Espionage in Alexandroupoli: House painter turned spy
A 59-year-old Georgian-born house painter has been arrested in Alexandroupoli, northeastern Greece, on charges of spying on behalf of Russian intelligence. Authorities say the suspect, who had lived in Greece for years, was recruited in early fall 2024 by a compatriot with alleged ties to the Russian GRU.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1268429/espionage-in-alexandroupoli-house-painter-turned-spy
Masked attack at law school sparks outrage
A violent attack by masked assailants at the University of Athens Law School during a student-organized event on Wednesday has ignited widespread criticism over campus security and police response times.
Former transport minister ‘confident of innocence’ after Tempe case file sent to Parliament
Former Infrastructure and Transport Minister Costas Karamanlis has declared his confidence in his innocence following an official transfer of a Tempe train crash case file to Parliament.
Ministerial Decision for hydrocarbon exploration tender signed
Environment and Energy Minister, Stavros Papastavrou, signed the Ministerial Decision announcing an international tender by the Hellenic Hydrocarbons and Energy Resources Management Company (HEREMA) for the concession of hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation rights in the offshore areas south of the Peloponnese (“A2” and “South of the Peloponnese”) and in the offshore zones south of Crete (“South of Crete 1” and “South of Crete 2”).
https://www.amna.gr/en/article/900682/Ministerial-Decision-for-hydrocarbon-exploration-tender-signed
The annual progress report of the Greek economy submitted to the EU
The annual progress report of the Greek economy, submitted by the Ministry of Economy and Finance to the Council of the European Union and the European Commission, forecasts a growth rate of 2.3%, an increase in investment of 8.4%, private consumption of 1.7%, exports of 4% and imports of 3.8%, among other things, for the current year. The report is in reference to the targets set in the Medium-Term Fiscal-Structural Plan (MTP) 2025 – 2028, under the revised European economic governance framework (Stability Pact) that entered into force on April 30, 2024.
ATHEX: April ends with a 0.77% index rise
The pendulum at the Greek stock market swung toward losses on Wednesday, as traders factored in the negative GDP data in the US. However non-bank blue chips at Athinon Avenue resisted the pressure and ensured that the drop of the index would not be such that it would wipe out all of the month’s gains. Therefore the benchmark ended April with a 0.77% rise to make it the sixth month in a row with growth for the local bourse.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1268444/athex-april-ends-with-a-0-77-index-rise
KATHIMERINI: Alleviations for the middle class
TA NEA: Uncontrolled and unpunished violence in universities
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Europe is the worst country in Europe in terms of labor conditions
RIZOSPASTIS: May 1st: Thousands joined yesterday’s strike and rallies
KONTRA NEWS: Regulation for plots underway
DIMOKRATIA: The “white-washing” of the Greek police for the crime at OPAP Arena
NAFTEMPORIKI: Super-production of profits for 3 ATHEX fields
DRIVING THE DAY: ROMANIAN RE-DO
AMID CYNICISM AND SUNSHINE, ROMANIA VOTES: For the West, the stakes in Romania’s presidential election on Sunday are existential. For citizens, the response seems to be “meh.”
Can you blame them? More than 9 million people already voted in the first part of the two-round contest for the next head of state, back in November. TikTok populist phenom Călin Georgescu came from nowhere to win, getting 23 percent of the vote. Yet amid a cloud of concern about Russian interference in his favor, the courts annulled the vote and barred Georgescu from the ballot. Now, Romanians are being called back to vote, with choices that include a different far-right figure, a consensus pick for the unpopular establishment, and several others trying to claim the mantle of “independent,” with varying degrees of credibility.
To top it all off, the vote is taking place at the end of a de-facto four-day weekend; Sunday is forecast to be the last day in a stretch of glorious weather. Seb Starcevic has this guide to watching the election like a pro (which will also help you remember all the ins and outs you might have missed). Playbook, meanwhile, has some questions.
BIG QUESTION 1: Who will get Georgescu’s supporters?
George Simion — The obvious alternative: Simion, the 38-year-old leader of the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians party. He got around 14 percent of the vote in the first contest, and polls — dubious as they are in Romania — consistently show him taking first place. He denies being pro-Russian but wants to stop military aid to Ukraine.
While he’s vowed to appoint Georgescu to a top role if elected, Simion can’t count on all his backers, POLITICO’s Carmen Paun cautions, checking in with Playbook from Bucharest. Georgescu had a refined, educated style, while Simion’s somewhat hooligan reputation turns some voters off.
