Mitsotakis to chair cabinet meeting on Tuesday
The ministers will present bills related to their portfolio. Some of the issues include taxation reform for the demographic issue and the middle class, the transition of the Armed Forces into a new era, policies of legal migration, and the annual plan for public sector hirings in the 2026.
https://www.amna.gr/en/article/936821/Mitsotakis-to-chair-cabinet-meeting-on-Tuesday
Greece faces deadline over delayed farm payments
Greece must submit a revised action plan for the operation of the Payment and Control Agency for Guidance and Guarantee Community Aid (OPEKEPE) by November 4, officials said, amid mounting concerns in the agricultural sector.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1282368/greece-faces-deadline-over-delayed-farm-payments
Greece publishes wealth declarations of more than 1,000 officials
Declarations of wealth and assets by more than 1,000 public officials were published on Parliament’s website on Monday. The disclosures, known in Greece as “pothen esches,” cover the financial holdings of the prime minister, cabinet ministers, party leaders, members of parliament and the European Parliament, as well as regional and local government officials. Independent MP Pavlos Sarakis, originally elected with the Hellenic Solution party, declared €18.4 million in income in the wealth statements published on Monday, placing him among the wealthiest members of Parliament. According to reports, this amount represents a legitimate fee related to the Novartis case, in which he served as counsel for the protected witnesses.
New Democracy holds steady lead despite performance concerns, poll shows
A new ALCO poll for Alpha TV shows the ruling New Democracy party maintaining a clear lead over its rivals, despite skepticism about its performance. According to the poll, New Democracy records 24% in voting intention, down one point since June. PASOK follows with 11.5%, while the far-right Greek Solution is at 9.3%. SYRIZA stands at 6.2%, while the Communist Party (KKE) and Course of Freedom each register 7.1%. Other parties remain below 4%, while 19% of respondents say they are undecided.
ATHEX: Index retains small part of its gains
The benchmark of the Greek stock market managed to hold on to just a fraction of its gains during the day on Monday, with banks losing most of their steam and the majority of stocks ending the week’s first session with losses, while turnover was the lowest of the last couple of weeks. The continued lack of direction is maintaining the high levels the main index captured during the summer, but without any short-term prospects for further growth in prices, as international uncertainty persists.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1282372/athex-index-retains-small-part-of-its-gains
KATHIMERINI: Suspension of subsidy payments to farmers due to the OPEKEPE scandal
TA NEA: Owners-renters: 2+1 assurances
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Athens arms Kiev yet again
RIZOSPASTIS: Tomorrow it’s time for the workers to speak! The bill of 13-hour slavery must be canned
KONTRA NEWS: MPs slam Foreign Minister Gerapetritis for the New York fiasco
DIMOKRATIA: Politicians with large debts
NAFTEMPORIKI: Between a rock and a hard place regarding live-stock breeding
DRIVING THE DAY: VDL NO-CONFIDENCE VOTES
SOCIALISTS AND LIBERALS SHORE UP VDL — FOR NOW: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen can breathe a sigh of relief after her allies confirmed they’ll stand behind her during next week’s two votes of no-confidence in the European Parliament plenary.
Skipping the suspense: “There is no sense for a motion of censure,” a spokesperson for Socialists and Democrats (S&D) leader Iratxe García told POLITICO’s Max Griera, adding that such motions are “powerful instruments” and the Socialists “won’t be on board to banalize it.”
Similarly, following a first discussion on Monday during a group visit to Estonia, the Renew group spokesperson said MEPs “won’t support the motions” — though cautioned that a final position has yet to be adopted.
What changed? Last time around, both camps kept up the pressure until the final minute, hoping to wring last-minute concessions out of the Commission. Now, with negotiations underway over the Commission’s 2026 work program, due in late October, the mood is noticeably warmer — at least among the leadership.
JUST A TEMPORARY TRUCE (SO THEY CLAIM): Beneath the surface, frustration with von der Leyen still simmers.“We don’t exclude” playing the censure card, warned García’s spokesperson, “if we see the need.”
Imagining the “unimaginable”: During a group meeting on Monday, some liberal MEPs argued their Renew group should remain open to supporting a motion of no-confidence in the long term if the Commission president fails to deliver on their demands, according to two aides present.
“You can start to feel people are so fed up they’re beginning to consider the unimaginable,” one of them warned.
Low confidence in VDL … but no confidence that they’ll get something better: Despite the threats from S&D and Renew, the lawmakers acknowledged to Max that firing von der Leyen would bring the EU into an unprecedented crisis with zero guarantee her successor would be any better for their cause.
“Ursula is sh*t, but it’s the best we can have,” said a Socialist MEP who supports von der Leyen in public, granted anonymity to speak candidly.
Careful what you wish for: “Many on the left desire change,” said German Greens chief Erik Marquardt, “but change can also turn the wrong way.”
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — SOCIALIST WISH LIST: For the Socialists, now seems like a pretty good time to ask for things. With an eye toward the 2026 work program, S&D MEPs will today try to tug the EU agenda back in the direction of workers’ rights after a year focused on competitiveness and simplification.
