No progress in Greece-Turkey talks
The Greek government has decided that progress in resolving differences with Turkey over maritime zones and the two countries’ continental shelf in the Aegean Sea is all but impossible. It has thus shifted its priorities back to maintaining contacts and engaging in lower-level talks.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/politics/foreign-policy/1255041/no-progress-in-greece-turkey-talks
Greece battles severe weather “Bora”: Damage, disruptions and fatalities; schools closure on Monday
The severe weather event “Bora,” which has been affecting multiple regions in Greece since late Friday night, is expected to persist through Tuesday morning.
PM Mitsotakis: I will lead New Democracy in the 2027 elections
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in an interview with ANT1, emphasized that he will lead New Democracy in the 2027 elections. He also sent a strong message to business circles, stating that his government will not be blackmailed or threatened. He ruled out any changes to the electoral law, highlighting that New Democracy remains the only viable political alternative.
https://www.amna.gr/en/article/866973/PM-Mitsotakis-I-will-lead-New-Democracy-in-the-2027-elections
PM Mitsotakis inaugurates Thessaloniki Metro as operations begin
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, joined by President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou and ministers, visited the control center and symbolically pressed the button to mark the official opening of the Thessaloniki Metro.
Eurostat: Eurozone inflation at 2.3% in November, 3% in Greece
Euro area annual inflation is expected to be 2.3% in November 2024, up from 2.0% in October according to a flash estimate from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.
https://www.amna.gr/en/article/866662/Eurostat-Eurozone-inflation-at-23-in-November–3-in-Greece
ATHEX: November ends with 0.78% rise
The Greek bourse session on Friday showed some worrying signs for observers, with the benchmark closing at the day’s low, below the psychologically significant 1,400-point level, and with one of the biggest listed companies, National Bank, seeing its price lose significant ground. The market continues to fret over a government intervention with some extraordinary levy that could be slapped on power companies or on banks’ profits. Still, November closed with monthly gains of 0.78%.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1254945/athex-november-ends-with-0-78-rise
SUNDAY PAPERS
KATHIMERINI: Greece is searching for workers, even in India
TO VIMA: Mitsotakis to cabinet: “No more self indulgence”
REAL NEWS: The big “bargain”: 23 independent MPs in talks to join other parliamentary groups
PROTO THEMA: RRF: How was 18 bln used
MONDAY PAPERS:
TA NEA: Greece drowned
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Living with the nightmare of the disaster to come
KONTRA NEWS: The great fraud of Black Friday
DIMOKRATIA: Mitsotakis: We are not traitors
NAFTEMPORIKI: Fine print regarding foreign investments in RES
DRIVING THE DAY: THE NEW FACE OF THE EU’S FOREIGN POLICY
THERE’S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN AND HER NAME IS KAJA KALLAS: The former Estonian prime minister is kicking off her first week as the EU’s new top diplomat, but she’s already showing a new approach to the role compared to her predecessor, Spanish Socialist Josep Borrell.
In a nutshell, it’s all about the EU’s neighborhood rather than the Middle East. And it’s all about leading from the front.
CASE IN POINT 1: With massive demonstrations raging in Georgia following the disputed election victory of the pro-Moscow Georgian Dream party, Kallas warned in a tweet Sunday that violence against protesters and the country’s slide away from Brussels would lead to “direct consequences from the EU side.”
Sanctions foghorn: Quizzed about what Kallas could be referring to, two EU diplomats told Playbook this could be interpreted as sanctions against the Georgia Dream members ordering the crackdown against protesters. If so, the next gathering of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Dec. 16 “would be a good time” to make such a move, one said. The other diplomat noted that sanctions can be suggested at any time — as early as this week, say — to be approved later.
ICYMI: Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia aren’t waiting for the EU, with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis announcing Sunday that the Baltic countries will impose national sanctions against those who ordered the crackdown on protesters. “Opponents of democracy and violators of human rights are not welcome in our countries,” he wrote.
Another option: Suspending a visa liberalization deal that has existed since 2017, which allows Georgians to spend up to three months in the EU sans visa. Some argue this would affect pro-EU Georgians, but the tide now seems to be shifting in favor of tougher measures that would emphasize how costly Tbilisi’s turn away from Europe can be for everyone in a country where a majority remains staunchly pro-EU.