Victor Ponta — Ex-establishment: Romania’s former Social Democrat prime minister could get a decent chunk of Georgescu voters, analysts predict. He’s familiar, but now disavowing his party ties and running as an independent.
BIG QUESTION 2: Who will carry the mainstream banner into the second round?
Crin Antonescu — Establishment: Being endorsed by the centrist grand coalition isn’t necessarily a boon in Romania, where voters are deeply jaded about the establishment. But their support could have outsized practical benefit. The general assumption that Carmen’s picking up around Bucharest is that the governing parties knew exactly what they were doing when they planned an election on a long weekend. The voters most loyal to the major parties tend to be older, more likely to skip the weekend getaway — and thus actually turn out.
Nicușor Dan — Urban and urbane: Dan, a mathematics champion who’s worked to burnish a reputation as a corruption fighter as mayor of Bucharest since 2020, is running as an independent candidate (having founded the Save Romania Union party only to quit it the following year).
Elena Lasconi — Trying for a repeat: Lasconi, also a centrist mayor with Save Romania Union, came in second to Georgescu. So she would have been the anti-populist standard-bearer if that contest hadn’t been canceled. But now her own party has abandoned her for Dan (yes, the same party he quit).
KNIVES OUT: Carmen writes in with a vignette that illustrates how the brew of unreliable information and mistrust in the establishment is creating an explosive environment: On Thursday, Lasconi published pictures that purport to show two of the competitors ahead of her in the polls — Dan and Ponta — meeting with a former deputy director of the Romanian intelligence service in December, allegedly to talk about this year’s election.
The strategy: That move appears targeted to make Dan, who’s built an image of being honest and uncompromised, appear to be a man of the political establishment and tie him to a controversial former spy in a country weary of the intelligence services’ involvement in politics.
The reply: Both Dan and Ponta said the images were false and vowed to sue Lasconi, accusing her of playing into the hands of the mainstream political system.
WHY IT MATTERS OUTSIDE OF ROMANIA: With U.S. President Donald Trump casting doubt on his NATO commitments, the alliance already seems weak when it comes to reinforcements coming from the west. Romania was meant to be the bulwark in the east, with 10,000 troops set to be stationed on the Black Sea coast by 2030. The base at Mihail Kogălniceanu would be the largest in Europe. Yet even there, as Tim Ross and Andrei Popoviciu reported late last year, the town’s residents overwhelmingly voted for Georgescu.
BONUS QUESTION 3: Has Putin already won?
Real corruption, fake news, persistent inequality with the reset of Europe and inconsistent fidelity to the will of voters are fueling deep disillusionment with the political process in Romania. As Carmen and Tim’s reporting from Romania in recent months makes clear, the Kremlin doesn’t need to do much.
MORE ELECTIONS
U.K. LOCAL ELECTIONS: The U.K. on Thursday held the first big set of elections since Prime Minister Keir Starmer led Labour to a landslide last summer. Up for grabs: 1,641 seats across14 county councils, eight unitary authorities and one metropolitan district, five regional mayoralties, one city mayoralty, and the Runcorn and Helsby parliamentary by-election.
Results will start trickling in this morning, and will give insight into the scale of Starmer’s dip in popularity, as well as whether right-wing populist Nigel Farage has managed to translate his Reform UK party into an electable force. Subscribe to London Playbook for more in an hour, and keep an eye on our U.K. home page for the latest.
THIS WEEKEND IN AUSTRALIA: Does Mark Carney’s Trump-fueled, come-from-behind victory for the Liberal Party in Canada portend the same Down Under? The polls are too close to call ahead of Australia’s federal election on Saturday. But both major parties say they favor a trade deal with the EU following the collapse of talks in 2023 — and hopes are high that the push for new commercial alliances will push it over the finish line. More for Morning Trade subscribers here.
ASIA PIVOT
FIRST IN POLITICO — TECH CHIEF TO JAPAN: Australia isn’t the only Pacific partnership Brussels is looking to enhance. The Commission’s executive vice president and tech sovereignty chief, Henna Virkkunen, will travel to Japan on May 13 to discuss a digital partnership and other pressing issues, according to a draft agenda seen by Pieter Haeck. More details in Morning Tech.
Šefčo goes first: Maroš Šefčovič, the trade commissioner, heads to Tokyo next week, after meeting with his Japanese counterpart Minoru Kiuchi. “At a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty, deepening cooperation between the EU and Japan on economic security is not only timely, but essential,” wrote Kiuchi on X.
