Parliament OKs 2025 budget
The Greek Parliament has approved the 2025 budget, 159-139. Defense expenditures were approved by an enlarged majority; 258 MPs voted for. PM Mitsotakis framed the budget as one helping mostly lower incomes and taunted opposition parties to his left for not voting it. He emphasized measures to cut bank fees and help low-income pensioners.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1256414/paliament-oks-2025-budget
PASOK hails ‘significant victory’ in 2025 budget over banking measures
PASOK responded to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ announcement of measures targeting banks in the 2025 budget, calling it a “significant parliamentary victory” for Greece’s main opposition party.
Mitsotakis in Lebanon – Message of Greece’s strong role and presence in the region
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is visiting Lebanon on Monday on the first visit of a European prime minister to the country since the last ceasefire and the developments in Syria. His visit sends a message of Greece’s strong role and presence in the region.
Countdown for presidential selection begins
The countdown to the selection of Greece’s next president has begun, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis set to announce his pick for the country’s highest ceremonial post in mid-January or by the end of that month at the latest.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/politics/1256262/countdown-for-presidential-selection-begins
Elderly voters have two weeks to prevent their removal from the electoral rolls
Voters born before 1944 may face removal from the electoral rolls unless they contact Greek authorities within two weeks to certify they are still living and apply for their removal to be revoked, under a process designed to clear the electoral rolls of voters who have long since passed away and whose deaths have not been reported.
ATHEX: Bourse index advances to 11-week high
The benchmark of the Greek bourse has risen to highs unseen since September 26 after notching up fresh gains on Friday. Industrial and energy stocks drove the market higher on a day of gains for the vast majority of stocks, albeit with the lowest turnover of the last 12 sessions. Sunday’s government announcements in Parliament will largely shape next week’s trading landscape.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1256283/athex-bourse-index-advances-to-11-week-high
SUNDAY PAPERS
KATHIMERINI: Chess-game in Syria’s minefield
TO VIMA: Mitsotakis: I ask for consensus in the revision of the Constitution
REAL NEWS: Protective block in minors’ cell phones
PROTO THEMA: Plan to open 25,000 real estate assets
MONDAY PAPERS:
TA NEA: 2025 state budget: Free meds for low earning pensioners – Uniformed professions acknowledged as hazardous and unhealthy – Bank commissions zeroed
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: The measures announced by the government regarding banks constitute mockery for the simple folks
KONTRA NEWS: Behold all changes regarding commissions for banking services
DIMOKRATIA: Double fiasco regarding Thessaloniki’s metro and the traditional train in Pelion
NAFTEMPORIKI: Deep “haircut” of banking fees
SCHOLZ FACES HISTORIC CONFIDENCE VOTE: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will today face a confidence vote in the Bundestag, a formal but nevertheless momentous step toward an early election that is widely expected to bring an end to his time in power.
Orderly collapse: Around 1 p.m., Scholz will have about 25 minutes to explain his reasons for calling the vote of confidence following the collapse of his ruling coalition last month. The result is expected to be announced around 4 p.m., according to my Berlin Playbook colleagues. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier would then officially have 21 days to decide whether to dissolve the Bundestag, but has already agreed with the parliamentary parties to hold an election on Feb. 23.
The chancellor is expected to get his wish and lose the confidence vote. There had been speculation the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) would try to throw a spanner in the works by voting for Scholz, but my colleagues in Berlin reckon there are unlikely to be any major surprises. With the Greens saying they’ll abstain, Scholz would still fall short of the required majority of 367 even if the entire AfD faction voted for him. POLITICO will have you covered as it happens.
DRIVING THE DAY: FAC DEBUT
KALLAS PUSHES FOR SANCTIONS AGAINST GEORGIAN DREAM: The EU’s new top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, will use her first gathering of EU foreign ministers today to try to rally the bloc behind sanctions against members of Georgia’s pro-Russian ruling party.
Good luck to her — she’ll need it.
Turbulence: Over the weekend, Georgia named former footballer and far-right firebrand Mikheil Kavelashvili as its president, and pro-EU Georgians took to the streets for the 18th consecutive day since Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze put the brake on EU accession talks. Kallas has been out front warning the ruling Georgian Dream regime that its crackdown on peaceful protestors will have “direct consequences” for the country’s relationship with Brussels.
Tough on Russia: She’s also come out swinging on Ukraine, trading the tepid “as long as it takes” formula to describe EU support for a much more assertive call for victory, and signaled her willingness to seize all of Russia’s frozen assets to help Ukraine.
Vibe shift: Such moves have put a spotlight on the former Estonian prime minister, whose frank speaking style and way of “leading from the front” has already distinguished her from her predecessor, the Spanish Socialist Josep Borrell.
