PM Mitsotakis sends message to North Macedonia from Thessaloniki
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis sent a message to North Macedonia from the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises’ conference, in Thessaloniki, on Monday. Mitsotakis stated that, for North Macedonia, the “road towards Europe and progress” also passes through Greece and could be cut short. He also called the stance of the newly elected North Macedonian president Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova “illegal and provocative.”
Greek PM urges Commission to take action on multinationals
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has penned a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, urging action on the issue of Territorial Supply Constraints (TSCs) within the European Single Market.
Greek and Egyptian FM meet in Athens, discuss first Supreme Council of Collaboration
Greek Foreign Affairs Minister George Gerapetritis met with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry at the ministry in Athens on Monday.
Minister and food industry at loggerheads over VAT
“We cannot and do not want to reduce value-added tax,” said National Economy and Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis on Monday, categorically refusing the request made once again by the president of the Association of Greek Food Industries (SEVT), Ioannis Jotis, at the body’s annual general assembly.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1239243/minister-and-food-industry-at-loggerheads-over-vat
ATHEX: Bourse hits milestone of 1,500 points
The benchmark at Athinon Avenue has finally reconquered 1,500 points, after more than 13 years, in what was a historic session for the Greek stock market. Banks drove the main index higher, carrying the blue chip index along, while the mid-cap index was virtually a non-mover and the rising stocks outnumbered the losers by the smallest of margins on Monday.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1239240/athex-bourse-hits-milestone-of-1500-points
KATHIMERINI: Feud regarding the reduction of VAT on food products
TA NEA: Bureaucracy undermines the recruitment of state employees despite the completion of relevant competitions
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Oil smuggling with the authorities’ tolerance
AVGI: They are toying with the health of our children
RIZOSPASTIS: Greek Communist Party’s university fraction must win tomorrow’s elections again
KONTRA NEWS: New Democracy MP Vasilis Ikonomou dared to tell the truth: “We must all apologize to Alexis Tsipras”
DIMOKRATIA: Gerapetritis and Marinakis: We do not change or abolish the Prespa agreement
NAFTEMPORIKI: The savings piggy-bank in Greece is running low
DRIVING THE DAY: UKRAINE’S EU MEMBERSHIP
PLAYBOOK SCOOP 1 — FORMAL MEMBERSHIP TALKS FOR UKRAINE: When EU leaders opened the door to Ukraine and Moldova in December, it was hailed as the first step in a historic expansion of the European Union. But the legal step required to kickstart membership talks for Kyiv and Chișinău was quietly delayed for months because of concerns about Hungarian opposition and jitters about making EU expansion a central theme of the European Parliament election.
Now that delay is coming to an end. According to five diplomats who spoke to Playbook and my colleague Barbara Moens on condition of anonymity, the bloc is aiming to start formal accession talks for Ukraine and Moldova as soon as June 25 (the date of a European Council summit).
Morale boost: Getting a formal go-ahead for accession to the EU would be a major boost to Ukraine, which is now in the third year of an all-out war against Russian aggression and struggling to keep its defenses intact in the face of relentless attacks. Kyiv’s rapprochement with Europe was a pretext for President Vladimir Putin’s move to yank Ukraine back into Russia’s orbit — so a path to membership looks like poetic justice.
Hungary is an obstacle: As was the case in December, a key impediment to Ukraine’s membership aspiration is Hungary. It opposes Kyiv’s bid because, among other reasons, it claims to have unresolved issues relating to Hungarian minorities in Ukraine.
Due diligence: But Kyiv has been engaged in intensive bilateral discussions with Budapest to address those concerns, which have been laid out in an 11-point document, according to the diplomats. Following exchanges between the Ukrainian president’s head of office and Hungary’s foreign minister, Kyiv has proposed remedies for all the points raised by Budapest. It is now awaiting a response, per a summary prepared by the Ukrainian side. In other words, Kyiv wants to show it’s done everything it can to satisfy Hungary.
The efforts might just pay off. With Hungary taking over the rotating presidency of the EU at the end of June, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán may not want the matter of Ukraine’s accession to overshadow his entire six-month stint in the driver’s seat, one EU diplomat suggested. Kicking off formal talks in June — when there will be plenty of other EU news to discuss — would allow Hungary to focus on its other priorities for its presidency.
Dutch disruption? Another possible kink in the works is the Netherlands, whose new governing coalition is very much against enlargement. But here again, timing is everything: While the Dutch parties have hammered out a governing agreement, more than six months after the election, they still don’t have a prime minister (more on that below). According to people informed on the coalition talks, the new government may not be up and running by June 25.
Hungary’s comment: A spokesperson for the Hungarian Permanent Representation to the EU said Hungary’s focus is on the negotiating framework. “The first step is to find consensus there,” the spokesperson said, adding that it would be “premature” to talk about dates for an intergovernmental conference to begin membership negotiations.
