Greece reaffirms stance on Turkey’s participation in EU SAFE program
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lana Zochiou reaffirmed Greece’s position that it will veto Turkey’s participation in the EU’s SAFE program unless Ankara withdraws its casus belli (cause of war) declaration.
PM Mitsotakis speaks on phone with Ukrainian President Zelensky
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier on Wednesday. They discussed recent developments in Ukraine ahead of the upcoming European Council meeting of the EU on October 23-24 in Brussels.
BoG Governor Stournaras: We must accelerate reforms to secure all 36 billion euros from the Recovery Fund
Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras stressed the need to accelerate the absorption of Recovery Fund resources to ensure that Greece does not lose access to available European funds. In an interview with Parapolitika 90.1 FM, Stournaras said that Greece has so far received about 60% of the funds it is entitled to from the Recovery and Resilience Facility.
Heating oil on sale at noticeably lower price than in 2024
The sale of reduced-tax heating oil for domestic use began on Wednesday, at a noticeably lower price compared to the previous year, at 1.09 euros per litre.
https://www.amna.gr/en/article/940935/Heating-oil-on-sale-at-noticeably-lower-price-than-in-2024
ATHEX: Metlen, Alpha and PPC lead stock decline
The Greek bourse experienced a price decline for a third session in a row on Wednesday, with pressure spreading across most blue chips, and especially on Metlen and PPC, while lower capitalizations remained off investors’ radar. All this was in spite of a rather promising morning opening for buyers. Meanwhile, the government has produced legislation that facilitates the acquisition of the Athens Exchange by Euronext.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1283922/athex-metlen-alpha-and-ppc-lead-stock-decline
KATHIMERINI: European drones, Israel’s solution and Turkey
TA NEA: From November 1st wills/inheritances will be formally published within 1 week
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: “Debt prison” for households
RIZOSPASTIS: No compromise with barbarism: The abominable labor bill must nut be implemented
KONTRA NEWS: The government is locked in due to the OPEKEPE scandal and the Tempe rail-crash case
DIMOKRATIA: Radical changes in the new constructions regulation
NAFTEMPORIKI: Business must keep tax-office “paperwork” for 10 years
DRIVING THE DAY: IS EUROPE READY FOR WAR?
PREPARING FOR BATTLE: The Roadmap on European Defense Readiness 2030 is set to be unveiled today by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Executive Vice President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy Henna Virkkunen and Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius. EU leaders commissioned the plan at their March and June summits this year.
In a nutshell: “Europe is in a fight,” Ursula von der Leyen warned in her State of the Union last month — so it better be ready for battle by 2030.
Who’s the EU preparing to fight within 5 years? Russia, of course. To close critical capability gaps by 2030 — from air and missile defense to drones, artillery, AI, cyber and maritime systems — Brussels says many projects must kick off next year.
Preview: My colleagues Jacopo Barigazzi and Laura Kayali got hold of the draft roadmap and reveal the plan will set joint procurement targets, pitch new common projects in air defense, space and the eastern flank, and call for annual “defence readiness reports.” The Commission also wants an annual defense industry summit from mid-2026, bringing together capitals, institutions, industry players and tech innovators.
The great divide: While smaller EU countries are open to a stronger Commission role in defense, bigger players like Germany and France want Brussels to stick to regulation and financing. Sweden, in its input to the roadmap, stressed that decisions must remain in national hands and reflect member countries’ priorities.
Relax, we’re just facilitators! The EU executive insists countries remain “sovereign” on defense — but also wants “to act as a facilitator,” offering a “one-stop shop” for technical advice and EU funding access, including regional funds. Translation: The Commission is seeking to douse fears that Brussels is overstepping.
Ministers already chewed on it: As Wednesday’s Playbook previewed, Europe’s defense ministers discussed the roadmap last night over dinner. They broadly backed the plan, even skeptics like Italy, according to an EU official.
The usual chorus: The European defense ministers again called for faster action and closer coordination with NATO. They’ve now been asked which “coalitions” (Brussels-speak for voluntary groups of member countries collaborating on specific defense projects) they want to join or co-lead.
Next steps: The roadmap goes to EU leaders next week; coalition ministers will meet again on Dec. 1, with the aim to launch all groups by then, an EU official said.
GIVING EDIP ANOTHER CHANCE: Three-way negotiations between the Council, Parliament and Commission on the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) — which collapsed last week — resume today. The outcome remains uncertain.
The sticking point: Member countries want to allow exceptions (aka derogations to eligibility criteria) so EU money can fund missile and ammunition production under foreign licenses. The European Parliament is against that.
Talks kick off at 5 p.m. at the Council. The first session’s scheduled to last two hours but could stretch to four or five, a Parliament official told Playbook — though no one’s expecting an all-nighter.
The mood: “We’re reasonably more optimistic than last week,” the Parliament official said after Wednesday’s ambassadors’ meeting, where some timid compromise drafts emerged. “On the EU Council side? Let’s say they’re less pessimistic than last week!” the official concluded.