But now comes the acid test: Getting 27 foreign ministers whose governments may or may not be functional (ahem France, ahem Germany) to agree on a diplomatic measure when they gather in Brussels today for a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council.
It won’t be easy. While the United States has sanctioned Georgian Dream and Baltic states have banned some party members from traveling to their countries, the EU remains divided and stuck.
Side-track: Germany’s Spiegel magazine reported that Berlin would lead a push to create a “coalition of the willing,” including Poland and France, to impose sanctions on individual members of Georgian Dream. Germany’s Europe Minister Anna Lührmann has discussed the plan with her Polish and French counterparts, Adam Szłapka and Benjamin Haddad, Spiegel reported.
But that would be outside the EU. Hungary is blocking any concerted push while other countries, including Slovakia, are quietly lining up behind Budapest, per two diplomats. “We also think we should take measures in the field of visas, but to be honest I don’t think we’ll get that on Monday,” one said.
No bazooka: One possibility is a limited measure targeting diplomats’ visas, which would have to be put forward by the European Commission and could be approved by a qualified majority, a diplomat said.
Cue a breakfast séance: To breathe life into what one questioner called a “zombie” institution, Kallas is inviting foreign ministers to join an informal breakfast before the formal FAC. Another diplomat says she’s keen for it to be a body that makes tangible decisions rather than merely a platform for issuing statements (no smirking will be tolerated). However, any hopes that it would suddenly become a muscular geopolitical forum look far-fetched, at least for now.
The bottom line: Kallas is bringing BFPME (Big Former PM Energy) to the job of HRVP. But the challenge of herding the EU’s 27 capitals into a common position can defeat even the most ardent shepherds.
ALSO AT FAC
THE OTHER BIG ITEM ON THE FAC TABLE: Syria — and how the EU should engage with the rebel forces that ousted dictator Bashar Assad but are making the West squirm because of past links with militant organizations like al Qaeda.
Jordan huddle: Over the weekend, Kallas traveled to Jordan, where she huddled with representatives from the U.S., Turkey and Arab states to discuss Syria’s future and lay out a series of criteria for further engagement.
Brussels’ requirements: “Stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, but also respect for minorities, no radicalization, the build-up of institutions, unity of government — that includes all the groups in Syria — and also accountability for the crimes committed,” Kallas said in Jordan.
Getting in touch: Washington has established direct contact with members of the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after the meeting in Jordan on Saturday. The EU is also looking to do so “soon,” per one EU official.
Who’s there? The EU recently announced plans to name a “special envoy” for Syria, which Italian newspaper Il Foglio reported would be Austrian diplomat Christian Berger. But that was before HTS, with its Turkey-backed allies, took control and forced Assad to flee to Russia with his family. (Side note: Assad’s regime airlifted roughly $250 million to Moscow between 2018 and 2019, the FT reports.) For now, Berger is in limbo following his replacement in Egypt by Angelina Eichhorst, a Dutch EEAS diplomat.
Here again, the FAC is unlikely to produce much beyond what’s already been said and done. On Friday, the Commission announced an “air bridge” to deliver tons of humanitarian supplies to Syria and upped its financial aid by €4 million this year for a total of €163 million. There’s also the question of whether the EU should lift sanctions against Syria imposed during Assad’s time in power.
But, per an EU diplomat: “I don’t think you will see this FAC come out with concrete decisions” on Syria sanctions.
Silence on Bashar: Asked if the gathering would endorse a statement calling for Assad to face justice for crimes committed during the Syrian civil war, including the horrors being unveiled at Sednaya prison, several diplomats looked uncomfortable and said they weren’t aware of any plans.
Now read this: The fall of Assad opened the door for Syrian refugees to return home. But many harbor worries about the future of their country or feel reluctant to leave the lives they’ve built abroad. Clothilde Goujard spoke with refugees in Jordan, where more than 600,000 Syrians have taken refuge. Read her story here.
BOOTS ON THE GROUND IN UKRAINE? Following discussions between French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, several diplomats said the matter would likely come up during the FAC. “Some force on the ground is likely at some point. Unlikely it’ll be Americans. That leaves us with Europeans,” said one diplomat, adding that talks were “on the conceptual level” at this stage.
WESTERN BALKANS: In a letter seen by Playbook, foreign ministers from seven EU countries urged Kallas and EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos to make “decisive progress” in integrating the Western Balkans into the EU.
Must-do: The letter, which will be put to the FAC today, argues that only by integrating the Western Balkans can the EU “secure our continent’s stability and prosperity.” It calls for a “clear agenda and timeline to fully implement the Growth Plan” and “advance gradual integration into the Single Market.”