MEANWHIlLE, ON THE FRONT LINES: Kyiv’s forces still hold some 60 percent of a key city in the province of Kharkiv after bloody urban combat with Russian troops, Ukrainian authorities said Monday. Soldiers battled from house to house and in the streets as the Russian army sought to shore up its position in the northern region and stretch Ukrainian lines in the south and east. More here by POLITICO’s Ben Munster.
Zelenskyy’s plea: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Reuters that Western allies are taking too long to make crucial decisions about military support. He said he is pushing Ukraine’s partners to help intercept Russian missiles and allow Kyiv to use Western weapons against enemy military equipment amassed near the border.
MEANWHILE, IN RUSSIA: President Vladimir Putin on Monday appointed former Deputy Economy Minister Oleg Savelyev as a deputy defense minister.
ROAD TO EU ELECTION
SCOOP 2 — WEIMAR COUNTRIES WANT MORE ACTION ON FOREIGN INFLUENCE: According to a statement shared with Playbook, France, Germany and Poland (aka the “Weimar Triangle”) will use a gathering of the EU’s General Affairs Council today to call on the Union to beef up its defense against foreign influence and interference ahead of the European Parliament election in June.
On the menu: Among their proposals is a “European media platform” to counter disinformation; a boost to comms about the EU’s benefits; more funding for media literacy; and new structured exchanges between EU governments on best practices to counter influence campaigns.
ANOTHER DEBATE TONIGHT: Ursula von der Leyen will be back in the spotlight this evening when she takes the floor alongside other candidates for the European Commission presidency. The debate, hosted by Brussels think tank Bruegel and the Financial Times, will focus on economic policies. Watch here from 4 p.m.
Pitch to make the EU more competitive: Ahead of the debate, von der Leyen said she is “open to [the] discussion” of making EU subsidies conditional on national economic reforms, as a way to kick the Union’s competitiveness into high gear. Speaking to the FT, von der Leyen said she “sees the advantages” in imposing conditions on cohesion funds and the Common Agricultural Policy.
FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY: The idea of the inevitability of democracy in Europe “is as comforting as it is dead wrong,” argues Matthew C. MacWilliams from the Foundation International Communications Hub, in this opinion piece for POLITICO.
ICC FALLOUT
WESTERN ALLIES DIVIDED BY WAR CRIMES ALLEGATIONS: The startling decision by the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court to seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other Hamas figures, brought a cacophony of responses from EU capitals and elsewhere — with U.S. President Joe Biden among those who loudly condemned the move.
ICYMI: Prosecutor Karim Khan filed applications on Monday for arrest warrants against leaders on both sides of the conflict for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
What happens next? A panel of three judges will decide whether to issue the warrants and allow a case to proceed, which could take several months. Israel is not a signatory to the ICC treaty, and the court has no way of enforcing an arrest of Netanyahu or Gallant even if the warrants are issued. But it could make it difficult for the leaders to travel to countries that are signatories.
In Israel, the pushback was swift: Even Netanyahu’s harshest critics were quick to condemn the prosecutor’s decision. Opposition leader Yair Lapid tweeted that the application for arrest warrants was a “complete moral failure,” and Benny Gantz — days after giving Netanyahu an ultimatum on his handling of the war — described it as a “deep distortion of justice.” Netanyahu himself said of the allegations: “I reject with disgust the comparison of the prosecutor in The Hague between democratic Israel and the mass murderers of Hamas.”
There was condemnation in Washington: Biden denounced the allegations against Netanyahu and Gallant as “outrageous” and insisted the U.S. stands firmly behind Israel. “What’s happening is not genocide. We reject that,” Biden said during a speech at the White House to mark Jewish Heritage Month, my POLITICO colleagues report.
“I will always ensure Israel has everything it needs to defend itself against Hamas and all their enemies,” said Biden, avoiding any mention of recent tensions between the two allies about the humanitarian impact of Israel’s incursion into Rafah in the south of Gaza. “We stand with Israel to take out Sinwar and the rest of the butchers of Hamas. We want Hamas defeated; we will work with Israel to make that happen.”
In Berlin … “The ICC is a fundamental achievement which Germany has always supported,” Germany’s foreign ministry said. But, “The simultaneous application for arrest warrants against Hamas and two Israeli officials gives the false impression of an equation.”
In Prague … Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on X that treating both sides as equally culpable was “appalling and completely unacceptable.” He said: “We must not forget that it was Hamas that attacked Israel in October and killed, injured and kidnapped thousands of innocent people. It was this completely unprovoked terrorist attack that led to the current war in Gaza and the suffering of civilians in Gaza, Israel and Lebanon.”
And in London … “This action does nothing to help reach a pause in the fighting, get hostages out or get humanitarian aid in and make progress towards a sustainable cease-fire that we want to see,” a spokesperson for U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.
But not everywhere. “Crimes committed in Gaza must be prosecuted at the highest level, regardless of the perpetrators,” Belgium’s Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib said on social media, emphasizing Belgium’s support for the work of the ICC.
