Greece freezes Syrian asylum applications amid Assad regime collapse
Greece has halted the processing of asylum applications from Syrian nationals following the collapse of the Assad regime, impacting approximately 9,000 applicants.
Budget 2025: Five-day plenary debate begins on Wednesday – Voting on Sunday
The five-day debate on the state budget for the fiscal year 2025 will begin on Wednesday (11.00 am) in the plenary session of the Parliament with the statements of the general rapporteurs of the nine parliamentary groups.
Turkish mafia settling scores on Greek soil
A brutal daylight ambush on Monday in the suburb of Glyfada in southern Athens marked the latest chapter in the violent turf war among Turkish organized crime factions operating in Greece.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1255821/turkish-mafia-settling-scores-on-greek-soil
Few bear burden of taxation
Greece applies one of the highest value-added tax rates internationally, but few people end up paying it. The 24% VAT rate, which is among the seven highest in Europe, only affects 38% of consumption, while only four out of 100 are taxed at the highest rate of the personal income tax scale.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1255720/few-bear-burden-of-taxation
ATHEX: Index keeps rising in the new week
After the credit rating upgrade for Greece by Scope Ratings and the favorable reports on Greek bank stock prices, the local bourse extended its rising streak to six sessions on Monday. In this period the main index has risen by over 5% to highs unseen since late September. Capital Link’s Greek stocks roadshow in New York, which kicked off on Monday, could also boost prices further.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1255825/athex-index-keeps-rising-in-the-new-week
KATHIMERINI: Aftershocks and scenarios for Syria’s next day
TA NEA: Greek banks: slashing commissions, gaining assets
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Syria: Fears and concerns after the celebrations
RIZOSPASTIS: Dangerous developments in Syria due to the intervention of USA-Turkey-Israel
KONTRA NEWS: Why PM Mitsotakis ousted his chief economic advisor Patelis amid the budget discussion
DIMOKRATIA: The government is hiding the debt with a trick
NAFTEMPORIKI: 13 companies “flirting” with their inclusion in ATHEX
DRIVING THE DAY: ASYLUM AFTER ASSAD
NO ASSAD, NO ASYLUM: No one’s quite sure of what to make of the new guys who appear to be in charge in Syria. But European governments are looking pretty darn certain that now is the moment to start restricting Syrian asylum-seekers, and even to prepare to deport them.
Peace? Out! It took less than 24 hours after confirmation that dictator Bashar Assad and his family were in Moscow for several European countries to determine Syrians were no longer in immediate danger if they returned to their home country — and that means they’re no longer welcome.
Cascade: Austria, where some 100,000 Syrians reside, announced plans to launch a “return and deportation program.” Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Sweden and the U.K. are all pausing handling asylum applications. The Netherlands may well follow suit at the urging of far-right leader Geert Wilders, and Cyprus had already shut down asylum processing for Syrians in the spring, amid an influx. Seb Starcevic, Dan Bloom, Nektaria Stamouli and Andrew McDonald round up the stampede to stem Syrian refugees.
WHO IS THIS ABOUT? Millions of Syrians sought refuge in Europe since the outbreak of civil war in 2011. Many were granted asylum and built new lives in their adopted European homes. However, others traveled to Europe more recently and have open asylum claims — these are the people who’ll likely be hit by the suspensions, Playbook’s Nick Vinocur reports.
Political dimension: The influx of Syrian asylum-seekers collided with a resurgence in popular support for anti-immigrant far-right parties across the Continent. Some EU governments,led by Italy, were already pushing to normalize ties with Syria before Assad was ousted, to facilitate the deportation of migrants. Some EU countries reported they were struggling to accommodate Syrian nationals, while governments in other capitals looked warily at growing support for far-right parties in the polls. Now that Assad has gone, the legal basis for many refugees being granted asylum — brutal repression by his regime — has evaporated, reasoned one EU diplomat.
BUT NGOs SAY WHOA, NOT SO FAST: Refugee rights and aid organizations warned that capitals are rushing to stop processing asylum requests when the situation in Syria is still volatile and despite knowing little about the rebel groups that have taken over from Assad. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, one of the groups that swept across Syria along with the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army, was aligned with al Qaeda in its former guise as the Nusra Front.