Do it for the kids: “This should provide a tangible EU membership perspective and produce more visible results for the Western Balkans’ citizens, in particular young people, and contribute to strengthening their support for the EU,” per the letter, signed by the foreign ministers of Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia.
EPP POWER PLAYS
SCOOP — WEBER GATHERS EPP LEADERS IN BERLIN: Friedrich Merz, the frontrunner to replace Olaf Scholz as Germany’s next chancellor, may not need a helping hand from fellow European conservatives, but he’s getting one anyway. European People’s Party chief Manfred Weber has invited conservative leaders from across Europe to convene in Berlin for an informal summit on Jan. 17-18, two people aware of the plans told Playbook.
Happened to be in town: Nominally, the gathering aims to give leaders a chance to align their views on migration and competitiveness. But the choice of location (the Christian Democratic Union party headquarters) and the timing (just over a month before Germans vote for a new chancellor) hardly look random.
Show of force: By bringing in heads of state and government as well as opposition leaders from the EPP, Europe’s biggest political grouping, Weber is showing German voters that Merz has powerful friends on the European stage. Indeed, the EPP already counts 13 heads of state/government, and while it may soon lose Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, the addition of Merz as Germany’s chancellor would cement the EPP’s status as a nearly unrivaled political force at the European Council table.
Who really needs the help? Merz is already well on his way to securing victory in Germany’s Feb. 23 snap election, with polls showing his CDU more than 10 percentage points ahead of Social Democrat Scholz. So it’s unclear whether the Berlin summit is more about helping Merz — or about helping Weber stay on the right side of the man who may soon become Europe’s most powerful politician.
Mixing it up: Should EPP resources be used for what could be construed as a national campaign event? Unclear.
Don’t forget: Weber faces reelection at a party congress in April. He will need the CDU on his side to maintain his grip amid scrutiny of his dual role as head of both the EPP party and group in the European Parliament. Will the January gathering seal his reelection? As a wise person once said, no good deed goes unpunished.
SPEAKING OF POWER: The EPP is looking to take advantage of its massive heft in both the Parliament and Commission to tighten control of messaging across the institutions. According to two senior party officials who spoke to my colleague Max Griera, four of the EPP’s group vice presidents in Parliament will start holding regular meetings with key EPP-affiliated commissioners to coordinate legislative work.
Division of labor: Romania’s Siegfried Mureșan will buddy up with Polish Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin; Sweden’s Tomas Tobé will partner with Austrian Magnus Brunner, the commissioner for internal affairs and migration, to coordinate those files plus justice; Poland’s Andrzej Halicki will team up with Croatian Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Šuica to coordinate foreign affairs and development files; and Dolors Montserrat will coordinate with Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra on issues relating to the economy, internal market and environment.
Nice to see you again! That’s on top of the monthly dinners that the 14 (!) EPP commissioners will continue to hold once a month with the 10 EPP group vice presidents and Weber the week before Strasbourg plenary sessions.
IN OTHER NEWS
MEET TERESA RIBERA: Donald Trump’s second term in the White House will hurt the planet and open door for America’s green rivals, the EU’s new climate chief told POLITICO in an interview. Ribera warned that Europe should not follow Trump’s lead, pointing to lessons from the recent past where delaying the auto sector’s green transition allowed Chinese carmakers to swoop in and dominate the electric vehicle market. Read the full story here.
MACRON MANAGEMENT: Emmanuel Macron reckons Giorgia Meloni is the perfect ally in his crusade against the EU’s massive trade agreement with South America. But Giorgio Leali reports the Italian prime minister is playing a different game. Officials with direct knowledge of the file told Giorgio that Italy is unlikely to oppose the deal when it eventually goes to a vote among EU member countries. Meloni’s recent reservations mainly aim to keep the farm lobby quiet, they said, while pleasing her right-wing, trade-skeptic base. Read the story here.
Speaking of Meloni … The Italian PM is stepping down as president of the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament, she announced on Sunday. Former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is expected to take over. Read more.
And back to France: The collapse of the Barnier government over a belt-tightening spat earlier this month is bringing back fears of a eurozone implosion. Johanna Treeck and Ben Munster consider the odds of that happening, and conclude the Eurozone faces a slow-burn decline, rather than a quick crash.
ISRAEL SHUTTERS IRELAND EMBASSY: Israel is closing its embassy in Dublin in protest against what its foreign minister called Ireland’s “extreme anti-Israel policies.” Irish leader Simon Harris — who recently said his country would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he set foot in Ireland — called the move “deeply regrettable” and rejected its criticisms. Shawn Pogatchnik has more here.