Fragile relief for gov’t after turbulent week
The ruling New Democracy party is navigating internal tensions even as the government finds cautious relief following a critical parliamentary immunity vote, the introduction of economic relief measures, and a state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/politics/1301764/fragile-relief-for-govt-after-turbulent-week
EU prosecutor flags OPEKEPE ‘corruption’
European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kovesi said Thursday that allegations surrounding Greece’s agricultural payments body OPEKEPE point to “corruption, nepotism and clientelism,” urging focus on what occurred and who is responsible.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/politics/foreign-policy/1301746/eu-prosecutor-flags-opekepe-corruption
Greece ruling party keeps candidates named in subsidy scandal
Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis said Thursday that lawmakers from the ruling New Democracy named in a new case file linked to the OPEKEPE subsidy investigation are expected to remain on party ballots.
PPC to raise 4 bln euros through share capital increase for investments; Econ Min statement
The Public Power Corporation (PPC) announced on Thursday it would initiate a share capital increase of approximately 4 billion euros and a book building process to fund PPC Group’s new 2030 Strategic Plan.
ATHEX: Late rally offsets losses posted earlier
Stocks at the Greek bourse offset their midday losses and closed Thursday’s session with moderate gains, mainly driven by the growth seen among mid-caps. The local market appears to toe the line of the major European bourses, which are much more cautious than the markets in the US or the Far East, which post one record after another. There is little hope of any significant boost from the Standard & Poors verdict on the Greek credit rating, expected late on Friday.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1301768/athex-late-rally-offsets-losses-posted-earlier
KATHIMERINI: Greek businesses are indiferrent regarding AI
TA NEA: Macron: “The reason for my visit”
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: For whom do Kövesi ‘s bells toll?
RIZOSPASTIS: May 1st – Greek Communist Party: We move ahead for new achievements and a life without exploitation or wars
KONTRA NEWS: Strong attack by Tsipras against Mitsotakis
DIMOKRATIA: Kövesi typhoon
NAFTEMPORIKI: Raising the stakes with reforms
DRIVING THE DAY
BUDGING THE BUDGET: EU countries that want more funding for their struggling economies need to make progress in budget talks or face missing out. That’s the message from diplomats and officials ahead of today’s leaders’ summit in Nicosia.
Chatting cash: Presidents and prime ministers will sit down for a half-day session on the Multiannual Financial Framework, which needs to be in place before the current one runs out at the end of next year.
Dividing lines: Some countries worried about their balance sheets — like France — are backing an overall boost in the amount of money on offer, making bigger payments for farmers, regional governments and from EU schemes. That would be made possible by creating new “own resources,” meaning the money Brussels gets from levies on industries in the single market.
Nein from us! But Germany is sticking to its typically frugal stance, two diplomats confirmed. And finding a way forward is proving difficult given that the subject has been repeatedly squeezed from the agenda as the bloc deals with geopolitical crises.
Hurry up: Siegfried Mureșan, the lead lawmaker on the budget for the European People’s Party, told Playbook the Council needs to get going and deliver “a budget agreed on time by the end of 2026. There is no time to lose. Parliament has done its part and stands united behind an ambitious budget, backed by a moderate 10 percent increase and new own resources. Now we expect the same commitment from member states.”
“The longer things go on, the less bold any changes to the budget will be,” said a third EU diplomat, granted anonymity to speak frankly. “The clock is ticking.”
The Costa doin’ business: European Council President António Costa, who is digging in to try to deliver a deal, told Playbook that leaders will need to work today on “how to match our ambitions with the necessary resources. How to fund both long-standing policies and new priorities — such as defense, competitiveness or the energy transition.”
“Today’s discussion will guide the next steps in our negotiations,” Costa added. “We have a collective responsibility to reach an agreement by the end of the year. It’s the only way to ensure that our budget is up and running by the beginning of 2028.”
Uh-oh: That hasn’t been made easier by the fact that they were squeezed for time at last night’s dinner … meaning today’s talks could again be delayed by discussions about other priorities.
SUMMIT SPEED READS:
— After toasting €90B loan, EU leaders face up to the morning after.
— Despite the warm sea breeze, icy winds blast Europe’s leaders.
— Partying or fighting? The different approaches to being European Council president.
