Court releases 6 defendants found guilty of manslaughter at Mati fire with fines, drawing ire
A first-instance misdemeanor court found 6 of 21 defendants guilty over the deadly fire in Mati in 2018, giving most of them sentences of over 100 years but releasing them without bail on Monday.
Sentencing of Mati defendants was based on old and more favorable Criminal Code, Justice Min Floridis says
The 6 defendants found guilty of manslaughter over the fires at Mati in July 2018 and set free with fines were tried on the basis of older and more lenient regulations of the Criminal Code, Justice Minister Giorgos Floridis said on Monday.
Labor Day strikes to paralyze transport
Public transportation in Greece, particularly in Athens, will cease on May 1 as unions and associations stage Labor Day strikes. The strikes, organized by major labor unions, oppose the government’s decision to move Labor Day to May 7.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1237720/labor-day-strikes-to-paralyze-transport
Campaigning for Euro elections and Turkey talks dominate agenda ahead of Easter break
Political leaders continue touring the country ahead of the upcoming European elections on June 9, despite an expected slowdown this week due to the Easter holidays.
Greek proposals for changes to the CAP are vital for farmers, Avgenakis says
The changes that Greece has proposed for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) are crucial for the survival of farmers, Minister of Rural Development and Food, Lefteris Avgenakis, said on Monday at the 5th meeting of EUMED9, which preceded the meeting of the Council of Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries of the EU, in Luxembourg.
ATHEX: Late surge offsets all index losses
The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 1,455.48 points, adding 0.03% to Friday’s 1,454.98 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index contracted 0.26%, ending at 3,534.50 points, just as mid-caps expanded 1.02%.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1237677/athex-late-surge-offsets-all-index-losses
KATHIMERINI: Not even one day imprisonment for those responsible for the crime at Mati
TA NEA: Crime at Mati: What catharsis?
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Mati has remained without justice and unfortified
AVGI: Interior ministry: theft after theft
RIZOSPASTIS: Strike on May 1st
KONTRA NEWS: The government is handing over the operating rooms of public hospitals to private physicians
DIMOKRATIA: Former secretary for expatriate Greeks: New Democracy is responsible for the leak of expatriate Greeks’ data
NAFTEMPORIKI: The 13 deals that will change the course of the Athens Stock Exchange
EU ELECTION CAMPAIGN HEATS UP AS TOP CANDIDATES DEBATE
FIGHT NIGHT: Last night, Ursula von der Leyen squared off in a debate against seven other candidates vying for the European Commission presidency. And — surprise, surprise — they put on a show! Von der Leyen faced a hot grilling from the co-moderators (including POLITICO’s own Barbara Moens) and her fellow candidates, and delivered an impassioned defense of her program. It was a fiery contrast to her usually staid appearances in the European Parliament or after summits.
Political instincts: Rather than hurting von der Leyen, her opponents’ attacks appeared to help the front-runner sharpen her profile. What we saw on the Maastricht stage last night was not a detached Teflon President, but an experienced campaigner who clearly enjoys trading barbs with her opponents.
TOP LINES …
— The Greens’ Bas Eickhout: “Clean up your own house” before lecturing others, Eickhout told the far-right’s Anders Vistisen, referring to allegations of Russian and Chinese influence in the latter’s Identity and Democracy grouping.
— EPP’s von der Leyen: “We will not allow that you destroy the European Union,” the Commission chief told Vistisen. “We are stronger than you, and we will fight your interference with all means.”
— ID’s Vistisen: “Brussels has become a swamp … we will begin by firing 10,000 bureaucrats in Brussels, and I would like to start with you, Ursula von der Leyen,” Vistisen parried.
— Socialists’ Nicolas Schmit: “Either you can deal with the extreme right because you need them, or you say clearly there is no deal possible,” Schmit told von der Leyen, referring to questions about potential tie-ups after the EU election.
— Liberals’ Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann: “If you travel through Ukraine and see what happens there, then you would know we have to learn to work together … we have to stand together and create a common defense plan.”
— Christian Political Movement’s Valeriu Ghilețchi: “I was born and grew up in the Soviet Union. … Looking back and realizing that I’m here tonight, I can say that even in my wildest dreams, I couldn’t see that a former Soviet soldier would stay tonight in Maastricht in this free debate. But this proves that our dreams can become reality. And I would encourage you to care for your fundamental freedoms.”
— European Free Alliance’s Maylis Roßberg: “The European Union has become hostage to its member states. But for me there’s a simple solution for that: Strengthen the European Parliament.”
— Left’s Walter Baier: “You are rightly putting sanctions on Russia for committing the war crimes which it does. But when will you put sanctions on Israel?”
WHO WON: Eickhout was out ahead in our viewer poll as the debate came to a close (and judging by the applause, the Green had plenty of fans among the students in the room, as Karl Mathiesen reports). But an hour later, von der Leyen came out on top in the poll. Was that the result of a flurry of late ballots cast by undecided viewers … or party apparatchiks?
The case for VDL: As one person in the audience said, von der Leyen was “clearly the adult in the room,” displaying competence and experience. She had a big advantage as the incumbent and best-known face on stage. But she also landed some serious zingers, firing up against the far-right’s Vistisen and delivering an impassioned defense of the Green Deal. Von der Leyen engaged her opponents, and managed to avoid gaffes — which, as another viewer noted, is a win in itself for a frontrunner.
The case for Eickhout: The Green landed some heavy hits on Vistisen (a relatively easy target, given the scandals that have hit his grouping of late). But Eickhout also took aim at von der Leyen over her flirtations with Giorgia Meloni and her hard-right allies, forcing the Commission chief into giving her clearest signal yet that she is ready to cooperate with the Euroskeptic ECR. Eickhout also landed a blow when he accused von der Leyen of abandoning her own climate program.
