Thousands protest prosecutor’s recommendation in Kolonos pimping case
Thousands rallied in downtown Athens on Thursday evening over judicial developments in the Kolonos child sexual abuse and pimping case.
Parliament to debate Tempe tragedy findings next Wednesday
The findings of a House committee probe into the Tempe train crash will be debated and voted on in Parliament’s plenary next Wednesday, the Conference of Presidents announced on Thursday.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1234074/parliament-to-debate-tempe-tragedy-findings-on-wednesday/
Greece-Bulgaria-Romania trilateral meeting on establishing transport corridor
Infrastructure and Transport Minister Christos Staikouras participated in a trilateral working meeting of Greece, Bulgaria and Romania held in the Bulgarian capital on Thursday. The meeting focused on the development of a transport corridor, which will start from the port of Alexandroupolis and end in ports of the Black Sea and the trade routes of the Danube, through Bulgaria.
No new intubations for Covid-19 recorded for the first time
No new intubations due to Covid-19 infection are recorded for the first time. All recipients of SARS-CoV-2 testing exhibit a decrease. The positivity rate for influenza in the community remains above 10% according to the epidemiological report of National Health Public Organization (EODY) for the period of March 4-10.
https://www.amna.gr/en/article/804424/No-new-intubations-for-Covid-19-recorded-for-the-first-time
ATHEX: Late rally takes index over 1,400 pts
A late rally at Athinon Avenue gave the benchmark of the Greek bourse fresh momentum on Thursday, allowing it to easily surpass the 1,400-point barrier and close the day on a high. Non-bank blue chips outperformed, boosting a market that continues to have very high daily turnover levels since the placement of Piraeus Bank shares last week.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1234112/athex-late-rally-takes-index-over-1400-pts/
KATHIMERINI: The law regarding limitations on rallies is “reactivated”
TA NEA: The taxman will have access to bank lockers
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: European District Attorney on the Tempi case: They are attempting a cover-up
AVGI: SYRIZA: A fair Europe for everyone
RIZOSPASTIS: New wave of auctions, the other side of profiteering
KONTRA NEWS: New Democracy’s popularity collapses in Northern Greece
DIMOKRATIA: State benefit of 400 euros for vacations
NAFTEMPORIKI: Athens Stock Market is mature for the upgrade’s “watch list”
DRIVING THE DAY: MACRON BANGS FIST OVER UKRAINE
MACRON DOUBLES DOWN AHEAD OF WEIMAR MEETING: French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a blunt assessment of the situation in Ukraine during a live television address late Thursday. “All options are possible. In order to have peace in Ukraine, we cannot be weak,” he said, adding: “If Russia wins this war, Europe’s credibility will be reduced to zero.”
Our war: “If Russia were to win, life for the French would change,” Macron said. “We would no longer have security in Europe. Who can seriously believe that Putin, who has respected no limits, would stop there?” In a message geared toward those, including Pope Francis, who have called for Ukraine to stop fighting, Macron said: “Peace does not mean Ukraine’s capitulation.”
Et les troupes au sol? Pressed on whether he would send troops to Ukraine after he had raised the possibility, Macron avoided answering directly, instead asking his interviewer: “Are you sitting down now? Do you rule out standing up after this interview?” He added that a statement from his defense minister, who’d said French troops would only participate in technical tasks, pertained to what had been decided at the time he said those words — not to the future. Write-up here.
SETTING THE STAGE FOR SCHOLZ, TUSK: Macron’s warning — part of a tough new approach — came as he prepares to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Berlin for a summit of the until-recently-dormant alliance known as the Weimar Triangle.
Polish magic? Hopes are high that Tusk might be able to repair a severely damaged Franco-German relationship, Clea Caulcutt and Hans von der Burchard report here. But they may well be misplaced.
Don’t bet on it: “I don’t think [the Poles] can easily fix the Franco-German relationship,” said Piotr Buras of the European Council on Foreign Relations. “The sources of disagreement between France and Germany lie beyond Tusk’s reach.
It’s personal: “More and more [Scholz and Macron] are struggling to establish a working relationship, and everyday what separates them takes on a more personal edge,” Stefan Meister, a researcher with the German Council on Foreign Relations, writes in Le Monde.
Mars, meet Venus: The French and German leaders are also leading polar-opposite European election campaigns, with Scholz styling himself as the “peace chancellor,” while Macron has decided to push a harder line on Russia to beat back the advance of the far-right National Rally. Read the full story here.
RIGHT ON CUE: NATO boss Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday warned allies that their lack of political will “has consequences on the battlefield every day.” The outgoing secretary general didn’t mince his words: “NATO allies are not providing Ukraine with enough ammunition … It’s one of the reasons why the Russians have been able to make some advances on the battlefield over the last weeks and months.” Stuart Lau has more.
MEANWHILE, IN RUSSIA: Citizens go to the polls from today for a three-day election Russian President Vladimir Putin is sure to win (because anyone who challenged him is either in prison on trumped up charges, dead or barred from running). Denis Leven has the details.