EXTRA CREDIT READING: Pressure is mounting on NATO allies to go all-in on Donald Trump’s arms scheme for Ukraine … Kyiv likes its latest ally — Trump … How Pedro Sánchez became NATO’s flakiest friend.
MIGRATION
WE HAVE A MED PACT: Another long-awaited initiative lands today: the Mediterranean Pact, the flagship project of Dubravka Šuica. The Croatian commissioner’s Mediterranean portfolio was one of von der Leyen’s novelties when she laid out her political guidelines in July 2024, alongside new posts for housing and defense. Von der Leyen at the time said it would form part of the EU’s diplomatic outreach, focused on building a new Mediterranean Pact.
That moment has come. The Commission is branding it an “action-oriented framework” (rolls off the tongue, eh?). In comments shared ahead of today’s launch, Šuica called it “a clear demonstration of our renewed commitment to the Mediterranean region.”
What to expect: The plan aims to deepen partnerships with the EU’s southern neighbors. Expect 17 initiatives and more than 100 actions in 10 partner countries, according to Šuica. Highlights include plans to lay the groundwork for a Mediterranean University and to set up an investment platform to boost renewable-energy projects.
Help them at home: “We will also work on security and on migration management,” Šuica said. Translation: This isn’t a migration pact — but it is ultimately about migration (like many things in the EU nowadays). The idea is to give young people in partner countries better opportunities at home through training, jobs and stronger local economies, giving them reasons to stay.
TALKING ABOUT MIGRATION: As the Dutch prepare to go to the polls later this month, Geert Wilders’ Party for Freedom remains the most popular political force in the country. POLITICO’s Eva Hartog has this must-read on Wilders’ one-man rule.
NOT TALKING ABOUT MIGRATION: The Party of European Socialists, Europe’s second-biggest political family, is holding a three-day get-together in Amsterdam starting today as it seeks to find a way to fight right-wing populism. But attendees won’t be spending much time talking about migration, a hot-button issue that’s fueling that populist rise, Max Griera reports.
CLIMATE DIPLOMACY, DRAGHIFIED
THE GREEN DRAGHI: This afternoon, the European Commission and the bloc’s diplomatic service will unveil a new “vision” for the EU’s approach to the global green transition, Zia Weise writes in. What began as a strategy for boosting climate efforts worldwide has turned into a plan to sharpen the bloc’s competitiveness — firmly aligning green diplomacy with the economic priorities set out by Mario Draghi in his famed competitiveness report.
Shifting focus: When the Commission sought feedback for the vision this summer, the strategy was meant to outline “the means to step up EU green diplomacy and for engaging more with non-EU countries.” Now, it’s about “securing Europe’s competitive role in world markets and accelerating the green transition.”
The plan’s economic shift echoes a broader theme. Reframing green efforts as measures to boost EU prosperity has been a hallmark of von der Leyen’s second Commission — a reaction to both the political backlash against the Green Deal and Draghi’s diagnosis of the bloc’s competitiveness woes.
Business case above all: Critics see this shift as a sign of the EU backtracking on climate action — sometimes with good reason, with the competitiveness argument used to hollow out or delay key pieces of green legislation over the past year. But the draft plan, at least, seeks to position the EU as a reliable partner committed to its climate targets. It’s still an all-in bet on a net-zero future — just more profit-oriented than before.
THE WINNERS: The EU’s clean-tech sector, that’s for sure. The vision sees the bloc cashing in on the global race to net zero by wresting a greater slice of the market from China. Manufacturers of everything from EVs to wind turbines should get a big export boost, per the draft plan. A key focus of increased climate cooperation with other countries is “to promote the uptake of clean technologies” — made-in-EU, bien sûr.
THE LOSERS: Fossil fuel producers — the strategy makes clear there’s no future for them in the EU’s plans. China, if the EU succeeds in challenging some of its clean-tech dominance. And the current U.S. administration, whose own energy vision is contrary to the EU’s. But also those hoping for more: the draft plan contains no promises on Europe increasing its own climate ambitions or financing.
BRUSSELS GUN VIOLENCE HITS EU BUILDING
SHOTS FIRED: A police chase early on Saturday morning ended “with shots fired” near the building housing the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), and “a bullet impact on the façade” of the premises, according to an internal email obtained by Playbook.
All’s well that ends well? The incident was resolved quickly, with police confirming “no ongoing threat or risk to our building, our staff, or the surrounding area.” And, the email noted, “The bullet did not penetrate the glass, so there was no danger to anyone inside the building.”
Gare du Nord strikes again: EACEA is the body that manages, among other things, Erasmus+ and Creative Europe. The agency, which has been around since 2006, about five years ago moved to the North Light building, one of those sleek new towers near the not-so-sleek Gare du Nord — part of the Commission’s broader real-estate downsizing plan.
