Emergency crews deployed on Santorini as an earthquake swarm worries Greek experts
Schools were closed and emergency crews deployed on the volcanic Greek island of Santorini on Monday after a spike in seismic activity raised concerns about a potentially powerful earthquake.
Mitsotakis’ proposals at the informal European Council meeting
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is traveling to Brussels on Monday to participate in the informal European Council. The prime minister is joining the European leaders’ discussion on strengthening European defense with a two-point proposal. One concerns strengthening European defense and the second its financing not from national budgets.
https://www.amna.gr/en/article/881184/Mitsotakis-proposals-at-the-informal-European-Council-meeting
Second vote held in the Hellenic Parliament once again fails to elect new president
A second round of voting to elect the new president of the Hellenic Republic on Friday again failed to garner the 200 votes required under the Constitution for any of the candidates to be elected. Under the procedure envisaged by the Constitution, the parliamentary plenum must now convene again after five days for a third vote to elect a president on February 6, in which a successful candidate must receive a minimum of three fifths (180 votes) of the 300-member parliament.
Tempe rail crash: Belgian experts cite undeclared flammable cargo
Experts from Ghent University in Belgium investigating the 2023 Tempe railway disaster, in which a passenger train collided with a freight train, killing 57 people, believe an undeclared cargo of flammable substances exacerbated the tragedy, Real News reported Sunday.
ATHEX: Bourse posts gains of 5.42% for January
January proved to be a month of considerable growth for Greek stocks, with the benchmark ending the year’s first month with a monthly advance of 5.42%, despite the negligible losses it incurred on Friday, to come off Thursday’s 13.5-year high. However, the robust showing of January will likely prove a hard act to follow for February, as Athinon Avenue is set to test its defense among sellers.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1260360/athex-bourse-posts-gains-of-5-42-for-january
SUNDAY PAPERS
KATHIMERINI: Tempi rail crash: Tunnel with no light
TO VIMA: Chronicle of the government’s backtracking regarding the Tempi rail crash
REAL NEWS: Tempi rail crash: The secrets of the first wagon
PROTO THEMA: The great anger regarding the Tempi tragedy
MONDAY PAPERS:
TA NEA: The nightmare of the disastrous earthquake of 1956 returns
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: How the government undermined the investigation into the Tempi crime
KONTRA NEWS: Former PM and New Democracy President Samaras: “Lies and hypocrisy lead to downfall”
DIMOKRATIA: Red alert in Santorini
NAFTEMPORIKI: Acceleration regarding RRF milestones
DRIVING THE DAY: INFORMAL DEFENSE EUCO
MACRON IN FOCUS AS LEADERS GATHER TO TALK DEFENSE: EU leaders will do their best to project unity and resolve as they gather in Brussels today to talk defense during the informal retreat at the Palais d’Egmont, amid the growing threat of a trade war with the U.S.
Talking it out: As Jacopo Barigazzi, Laura Kayali and I report in this piece today, French President Emmanuel Macron will be in focus due to France’s insistence on a broad “Buy European” principle for future EU defense spending.
What’s at stake: The EU is starting talks on how to raise hundreds of billions of euros to bolster the bloc’s arms industry. That’s a thorny topic given that Germany and a few other countries are currently opposed to joint borrowing for defense spending.
Location, location, location: But just as tricky is the question of how — and crucially, where — this EU money is to be spent. France wants to earmark most of the defense funds for the Union’s own arms industry, effectively excluding arms purchases from the U.S. and other allies (though capitals would still be free to spend their own money on American weapons).
Don’t poke the Don: Several states think that France’s definition of Buy European is too sweeping — and risks angering U.S. President Donald Trump at a time when the EU is looking to soothe rather than inflame transatlantic tensions, two EU diplomats told Brussels Playbook.
Skeptics: “If at this point in time we, as the EU, are going to be investing billions in defense capabilities and we are firmly shutting the door to the U.S. defense industry, do you think this will sell well at Mar-a-Lago?” said one of the diplomats, referring to Trump’s residence in Florida.
Common ground: Camille Grand, a researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations who was formerly in charge of procurement at NATO, said France’s position is based on the idea that Europe’s arms industry needs funding to build up key capabilities.
Patriots on the menu: Yet Paris’s expansive view of Buy European would potentially bar the use of EU funds to purchase American-made weapons like the Patriot air defense missile. The European Commission and Berlin back a common air defense initiative known as Sky Shield, which relies on U.S.-made Patriot missiles. Some of these will soon be produced at a factory in Germany under license with the Patriot-maker.
Tough sell: Such a scheme could be excluded under France’s definition of Buy European. “The fact is that a dozen countries are interested [in Sky Shield] and they already have Patriots. It’s hard in this context for the French to arrive just saying ‘no,’” said Grand.