(Not) coming to a polling station near you: Russian opposition activists from Vote Abroad who are living in exile in Europe had planned to conduct an exit poll at the Russian Embassy in Brussels on Sunday, seeking to gauge Putin’s actual support. But the Belgian police refused to authorize the move citing a risk to public order, according to Vote Abroad’s Lukian De Boni.
EU-EGYPT MIGRATION DEAL
VON DER LEYEN LEADS EU GROUP TO EGYPT: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is leading a group of leaders to Egypt Sunday to sign a deal pledging up to €7.4 billion to help Cairo curb irregular migration and shore up its economy, according to people directly informed of the plans.
Who’s coming? The EU’s “tough on migration” caucus — the prime ministers of Italy Giorgia Meloni and Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis — as well as Belgian PM Alexander De Croo,who’s along for the ride as head of the rotating Council presidency.
What to watch: The gang will meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi at 12:45 p.m., followed by a joint press conference at 5:15 p.m. local time.
What’s this about? “Externalization” — or using EU money to curb irregular migration by paying countries on the bloc’s periphery to manage migrants and asylum seekers far from Europe’s borders. The deal, expected to be worth €7.4 billion (though Egypt’s finance minister gave a slightly lower estimate of €4.9 billion-5.6 billion), follows similar pacts with Turkey, Mauritania and Tunisia, where von der Leyen traveled last July flanked by Meloni and Dutch leader Mark Rutte to ink an agreement that’s since been mired in controversy.
Speaking of Meloni: Read our story on how the Italian prime minister is amassing influence on the EU stage — not least because von der Leyen will very likely need her support at the EU Council to be confirmed for a second-five year term after the European Parliament election in June. Full story on Meloni’s glow-up, and the questions it raises, with Hannah Roberts and Jacopo Barigazzi, here.
NGOs cry foul: “We have several concerns that the [EU-Egypt Memorandum of Understanding], as happened with Tunisia, will provide legitimization to the Egyptian authoritarian regime in the absence of clear benchmarks for human rights and rule of law in the partnership,” Sara Prestianni, head of EuroMed Rights, wrote in a statement.
DE CROO’S PART: Before heading to Egypt, Belgium’s prime minister will stop over in Amman, Jordan and Qatar, as part of Belgium’s mediation efforts in the Israel-Hamas war. Belgium is taking part in air-drops of humanitarian aid over Gaza and the prime minister will press for a “full humanitarian cease-fire” as well as the release of all Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Your Playbook author will be along for the ride, so stay tuned for updates.
Pressure rising: The trip comes as the U.S. administration ramps up pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to call off the final stage of his offensive against Hamas in Rafah, and ahead of an EU Council meeting where leaders are expected to sign off on language calling for a “sustainable cease-fire.”
Criss-crossing: Israeli officials were in Brussels earlier this week, meeting with senior EU diplomats to press their narrative and promote efforts to bolster humanitarian assistance in Gaza. In comments to POLITICO, a senior Israeli diplomat said the “humanitarian issue is very strong on our agenda,” arguing that Israel “fully understands the needs” and is aware of the “criticism” and its impact on the “legitimacy of the operation.”
That said, an Israeli military official asserted that armed forces would press ahead with an offensive in Rafah at an undefined date, as Netanyahu vowed during an interview with Axel Springer, owner of POLITICO.
MORE ON ISRAEL: Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary want a stronger rebuke of Hamas in next week’s European Council conclusions, three EU diplomats said. The countries are calling for a stronger judgment of Hamas, a reference to sexual violence by the group and new wording on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) after allegations by Israel that several of its employees were involved in the October 7 attacks, Barbara Moens writes in to report.
Fine print: The diplomats were optimistic a new version of the text, which is set to be distributed ahead of Monday’s meeting of EU ambassadors, could be tweaked to get Vienna and Prague on board. The real question, the diplomats said, will be whether Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán signs off on the call for a “sustainable cease-fire” in Gaza. “But we won’t know that until he steps in the room,” an EU official said.
EU BOWS TO FARMERS
GREEN DAY OF RECKONING: The European Commission will today unveil its legislative proposal to appease EU farmers by watering down environmental requirements in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), my colleague Bartosz Brzezinski reports. The measures, which were leaked earlier this week, are already pitting national governments and farm lobbies against green advocates.
Reminder: The measures will include removing the requirement for farmers receiving CAP subsidies to set aside some of their land for biodiversity, to minimize tillage and rotate crops between seasons to prevent nutrient loss. Farmers who maintain these practices will receive a financial reward — but those who don’t won’t be penalized.
In one corner: The measures are likely to be music to the ears of leaders at the European Council next week, who plan to urge the Commission to simplify agricultural regulations, according to draft Council conclusions. Farm lobby Copa-Cogeca, which has pushed to scrap the environmental requirements, is also likely to be pleased — although it has urged the Commission to go even further.
In the other corner: Green advocates have slammed Brussels’ push, arguing it prioritizes short-term electoral gains over the long-term preparations for the climate crisis. Other farm groups, including the organic movement IFOAM and Via Campesina, have also criticized the EU executive for ditching environmental rules that they say aren’t to blame for farmers’ economic woes.