The so-called Opatija Declaration is a list of demands for helping people cope with rising prices and AI-fueled job instability, to be adopted during an S&D listening tour in Croatia — where consumers are grappling with one of the bloc’s higher inflation rates.
ISRAEL-GAZA
TRUMP-NETANYAHU DEAL KICKS BALL INTO HAMAS’ COURT: Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Monday they’d agreed on the White House’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza.
Sounds nice, but … Hamas hasn’t yet said yes, as my Stateside colleagues Eli Stokols and Nahal Toosi report. While a diplomat briefed on the matter said Qatari and Egyptian officials presented the proposal to Hamas negotiators, the militant group’s willingness to return all hostages to Israel and allow an international body to at least temporarily control Gaza is uncertain.
Applying some certainty: Despite Trump’s assertions that “eternal peace” could be at hand, he and Netanyahu both demanded Hamas effectively surrender or face destruction, with the Israeli leader vowing that his military would “finish the job” if it turns the deal down.
Getting into the Yom Kippur spirit: Just ahead of Judaism’s holy Day of Atonement, Netanyahu called the emir of Qatar with what Doha described as an apology for bombing the capital amid Israel’s widening war against Hamas.
EUROPEAN LEADERS ENDORSE THE DEAL: “I expect Israel to engage resolutely on this basis,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on social media, adding: “Hamas has no choice but to immediately release all hostages and follow this plan.”
Sticking to statehood push: Macron said future talks should ultimately fulfill the two-state solution, a point echoed by European Council President António Costa (who did not name-check Hamas in his response).
Paris claims credit: Following up on Macron’s (French-language) post, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Trump’s plan “explicitly draws inspiration from the ideas that France has put forward with its partners last Monday at the UN,” referring to the Palestinian statehood push.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the plan could be a “turning point,” adding: “Hamas, in particular, which started this war with the barbaric terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, now has the possibility to end it.” She also invoked hopes of the “State of Israel and a Palestinian State living side by side in peace and security.”
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said Trump’s proposal “provides a framework towards peace, stability and reconstruction in Gaza,” adding that “should Hamas accept the peace plan, it would mean that the guns could fall silent.”
German FM calls for Hamas lobbying push: “This opportunity must not be squandered. Hamas must take it,” said German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in a statement. “All those who can influence Hamas, I urge to do so now.”
More EU reactions: Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez | Dutch PM Dick Schoof
Turkey’s take: Beyond the EU, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan praised Trump’s “leadership aimed at halting the bloodshed in Gaza and achieving a ceasefire.”
WITKOFF OUT? Meanwhile, the Times of Israel reports Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff is expected to step down at the end of the year.
FINNISH SANGFROID
HELSINKI HATES ON DRONE “HYSTERIA”: Russia’s violations of EU airspace in recent weeks rattled Poland, Romania, Denmark and Estonia. But it’s nothing new for Finland, the country’s foreign minister, Elina Valtonen, said Monday — “we have had airspace violations for years.”
Don’t panic! “It could easily be that Russia is trying to test NATO,” Valtonen told reporters gathered in Helsinki, including Playbook’s own Tim Ross. “The response has been the right one and there’s no need to become hysterical or panic about anything.”
Generous grading: Valtonen’s positive assessment stands in contrast to military analysts who’ve noted that it took expensive fighter jets to shoot down just a fraction of Russia’s relatively cheap drones, or to a Russian opposition leader who told Playbook last week that NATO’s response would embolden Vladimir Putin further.
Should NATO shoot down Russian jets if they violate airspace? “There isn’t one rule of thumb that you have to shoot down everything,” Valtonen said, and decisions should be taken “case by case.”
Big stick energy: “We have no reason to not remain calm because we have a strong deterrence, and together we are so much stronger than Russia,” Valtonen said. “NATO is becoming stronger by the day.”
No one can accuse Germany of hysteria after Boris Pistorius threw cold water on the idea of a “drone wall” on Monday.
ANTI-DRONES FOR DANES: As EU leaders prepare to gather in Copenhagen for an informal summit where agenda items include … you guessed it … the drone wall, the U.K. is sending counter-drone technology to Denmark. That’s after several airports reported incursions by airborne devices in recent days.
British Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed the move for the first time in an interview with POLITICO at Labour Party conference on Monday, Esther Webber reports. “No one should be in any doubt that we are facing a level of grayzone activity and aggression which is testing us and testing other countries,” he said.
MEANWHILE, IN RUSSIA: Putin on Monday ordered the conscription of 135,000 men by the end of the year, with the Moscow Times reporting it’s the largest cohort in nine years.
RESPONDING TO RUSSIA, CONT’D
WARMING TO USING FROZEN ASSETS: Also high on the Copenhagen agenda: What to do with Russia’s frozen assets. Ursula von der Leyen plans to talk leaders through her idea for using €140 billion of them to fund loans to Ukraine. It’s winning support in powerful places, including Berlin, and money-minded policymakers increasingly see the benefits outweighing the risks.
