PM unveils Dutch flood protection plans for Thessaly, plays down cotton farming concerns
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has presented flood protection proposals from Dutch experts for Greece’s central Thessaly plain to local officials, while playing down concerns about the possible abandonment of cotton farming.
Cohesive commitment between Greece and Turkey to utilize the current positive atmosphere
The Deputy MFA of the Republic of Türkiye Ambassador Burak Akçapar and the Deputy MFA of the Hellenic Republic Ambassador Alexandra Papadopoulou held the regular Political Dialogue meeting in Ankara, on March 11, 2024. The two sides reiterated their joint commitment to build on the existing positive atmosphere in line with the Athens Declaration signed last December by the leaders of the two countries, exploring further areas of bilateral and international cooperation.
Farmers left unsatisfied after meeting with PM, arrange follow-up
Monday’s meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and a 15-member committee of farmers from the region of Thessaly in central Greece concluded without substantive answers regarding the timeline for compensating damages caused by last year’s floods, according to Rizos Maroudas, president of the United Federation of Agricultural Associations of Larissa.
Konstantopoulou forcefully intervenes during Tempe investigation committee
In an incident during Monday’s parliamentary investigation into the Tempe rail crash, Zoi Konstantopoulou, leader of the Course of Freedom party, made interventions despite being excluded from speaking due to a conflict of interest.
ATHEX: Local index slumps below 1,400-pt mark
The index rebalancing, the constant rally of stocks in recent weeks, the decline of Piraeus Bank (the protagonist of the past week) and the reservations investors showed in foreign markets contributed to a day of major losses at the Greek stock market on Monday, which brought the benchmark below the 1,400-point mark on unusually high turnover.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1233828/athex-local-index-slumps-below-1400-pt-mark/
KATHIMERINI: Migrant flows put pressure on southern Crete
TA NEA: Government bargain about the ‘Easter bonus’
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: The European district attorney exposes the Greek government
AVGI: SYRIZA: Karamanlis must face Justice
RIZOSPASTIS: Greek Communist Party rally at Syntagma square: Reject the country’s participation in NATO slaughtering activities!
KONTRA NEWS: The Parliament’s investigative committee for the Tempe rail crash whitewashed the government
DIMOKRATIA: National request for the lift of impunity for MPs and Ministers
NAFTEMPORIKI: Three ‘cutters’ against expectations for handouts
PALRIAMENT TAKES COMMISSION TO COURT
BOMBSHELL IN STRASBOURG: In a historic step, the European Parliament will take the Commission to court over its €10.2 billion payoff for Hungary, people involved in the decision told Playbook.
Ghost of Christmas past: It comes after Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen last December controversially unblocked EU funds for Budapest, which were frozen over corruption and rule-of-law concerns. The move came ahead of a crucial summit at which Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán was threatening to derail the Union’s joint position on Ukraine.
Secret vote: Parliament’s legal affairs committee met behind closed doors last night to decide to sue the EU executive over what it argues was a breach of its obligation to protect taxpayer money from being misused.
Near-unanimous backing: The committee backed the lawsuit with 16 members in favor, one opposed (from the far right) and zero abstentions. (The payoff last December was widely criticized by MEPs and even by Commission officials as a sign that Brussels was giving in to Orbán’s blackmail.)
**A message from PepsiCo: If dreams came true… PepsiCo’s Wish List for 2024: A new European Commission at year end that drives the right balance between addressing climate and environmental challenges while bringing all parts of society along the journey.**
EPP on board: The support across party lines for the lawsuit sends a clear signal to the Commission. Von der Leyen’s own political group, the center-right European People’s Party, is backing the decision, with its leader Manfred Weber (and his predecessor Donald Tusk) having stressed the importance of defending the rule of law ahead of the June EU election.
SEE YOU IN COURT: “We believe we have a solid case, as the Commission has contradicted itself on whether Hungary is respecting the rule of law,” MEP Daniel Freund told Playbook last night. “The Court of Justice of the EU has always stood up for the independence of the courts.”
Warning to von der Leyen: The committee’s move is designed as “a sign to the Commission president that the rule of law can’t be traded for deals with Orbán,” Freund said.
What the judges will have to decide on: There’s no case law yet on how much leeway the Commission has when deciding whether to freeze funds under the common provisions regulation. But the judges have consistently ruled in favor of the independence of courts and upholding the EU’s foundations.
Next steps: On Thursday, political group leaders will meet in the Conference of Presidents to give the final green light to President Roberta Metsola to take the Commission to court before a March 25 deadline. Along with the leaders of the S&D, Greens, Left and liberals, Weber will vote in favor of the move, officials told Playbook.
BRETON GETS A YELLOW CARD
THIERRY IN TROUBLE OVER VDL FRIENDLY FIRE: Thierry Breton’s social media swipe at his boss has landed him in hot water. “The EPP itself does not seem to believe in its own candidate,” the French commissioner tweeted of Ursula von der Leyen last week.
Fair warning 1: On Monday, the Commission’s Secretary-General Ilze Juhansone met with commissioners’ chiefs of staff to remind them of the rules of the game: don’t use your official EU communication channels for party politics, and don’t undermine the institution you work for.
Integrity of office: Juhansone’s office then sent around an email, obtained by Playbook, stating in unusually strong language: “May I remind us all that … members of the Commission must behave with integrity and discretion … and that they shall not act or express themselves, through whatever medium, in a manner which adversely affects the public perception of their independence.” No points for guessing who the target was.
