PM pushing for EU action on migration in Brussels
The European Council summit kicks off in Brussels on Thursday, with migration taking center stage.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrives with modest expectations but is determined to press for urgent progress on key issues. Central to his agenda is the swift implementation of the EU’s new Asylum and Migration Pact, which he argues is the only practical path for managing migration flows across the continent.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/politics/1251138/pm-pushing-for-eu-action-on-migration-in-brussels
Ankara hardens stance before Athens talks
As Greece and Turkey prepare for a pivotal round of talks on November 7, Ankara is pressing for broader discussions, including issues of sovereignty, territorial waters, airspace, the demilitarization of islands, and the control of certain geographical formations.
Reissue of five-year Greek government bond nearly four times oversubscribed
An auction for a reissue of a five-year Greek government bond with an interest rate of 3.875%, maturing on March 12, 2029, was held by the Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) on Wednesday, raising the asked sum of 250 million euros.
Greece’s primary surplus exceeded 8.7 billion euros in Jan.-Sept. 2024, budget execution figures show
Greece’s state budget presented a primary surplus of 8,743 million euros in January-September 2024, against a primary surplus target of 5,297 million euros and a primary surplus of 5,987 million euros at the same period of the previous year, according to preliminary data available for the execution of the state budget on a modified cash basis, released by the economy and finance ministry on Wednesday.
ATHEX: Rebound extended on local bourse
The bourse session at Athinon Avenue on Wednesday practically picked up from where Tuesday’s session had left off, with further gains for the majority of stocks, led by banks, albeit, again, on reduced turnover. The market has already taken into account a rate cut by the European Central Bank on Thursday and is expecting the statement from Frankfurt as a compass for the months to come in this respect.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1251148/athex-rebound-extended-on-local-bourse
KATHIMERINI: Ankara hardens stance before Athens talks
TA NEA: Greek FBI’s organizational chart leaked
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: They sent a train on the metro line!
RIZOSPASTIS: NATO rehearsals nuclear war with the participation of Greek jetfighters
KONTRA NEWS: “Missiles” by former PMs Samaras and Karamanlis regarding Greek-Turkish agreements
DIMOKRATIA: Foreign Affairs Minister Gerapetritis is paving the way for a national treason
NAFTEMPORIKI: Athens Stock Market breaks the boundaries for new national markets
DRIVING THE DAY
EU LEADERS MIGRATE TO BRUSSELS: The European Union’s national leaders meet in Brussels today. The focus: a big ol’ chinwag about migration, “return hubs,” and possibly some joint language — if they can agree. POLITICO will be covering it all on our live blog.
“The most sensitive discussion will be on migration,” predicted one senior official. “If there is one topic that is controversial, it is this one.”
Proof of the squabbling: POLITICO’s Barbara Moens and Giorgio Leali scooped the latest draft of the leaders’ overall written agreement here. The migration bit is still in brackets, meaning it might get chucked.
What a mess … Many of the leaders will arrive calling for the European Commission to draft new laws to ramp up deportations — despite ripping up the migration rulebook themselves back home. Some are waving their fists without proposing anything. And not all EU countries are happy with the only agreement the bloc has found on migration in years.
Two years, too late: Some countries want new rules on deporting migrants now, well before the EU’s brand-new Pact on Migration and Asylum is even implemented; others want to speed up its implementation instead. The pact — which has a two-year lead time — was billed ahead of the European election as a way for Brussels to take the political sting out of migration. But now many see it as lacking a key element: how to effectively deport people who’ve been ordered to leave the EU, but don’t.
Aliens: Indeed, much of the talk today will be about what Brussels terms the “external dimension,” which sounds like something from a sci-fi film but is actually about stemming the flow of migrants into the EU at the source. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has promised more deals in the style of those struck with Tunisia and Libya — which are also controversial.
Same old euphemisms: Eurocrats tend to follow the phrase “innovative solutions” — a euphemism for processing asylum claims outside the bloc — with the refrain that international law must be complied with. But international law is no guarantor of morality, or even good ideas.
