Mitsotakis to hold new round of talks with protesting farmers Monday
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will host a new round of talks on Monday with a 25-member committee of farmers’ representatives, who are seeking compensation for lost income, delayed subsidies, and other support measures.
Mitsotakis: The aim is to have a meeting with Erdogan in early February
Relations with Turkiye, domestic issues and Greece’s firm adherence to the provisions of international law as regards global affairs were among the topics discussed in Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ interview on Alpha channel on Saturday. Talking about plans for a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he said the date had not yet been set. “We hope that it will happen in the first 10 days of February,” he added.
Gerapetritis attends Greece-Cyprus-Egypt trilateral meeting; reveals invitation to join Board of Peace
Greece has received an invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump to become a founding member of the Board of Peace for Gaza and is carefully examining all the relevant documents, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis revealed on Sunday, after a trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Greece, Cyprus and Egypt held in Cairo.
Growth maintained 2% pace in Oct-Dec
The Greek economy maintained its growth momentum in the final quarter of last year, Eurobank estimates, with GDP growing by 2% on an annual basis.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1292710/growth-maintained-2-pace-in-oct-dec
ATHEX: Fifth week of stock growth in succession
The benchmark of the Greek stock market sustained negligible losses on Friday at the end of another week of considerable gains, as the profit taking effort by investors was all but offset by the constant buying interest among traders. The main indexes ended close to the day’s highs and turnover was the biggest of the week.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1292596/athex-fifth-week-of-stock-growth-in-succession
SUNDAY PAPERS
KATHIMERINI: The fear of a political “mash”
TO VIMA: One year of Trump
REAL NEWS: Ankara’s agenda includes “traps”
PROTO THEMA: 35 independent MPs in search of political party
MONDAY PAPERS:
TA NEA: Less taxation for 2025 revenue
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: EU: delayed awakening for the “obedient children”
KONTRA NEWS: Pre-election fever hits all political parties
DIMOKRATIA: Temporary public employees increased 113%
NAFTEMPORIKI: Small businesses are the pillars of entrepreneurship
DRIVING THE DAY: DAVOS DIPLOMACY
TIT FOR TAT: In Brussels, diplomats are exploring the possibility of imposing €93 billion worth of tariffs against the United States, in retaliation for U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 10 percent tariff against eight European countries over their stance on Greenland. In Davos, EU leaders will have their first chance to buttonhole Trump about the developing situation in the Arctic. Meanwhile, European Council President António Costa announced he would host an emergency, in-person gathering of leaders later this week (likely on Thursday), amid the spiraling crisis. It’s all happening.
Davos for Greenland: European leaders grappling with the worst transatlantic crisis in decades aim to use an Alpine retreat at the elite World Economic Forum in Davos this week to talk Donald Trump out of blowing up NATO over Greenland, per several diplomats and EU officials.
Face time: The elite gathering on a Swiss mountain marks the Europeans’ first chance to speak face-to-face with the U.S. president since he ratcheted up tensions by threatening to slap the tariffs against the six EU members as well as the U.K. and Norway — countries that had deployed troops to Greenland in recent days.
While timings are in flux, three senior European officials told Playbook that at least one face-to-face meeting between Trump and key EU and NATO officials would take place in Davos. National security advisers from key EU states are on-site from today, laying the groundwork for discussions, two of the officials said.
Ukraine on back burner: The advisers had been expecting to drill down on ongoing peace negotiations to bring an end to the war in Ukraine. But Trump’s unsolicited bid to acquire Greenland is expected to top the agenda, after a flurry of diplomatic meetings and calls among leaders of the EU, the U.K. and NATO over the weekend.
Team Trump: It will offer a rare opportunity for the Europeans to press their case directly with Trump and his top officials before deciding among themselves how to proceed. Trump will be accompanied by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, among others, Kathryn Carlson reports in this must-read primer on how Davos went MAGA. (Stay tuned for more from Kathryn, foreign affairs columnist Jamie Dettmer and podcast host Anne McElvoy, who are all reporting from Davos this week).
Standing firm: Von der Leyen took to X late Sunday to say she had spoken to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as well as NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. “We will face these challenges to our European solidarity with steadiness and resolve,” von der Leyen said.
Enemies rejoice: The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas noted on X that “China and Russia must be having a field day” because they are “the ones who benefit from divisions among Allies.” The Greenland dispute can’t distract the EU from its “core task of helping to end Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Kallas said.
Speaking to NBC’s Meet the Press, Bessent showed no sign of climbing down on Greenland. “I believe the Europeans will understand this [U.S. takeover] is best for Greenland, best for Europe and best for the United States,” he said.
NOW READ THIS: Tim Ross goes behind the scenes with European government officials who see Trump’s Greenland grab as being “one step too far,” prompting them to consider a “divorce” from the United States.
In conversations with POLITICO over the weekend, EU officials and diplomats described an approach mainly focused on de-escalating the crisis. “Escalation on purpose and fiery rhetoric are not our preference — negotiations are,” a senior EU government official wrote in a message to Playbook. “But of course Europe has leverage too and both sides need to be aware of that.”
Locked and loaded: The leverage in question ranges from hitting the U.S. with tariffs to triggering the EU’s Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI), a powerful trade measure that can see severe limits imposed on foreign investors. Of the countries that deployed troops to Greenland last week, Germany has already withdrawn its contingent of 15 soldiers, as planned after a brief deployment, Deutsche Welle reported Sunday.