Slovenia’s foreign ministry issued a statement saying alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on Israeli and Palestinian territory “must be prosecuted independently and impartially regardless of the perpetrators.”
Amal Clooney advised the ICC: The human rights lawyer was one of the legal advisers who recommended that the chief prosecutor seek arrest warrants, and lays out her reasoning in an op-ed in the FT.
NOW READ THIS: POLITICO’s opinion editor Jamie Dettmer argues that the ICC’s move is likely to shore up support for Netanyahu just when he was starting to look vulnerable.
HUNGARY’S ARTICLE 7 OUTRAGE
SCOOP 3 — HUNGARY LASHES OUT AT POLAND: Another flashpoint at the General Affairs Council today is the rule of law, as one country accused of breaching the EU’s standards faces off against another that is born again and trying to rejoin the fold.
In 1 corner: Poland. As Playbook reported on Monday, Warsaw is planning to use today’s meeting to present the work it has done toward reestablishing the independence of its judiciary and cast off an Article 7 procedure launched nearly seven years ago. In a written interview, the country’s Europe Minister Adam Szłapka said Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government was determined to finalize the reforms, despite the threat of a veto by sitting President Andrzej Duda.
In the other corner: Hungary. As the only other EU country to face an Article 7 procedure, Hungary is getting ready to raise a stink about what it calls a “political” decision to let Poland off the hook, according to a letter obtained by POLITICO’s Barbara Moens and comments from a senior Hungarian official.
Budapest’s objection: “We believe the Commission’s intention to withdraw the Article 7 procedure against Poland is a completely political decision,” said the official, who asked not to be named. “It seems that in this case, political promises, regardless of their implementation are enough for the closure of Article 7. We find the timing very interesting as well, as EU funds were unlocked for Poland just before the local elections and now there is a proposal to withdraw Article 7 just before the EU elections.”
The longer version: In a six-page letter addressed to Commission Vice President Věra Jourová, Hungarian EU Affairs Minister János Bóka cited the fact that Poland hasn’t yet finalized its judicial reforms as evidence of the EU executive making a political decision. Bóka asked the Commission to present a written reply during the GAC.
Step back: It is indeed the case that Poland hasn’t yet formally completed its promised reforms. But nor has the Commission formally lifted the Article 7 procedure against Poland — it has only said it intends to, and disbursed an initial tranche of frozen EU funds for Warsaw. This echoes what the Berlaymont has done for Budapest, freeing up some frozen funds to incentivize reforms. There are arguments to be made, but expect Budapest to remain isolated on this one.
IN OTHER NEWS
IRAN — EUROPEAN CONDOLENCE SAGA ROLLS ON: While the death of Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash reverberated across the world on Monday, so did a backlash against EU leaders who publicly expressed sympathy. A tweet by European Council President Charles Michel — “The EU expresses its sincere condolences” — prompted a torrent of posts with the hashtag #Notinmyname, pointing out the role of a man known as the “Butcher of Tehran” in the execution of thousands of people.
Naive: Green MEP Hannah Neumann told Berlin Playbook that Michel and Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat who also expressed “condolences” on X, were “running after Iran” in hopes of saving a nuclear deal that is politically dead, ignoring Tehran’s destabilizing role in the region and support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. “This is naive to the point of endangering security,” she said.
Biden’s big fear: The White House is closely monitoring Iran’s reaction to the sudden death of its president. As POLITICO reports, the Biden administration is not expecting any immediate major changes to Iran’s regional policies … but they have been anxiously watching for any sign that the U.S. or Israel will be blamed for the fatal crash.
DUTCH PM CONTENDER WITHDRAWS: Last week, after the formation of the most right-wing government in the Netherlands in decades, it appeared the next prime minister would be Ronald Plasterk, a molecular biologist and former Labor Cabinet minister. But not so fast! On Monday, Plasterk ruled himself out after questions were raised about his historic handling of a patent process for a cancer medicine. Plasterk denied wrongdoing but said he was “unavailable” for the job of PM.
So who will be the next Dutch prime minister? It’s anyone’s guess. As my colleague Eva Hartog notes, this uncertainty underscores the complexity of finding a leader who can represent a government that is backed on one hand by pro-EU conservatives from Mark Rutte’s party and on the other, Geert Wilders’ group of anti-EU nationalists. Sit back and prepare a batch of Gouda sandwiches — this could be a long one.
WASHINGTON’S ENTICEMENT TO GEORGIA: The U.S. is prepared to offer a sweeping package of economic and security support if Georgia’s government abandons its anti-Western rhetoric and stops backsliding on human rights, POLITICO’s Gabriel Gavin reports.
BULLYING CLAIMS AT TOP HEALTH NGO: The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) is engulfed in crisis, after claims of harassment and a toxic work culture, and a wave of resignations. The future of the NGO is at stake, reports my colleague Mari Eccles.