Live a little: Finland likes the direction of travel and sees further opportunities potentially to make that money work harder for Ukraine — including by investing it in “longer-term bonds or even equities.” Valtonen said the EU could be “able to perhaps invest the assets better or in the sense that [we] take a little bit more risk, that there’s a higher expected return on them.”
Even riskier: The European Central Bank remains concerned that seizing cash would deter other countries from holding reserves in euros.Yet if Russia loses the war, reasoned Lithuanian central banker Gediminas Šimkus, “Wouldn’t we end up with an outcome that creates more risks for the euro?” Read his interview with POLITICO’s Carlo Boffa.
Belgium still dead against: “Taking Putin’s money and leaving the risks with us, that’s not going to happen,” said Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever. (Those assets are largely held at Euroclear, based in Brussels, so the risk for Belgium is particularly acute.)
… but open to a Belgian solution? As VRT reported, De Wever was lashing out late last week in response to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s op-ed backing the loan plan. I’ve told everyone that I am happy to discuss this. But let’s talk and come up with something, rather than sharing an opinion on it every day. I find it quite frustrating.” So look out for leaders to find some Belgian-specific solutions to mitigate the country’s risk.
NATO-EU MIND MELD: NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte will join the EU executive’s weekly College meeting today, with the aim to ensure EU defense initiatives and NATO planning fit together.
What to expect: Rutte will brief commissioners on the security situation — and, just as crucially, listen in on how the Commission is gearing up for Wednesday’s informal European Council in Copenhagen. The idea is to set out what Brussels has in mind for leaders, check for NATO alignment and avoid duplication on issues such as standardization and capability planning.
EU ACCESSION LATEST: The European Commission on Monday welcomed António Costa’s plan to bypass Hungary’s veto and press ahead with Ukraine and Moldova’s EU accession bids, as first reported in Monday’s Brussels Playbook. Meanwhile, the FT reports this morning that the EU has proposed changing its rules to allow it to start doing the technical work in several clusters of Ukraine and Moldova’s membership negotiations, despite lacking a formal green light to do so.
HACKS AND FLACKS
RIBERA CONTRADICTS COMMISSION SPOX ON GOOGLE PRESSER: Commission competition chief Teresa Ribera said she made a strategic decision not to hold a Friday afternoon press conference about the decision to fine Google earlier this month.
Why we’re still talking about this: The Commission Spokesperson’s Service (SPP) claimed there was no press conference because Ribera “was traveling to Ethiopia very early” the following morning. But that wasn’t true, Ribera told POLITICO — her flight was Saturday evening.
SPP pleads “good faith”: Arianna Podestà, the Commission’s deputy chief spokesperson, said she’d made the claim about the flight because Ribera’s Cabinet “had indicated to me that one of the reasons for which it was agreed not to have a press conference on the Google case was that the EVP had to travel to Ethiopia immediately the day after.” She added, “I provided information in good faith and relying on the feedback of colleagues.” Read the article from Karl Mathiesen and Francesca Micheletti.
This keeps happening: Good faith or not, the facts don’t look good for the SPP. The list of mistakes and misleading statements from von der Leyen’s spokespeople keep piling up, including conflicting stories of GPS jamming, unjustified claims that a reporter had taken the Commission’s trade chief out of context and — the original sin — the evasion on von der Leyen’s hospitalization. The credibility crisis Playbook declared in January continues.
IN OTHER NEWS
MAKE YOUR TAXES FIT FOR INVESTMENT: Financial Services Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque unveils the EU’s strategy to increase financial literacy today, along with a blueprint for savings and investment accounts. Central to the non-binding recommendation: tax breaks. More details for Pro subscribers in Morning Financial Services.
SNEAK PEEK — EIB GROUP’S PLANS TO FUND WEATHER-PROOFING: The European Investment Bank Group is formally adopting today the second phase of its Climate Bank Roadmap. That includes €30 billion in financing for so-called climate adaptation between 2026 and 2030, double the previous period. Read the press release.
HAPPENING TODAY — KRAH ASSISTANT VERDICT: A German court will today hand down the verdict in a case concerning alleged China spy Jian Guo, a one-time assistant to former AfD MEP Maximilian Krah. AFP has more.
TOP READ: Giuliano da Empoli’s books that focus on power games and autocrats, including “The Wizard of the Kremlin,” have become essential reading for Europe’s political elite, particularly Emmanuel Macron. Giorgio Leali sits down with the modern Machiavelli himself.
WASHINGTON GRIDLOCKED: A shutdown of large swathes of the U.S. government on Wednesday appears all but inevitable after congressional leaders left a crunch Oval Office meeting with Donald Trump last night without a funding deal. But there were hints of a possible off-ramp, my Stateside colleagues report.
NOT LOOKING GOOD FOR AFGHANISTAN RETURNEES: An internet blackout hit Afghanistan on Monday, with local media reporting it was part of a Taliban crackdown on immorality, the Associated Press reports. According to the AP, it’s the first such shuttering of the internet since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.