Not my problem: “Georgia is a candidate country, which means that they have responsibilities but so does the EU especially in engaging and reacting to events in the country” including “extremely worrying ones led by the country’s leadership,” the first diplomat quoted above wrote in a text message to Playbook.
CASE IN POINT 2: Kallas has adopted a new way of talking about Ukraine, where she traveled this past weekend for her first trip as the EU’s high representative. The accepted formula has been that Europe will stand by Kyiv “as long as it takes” (begging the question, what is “it”?). Kallas wrote on social media: “The European Union wants Ukraine to win this war.” That may seem subtle, but it’s a huge difference in terms of commitment.
Does everyone agree? Unclear. On Ukraine and sanctions for Georgia, Kallas is staking out political ground and putting her stamp on EU foreign policy, even if her statements haven’t necessarily been through a “track changes” process in 27 EU member countries. That got Borrell in hot water over Israel, with conservatives up in arms over positions they said didn’t represent the bloc.
The PM method: The difference is that Kallas is trying to push things forward on issues where she sees potential political convergence, said one EU diplomat. “It’s the prime minister method. You float something as a political statement and set the agenda. This is a difference” with her predecessor, added the diplomat.
Bottom line: Kallas is not going to be a shrinking violet. While other commissioners are already coming across as hyper-cautious box-tickers, Kallas is bringing stateswoman energy to her new job. Not everyone will be enthralled.
ROMANIAN ELECTIONS
WEEKEND REPRIEVE: The EU is breathing a sigh of relief after Romanians put the center-left Social Democrats in the lead in Sunday’s parliamentary election with about 22 percent of the vote (and more than 99 percent of precincts reporting), Carmen Pun reports from Bucharest. But it’s only a small sigh — more of a hiccup really — because far-right and hard-right parties also performed well, confirming the anti-establishment trend from the first round of a presidential vote last Sunday. The far-right AUR came in second with about 18 percent of the vote.
Happening today: Meanwhile, Romania’s constitutional court will decide today whether to annul the highly controversial Nov. 24 presidential election first round, which far-right candidate Călin Georgescu unexpectedly won. If it does, the court will almost certainly whip up fears — and protests — that the country’s widely distrusted establishment parties are trying to manipulate the electoral contest in their favor, reports Carmen in this second dispatch.
Georgescu’s expat vote: Long disillusioned with Romania’s political class and bitter at being forced to leave home, Belgium’s 130,000-strong Romanian population looks set to help push Georgescu into office. In the first round of the presidential election, one in six votes cast for Georgescu came from the Romanian diaspora, reports POLITICO’s Victor Jack.
MIGRATION
SCOOP — NEW RULES IMMINENT: The European Commission has heard EU capitals and plans to address their concerns about irregular migration by proposing a new directive on returns as a top priority, with a proposal due to be circulated to permanent representations as early as February, according to three EU diplomats.
I hear you: The move to expedite a new framework to facilitate migrant deportation comes in response to pressure from EU leaders. By promising to hand over a new returns directive within weeks of the Commission’s installation, President Ursula von der Leyen signals that she’s heard leaders like Polish PM Donald Tusk, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni and Danish PM Mette Frederiksen loud and clear.
What’s happening now: The Commission is currently still going back and forth with capitals to ascertain exactly what they want from the new directive, one of the diplomats said. Changing rules around migration carries huge legal complexity, as it affects national, European and international law.
What to expect: But a few principles are likely to feature in the new directive, per the same diplomat, ie: Defining obligations as well as rights for migrants who have exhausted their legal options for remaining in an EU country. One possibility is allowing countries to restrict the freedom of movement of such people, for example by allowing governments to order them to “check in” to a migrant center. This would allow capitals to keep better tabs on migrants, who could otherwise disappear, the same diplomat said.