Pleasure’s all mine: Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski could hardly hide his excitement ahead of today’s launch, telling Polish media it was all his idea. “The main concerns of farmers about these green elements of the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy are now removed,” he said.
For my people: Conveniently for Polish farmers, who (at least if you listen to Wojciechowski) appear to be the main target of the new measures, the commissioner is in Warsaw today to announce them, with a press conference scheduled for noon.
Proof of the pudding: As for proving the effectiveness of the measures unveiled today, the EU executive decided not to conduct an impact assessment due what it said was a “political emergency” — meaning the farmers’ protests erupting across the EU.
AND WHEN IT COMES TO FARMERS VS. UKRAINE … the farmers are winning that fight, too. European capitals are fuming over the European Parliament’s U-turn on granting free access for Ukrainian produce to the EU market, accusing lawmakers of playing politics, report Camille Gijs and Bartosz Brzezinski.
**Berlin Playbook, the newest addition to POLITICO’s Playbook family, launched! Täglich informieren wir Sie darüber, was am vor Ihnen liegenden Arbeitstag wirklich zählt. Die aktuellsten Ereignisse aus Kanzleramt, Bundestag und den politischen Zentren der Welt. Mit nur einem Klick anmelden.**
US WARNS HUNGARY
BIDEN ADMIN’S MESSAGE TO TRUMP-EMBRACING ORBÁN: U.S. Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman has a stern message for Hungary, Stuart Lau reports: Behave, instead of trying to wait out the Biden administration. “While Hungary attempts to wait out those it disagrees with, whether in the United States or the European Union, the rest of the world is moving forward,” Pressman said in a speech marking Hungary’s 25th anniversary of joining NATO.
“While the Orbán government may want to wait out the United States government, the United States will certainly not wait out the Orbán administration,” Pressman said, adding: “While Hungary waits, we will act.”
The feeling isn’t mutual: According to Pressman, while the U.S. had made a decision to improve Washington-Budapest ties, “unfortunately, we see no indication that the government of Hungary has done the same.” Write-up of the speech here.
Waiting for Trump: Meanwhile Orbán, who visited Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida last week, continues to needle the Biden administration. “We are not obliged to tolerate such lies from anyone, including Joe Biden,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said, responding to the sitting president’s criticism of Orbán as somebody who “doesn’t thinks democracy works” and is “looking for dictatorship.”
ELECTIONEERING
HOW DO YOU REALLY FEEL ABOUT THE ETHICS BODY, MANFRED? When asked whether he would back the creation of an EU ethics body during a meeting of parliamentary group chiefs on Thursday, EPP chief Manfred Weber said “never,” according to a person who was in the room. This was followed by a long silence, after which Weber qualified his statement. But he still opposed the ethics body, proposed in the wake of Parliament’s Qatargate corruption scandal, along with the right-wing ECR and ID groups.
Bigger picture: The right-wingers don’t have the numbers to block the body’s creation when it comes to a vote in plenary in April — but it should be noted that this is the second example this week (!) of Weber opposing a policy emanating from the office of Ursula von der Leyen, the EPP’s lead candidate in the EU election. And speaking of which …
MORE ON VDL’S PLANS: Following our story on the “bumpy start” to von der Leyen’s EU election campaign, EPP officials got in touch to say the Commission chief plans to “campaign hard” for reelection. Her team will be named early next month and von der Leyen will ramp up her electioneering with a full menu of “interviews, statements” (can’t forget those) “and press conferences.”
Let’s put this to a debate: However, there’s still no word on whether von der Leyen will take to the stage for any of the live debates being organized between the European parties’ “lead candidates.” Reminder: Von der Leyen is bound by Parliament to partake in at least seven campaign events, not including debates.
IN OTHER NEWS
OPENING EU DOOR TO BOSNIA IS NO DONE DEAL YET: Barbara Moens writes in to report that a number of EU countries, including the Netherlands and Denmark, warn that the European Council next week should not simply give the green light for Bosnia to start EU accession talks, as the European Commission recommended earlier this week.
Not ready: At a meeting on Wednesday, several EU countries asked for clarifications on Bosnia’s surprisingly positive report, four diplomats said. A potential compromise could be politically opening the door to Bosnia, as the European Council did for Ukraine and Moldova in December last year, but including certain conditions to formally starting the negotiating process later on. “We are not going to start the real negotiations unless there have been more reforms,” said one of the diplomats.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IN THE NETHERLANDS? With far-right leader Geert Wilders abandoning his bid to become prime minister, Eline Schaart explains what happens now.
CONTINENT OF STRIKES: Europe’s airlines and railways are being hit with strikes as workers demand salary increases, creating havoc across the Continent. Tommaso Lecca has the story.
FRIDAY REGULARS: Your Friday Playbook author joins colleagues Aitor Hernández-Morales, Barbara Moens and host Sarah Wheaton to discuss the Portuguese election results on this week’s EU Confidential podcast … Aggie Chambre looks at the art of the political leak on the Westminster Insider podcast … and Paul Dallison’s Declassified column asks where amateur photo editor Kate Middleton has been hiding.