Getting to oui: There’s no expectation that this matter will be settled today. But other countries will be looking for signs of flexibility from Macron. “He would do well to arrive with proposals,” Grand added.
Also on the agenda: How to coordinate defense policies with the United Kingdom, whose Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be a special guest at the retreat. As a non-EU member, the U.K. is also concerned by the Buy European debate.
When to tune in: Doorsteps with leaders start around 10 a.m.
Guest stars: Starmer joins for lunch and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will attend the leaders’ dinner.
When to tune in again: A press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk — whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU — is expected around 10 p.m.
The bottom line: France may look lonely, but the watchword for all EU leaders is unity and strength in the face of Trump’s “America First” barrage. Expect leaders to play down divisions and lean heavily on a “stronger together” message amid Trump’s threats against Greenland and his declaration of a trade war with Canada and Mexico.
TRUMP’S TRADE WAR
EU READIES TARIFF RESPONSE: The EU is primed and ready to hit back against the U.S. if Trump follows through with his threat of tariffs against the EU after hitting Canada and Mexico with 25 percent tariffs over the weekend, an EU official and French minister said.
Don’t force us: The EU plans to “respond firmly to any trading partner that unfairly or arbitrarily imposes tariffs on EU goods,” said a spokesperson for the European Commission. Read the full story here by top colleague Zia Weise.
Step back: Trump has imposed tariffs on the U.S.’ closest trading partners in North America and the EU could be next. The president told reporters last night that it will “definitely happen” and “pretty soon,” the Guardian reported (though Trump signaled that he could take a softer approach to the U.K.). Now some countries targeted by the tariffs are looking to coordinate their response.
Canada joins the call: Former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney — a leading contender to become Canada’s next prime minister in May — told the BBC on Saturday that Ottawa would “stand up to the bully” and look for partners willing to lock arms.
Europe could join them, according to Edita Hrdá, Czechia’s permanent representative to the EU, who is just rounding out a four-year stint in Brussels. “While we have traditionally consulted closely with the United States — and will continue to do so — at this moment, the president of the European Commission and the president of the European Council are in contact with [Canadian] Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other ministers to assess what the next steps will mean not only for Canada, but for us,” Hrdá told Playbook in a phone call.
Last word: “President Trump cannot afford to lose Europe and he knows this well,” she continued. “We are natural allies. He cannot simply isolate the United States; he will need partners to be effective dealing with third countries.” (More from Hrdá below.)
BELGIUM’S NEW GOVERNMENT
FAREWELL VIVALDI, HERE COMES ARIZONA: Belgium will get a new government today after five parties agreed to form a new coalition late Friday. Flemish nationalist Bart De Wever, who will be prime minister, and his new ministers are headed to the king this morning for a swearing-in ceremony, Camille Gijs writes in to report.
EU-bound: Soon after his swearing-in, De Wever will head to the Palais d’Egmont to join other EU leaders at the informal EUCO retreat, RTBF reported last night.
It’s been a journey: Friday’s talks concluded almost eight months of negotiations since elections in June that favored right-leaning, reformist parties. Five parties have agreed to form the new Belgian government, grouping De Wever’s right-wing New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), the Francophone center-right Reformist Movement (MR), the Francophone centrist Les Engagés, the centrist Christian Democrat and Flemish Party and the center-left Flemish Vooruit party.
Huh? The coalition has been dubbed the “Arizona” coalition, a reference to the colors of the American state’s flag. (Outgoing PM Alexander De Croo’s government was known as the “Vivaldi coalition,” because the composer’s “Four Seasons” represented the four political ideologies that joined together … or something like that.)
Key figures: The list of ministers that emerged Sunday included MR’s Georges-Louis Bouchez stepping in as interior minister … Vooruit’s Frank Vandenbroucke staying in charge of public health … N-VA’s Theo Francken becoming defense minister … Jan Jambon taking finance and pensions … Anneleen Van Bossuyt picking up migration and asylum … the Christian Democrats’ Vincent Van Peteghem getting the prickly task of handling the budget … Annelies Verlinden, from the same party, taking charge of justice … and Maxime Prévot, from Les Engagés, confirmed as head of foreign affairs, EU affairs and development cooperation.
NGOs VS. EPP
PARLIAMENT’S NGO FUNDING HUNT ESCALATES: An all-out war is unfolding in the European Parliament over whether the Commission should fund NGOs to lobby EU institutions.
