Poll on same-sex marriage: 61% against referendum, 70% against adoption
A poll conducted by research company GPO has found that a majority is against deciding on same-sex marriage by referendum, but also firmly against gay adoption rights.
Students in Greece protest plans to introduce private universities
Several thousand university students and supporters took part in a protest in central Athens Thursday to oppose government plans to allow privately run universities.
MP Charalambos Katsivardas, elected with the Spartiates party, becomes independent
Parliamentary deputy Charalambos Katsivardas, who was elected on a Spartiates party ballot in the north (B1) sector of Athens, announced in a letter to Parliament President Konstantinos Tasoulas on Thursday that he is quitting the party’s parliamentary group and becoming independent.
IOBE foresees 2.4% growth and 10.5% unemployment in 2024
Greece will see an annual growth of around 2.4% in real terms in 2024 and an unemployment rate of around 10.5%, according to the assessment of the Foundation for Economic & Industrial Research (IOBE) and its quarterly report (4/2023) presented at an online press conference on Thursday.
https://www.amna.gr/en/article/792269/IOBE-foresees-24-growth-and-105-unemployment-in-2024
ATHEX: Traders sell in preparation for AIA offering
The stock market at Athinon Avenue came off Wednesday’s decade-high to suffer losses on Thursday that were somewhat moderated by the end of the session. Observers noted the intention of investors to sell and secure some liquidity in order to join the public offering of Athens International Airport – a process that began on Thursday.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1230089/athex-traders-sell-in-preparation-for-aia-offering/
KATHIMERINI: What Athens expects from the USA after the sale of F-16 jetfighters to Turkey
TA NEA: The background dealings regarding the sale of American F-16 jetfighters to Turkey
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: “Journalists did their duty”
AVGI: Disorientation within New Democracy
RIZOSPASTIS: The people demand that the reactionary bill for private universities is not submitted
KONTRA NEWS: Biden succumbed to the blackmail of the Sultan
DIMOKRATIA: Middle-ground solution for the baptism of same-sex couples’ children
NAFTEMPORIKI: The two faces of the digitized Independent Authority for Public Revenue
DRIVING THE DAY: HARDBALL WITH HUNGARY
EU PREPARES TO WARN HUNGARY — ‘NO MORE MISTER NICE GUY’: European countries are fed up with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s blocking of aid for Ukraine and are preparing a tough message for the strongman leader ahead of a gathering of EU leaders in Brussels next week: Stop blocking, or we could deploy a diplomatic nuclear option to cut you out of EU decision-making.Say what? We’re talking about Article 7, the clause in the EU treaty that allows countries to suspend a member country’s voting rights, among other penalties, if they are found to be seriously and consistently breaching the EU’s fundamental principles.State of play: In this must-read story by top colleagues Barbara Moens, Jacopo Barigazzi, Clea Caulcutt and Eddy Wax, four European diplomats and officials say that countries are considering the “nuclear option” if Hungary continues to block a €50 billion lifeline for Ukraine — in what would amount to a historic move by the EU against one of its members.F around, find out: “If Orbán really blocks again an agreement [on the budget and €50 billion for Ukraine] at the February summit, using Article 7 to strip Hungary of its voting rights could become a real option,” said one EU diplomat who was granted anonymity to discuss the non-public deliberations.It’s crunch time: Two major factors feed into European countries’ thinking. One is that Ukraine desperately needs Europe’s cash to keep its public services ticking over as its other major source of funding, the United States, is locked in a partisan fight over future aid for Kyiv.
By the numbers: My colleagues Giovanna Coi and Lucia Mackenzie take a look at the size of the hole in Ukraine’s finances here. The other factor is that EU leaders are scarred by Hungary’s brinkmanship following the last European Council gathering in December, where Orbán held up the €50 billion and nearly derailed plans to open EU accession talks for Ukraine and Moldova. “Why should we worry about saving anyone’s face?” said another EU diplomat. “We should be a bit more forceful.”Not so fast: While the tone on Budapest has certainly shifted, not everyone is keen to deploy the big guns right away. And some countries are working to avoid a blow-up.Rappel: In December, French President Emmanuel Macron invited Orbán to dinner in Paris, and according to several French diplomats, officials have discreetly visited Budapest in recent weeks in an attempt to try to mend ties.Putin ‘dialogue’ redux? But diplomats from other countries question the effectiveness of such tactics, after a last-minute visit to Budapest by European Council chief Charles Michel in November failed to change Orbán’s position. Critics note that previous attempts by Macron to cajole strongman leaders — namely Russian President Vladimir Putin — also failed.PRESSURE FROM ALL SIDES: As Orbán gears up for another round of poker with EU leaders, he’s also facing pressure from both sides of the Atlantic to stop blocking Sweden’s bid to join NATO, Stuart Lau reports.Not convinced: Despite Orbán having assured NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that the Hungarian parliament would sign off on Sweden’s bid at the “first possible opportunity,” the parliament isn’t in session until next month and its speaker, László Kövér, has ruled out calling an extraordinary session to approve Sweden’s application. Turkey, however, is moving ahead: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday signed a bill approving Sweden’s membership of the defense alliance, Stuart reports.
