Mitsotakis in Paris for the Alliance of the Willing for Ukraine
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was welcomed to Paris by President Emmanuel Macron and the two held a brief chat before attending the meeting of the Alliance of the Willing for Ukraine, convened by the French President. As French the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot stated to the newspaper Ouest-France, the conference has three aims: to support Ukraine against Russian attacks, especially in terms of air defence; to increase pressure on Russia with a package of European sanctions (the 21st one); and to prepare for peace in Ukraine, along with establishing the security guarantees necessary to deter any further aggression.
Androulakis: Citizens will support us over our plan for political change and our trustworthiness
Citizens will be able to decide at the ballot box which party is reliable and which has fooled them, PASOK-Movement for Change (KINAL) leader Nikos Androulakis asserted during a press conference at the party headquarters on Monday. At the press conference, PASOK-KINAL presented details of its 17 measures for pensions, which Androulakis pointed out were aimed at improving the lives of citizens through fair development, a democracy with strong institutions, and growth through a change in the productivity model.
Six SYRIZA officials resign as internal crisis deepens
Six members of the party bodies of Greece’s left-wing opposition SYRIZA party resigned Sunday, deepening internal divisions within the party. Those stepping down from the Political Secretariat and Central Committee included deputy Central Committee secretary Anastasia Sapouna, as well as Gely Visviki, Despina Sino, Panos Stachtos-Lamprinidis, Eleni Symeonidou and Stamatia Tsoumea. SYRIZA official Kostas Morfidis also submitted his resignation. In a joint statement, the departing officials accused party members of seeking to overturn democratically approved decisions by “interpreting the party’s statutes at will.” They criticized what they described as a cycle of internal conflict and said SYRIZA should focus on building a broader progressive alliance ahead of future elections.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/politics/1309478/six-syriza-officials-resign-as-internal-crisis-deepens
Police cite photo analysis in Marfin arrests as defense challenges evidence
Fresh details have emerged about the police investigation that led to the arrest of three suspects over the deadly 2010 arson attack on the Marfin bank branch in central Athens, as defense lawyers dismissed the evidence as inadequate and cautioned against premature conclusions. Two of the suspects are expected to testify before an investigating magistrate in Athens Tuesday, while a third will face an extradition application before a court in London.
ATHEX: Low trading is pointing to ‘wait-and-see’
The lowest daily turnover in seven weeks recorded on Monday at the Greek bourse revealed not only that traders are already in summer mode, but also that they are taking the fresh tension in the Persian Gulf in stride, and await more concrete developments before taking a position. The local market’s benchmark suffered negligible losses, despite the more notable decline of banks, as refineries enjoyed a good day of trading.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1309507/athex-low-trading-is-pointing-to-wait-and-see
KATHIMERINI: Measures for quicker transfers of real estate assets
TA NEA: New breakthrough: The secrets of hypertension
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Newly appointed teachers pay their appointment out-of-pocket
RIZOSPASTIS: Strike in Western Attica on Thursday. No more tragedies in working spaces!
KONTRA NEWS: Georgiadis wants New Democracy to collaborate with Samaras’ party
DIMOKRATIA: New scandal in Hellenic Post
NAFTEMPORIKI: Ten Commandments regarding the regulation of debts in 72 installments
DRIVING THE DAY
IS EUROPE GETTING BIGGER? The EU will today take the biggest step in recent years toward letting new countries join, paving the way for the 27-member bloc to expand to 28, 29 or even 30 members by the end of this decade.
Cluster chuck: At meetings in Brussels today, Ukraine and Moldova will have the chance to open their second-ever negotiating “cluster” that will trigger reforms on foreign policy, trade, security and development aid. Montenegro (which plans to be the EU’s 28th member by 2028) and Albania will close “chapters” — the components of the wider groupings, or clusters — in what will mark a major step forward.
“All four accession frontrunners taking major steps forward on one day,” was the snapshot provided to Playbook by Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos. “That’s why we’re calling it ‘Super Tuesday.’ You have to go back well over 20 years to when so many [cluster ceremonies] were held on the same day.”
“The momentum for enlargement is building. It is now undeniable to see that Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro and Albania will soon become EU member states,” Kos will say today, adding that if candidate countries put in the work, Brussels will make sure progress continues toward full membership.