Bas fans: The Dutchman revelled in the adulation of what felt like a home crowd, he told reporters in the pub after the debate. “It’s because of you that Europe acted on the Green Deal,” Eickhout told the young audience at Maastricht University, imploring them to vote in June.
WHO LOST: Schmit failed to showcase the Socialists’ priorities or present a strong alternative program to von der Leyen’s. Plus, he didn’t land any big blows against the Commission president. Meanwhile, Strack-Zimmermann, who is known to have a sharp way with words in the German Bundestag, found herself somewhat lost in translation, struggling to convey her views in English.
OTHER KEY TAKEAWAYS …
Banning TikTok in Europe is an option, von der Leyen said — a bombshell that comes on the back of a streak of bad news for the Chinese video-sharing app. Schmit was on the same page, calling his position “quite American” after the debate. Pieter Haeck has more.
On Israel sanctions: Eickhout asked von der Leyen whether she would impose sanctions on Israel if it invaded Rafah. Von der Leyen said that while she “never” draws red lines, an invasion of Rafah would be “completely unacceptable,” and the EU “would sit down with our member states, and act on that.”
CATCH UP: You can watch the debate in full here and relive the highlights via our live blog.
RULE OF LAW
TODAY — MINISTERS PLAN STRONGER RULE-OF-LAW SAFEGUARDS: EU affairs ministers meeting at the General Affairs Council today will discuss plans to better protect the rule of law both within the Union, and in countries that are seeking to join the club.
Berlin’s pitch: Germany’s Anna Lührmann has set out proposals in the form of a so-called non-paper, my Berlin Playbook colleague Hans von der Burchard reports. The draft document argues that “financial conditionality” is the most effective “incentive” to force EU countries to shape up.
Milestones are back: Remember the pay-for-performance plan which set out “milestones” Poland had to hit for the EU to release tranches of its post-pandemic stimulus money? Berlin proposes applying a similar approach to the EU’s regular budget funds. That would make it harder for Hungary, for example, to get its hands on EU taxpayer money, if it doesn’t respect EU standards on the rule of law.
Berlin’s other proposals: The German paper also proposes speeding up the process of the Article 7 infringement procedure that’s used against member countries that have committed fundamental rights violations, as well as other measures. The problem is, such changes must be made unanimously — good luck with that.
BANKS
DEBANKING RUSSIA: The European Central Bank is tightening the screws on the last significant banking presences in Russia, in an attempt to starve the country of Western capital and expertise as it wages war on Ukraine. But it’s slow going, as my colleague Geoffrey Smith explains.
EIB WANTS TO BIN HISTORIC LENDING RULES: The head of the European Investment Bank wants to scrap rules that limit the amount of cash it can lend, my Financial Services colleagues report in today’s newsletter.
Remove the shackles: EIB chief Nadia Calviño told an event in Brussels that the lender’s so-called gearing ratio — which limits the percentage of EIB funding that can come from borrowing and has not been changed since the 1950s — is outdated. And she insisted: “We can increase our ability to invest without any impact on Europe’s taxpayers.”
EIB to the rescue? The bank’s support could help fund climate and defense projects, after capitals signaled little appetite to put more money into the EU’s seven-year budget. Calviño is touring European capitals to convince finance ministers to support the move — but Germany is expected to oppose it.
IN OTHER NEWS
TODAY’S TOP READ — FAR RIGHT SURGE IN PORTUGAL: In the Algarve, the EU feels far away. But the disgruntled voters in the city of Portimão illustrate a broader shift toward far-right parties across Europe, writes my colleague Victor Jack in the latest dispatch by POLITICO reporters on the mood ahead of the June EU election.
Chega country: Almost one in three Portimão locals voted in the recent national election for the anti-establishment party Chega, which means “enough” in Portuguese and has played on public concerns about rising prices, perceptions of increased migration, and a longstanding feeling that the state cares little for the area. “The government thinks only about tourists,” in the words of one 55-year-old health care worker who spoke to Victor. Read his full report here.
ICYMI — SÁNCHEZ STAYS: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced Monday he wouldn’t resign.
BEIJING VS. THE HOF: MEP Guy Verhofstadt, a former Belgian prime minister, was a victim of a Chinese state-linked espionage campaign targeting officials working on an inter-parliamentary committee focused on China, my colleague Antoaneta Roussi reports.
RUSSIA’S NORTH KOREAN HELPERS: The debris from a missile that landed in Kharkiv on Jan. 2 was from a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile, in violation of the arms embargo on Pyongyang, U.N. sanctions monitors told a Security Council committee in a report seen by Reuters.
STOLTENBERG SLAMS ALLIES FOR LACKLUSTER KYIV SUPPORT: Ukraine’s allies have provided an unprecedented amount of military aid, but constant delays of actual deliveries have enabled Russia to make battlefield gains, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in an unannounced visit to the Ukrainian capital on Monday. Veronika Melkozerova has the details.
HOW TO BEAT PUTIN’S MARITIME MENACE: Russia’s uninsured shadow fleet is menacing Sweden. Elisabeth Braw has some ideas about how the EU can help.
POLISH BORDER BLOCKADE ENDS: Polish farmers dismantled their last remaining blockade of border crossings with Ukraine, ending a months-long protest that disrupted trade between the two countries.
TUSK TAKES ON ANOTHER PiS GOLDEN BOY: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk opened fire Monday against Daniel Obajtek, the former CEO of state oil company PKN-Orlen and one-time golden boy of the former PiS government, accusing him of losing 1.6 billion złoty (€370 million) in a botched energy deal and calling for an investigation. Wojciech Kość has the details.
DEPARDIEU TO STAND TRIAL: French actor Gérard Depardieu will face a criminal trial in October over alleged sexual assaults of two women.