Echoes of the U.K.’s Rwanda deal: What if a country the EU wants to send a migrant back to isn’t actually safe? Well, von der Leyen wrote this week she was open to “review” the very concept of what constitutes “designated safe third countries” under EU law.
Ugandan discussions: The Netherlands and Hungary are asking for opt-outs from EU migration policy they know they cannot get. Last night Dutch media reported the government is considering deporting people whose asylum claims are rejected to Uganda — as long as a deal can be struck with the East African country.
A reminder that governments run Europe: Under Italy’s new deal with Albania, an asylum processing and detention center is up and running, garnering condemnation from human rights groups.
Back home: Take Germany, which stunned many when it beefed up border controls, amid a rise in support for the far right. Or Poland, where Prime Minister Donald Tusk wants to temporarily skirt the internationally enshrined right for people to claim asylum in his country, to deal with Russia and Belarus cynically pushing migrants across its borders. Finland closed its borders citing the same problems earlier this year.
Send ‘em back sidebar: A senior EU diplomat said Italy, the Netherlands and Denmark will lead a huddle of around a dozen countries before the summit to drum up new ideas about how to deter migrants or deport those who arrive in Europe without documentation. “There are lots of innovative ideas, but none for the time being is gaining traction,” said an EU diplomat.
EU needs Rabat: EU leaders are also straining to placate Moroccan ire over a recent judgment from the EU’s top court that annulled EU-Moroccan trade deals, deeming them illegal because they breached the rights to self-determination of the Sahrawi people of the Western Sahara in concluding them. The EU relies on Morocco for cooperation on migration — but the diplomat quoted above said it was “shallow” for Playbook to make that link here.
Bottom line: Expect more calls for a “European response,” while countries keep doing whatever they want.
EU-GULF RELATIONS
BRUSSELS STRAINS TO PRESENT SUMMIT AS “BIG WIN”: European Council President Charles Michel wanted to demonstrate that the first-ever EU-Gulf Cooperation Council summit, which he masterminded, was a historical breakthrough on substance.
Case in point: An EU official who wanted to remain anonymous last night briefed journalists on “major advances,” a “very positive” ambience and a “big win for both our regions.” EU High Representative Josep Borrell, who did the post-summit press conference instead of Michel, said it sends a “powerful message” about the EU and Gulf countries’ willingness to partner up.
All for the gram and the vibes: The main achievement, if there is one — bar some promises to inch toward a trade deal in a joint statement — is the simple fact the summit happened at all. The family photo of the EU and Gulf leaders also gave Mohammed Bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de-facto ruler, a chance to further improve his image on the world stage, after taking a hit in the wake of the assassination in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi six years ago (more on that below). Here’s a snap of MBS with von der Leyen.
What they couldn’t agree on: The statement issued Wednesday cautiously stuck to U.N. language on Russia’s war in Ukraine, and failed to mention anything about rooting out Moscow’s sanctions circumvention (after the Gulf countries got wording on that deleted), my colleague Camille Gijs reports.
Quid pro no: One of the biggest demands from the Gulf side was to get visa waivers for Qataris and Kuwaitis. But that’s still stuck in the European Parliament due to the Qatargate scandal — which, by the way, no one mentioned.
Hamas absent: There was also no mention of Hamas, with which Qatar has long had close ties. But there was a joint call for a two-state solution in Israel and Palestine, and cease-fires in Gaza and Lebanon.
But Gaza talks on hold: Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told journalists at a post-summit press conference that Israel-Hamas cease-fire talks are stalled. “In the last three to four weeks there is no conversation or engagement at all and we are just moving in the same circle with the silence from all parties,” he said. Write-up here.
See you at the next GCC! The outgoing Borrell and Michel won’t be there — but the Gulf leadership surely will.