Last month, we reported that right-wing MEPs’ efforts to prevent green NGOs from using EU grant money for political lobbying had reignited a decades-old dispute over who’s entitled to influence policymaking. Now, lawmakers are taking the fight beyond environmental groups, demanding to scrutinize the contracts of think tanks, business associations and civil society organizations, according to letters seen by POLITICO.
Show us everything: The budgetary control committee, led by the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), wants to examine the grants awarded by the Commission to Transparency International and other NGOs in the fields of justice, migration and agriculture, the letters showed. But, after bickering between left and right-wing groups, the committee could end up requesting the contracts of all beneficiaries of up to five different directorates-general: environment, climate, agriculture, justice and home affairs.
Green NGOs hit back at the EPP: The EU’s largest environmental NGOs — known as the Green10 — are preparing to push back against allegations from center-right and far-right lawmakers that the Commission meddled in the legislative process by paying NGOs to lobby other EU institutions on its behalf. The coalition will hold a press conference at 1 p.m. today.
The accusation: German MEP Monika Hohlmeier, with the EPP, recently said she found “massive problems” with operating grants awarded to NGOs from the EU’s LIFE program for environmental and climate action.
Fact-check: My colleagues Max Griera, Elisa Braun, Louise Guillot and Marianne Gros, have been digging into 28 of the funding contracts in question, and have so far not seen evidence suggesting the Commission explicitly made funding conditional on promoting the Green Deal. A Commission spokesperson has also denied it. Read their latest story about the fight here.
HRDÁ INTERVIEW
LEAVING BRUSSELS: Edita Hrdá, Czechia’s departing permanent representative to the EU, shared thoughts on her nine years in Brussels during a drive back to Prague. The Czech diplomat said the bloc had awakened from its “naive” stance on Donald Trump and is now “definitely” up to the challenge of dealing with his disruptive second term.
Key moments of her time in Brussels? “Undoubtedly the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We knew an attack was coming, which is why we were able to respond with sanctions immediately, as these had been prepared.”
Also: “The Czech presidency … an opportunity that few ever have … truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Will she miss Brussels? “Of course … It’s a charming and vibrant city. I truly enjoyed my time here, both the work I did and the colleagues I worked with. I also appreciated Brussels not just as a workplace but also as the capital of Belgium.”
Her plans now? Hrdá is heading back to Czechia to take up a post focused on the Western Balkans and enlargement, she told Playbook. “I will be returning home to Prague after 14 years. I will build on the achievements of our presidency and long-term policies by focusing on EU enlargement and the Western Balkans. My work will center on identifying opportunities and contributing to the region’s gradual integration into the EU.”
IN OTHER NEWS
WEBER GETS MERZ’S SUPPORT FOR EPP PRESIDENCY: Germany’s CDU party and its leader Friedreich Merz officially endorsed Manfred Weber for a second term as the chair of the EPP on Sunday. Weber will need to secure the support of the other influential delegations, including the Spaniards, who still feel sore after Weber greenlit Spain’s Socialist Deputy Prime Minister Teresa Ribera as a Commission executive vice president. Read more by my colleagues Rasmus Buchsteiner and Max Griera.
SELF-INFLICTED WOUND: The conservative Merz’s gambit to weaken Germany’s postwar “firewall” against the far right could be a boon to the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in this month’s national election, James Angelos reports.
DG MED COMES TO LIFE: Today is the first day of the Commission’s new Directorate-General for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf (DG MENA, also known as DG Med), led by Stefano Sannino, the former secretary-general of the External Service, Jacopo Barigazzi reports.
Not against EEAS: Some officials say the new DG is part of a push by the Commission to weaken the External Service, but one pushed back on that. “I don’t see a plan to weaken the EEAS,” they said. “The idea is to have a tool that brings together the Commission’s capabilities in the region … Trade policy, macro-financial assistance, green or digital partnerships, blue economy (and so on) are Commission policies. We must work together [EEAS and DG MENA] to deliver.”
Good luck with that: Greens MEP Hannah Neumann— just back from Syria — pointed out the cascade of Middle Eastern challenges that Sannino and his colleagues are walking into. “I don’t envy him for taking over this task in an all-new DG, yet glad to have someone with solid experience in this job,” she wrote to Playbook.
BREXIT RESET HOPES DIMMED: Brussels has lowered its expectations for Keir Starmer’s Brexit reset after six months of red lines and rejections, Jon Stone, Dan Bloom and Sam Blewett report. While officials still see potential for improved cross-channel relations, nobody expects them to be game-changers. Read their story here.
MADONNA BACKS SERBIAN STUDENTS: The pop star shared an Instagram reel of a mass protest by students in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad over the weekend, asking her followers to “support unity all around the world!!” The university students are leading a massive anti-corruption movement that was triggered by the collapse of a roof at a train station that killed 15 people.