Progress on enlargement had been stuck for years, with former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán holding to ransom the progress of Ukraine and Moldova; other national governments feared new members might backslide and become “Hungary 2.0.” Brussels is now hoping that Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar can fix one of those problems and that new guardrails under development will fix the other — although Budapest is still dragging its feet on opening all of the clusters.
Inertia and prejudice: Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka told POLITICO’s Zoya Sheftalovich and Nicholas Vinocur that there’s still a “lack of feeling of urgency among all 27 member states, and thus the lack of unanimity for opening all five clusters.” For that, he blamed “a political inertia and a lot of prejudice that still exist[s] in Hungarian society.”
Getting better: Kachka went on to say that there’s now a “really good dialogue” with the new government in Budapest and more is being done to sell expanded membership to the public.
Watch this space: But with Brussels increasingly seeing enlargement as a geopolitical imperative, more “Mega Mondays,” “Super Tuesdays” and “Fantastic Fridays” could ultimately see the EU get its new members before long …
TRAVEL SCOOP: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Ukraine on Wednesday to discuss both enlargement and defense, an official working on the trip confirmed to Playbook.
BIG AND BREAKING
NEW TOLLMASTER IN TOWN: President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would take over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, threatening to skim 20 percent off the value of cargo going through the waterway — an outcome the EU has consistently warned against. Meanwhile, the U.S. military carried out a third consecutive night of strikes against Iran, Reuters reports.
HEAT WAVE AND WILDFIRES: Europe’s heat wave last month was responsible for the deaths of up to 14,000 Europeans, according to new statistics released by scientists. Meanwhile, Spanish authorities say five Britons, three Belgians and one national from France and Spain are among the 13 victims of one of Spain’s deadliest wildfires in recent times, France 24 reports.
SANCTIONS NO-DEAL: EU foreign ministers have left Brussels without a deal on either a proposed package of fresh Russia sanctions or sanctions on “extremist” Israeli ministers. A decision on the EUs trade arrangements with illegal West Bank settlements was pushed to Wednesday.
Regrets: Top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas acknowledged the setback on the Russian package on Monday afternoon, Koen Verhelst reports. Wednesday is the last day to lock in an oil price cap, which is a component of the proposed sanctions. Bloomberg reports that Trump plans to support a Russia sanctions bill championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham.
GOVERNMENT CLOSES IN ON SULYOK: Hungary’s new government voted Monday to oust the country’s Orbán-appointed President Tamás Sulyok, who now has five days to sign the amendment into law or face impeachment.
PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW
TRANSATLANTIC TROUBLES: Europe’s top diplomat in Washington has a blunt message for the Trump administration: Turning EU countries against each other in a trade fight is easier said than done.
All for one: Speaking with our Illinois Playbook colleague Shia Kapos about Trump’s threat to cut all trade with Spain, EU Ambassador to the U.S. Jovita Neliupšienė pointed to a basic obstacle: The EU “is a single market. It’s very difficult to cut [out] Spain.”
Focus on Turnberry: The ambassador’s broader plea was for Washington to stick to the EU-U.S. trade agreement signed in Scotland almost a year ago, rather than reopen hostilities. “As much as we can actually stick to the [Turnberry] deal, the better,” she said. Otherwise, “all the possible options are on the table.”
The big risk, Neliupšienė argued, is the unpredictability surrounding U.S. policy. “The biggest problem for both European … [and] American companies is volatility,” she said. Businesses making long-term industrial investments need “a very stable, predictable environment.”
Buy European — but not just European: Neliupšienė said Europe’s push to strengthen its own industry doesn’t mean shutting out America. Between 30 and 40 percent of European defense procurement already comes from the U.S., she said, and that increases to more than 60 percent for weapons bought for Ukraine.
Not alone: “Being stronger or clearing your supply chain does not mean that you have to do that alone,” Neliupšienė said, pointing to U.S.-EU co-production — preferably on European soil.
Beijing shift: Europe’s view of China is hardening as economic concerns collide with security fears, Neliupšienė said. Brussels is trying to strike a balance in using trade-defense tools to guarantee fair competition and market access, raising those concerns “at the highest level” with Beijing. “China is one of the biggest economic suppliers for Russia, which actually helps to continue the war” in Ukraine, she said.