SAUDIS URGE U.S. TO SUSPEND ARMS SALES TO ISRAEL: Separately, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Britain has urged the U.S. to deliver on its threat to suspend weapons supplies to Israel unless more humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza within the next 30 days. Speaking to POLITICO’s Power Play podcast, Prince Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud said: “We have to assume that the Americans mean what they say; it would be a terrible world if they didn’t.” Write-up here. Listen to the interview.
So do they mean it? The top U.S. official working on the humanitarian situation in Gaza told aid groups in August that Washington would not consider withholding weapons from Israel for blocking food and medicine from entering the enclave, according to this scoop by my Stateside colleagues.
Saudi ambassador responds to Khashoggi killing: Back to the Power Play interview, in which Khalid repeated the Saudi regime’s denial that its senior leadership bore responsibility for Jamal Khashoggi’s assassination and dismemberment six years ago. The ambassador pushed back on a U.S. intelligence assessment that concluded MBS had approved the operation, telling host Anne McElvoy: “Intelligence agencies all over the world can be wrong.” Read Anne’s write-up here.
RUSSIA’S WAR
ZELENSKYY TAKES VICTORY PLAN TO BRUSSELS: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will present his victory plan today to EU leaders and NATO defense ministers in person today, a day after he officially unveiled it in his country’s parliament. But Zelenskyy will face an uphill battle — many leaders are skeptical of a sensitive demand: NATO membership.
Let us in! Zelenskyy’s victory plan asks NATO to immediately extend an invitation for Ukraine to (eventually) join the military alliance. NATO’s new boss, Mark Rutte, wouldn’t say much about this on Wednesday when repeatedly questioned by journalists, Stuart Lau reports.
Lips are sealed: According to Rutte, while NATO’s “standing squarely behind” Kyiv, “that doesn’t mean that I here can say I support the whole plan — that would be a bit difficult, because there are many issues of course you need to understand better.” He also said: “The plan has many aspects and many political and military issues. We really need to hammer out with Ukrainians to understand what is behind it, to see what we can do, what we cannot do.”
Others see an opening: A NATO official, granted anonymity to speak freely about the mood inside the alliance, said there is “slightly more openness” to discussing the possibility of Ukraine’s future membership, compared to this summer when countries were preparing for the NATO summit. But “much depends on the U.S. election,” the official added.
Bringing good €€€ news: NATO countries are on course to meet their financial commitments to Ukraine, according to Rutte. “I’m delighted to report that we are firmly on track to delivering the €40 billion pledge for the coming year as agreed,” he said, adding that NATO allies had committed €20.9 billion in military assistance to Ukraine during the first half of this year.
Better standards, cheaper gear: Rutte also said NATO defense ministers will today conclude a new initiative to improve standardization to help reduce costs. “It’s quite crucial, because there is a link to innovation, there is a link to industry, there is also a link, therefore, to our deterrence and defense,” Rutte said. Reuters has the background.
TODAY’S MUST-READ — PUTIN’S POLLUTING SHADOW FLEET: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s sanctions-evading shadow fleet is spilling oil and polluting waters worldwide. Satellite imagery revealed a 23-kilometer stain off Scotland linked to the Innova tanker, which continues to operate unchecked. This vessel is one of many defying Western sanctions, raising serious environmental concerns. Victor Jack, Costanza Gambarini, Karl Mathiesen, Louise Guillot, Hanne Cokelaere have this stop story.
WHAT ELSE THE RUSSIANS ARE UP TO: The Guardian reports that U.K. counter-terrorism police are investigating whether Russian spies planted an “incendiary device” on a plane to the U.K. The device later caught fire in a DHL warehouse in Birmingham in July, but no one was hurt. A similar incident was recorded in Germany the very same month.
BRITS BACK ESTONIA: U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey announced last night that Britain will put thousands of troops on standby to send to Estonia in the event Russia invades, under a new U.K.-Estonia pact. PA has the details.
KYIV’S ENVOY TELLS EU: DON’T BE A COP OUT. EU countries should organize a boycott of the COP29 climate talks in Azerbaijan next month if Russian President Vladimir Putin follows through on hints he could attend, Ukraine’s EU Ambassador Vsevolod Chentsov told Federica Di Sario and Gabriel Gavin.