Another big focus: Clarifying rules for deporting migrants to third countries, which could either be their country of origin or a place where they have spent a substantial amount of time, for example working for several years in a non-European country. This is controversial. As POLITICO’s reporting has shown, conditions for migrants in third-country centers in places like Turkey can be dismal, raising serious legal and ethical questions. Plus, Rome’s experiment with such a detention center in Albania is off to a bad start, with most of the staff leaving pending a hearing in Italy’s highest appeals court due on Dec. 4.
Albania? No big deal: But Meloni’s legal headache in Albania is unlikely to dissuade the Commission, said two of the diplomats, pointing out that the choice of an Austrian conservative, Magnus Brunner, to run Brussels’ migration policy was no fluke. “A few years ago these positions [regarding deportations and third-country centers] were perceived by many as too problematic. The Commission didn’t want to hear about it,” said one of the diplomats. “Now, it’s mainstream.”
Shifting power balance: Any new directive will have to pass muster in the European Parliament, where some lawmakers are likely to label this push as pure politics, and say countries can find whatever they need in the new Pact on Migration and Asylum agreed last year. But the balance of power has shifted to the right, allowing leaders — and the Berlaymont — to believe they have a good chance of getting a new directive passed.
That Syria thing: Remember a few months back, when we reported on an EU push to normalize diplomatic ties with Syria as part of efforts to ease deportations? That’s looking dicey now that rebels have launched an offensive against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in the country’s north.
ICYMI: Our analysis from October on how Europe’s proposed crackdown on migration compares to Donald Trump’s. Hint: It’s largely the same pig wearing a different shade of lipstick.
TRUMP DIPLOMACY
FRENCH PAS CONTENTS OVER TRUMP’S PICK FOR PARIS ENVOY: Alors là, c’est non! That’s the initial reaction from some French people outraged that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Charles Kushner, a real estate mogul and father of his son-in-law Jared, to be Washington’s next envoy to Paris. The elder Kushner was convicted by a federal jury in 2005 of making illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion and witness tampering, but Trump pardoned him near the end of his first term.
We get it. It’s not the political proximity to Trump that’s bothering them. The French understand that, in U.S. diplomatic tradition, the job of ambassador to France typically goes to a political mega-donor as a reward for their services. Both parties engage in this practice (Denise Bauer, currently serving in Paris, was a major fundraiser for ex-President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party). Kushner certainly fits the bill; he donated $1 million to Trump’s Super PAC in 2023, per Business Insider.
Was there no one else? Instead, it’s the convicted criminal part that’s causing indigestion. Indeed, Kushner père served two years in a federal penitentiary. And lest anyone forget, it surfaced during his case that Kushner had hired a sex worker to seduce his brother-in-law, arranged for their tryst to be recorded and then sent the tape to his own sister.
Trop, c’est trop. Naming Kushner was an “insult” to France, tweeted veteran journo Marion Van Renterghem, while geopolitical analyst François Heisbourg wrote (in English) that he hopes Paris will do the “honourable thing” and refuse to accept Kushner’s nomination. Gérard Araud, who was France’s top envoy to the U.S. under Trump, wrote that picking Kushner was part of an “insanity of nominations by Trump” that he said demonstrated “total contempt for human respect, custom and the law.”
So, does this mean war? Probably not. France will certainly see Kushner’s nomination as a harbinger of transatlantic pain over the next four years. But it’s an old country and, per an expression that translates roughly as “this isn’t their first rodeo,” la France en a vu d’autres. In other words, don’t bet on Paris making the aggressive move to refuse Kushner, which would almost certainly lead to retaliation. Instead, brace for some extra strength eye-rolling and a rocky introduction to Parisian high society. C’est tout!
AND THAT’S NOT ALL — TRUMP KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY: Trump picked Massad Boulos, the father-in-law of his daughter Tiffany Trump, as his senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs, he announced in a Truth Social post Sunday. He described Boulos as an “accomplished lawyer and a highly respected leader in the business world.” Read more on POLITICO.
LUCK OF THE IRISH
DUBLIN DODGES A BULLET: Ireland’s two main governing parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, were on track to return to government after Friday’s general election in Ireland, though the real story of the weekend was a shock performance by an inner-city criminal Gerry “The Monk” Hutch, who almost won a seat in the same constituency as Eurogroup President Paschal Donohoe.