“It remains to be seen whether this new reality will allow Syrians to start rebuilding their lives, or whether an even graver crisis lies ahead,” said Imogen Sudbery, who leads the EU office of the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian relief organization, in a statement to Playbook. While fighting in northwestern Syria has calmed, there’s still conflict in the northeast, she noted, limiting aid workers’ access. “We call on all countries where Syrians are living as refugees to uphold the right to asylum, as well as the principle of safe and voluntary return.”
The situation in Syria is still extremely bleak. Although Assad’s departure offers glimmers of hope, my colleagues Giovanna Coi and Lucia Mackenzie report that going home wouldn’t be easy for the Syrian exiles. Their homeland has been devastated by years of war, with half the population experiencing food insecurity and 96 percent living on less than $7 a day. Critical infrastructure, from health care to sewage and power networks, lies in ruins and will take years to rebuild.
WHAT’S NEXT? EU foreign ministers gathering in Brussels on Dec. 16 will discuss the situation in Syria — including how to assess the incoming authorities there. Will they be friendly? Democratic? And what criteria will Europe use to determine whether to establish formal relations with the authorities? Stay tuned.
Don’t call this a red line: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron had a phone call Monday and agreed to “work together with the new rulers on the basis of fundamental human rights and the protection of ethnic and religious minorities,” Berlin said in a statement. Sasha Schroeder wrote it up.
MEANWHILE … WARSAW ACCUSED OF “VIOLENT” PUSHBACKS AT BELARUS BORDER: A report from the NGO Human Rights Watch out this morning accuses Poland of “unlawfully, and sometimes violently” forcing people back to Belarus without considering the danger they face. Read the report.
PLAYBOOK VIBE CHECK: UKRAINIAN DIASPORA
WANT TO STEM REFUGEES? HELP UKRAINE! With U.S. President-elect Donald Trump looking to force an end to fighting in Ukraine, combined with the politics of migration taking a hard-right shift, Playbook wondered: How are Ukrainian refugees feeling as they see the push to declare Syria a safe space? And so we checked in with Paul Grod, president of the Ukrainian World Congress, who recently wrapped up a trip through northern Europe.
Short version: So far, it’s still good for Ukrainian refugees around Europe. “Compared to Syrian refugees, I think culturally Ukrainians have been able to integrate better,” Grod said. But there are signs countries are feeling less generous — and there could be a “deeper refugee crisis” if Ukraine can’t defend its skies, he said.
A bit more detail: Grod is confident that the special status granting Ukrainians residency and employment rights in the EU will be renewed for another year in March. But the welcome mat is starting to fray.
Single entry: Policies in the Czech Republic, Hungary and (outside the EU) Norway that restrict people from entering and exiting countries multiple times are making the refugees — mostly women and children — who want to visit their sons, fathers and husbands who can’t leave Ukraine over the holidays “very stressed out,” Grod said.
Safe spaces? Some countries are also starting to reject asylum for people from western Ukraine, reasoning that they’re far enough from the front lines. But with missile and drone attacks across the country, “there really isn’t a safe zone in Ukraine,” Grod said.
On Trump: It’s too early to tell what effect Trump will have on the conflict. But the EU could quickly feel the effects if the U.S. cuts off Kyiv: “The risk here is that if the U.S. dramatically curtails the supply of weapons to Ukraine, that will in fact cause a further outflux of refugees,” Grod said.
CLARIFICATION: Monday’s edition of Playbook carried figures for defense spending from several European NATO countries. It should be clarified that these were full-year numbers for 2023.
DRIVING THE EVENING: POLITICO 28
EUROPE’S MOST POWERFUL, RANKED: Every year POLITICO identifies the 28 people who will shape Europe’s destiny during the following 12 months. This morning marks the unveiling of (most of) the class of 2025.
Power vacuum: The 2025 edition is molded by the absence of traditional power players. In previous years, figures like the French president or German chancellor reliably jostled for the top spots on our list. This time, the leaders in Paris and Berlin are either politically hobbled or on their way out. Their waning influence has left space for others to step in and claim prominent spots on our POLITICO 28 power ranking.