Going the other way: The French air force’s deployment on the Pégase High North mission to Sweden’s northernmost air base of Luleå is a concrete example of Paris pivoting to European defense after decades of focusing mainly on the Indo-Pacific and the Sahel, Laura Kayali reports from Luleå.
HARDEST WORKING MAN IN BRUSSELS: Back to Šefčovič, who didn’t take the day off on Thursday, instead meeting with one of the planet’s most formidable trade negotiators: Piyush Goyal.
Aiming for an EU-India deal this year: Both Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have said they want to iron out a deal this year to create a common market of almost 2 billion consumers.
It won’t be easy. Šefčovič will have to navigate India’s frustrations over the EU’s planned carbon border tax, which Goyal has said would sound “the death knell of manufacturing in Europe.” More in Morning Trade.
TRADE MATH: Šefčovič is making the case to Washington that, if you count American services sold in Europe, the trade deficit with the U.S. is only €50 billion. And €50 billion is an easy fix, Šefčovič told the FT in an interview: “I believe that we can really … solve this problem very quickly through LNG purchases, through some agricultural products like soyabeans, or other areas.”
10 percent ain’t nothing: But Šefčovič suggested the EU wouldn’t be OK with the Trump administration retaining the 10 percent tariffs it has placed on Europe as a fair resolution to trade talks, calling that a “very high level.”
LISTEN UP — IMPATIENTLY WAITING, AFTER 100 DAYS OF TRUMP: After Trump’s shock and awe, is the EU still stuck in stunned paralysis — or does it finally have a plan? On this week’s episode of the EU Confidential podcast, POLITICO trade reporter Camille Gijs, tech reporter Eliza Gkritsi, defense editor Jan Cienski and senior climate correspondent Karl Mathiesen unpacked how the EU is (or isn’t) responding, and how this all complicates relations with Beijing. Listen and subscribe here.
PARTY POLITICS
EPP CONGRESS WINNERS AND LOSERS: No need to have braved the blackout to understand how Europe’s biggest political family reunion went down in Valencia this week. Max Griera has this guide to who’s up and who’s down after the European People’s Party Congress.
WINNERS
— Manfred Weber’s ego: Despite persistent misgivings about his dual role as chief of both the EPP group and the pan-European Party, he was re-coronated without opposition to the latter role. Bonus boost: His top internal antagonist, outgoing party Secretary-General Thanasis Bakolas, has been implicated in a financing scandal in Greece.
— Also winning: Germany’s mojo, Europe’s populists.
LOSERS
— VDL’s Green Deal legacy: Weber celebrated the EPP’s success in delaying and watering down green legislation, which was once the hallmark of von der Leyen’s first term as Commission president.
— Also losing: The EU’s centrist coalition, migrants.
FORMER ESTONIAN PREZ JOINS VOLT: Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who served for a decade as Estonia’s president until 2016 and had said he was swearing off party politics, announced Thursday that he’s joining the pan-European political movement Volt. Its members sit with the Greens in the European Parliament.
IN OTHER NEWS
END OF AN (ITSY) ERA: The Commission role of SME envoy — to which von der Leyen’s efforts to hire an outgoing German MEP launched the so-called Piepergate scandal — has been eliminated, notes MLex’s Jean Comte.
LAST STRAW FOR WALTZ: Mike Waltz’s problems in the White House started long before Signalgate, my colleagues in Washington report, amid complaints that his ego was getting too big. On Thursday, Trump finally let him loose.
How the chips are falling: Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as interim NSA, the first person since Henry Kissinger to hold both roles. Trump nominated Waltz to be his U.N. ambassador, so he’s not totally out.
Binge, then purge: After the policy onslaught of the first 100 days, Trump is eying a potential shakeup referred to in the West Wing as “The Purge,” one administration official said. The plan, according to the official, is to carry out the firings in a single, decisive wave rather than to do it piecemeal. More from Dasha Burns, Sophia Cai and Robbie Gramer.
Addiction is a disease: A Reuters photographer snapped Waltz texting with other top foreign policy officials during Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting.
A LITTLE R.E.S.P.E.C.T. FOR OLAF: It’s his last day as Germany’s chancellor on Monday, and Olaf Scholz picked Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” as one of his farewell songs, Der Spiegel reports. The word “respect” featured prominently in both his election campaigns — but the choice now feels more like a final plea to a public whose support has steadily eroded over time.
TAKING THE SHEIN OFF: France wants Brussels to slap additional fees on small parcels imported by Chinese e-commerce and fast fashion firms in a bid to protect the European market from a flood of cheaper imports, report Marianne Gros and Klara Durand.