DAY 2: Our reporters are on the ground as EU leaders resume talks in Nicosia this morning. Follow the latest developments in our live blog.
TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS
DON’T BLAME US: President Donald Trump’s EU Ambassador Andrew Puzder wants leaders to stop complaining about the fallout from the Iran war. “It’s better to take some economic harm now than to find out that there’s a ballistic missile with a nuclear weapon heading to Brussels or Rome or Paris or Cyprus,” he told my colleague Eliza Gkritsi on the sidelines of the Delphi Economic Forum in Greece.
“A decision had to be made,” the Trump ally said. “Was the United States going to wait until Iran had a nuclear weapon or wait until they had missiles and drones sufficient to impact their neighbors and really do severe long-term damage to the world economy?”
Trading blows: The EU should pass its landmark trade deal with the U.S. even though Washington’s tariffs were struck down by the Supreme Court, Puzder said in response to calls to revisit the terms of the Turnberry agreement.
Spotted … MAGA goes Greek: The Delphi Economic Forum has proven to be a magnet for pro-Trump figures, Nick Vinocur and Eliza report. U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle got pride of place touting 250 years of U.S. independence … MAGA firebrand Steve Bannon beamed into a panel talking up “America First” … ex-U.S. envoy to Denmark Carla Sands defended Trump’s attacks on outgoing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell … and Breitbart Washington bureau chief Matthew Boyle scored an interview with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Boyle praised Greece as one of America’s closest allies during Trump’s second term. “They’ve really leaned in on what the president is trying to do worldwide,” he told Eliza.
Other attendees: Head of Greeks for Trump Christos Marafatsos … Trump helper Alex Bruesewitz, CEO of X Strategies … and James Carafano of the conservative Heritage Foundation.
CRITICAL DEAL: Brussels and Washington are expected to announce today that they’ve concluded an agreement to cooperate on critical minerals, officials and diplomats told Camille Gijs and Carlo Martuscelli. EU trade chief Maroš Šefčovič, who is visiting Washington, will give a press conference at 5:45 p.m. Brussels time.
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING: Polish PM Donald Tusk told the FT he doubts that the U.S. would uphold its commitment to NATO if Russia attacked Europe, calling it the “biggest, most important question” facing the continent.
Middle East latest: Israel and Lebanon extended their ceasefire for another three weeks after a meeting at the White House … but Trump said he’ll wait for the “best deal” to end the conflict with Iran. Reuters has the details.
MAGA REGROUPS IN ROMANIA: Trump admirer George Simion is plotting a comeback in Bucharest as the country’s centrist coalition crumbles, Max Griera reports.
HELPING HAND: Trump’s intervention helped free journalist Katsiaryna Andreeva from detention in Belarus — and now she’s hoping he’ll save her husband too. She spoke to POLITICO’s Eva Hartog in one of her first interviews since being released.
ENLARGEMENT
GOOD NEWS FOR UKRAINE AND MOLDOVA: The two countries could formally progress their applications to join the EU within weeks now that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been voted out. Our team has the full story.
TIRANA TIRADE: Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama claims the EU made a strategic mistake by cutting ties with Russia. “Europe has to be always, always, always talking to everyone,” Rama told Nick Vinocur at the Delphi Economic Forum. There’s plenty more in the interview.
PARLIAMENTARY PRIVILEGE
BUILDING SPLURGE: Parliament’s leadership will greenlight a €22.7 million overhaul of its visitors’ center on Monday, according to internal documents seen by Max Griera — more than the €20 million it cost to build from scratch in 2011. The budget excludes additional upgrades for environmental performance and accessibility.
That comes on top of a €500 million renovation of parts of the Parliament building, including the hemicycle, and follows a decision to scale back EU-themed visitor centers across member states amid rising costs and low turnout. The plan is to make the Parlamentarium, which explains how Parliament works, more visible from Place du Luxembourg and to upgrade it with the latest technology.
Parliament says the price tag is justified. “With around 1,000 people visiting each day on average, the Parlamentarium is one of the most popular attractions in Brussels,” said the press service. “The idea is to update both the aging technology (daily technical failures) and the way the exhibition is designed, so it meets the expectations of present-day visitors.”