How it happened: As Shawn Pogatchnik reports, throughout Saturday night and Sunday morning, the nation watched the slowly unfolding results from the count center — many with horror and dread, others with anti-establishment glee — as Hutch secured fourth place in the initial round with a stunning 3,098 first-preference votes. But just as Dublin media started to report that Hutch seemed certain to triumph, the tide turned, and the seat was ultimately won by Labour’s Marie Sherlock. Read Shawn’s must-read piece on the dramatic weekend here.
Where things stand: Vote counting will resume this morning, with Fianna Fáil, led by Tánaiste Micheál Martin, in pole position to gain the most seats in the Irish parliament. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will likely form a new government with the support of some smaller parties or independents.
Green around the gills: The Green Party became the latest green group across Europe to suffer a drubbing and was on course to lose most of its 12 seats.
Consigned to history: Former MEPs Mick Wallace and Clare Daly, who lost their European Parliament seats in June, were knocked out in early voting rounds. Meanwhile, the Cork seat formerly held by Ireland’s new European Commissioner Michael McGrath was comfortably won by his younger brother, Seamus McGrath.
PERSONNEL FILES
UNION SOUNDS ALARM ABOUT “PARACHUTING”: The Renouveau et Démocratie union of Commission officials sent out an email Wednesday, seen by Playbook’s Eddy Wax, condemning the practice of what it called parachuting former members of commissioners’ cabinets into top management roles in the DGs, which the rank-and-file career civil servants view as unfair career advancement that damages the institution’s credibility.
What Commission officials are talking about: While the union boss Cristiano Sebastiani wrote in the email that things have improved under von der Leyen, compared to Jean Claude-Juncker and his Martin Selmayr scandal, he nonetheless pointed to one recent example, which he said “so many colleagues” had raised with the union.
No irony lost: “It is particularly regrettable that this has already occurred within the DG HR, with the latest case involving the appointment of a new Principal Adviser to DG HR by external procedure,” Sebastiani said in his email. The person is not mentioned by name, but this refers to David Mueller, the head of cabinet to the now-former Administration Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who in October was appointed to a new role in DG HR.
Nothing to see here: The process leading to Mueller being hired “was conducted in full compliance with the Commission’s procedures for the selection and appointment of senior officials,” a European Commission spokesperson said. “All the appropriate measures were taken to avert any potential conflict of interest and to ensure the integrity of the procedure at all its stages,” the spokesperson added.
EU STAFF UNION REACTS TO POLITICO REPORTING: A group of EU staff unions have written to EU High Representative Kallas and Commissioner for Budget Piotr Serafin asking for urgent talks to discuss plans to dramatically cut the number of people working at many of the bloc’s embassies, revealed by my colleagues Barbara Moens and Jacopo Barigazzi last week. “We are writing to you in order to request a rapid start to the social dialogue to respond to the growing concerns of colleagues in Delegations about the plan to slash some delegations in Africa, Asia and South America to beef up others and downsize human resources in EU Delegations,” the unions said.
MEET THE COMMISSIONERS
3 QUESTIONS FOR MICHAEL MCGRATH: Playbook had three questions for Michael McGrath, the new European commissioner for democracy, justice, the rule of law and consumer protection.
What’s your first order of business? “Attending the trilogue meeting on the Victims’ Rights Directive.“
When will we see the Democracy Shield? “For me, the Democracy Shield is not an abstract concept but a practical initiative that I am eager to advance. We will approach it thoroughly and without delay.”
Are you worried about Romania? “Democracy has its adversaries, and we cannot afford to be complacent. Protecting our democracies, including against foreign interference, is imperative. This is precisely why the European Democracy Shield will be such a critical initiative.”
FRENCH COMMISSIONER PUSHES “EUROPE FIRST”: Stéphane Séjourné, the Commission’s new executive vice president for industrial strategy, told the Financial Times the EU should go on the “offensive” to promote its strategic business interests and avoid becoming collateral damage in a global trade war. The French commissioner said Brussels should send a “firm message” to the incoming Trump administration and persuade the U.S. that “they also have nothing to gain from having a trade war.”