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
SCOOP — NEW FAR-RIGHT GROUP GETS €1M EU BUDGET: The European Parliament allocated over €1 million of public funding to the new extreme-right grouping called the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN), mostly made up of Alternative for Germany MEPs, according to a document obtained by Playbook.
Size matters: Funding for political groups is doled out based on how many MEPs they have, and ESN is the Parliament’s smallest — and newest — outfit, with 25 members. The €1,170,163 budget covers the six months from mid-July to the end of the year. When the group was founded in July it pushed down all seven other groups’ budgets because the money comes out of a single pot.
What each group will get: The EPP gets over €8 million, the Socialists some €6 million, Patriots €3.7 million, ECR €3.5 million, Renew €3.4 million and Greens €2.3 million.
NEW FOREIGN DELEGATION HEADS: Here.
5 MINUTES WITH … UNION BOSS ESTHER LYNCH
Esther Lynch is the secretary general of ETUC, the European Trade Union Confederation. She met Ursula von der Leyen at an event for social partners Wednesday, where the Commission president sat next to Jobs Commissioner Nicolas Schmit — who has been criticizing his boss.
On the meeting: “There was a general agreement that there would be social partner involvement [to ensure investment and social rights] in the development of the Clean Industrial Deal. And that’s very important for … the interests and needs of working people.”
On the new EPP-packed Commission: “It would be easier if there were more politicians who understood the needs of working people.”
On removing “jobs and social rights” from Commissioner-designate Roxana Mînzatu’s title: “That was such a bad signal to give early on … I am anticipating that the president can hear the strong message that we’ve sent and can understand the importance of restoring [it].”
On what the EU should do next: Come out with a just transition directive, and a right to disconnect directive. “We see far too many CEOs of big corporations [telling people] ‘you can’t have telework anymore’ and I think that demand is more related to the value of commercial property than it is about the needs of the enterprise and certainly … of working people.”
On tensions between Schmit and VDL: “I’m not always good at reading those things.”
IN OTHER NEWS
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING: The U.S. struck five weapons facilities run by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen this morning. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement that it was a “unique demonstration of the United States’ ability to target facilities that our adversaries seek to keep out of reach.” He said the attacks were carried out to “further degrade” the group’s ability to attack commercial shipping vessels and its other “destabilizing behavior.” NBC write-up here.
MOLDOVA’S PIVOTAL REFERENDUM: This Sunday, Moldova will confront what’s being billed as an existential vote on EU membership, amid escalating Russian interference. As tensions rise, the nation is grappling with external pressures that threaten its democratic aspirations and sovereignty, writes Gabriel Gavin.
BIDEN IN BERLIN: U.S. President Joe Biden is due to arrive in Germany tonight for a brief visit with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer are expected to travel to Berlin for the catch-up, our Berlin Playbook colleagues report. Matt Karnitschnig and Eli Stokols have a curtain-raiser ahead of Biden’s trip.
GOOGLE BREAKUP RUMORS GIVE EU LEVERAGE: The U.S. Justice Department’s recent antitrust lawsuit against Google hints at a potential breakup of its search service, reviving discussions that began nearly a decade ago with the EU’s calls for action. This shift in U.S. enforcement may empower the European Commission — currently investigating Google’s advertising technology — to pursue its own regulatory measures against Google, report Edith Hancock, Francesca Micheletti and Aoife White.
Now read this: Brussels should seize the opportunity to end Google’s monopoly over digital advertising, argues Cori Crider, a lawyer and a senior fellow at the Future of Tech Institute and Open Markets Institute, in this opinion piece.
ITALY BANS OVERSEAS SURROGACY: Italy has banned people from traveling abroad for surrogacy, introducing penalties of up to two years in prison and fines of up to €1 million for those who break the law. Critics say the legislation targets LGBTQ+ people, who can’t adopt or get access to IVF in Italy. The BBC has a write-up.