No majority for ACI: Despite Macron speaking in favor of using the ACI and fiery comments from political group leaders in the European Parliament, there is currently no majority among EU capitals in favor of deploying the mechanism, per an EU official. Other officials confirmed that France’s envoy to the EU had raised the bazooka prospect.
Instead, the approach is to wait and see what Trump does, rather than rely on his explosive Truth Social post announcing tariffs against eight EU countries, Zoya Sheftalovich reports. A key focus is to see if the U.S. president follows through with his sanctions threat on Feb. 1, the same official said.
Wait for it: That timeline means no firm decisions are expected at this week’s extraordinary EUCO gathering, slated for Jan. 22. The big decisions — if any are forthcoming — are likely to be taken in early February.
The need to chill: Europe is keeping its powder dry — for now. In Davos, leaders hope to fight Trump’s fiery approach with ice: Calm coordination, measured steps and dialogue are the day’s bywords of the day. If that doesn’t work? All bets are off. For all the twists and turns of the gathering of big business and world leaders you can follow our Forecast newsletter for nightly updates.
Meanwhile, Meloni has referred to the imposition of the new tariffs by the U.S. as “a mistake,” although she says she understands Washington’s focus on Arctic security. The PM, known to be close to Trump, told a media scrum in Seoul that the presence of European troops in Greenland should be read as the continent sharing Trump’s concerns about security in the region, rather than a challenge to the U.S.
TRADE CLASH
EUROPE PONDERS U.S. TARIFF SNAPBACK: EU ambassadors focused intently on the possibility of hitting Washington with €93 billion in tariffs over Trump’s Greenland-lined tariff threat during a lengthy gathering on Sunday evening, Gabriel Gavin, Zoya Sheftalovich and Camille Gijs report.
The figure doesn’t come out of the blue, but would be a reactivation of measures that the EU put on hold after the signing of a trade deal with the United States in July. Such a move could be taken “very quickly,” compared to some other options on the table, per an EU diplomat briefed on the talks.
In the fullness of time: But officials stressed that a final decision on how to respond to Trump’s Greenland threats — if taken at all — could still be weeks away.
ICYMI: The European Parliament is poised to block the advancement of the trade deal signed in Turnberry, Scotland last summer.
€93 billion a starting point: One EU diplomat told Gabriel Gavin that there is now “a real worry that tariffs will negatively affect our prosperity. But we are ready to fight.” The official went on to say that the €93 billion figure was “a response to the situation last year; the new tariffs would be worse, so maybe we need to make our response even greater.”
Also not helping: The White House is pushing for Britain to adopt American standards as part of U.K.-U.S. trade talks, POLITICO’s Sophie Inge, Graham Lanktree and Abby Wallace reveal. The move would derail Britain’s post-Brexit alignment plans with the EU.
PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW
NATO SANS AMERICA: The role of the U.S. as the global peacekeeper is “dead” and NATO may need to find a way to survive without America in light of Donald Trump’s campaign to take control of Greenland, former NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander for Europe Richard Shirrefftold POLITICO.
Real threats: Speaking to Kathryn Carlson in Davos, the top general said Trump’s moves in Greenland are “a direct threat to the territorial integrity of a NATO ally,” spelling “real danger” for the military alliance.
Bazookas against torpedoes: Shirreff said the U.S. threat against Denmark “undermines the whole principle of collective defense … it undermines that sense of trust that has been the core strength of the alliance since it was set up 76 years ago. So this is torpedoing NATO below the waterline.”
A path without the U.S.: “Is NATO dead? No. Can NATO survive? Yes. But it may have to survive in a way without America,” Shirreff said.
Pointless appeasement: “NATO cannot be bullied by the leader of its strongest nation. So the NATO nations have to recognize that they have to come together,” Shirreff said. “Appeasement does nothing. Appeasement just encourages the bully. So they have be strong. They have to put real meat on their defense capabilities.”
What would that look like? In short, more spending on defense. “That doesn’t mean a promise of 3.5 percent and 1.5 percent on infrastructure in 10 years’ time. It means now. It means sacrifice now. It means demonstrating real will and determination to defend themselves, to defend NATO allies against any aggressor,” Shirreff said.
Could that be an EU army? Shirreff doesn’t think so. “The EU doesn’t need an army in my view,” he said, adding that EU member countries of the military alliance, and neighbors like the UK and Norway are “more than capable as part of NATO.”
Baby, bathwater: “What NATO gives, even without America, is a framework, a command structure, a doctrine, a way of doing business, which has been built up over 76 years. It would be crazy to throw that away,” Shirreff said.
What’s the alternative? Shirreff pointed to relations between “willing NATO partners prepared to shoulder more of the burden than others” and who “recognize the nature of the threat from the East more” as an option. “That doesn’t rule out different ways of looking at it, but fundamentally to do that within a structure that has been bequeathed by the NATO alliance is the way to go.”
Brace for more: Asked whether we should expect more shocks ahead from Trump on defense, Shirreff said: “Yes, if we don’t demonstrate strength, there will be more bullying. How do you respond to a bully? You stand up to them.”
IN OTHER NEWS
BRITANNIA RULE THE WEFs: The World Economic Forum’s organizers were taking flak on Sunday over a flag-related snafu ahead of the official start of the gathering. After hanging flags from different countries on the roof of the Congress Center, the summit’s main venue, it turned out that the Union Flag was bigger than the others. We hear WEF officials are looking for a more moderately-sized replacement.