its voting rights in the European Council. But capitals remain wary of taking this step. “If you don’t have a power of veto in your core interests — it’s not only about Hungary, it’s many other states that have core interests — I think Europe could very easily be much weaker,” said Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský in a recent POLITICO interview.
Instead, more decisions should be taken under the “coalition of the willing” format, argued Lipavský. That’s how other EU countries seem to be leaning as well, with no serious discussion on deploying Article 7 against Budapest on the cards.
Speaking of Hungary: Its parliament approved constitutional changes on Monday targeting LGBTQ+ people. Reuters has a write-up.
GAS PLAN: The European Commission is exploring legal options that would allow companies to break long-term Russian gas contracts without paying penalties to Moscow, the FT reports this morning.
KALLAS’ MAY 9 WARNING
DON’T GO TO MOSCOW, KALLAS WARNS: Stay away. That’s the order from the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, after Moscow extended an invitation to Slovakia and Serbia to participate in its May 9 World War II anniversary celebrations.
Read my lips: Speaking to reporters in Luxembourg, the former Estonian PM said Brussels would not “take it lightly” if any of the EU’s leaders — or those of countries aspiring to join the bloc — popped up on Red Square on May 9.
PR power play: Putin is working hard to make a public relations success of the celebrations on May 9, which is when Russia celebrates the end of World War II. Invitations have gone out to the leaders of BRICS nations, plus Israel. But in Brussels, it’s the EU guest list that’s raising eyebrows.
Don’t even: Kallas didn’t spell out any specific consequences if leaders defy her warning. But the finger-wagging alone could make Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico think twice. Indeed, he’s the only EU leader who’s officially been invited and said he would go. Despite the chummy ties between Budapest and Moscow, Viktor Orbán’s office has said he wouldn’t be attending, according to Russian news agency TASS.
Go to Kyiv instead: Kallas is urging Europeans to head to Kyiv on May 9, following an invitation from Ukraine’s foreign minister, first reported by POLITICO on Monday. “I’ve also called all the member states but also representatives of the institutions to visit Kyiv as much as possible to show really our solidarity and that we are with Ukraine,” she said.
REPORT: AIDES TELL TRUMP TO GET TOUGHER ON PUTIN. Several senior Trump aides, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg, are advising the president to be more skeptical of Putin’s claimed desire for peace with Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported overnight. But Trump is sticking with his envoy Steve Witkoff, who believes Putin wants to make peace, the paper noted.
Right on cue: Witkoff, fresh from his third meeting with Putin, went on Fox News’ “Hannity” overnight to discuss the St. Petersburg summit. “Towards the end” of the almost five-hour meeting, Witkoff said, “we got an answer” to what Putin wants “to get to have a permanent peace.” He didn’t reveal what that answer was, though he did give a hint.
“Very compelling commercial opportunities”: “I think we might be on the verge of something that would be very, very important for the world at large,” Witkoff said, adding: “There’s a possibility to reshape the Russia-United States relationship through some very compelling commercial opportunities.”
Now read this: Trump described Russia’s double ballistic missile strike on Sumy as a “mistake” by Moscow. But as my colleague Veronika Melkozerova reports, it’s actually a military strategy to terrorize Ukrainians and turn them against their military and government.
MEA CULPA: Monday’s Playbook wrongly identified a Balkan country being targeted for potential EU sanctions. Countries are considering sanctioning officials from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Serb-led entity Republika Srpska.
TRANSATLANTIC TEMPERATURE CHECK
COMMISSION RESPONDS TO “BURNER PHONE” STORY: The Financial Times reported on Monday that the European Commission was urging its U.S.-bound staff to use burner phones in a sign of escalating suspicion with regard to America, Antoaneta Roussi writes in to report.
Commission response: “We deny having given guidance to our staff recommending the use of burner phones while on official missions in the US,” a spokesperson said. “This is not mentioned in the traveling recommendation factsheets nor in any other document.”
The change, the spokesperson said, came from updates to several country-specific travel recommendation factsheets. “These updated recommendations were included in many other country factsheets to the attention of travelling senior officials.”
However, according to a Western intelligence source, the FT’s story is credible. “The security awareness is raising,” the person told Antoaneta.
KALLAS MEETS CONTROVERSIAL U.S. REP: Kaja Kallas will receive U.S. Congressman Keith Self today, Šejla Ahmatović reports. Relatively unknown on this side of the pond, the Texan recently made headlines for quoting Hitler’s propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels during a congressional hearing. In another instance, Self ended a hearing after he was called out for misgendering trans Congresswoman Sarah McBride.
Self own: Meeting with Self is a curious choice — and perhaps a sign of just how rocky the EU’s transatlantic footing remains. Four months into the second Trump administration, Brussels is still struggling to build strong transatlantic ties.
EU TRANSPARENCY CALL
OPEN UP: More than 140 journalists and media organizations are urging the Commission to uphold EU transparency laws. Signatories of a letter sent to Maroš Šefčovič, the commissioner for transparency, span a wide range of outlets — from your faithful scribes at POLITICO, MLex, the Guardian, Le Monde and the Financial Times to investigative platforms like Follow the Money, Correctiv and OCCRP.
This isn’t just another press plea. It’s a collective demand from those committed to holding power accountable in the public interest, calling for the EU to meet its legal and democratic obligations.
For context: Frustration has been building over the Commission’s complicated relationship with transparency, particularly around access to legislative and administrative documents. Journalists say that delays or denial of access impedes their ability to carry out their watchdog role, weakening public scrutiny of EU institutions — echoing concerns already flagged by the European Ombudsman.
IN OTHER NEWS
EU TORTURES WANNABE-EUROCRATS: Nearly 10,000 candidates must retake the EU translator exam after a technical error meant users could select multiple answers in what was meant to be a single-choice test. The glitch sparked outrage among applicants, who will now have to face the grueling process again in May. Mari Eccles and Sarah Wheaton have more.
DROUGHT WARNING: Central and Eastern European countries are missing out on the usual April showers, creating possible trouble for supply chains and farmers, reports Zia Weise.
EN GARDE: Seb Starcevic has a fascinating long read on the Russian sugar daddy who bankrolled Olympic fencing. The story chronicles billionaire Alisher Usmanov’s on-again-off-again tenure as federation president while facing EU and U.S. sanctions, and is well worth your time.