20-SECOND PLAYBOOK PRIMER
Today a select group of ministers from around the EU will meet in Brussels. But what goes on at the General Affairs Council? It involves ministers with responsibility for EU affairs (in some cases that’s the foreign minister). One of the main tasks is to prepare for European Councils (the meetings of EU leaders) and to follow up on those meetings. That’s not the case today, as the ministers will hear a presentation by the Irish presidency on its priorities. The GAC also works on topics such as EU enlargement, the long-term budget and simplification of EU rules.
BIG BUDGET BATTLE
HALF A TRILLION PROBLEMS: Ireland will today tell EU ministers how it plans to tackle a bitter divide over the EU’s long-term budget and deliver a deal that can unite those that stand to gain money and those footing the bill.
Big bucks: In its role as president of the Council of the EU, Dublin is expected to present a new “nego-box” on the seven-year, €2 trillion budget in time for a leaders’ summit in October. While the overall structure is largely settled, some net contributors want as much as €450 billion shaved off the overall bill, two national officials said. Net recipients of funds are also digging in their heels.
The stakes are high. If the compromise is too far away from a potential agreement, European Council President António Costa will be pressed for time to sell it to capitals and the negotiation could run past the end-of-year deadline, potentially leading to delays in delivering the money.
“We’re going to work really hard. We have to look at what’s possible …,” Ireland’s Europe Minister Thomas Byrne told Playbook. There will be a flurry of talks “over the summer and into the early autumn” as well as an informal ministerial meeting in Dublin in September before the October European Council, he said. The Irish ambassador will hold bilaterals with counterparts next week to get the ball rolling, diplomats said.
Sharpening the knife: The like-minded frugal countries that want to see their contributions reduced are working to organize a summit of their own to refine their negotiating strategy and knock the budget back down to size, two diplomats confirmed.
Getting creative: A shadow proposal, yet to be formally presented but attributed to the French, would see new revenue streams to fund EU schemes agreed and paid for voluntarily by EU members, three envoys said. That would create an opt-in system and avoid some of the battle over the bill. But France has not yet confirmed it will push ahead with the suggestions.
4 MORE THINGS GETTING US TALKING
HOT ATOMS: Nuclear power is one answer to tackling climate change. But a hotter planet means France is less able to run its flagship nuclear power plants, with three reactors put out of business by soaring temperatures.
GREEN LIGHT FOR UKRAINE MISSILES: Nine European countries have agreed to back an ambitious Ukrainian effort to develop a domestic missile defense system that, if successful, would reduce reliance on U.S. technology.
BUT NO DITCHING THE DON: Europe talks a good game on ending its dependence on American weaponry. But the continent isn’t ready to replace U.S. defense assets, Germany’s air force chief tells POLITICO.
CRIMEA RIVER: Ukraine’s Russian-occupied peninsula was once a defense asset for Putin — now it’s become a liability.
BRUSSELS CORNER
WEATHER: Sunny, with a top temperature of 33C.
EUROPE’S GRAYING FUTURE: The EU’s population will peak in 2029 and is projected to fall from 450.6 million today to 398.8 million by 2100, according to the European Commission’s latest demography report, to be released later today and previewed by Playbook’s Zoya Sheftalovich.
The most startling stat: There were 6.8 million births in Europe in 1964, and only 3.5 million in 2024. An aging, shrinking population will strain labor markets, health care, public finances and depopulating regions, though Brussels says longer lives could also support growth if governments invest in skills, care, housing and higher workforce participation.
Uh-oh: “Europe’s demographic transformation is not a challenge for tomorrow — it is happening now. Our population has reached its peak and will gradually decline,” said the EU commissioner responsible for demography, Dubravka Šuica. “Europe has the tools to respond … If we act early and together, demographic change can become one of Europe’s greatest opportunities.”
BELGIAN TAX RETURN DEADLINE EXTENDED: Great news for anyone who has yet to file a tax return: the Belgian government is extending the deadline to complete your online return from July 15 to July 19. It’s not that the federal public service finance department was feeling uncharacteristically generous — officials noticed that lots of people logging on to MyMinFin’s Tax-on-web platform had been dealing with technical issues.