CLASH OF FAR-RIGHT TITANS
MARINE LE PEN BUTTS HEADS WITH AFD OVER EXPULSION PLAN: In comments to French media Thursday, French far-right heavyweight Marine Le Pen warned that she “totally disagrees” with a controversial plan from Alternative for Germany (AfD) to expel foreigners, and said it raised questions about whether the two parties could remain part of the same Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament. Rewind: AfD sparked major uproar over a reported proposal to expel foreigners, and even foreign-born German citizens, if the party came to power. The reports prompted massive anti-AfD demonstrations that saw hundreds of thousands take to the streets in several German cities.‘Flagrant disagreement’: Asked about the report during her annual conference with the French press, Le Pen said she wanted to be “extremely clear” about her opposition to the idea. “I consider that we have — if it’s [the report] true — a flagrant disagreement with the AfD and will have to discuss such an important difference and see … if it has consequences on our ability to be allies in the same group.”Why it matters: According to polls, both the AfD and Le Pen’s National Rally are poised to make gains that could help their ID group to become the third largest in the European Parliament, leap-frogging over Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Renew Europe group.Flirting with ECR: If National Rally splits from the AfD, potentially joining another group — Le Pen name-checked the right-wing ECR group as being compatible — it would seriously weaken ID and bolster the latter camp. However, senior National Rally operatives told POLITICO that such a split, if it were on the table, wasn’t a strong possibility in the near term.Block, baby, block: Asked by your Playbook author how she and other far-right parties intended to take advantage of any boost in Parliament seats, Le Pen said the party would aspire to block legislation it doesn’t like, potentially as part of a pop-up blocking minority with other anti-EU parties that could derail what they call “punitive ecology,” migration policy and any hope of expanding or deepening EU integration.
RIGHT HAND DRIVE: If the far right ever seizes power across Europe, it may well ride in on the back of a tractor. Right-wing parties such as National Rally and the AfD are piggybacking on farmers’ noisy outrage over things like fuel taxes and cheap imports ahead of June’s election. Your Playbook author and Bartosz Brzeziński have more on the effects the farmers’ movement is having on EU politics.
PARIS, BERLIN VS. EU LAWS
PARIS, BERLIN GO WOBBLY ON AI, SUPPLY CHAIN RULES: Europe’s largest powers are showing signs of doubt over two landmark pieces of EU legislation: the AI Act, which would be the world’s first set of binding rules for artificial intelligence, and the European Supply Chain Act, which aims to ensure that labor and environmental standards in third countries live up to European values.On the Supply Chain Act, my Berlin-based colleague Hans von der Burchard writes in to report that the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), which is a member of Germany’s ruling coalition, sees the bill as being too bureaucratic and overburdening for companies’ supply relationships.Coalition beef: The stance has given rise to a spat between the FDP and the Greens — also in the coalition — after an attempt at mediation failed. If no agreement can be found ahead of a planned vote on Feb. 9, Germany will have to abstain, which amounts to voting against the law, Hans reports.AI don’t think so: Things are also looking dicey for the AI Act, as both France and Germany are “making dissatisfied noises” about the act’s final text, Gian Volpicelli reports. Bercy wants tweaks: EU member countries are due to green-light the law’s final text on Feb. 2 and neither country is saying it wants to kill it. That said, the office of French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire told my tech team colleagues that they want the text to be tweaked — despite the fact that there’s very little time or appetite to revisit it. Spoiler alert: Add the fact that Germany also harbors doubts about the law and that Italy isn’t supporting the AI Act, it may well be in serious peril. Gian reports that if a fourth country joins the skeptical camp, it would sink the law or at least force a lengthy rethink. One EU diplomat told POLITICO’s Morning Tech that a fourth spoiler country had indeed joined the group, without specifying which one it is.Bottom line: Late-blooming doubts from powerful EU capitals can be enough to move the needle, or even sink bills — no matter how much sweat and elbow grease went into making them see the light of day.