Paper-pushers to the front: The absence of traditional heavyweights has enabled civil servants and political appointees who rarely attract recognition beyond Brussels to punch above their weight. With politics in disarray, European Investment Bank President Nadia Calviño, U.K. Chancellor Rachel Reeves, European Commissioner Teresa Ribera and Eurocrats like Stéphanie Riso and Sabine Weyand made the cut, as did European People’s Party strategist Udo Zolleis.
The sun rises in Warsaw: The weakness of leaders in France and Germany has also tilted Europe’s center of gravity eastward, with four Poles making it onto the list. That group includes figures like Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, who is the frontrunner for the country’s presidency, and who represents the pro-European sentiment that is burgeoning among the younger citizens of the EU’s newer member countries.
The far right marches on: Right-wing populists and ultranationalist figures also fill many of the slots on our 2025 ranking. These leaders, who have undermined civic rights and targeted minorities and asylum-seekers, have gained traction as centrist leaders flounder. Their presence on this year’s ranking is a reminder that when traditional politicians fail to provide credible alternatives, populism fills the void.
Don’t call it a prize: It’s important to note that inclusion in the POLITICO 28 is neither an endorsement nor an accolade. It’s a snapshot of power, as judged by our journalists and the insiders with whom they speak. The list reflects who holds sway — not necessarily who should. That’s why, aside from a few notable exceptions, you’ll see a scarcity of women represented. It’s a sobering reminder that Europe’s entrenched power structures still keep women largely on the outside looking in. Read the full methodology note from POLITICO senior reporter Aitor Hernández-Morales, curator of this year’s list.
Stay tuned: As in previous years, the list is divided into three categories: Doers (those most adept at imposing their will), Disrupters (those shaking up the status quo) and Dreamers (whose bold ideas are driving the conversation). Later this evening, POLITICO will reveal the top figures in each category, as well as the Most Powerful Person in Europe — someone who embodies all three traits of influence in a way that feels especially resonant this year.
Watch: Sign up here to watch the live unveiling and check out who’s on the 2025 list.
IN OTHER NEWS
FRENCH GOVERNMENT LATEST: President Emmanuel Macron is holding a meeting this afternoon with the leaders of all the political parties and groups who have, in the words of the Elysée, “indicated their willingness to compromise” since the ousting of Prime Minister Michel Barnier, my Playbook Paris colleagues report.
Not coming: Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally, Eric Ciotti’s far-right Union of the Right for the Republic, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s far-left La France Insoumise.
The goal … is to break the deadlock and find a new French prime minister. Playbook Paris reports Macron’s plan is to reach a deal with the non-Mélenchonist left — though that’s now no longer expected to happen by Wednesday.
MERZ IN WARSAW: Fresh off the back of his trip to Kyiv, the frontrunner in the race to become the next German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is on his way to Warsaw today to meet with Prime Minister Donald Tusk, my Berlin Playbook colleagues report. Merz wants to create a European contact group to prepare for Trump’s return to the White House that includes the Weimar Triangle of Germany, France and Poland, but also other partners such as Denmark and the U.K.
Berlin bound: German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is inviting her counterparts from France, Poland, Italy, Spain, the U.K. and Ukraine (plus EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas) to Berlin on Thursday.
VDL’S TRUMP PROBLEM: Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is known to have a close relationship with Joe Biden — a potential liability in the new Trump era, reports my colleague Barbara Moens.
Spotted at Mar-a-Lago: Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán, who made the trip to Trump’s home base to meet with the U.S. president-elect, as well as incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz and X owner Elon Musk on Monday afternoon. Musk called it an “interesting discussion.” Pics here.
CHINESE AIRLINES CASH IN ON PUTIN’S WAR: European flights to China have become longer, more expensive and harder to find — but Chinese airlines are facing no such problems, reports POLITICO’s Tommaso Lecca.
GEN Z IS LOWKEY UNDECIDED ABOUT DEMOCRACY: Young people are committed to human rights but skeptical of democracy, a survey published Monday by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom found. The survey gathered insights from over 5,000 young people aged 16 to 24 in Germany, France, Hungary, Poland and the United States. While 88 percent of respondents say human rights should apply to everyone, only 62 percent think democracy is the best way to govern. Just 40 percent feel their own democratic systems are doing well.