Follow the money: The move was officially driven by cost-cutting, but staff and directors have questioned whether it actually saves money. Unions previously said the price per square meter at North Light may exceed that of newer offices in the European Quarter. Expect those questions about the move — and its true cost — to resurface, this time with a safety angle.
Brussels has seen an unprecedented rise in gun violence. By August,public prosecutor Julien Moinilhad already recorded 57 shootings this year.
FROM RUSSIAN SANCTIONS TO EUCO
NO SOLUTION ON SANCTIONS YET: The EU’s 27 ambassadors came up empty-handed Wednesday on the 19th sanctions package against Russia. Two diplomats told my colleague Koen Verhelst the battle lines are the same as before.
Floating down the Danube: Austria keeps pushing for compensation for its Russia-operating bank Raiffeisen. Meanwhile, Slovakia wants to make the discussion about the wider push to get out of Russian fossil fuels, known as RePowerEU. Slovak PM Robert Fico even took to X complaining the EU is talking about Ukraine too much.
Quintessential Brussels: Before EUCO even gets to discuss “how to address the crisis in the automotive industry and high energy prices,” Fico said he won’t sign off on the next sanctions package. (Holding a sanctions deal hostage in exchange for softer EUCO conclusions — could anything be more poetically Brussels?) More here.
Fun Friday: Ambassadors will return to the stalemate on Friday, when they meet again. Pressure is amping up slowly, with foreign affairs ministers meeting on Monday and a heads-of-government EUCO on Thursday and Friday next week. Speaking of which …
EUCO PREP: EU ambassadors on Wednesday also had their first go at the draft EUCO conclusions (obtained by POLITICO). Several diplomats contacted by Playbook described the draft with the exact same adjective: dense. Ambassadors only managed to go through a few sections, from foreign affairs and defense to competitiveness and housing.
A dense round up, then. On defense, they discussed the readiness roadmap. On competitiveness, the push is to tie climate targets more closely to industrial policy. On the Middle East, discussions circled around what role the EU could play in Trump’s peace plan — short term, through humanitarian aid; long term, through reconstruction support. On Ukraine, the focus was on reparations loans and how to reassure exposed countries like Belgium and Luxembourg over the use of frozen Russian assets. On enlargement, the heavy lifting will come at the December EUCO, though the current draft already includes language on Ukraine and Moldova (as Playbook reported Wednesday).
The text still needs work in the coming days to land on something more stable and balanced before leaders meet. Next up: ambassadors reconvene Monday in Luxembourg to work on a second draft, expected to be finalized in the days that follow.
THIS ONE’S FOR THE POLICY NERDS
I LOVE YOU, FOLKS: Here’s the Easter egg section for those who made it this far in the newsletter and are still wondering whether there’s ever been a College meeting on a Thursday.
Commission work program preview: My colleagues Matthieu Pollet and Jordyn Dahl got hold of the Commission’s 2026 work program — scheduled to be adopted at the next College meeting (on a Wednesday, thankfully, as it should be). For the uninitiated, it’s the Commission’s annual to-do list — a roadmap of planned initiatives for next year. The current draft (available for Pros) includes 32 proposals, though it’s still incomplete.
Not great for holiday planning: It’s packed with vague mentions of the first quarter this and the second quarter that, so don’t bother using it to plan your vacations — there are plenty of approximate deadlines but no dates.
What’s missing: the backburner. The list of withdrawals isn’t in yet, dampening the excitement. It’s usually the most entertaining section, where the EU’s discarded legislation goes to die — and where simplification (or deregulation) fans get their moment. It’s also where the real political fights often start, over whether a shelved file should be revived in another form.
What’s not missing: the cringe. The provisional title of the 2026 work program is — brace yourselves — “Europe’s Independence Moment.” Not that the bar is high: past gems include “Moving Forward Together: A Bolder, Simpler, Faster Union” (2025) and “Delivering Today and Preparing for Tomorrow” (2024).
SPOTTED AT THE ANTI-MFF RALLY. My colleagues Gregorio Sorgi and Max Griera report that dissatisfaction with the EU’s budget proposal is growing — including inside von der Leyen’s own party, which is threatening to reject it in November. At a protest organized by a group of local and regional authorities calling on the Commission to revise its plan, a surprise guest showed up: S&D leader Iratxe García, lending some high-level political star power to the crowd.
IN OTHER NEWS
MEPs WANT TO MAKE TECH EXECS PERSONALLY LIABLE for failing to protect children online, Eliza Gkritsi reports.
LECORNU GOVERNMENT LIKELY TO SURVIVE THE DAY: French MPs will vote on two new no-confidence motions in Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s government today, one from the far right and another from the far left (sound familiar?). Our Playbook Paris colleagues have rung around and report both motions are unlikely to be adopted.
TRUMP SAYS INDIA WILL STOP BUYING RUSSIAN OIL: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia,” Trump told reporters Wednesday.