EU DEFENSE
MAKING FICTION MORE REAL: After POLITICO published a story about Europe standing alone against Putin — which starts with a fictitious scenario of Russia invading Estonia — both the Estonian defense ministry and U.K. Ambassador to Estonia Ross Allen reached out to raise a few points.More boots on the ground: While our scenario envisaged 10,000 Estonian soldiers ready to fight Moscow, Estonia’s “wartime structure is 44,000 troops” who train regularly, can operate weapons and are ready to go at very short notice, the ministry said. NATO’s forward defense concept, adopted at the 2022 alliance summit in Madrid, has replaced the Cold War-era tripwire one, meaning that NATO troops would be “ready to defend from the first meter and the reinforcement troops will be here long before the Russians approach the border,” the ministry added.Deterrence: “Russia would not be able to build up a large force on the border without us all noticing,” Allen said. In that case, the U.K. would swiftly deploy an additional ready-to-go brigade and the Estonians would mobilize their reservists, leading to “very credible land forces in place,” backed by maritime and air capabilities.Read more: Our fictitious scenario was based on discussions with experts and military officials about what would be most likely in a worst-case scenario. Read our on-the-ground reporting from Estonia here and here about how the Baltic country is preparing for the possibility of a Putin attack.
CLIMATE
EU HEAVYWEIGHTS URGE ‘AMBITIOUS’ 2040 CLIMATE TARGETS: A group of 11 countries, including Germany and France, on Thursday sent a letter to the Commission calling for “an ambitious climate target for 2040,” bursting their previous wall of silence on a communication the EU executive is slated to unveil in early February, Federica Di Sario reports.Gimme the context: The plea, detailed in a letter obtained by POLITICO, comes as the Commission prepares its 2040 climate roadmap, which is expected to include support for carbon emission cuts of up to 90 percent, effectively bringing forward the EU’s climate-neutrality goal. What they are asking: “The need for ambitious global climate action has never been more evident,” reads the letter, calling for a 2040 target that “takes into account” advice from the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change, as well as the Paris Agreement’s goal to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
OVER AT THE EPPO
SWEDEN TO JOIN EPPO: Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer was in town Thursday with a message: His country is finally joining the growing list of participating members of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), which is in charge of prosecuting serious crimes against the EU’s financial interests. “EPPO has been successful,” he told my colleague Elisa Braun. Odd one out: Sweden can “bring a lot of experience to the table as regards to complex financial criminality,” Strömmer said. After Poland announced it would also join this year, Hungary will become the only member country to remain out of EPPO’s sight — Denmark and Ireland have an opt-out.
EPPO VS. GREECE: Greece’s government dismissed a call from the EPPO to take action over the potential criminal liability of two former transport ministers after a deadly train collision that convulsed the country last February.
Constitutional quirk: The EPPO asked for an investigation into the actions of former ministers Christos Spirtzis and Konstantinos Karamanlis. But the prosecutor was rebuffed by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ government, which used its parliamentary majority to dismiss the need for an investigative committee. Nektaria Stamouli has the details.
IN OTHER NEWS
ISRAELI HOSTAGES: Israel will do “almost everything” to ensure the safe return of its hostages from Gaza, but cannot meet the “problematic demands” of Hamas, former President Reuven Rivlin told POLITICO. Claudia Chiappa has more on the struggle between the country’s dueling priorities: saving the hostages or eradicating Hamas.
RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH: In this week’s EU Confidential podcast, host Sarah Wheaton and her guests examine soaring house prices and rents. Voters could make their voices heard on the matter in the European election in June — could it result in a shiny new housing commissioner, perhaps?
EP’S US DELEGATION GETS NEW CHAIR: Polish lawmaker Danuta Hübner was elected chair of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with the U.S. on Thursday. Her predecessor in the role was Radosław Sikorski, now Poland’s foreign minister.
CAN YOU SUE THE EU FOR BEING LATE? Madonna is being sued by fans for starting a concert late. In this week’s Declassified column, Paul Dallison — who has frequently been left waiting for late-night European Council summits to wrap up — suggests we should be allowed to sue politicians for lateness, too.