Fair warning 2: The top bureaucrat’s note cited Article 245 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which notes that a commissioner can be removed from office “or deprived of his right to a pension” if they don’t “refrain from any action incompatible with their duties.”
Fury in Paris: Breton’s post was “a real mistake,” a French official told Playbook, arguing it betrayed “a serious lack of political sense.” The official added: “Not only has it not been discussed with [French President Emmanuel] Macron, but it has made him extremely angry.”
Gift for the right: The official added that such behavior “weakens von der Leyen, while the current Commission remains in place at least until December, and the geopolitical situation does not allow for any unnecessary division. It’s a gift to the Republicans and the [far-right party] RN, who never stop bashing her.”
Fair warning 3: “Slamming [EPP leader Manfred] Weber yes, but VDL no. To do so again would be to put yourself out of the game,” said the official of Breton’s tweet.
View from within the Commission: “Breton’s trying to attract attention and notoriety, it’s clear he wants to stay on as commissioner,” said one EU official.
PORTUGUESE ELECTION FALLOUT
CHEGA CHEERS: The inconclusive result from Sunday’s election in Portugal, which ended eight years of Socialist Party rule, has placed the far-right Chega party in a position to wield remarkable power, reports Aitor Hernández-Morales.
Poised to pounce: While the other parties have vowed not to work with Chega, it’s unclear how legislation can get through without it. Socialist leader Pedro Nuno Santos has said he won’t help the Democratic Alliance pass bills — and if the center right can’t get support from across the aisle, it may need to seek an alliance with Chega. As Aitor asks in his piece, how long can the parliament realistically exclude a group that was backed by nearly one in 10 eligible voters?
S&D LICK THEIR WOUNDS: Europe’s Socialists are “not happy” about the election outcome, S&D leader Iratxe García told Playbook’s Ketrin Jochecová on Monday evening, describing it as a “bad sign” for her grouping and for Portuguese citizens. “And more than not happy, we are worried. The reason we are worried is [because of] the rise of the extreme right and influence they can have on a potential EPP government.”
Costa’s Council prospects: It’s no secret that António Costa, whose resignation as Portugal’s prime minister after a corruption scandal precipitated Sunday’s election, has been eyeing the post of European Council president to succeed Charles Michel, whose term ends next fall. How likely is that now? “We are not talking about any names yet,” García said.
The first stage of grief: The Party of European Socialists’ Secretary-General Giacomo Filibeck insisted the Socialists had “fought a strong campaign” in Portugal. “As the far-right surge demonstrated, it is time to step up the fight for the hard-fought rights won 50 years ago during the 25 April Carnation revolution,” he said in a statement shared with Playbook.
NOW READ THIS: Mainstream parties should maintain the cordon sanitaire against cooperation with radicals, argue R. Daniel Kelemen and Jonathan B. Slapin in this opinion piece for POLITICO.
EU ENLARGEMENT
BOSNIA MOVES FORWARD: Bosnia and Herzegovina should start the process of becoming an EU member, the European Commission is set to announce today.
Status update: The EU granted Bosnia candidate status in December 2022. The Commission will now give a positive recommendation to start formal accession negotiations, two EU officials and one EU diplomat told my colleague Barbara Moens. The next step is for EU leaders to consider the recommendation at their meeting in Brussels next week, in what is set to still be a sensitive discussion, as Bosnia still has some homework to do.
UKRAINE AND MOLDOVA ALSO MOVE FORWARD: Kyiv and Chișinău’s applications are also set to move a step forward in the enlargement process. The Commission will today propose the so-called negotiating frameworks, which set the guidelines and basic principles for their accession talks. It is then up to EU countries to discuss those texts.
Don’t hold your breath: But EU diplomats and officials warned that an agreement between the 27 European capitals on the framework for Ukraine and Moldova — which is needed before negotiations can formally begin — is unlikely to happen before the June European election.
Linked fortunes: For some EU countries, including Austria, it was vital that progress on Ukraine and Moldova should go hand-in-hand with Bosnia — which left some officials wondering how much that political push weighed on the Commission’s decision. “This is the end of the merit-based process for enlargement,” one EU official said. More here.
TOP JOBS
EU FINANCE MINISTERS TO BACK GEORGIEVA FOR SECOND IMF TERM: EU finance ministers meeting today in Brussels are expected to give Kristalina Georgieva their blessing to serve a second term at the helm of the International Monetary Fund.
Le Maire and Donohoe out: The move will kill any hopes other European figures may have had for a run at the IMF top job, with French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and Eurogroup President Paschal Donohoe both rumored to have been interested, my colleague Kathryn Carlson reports in POLITICO’s financial services newsletter this morning.
FROM FISH TO FINANCE: From the shores of Lake Varese to the pubs of West London, Italian Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti is the ultimate survivor, staying afloat for almost 30 years as a key ally of the leaders of the League. Now, he’s on a mission to get the EU to trust his right-wing PM Giorgia Meloni. Gregorio Sorgi has the essential profile.
RARE FRANCO-GERMAN DEFEAT
EU COUNTRIES AGREE TO PROTECT GIG WORKERS — DESPITE GERMAN-FRENCH OPPOSITION: Nobody expected it, but the Belgian Council presidency pulled it off: It secured the support of a qualified majority of European labor ministers for its gig work deal with the Parliament on Monday, my colleague Pieter Haeck writes in to report.
Unprecedented: While Germany’s social democrat labor minister was in favor of the legislation, he was forced to abstain (which counts as a no) due to opposition from the SPD’s coalition partners in the Free Democratic Party. France opposed the deal (though Paris did say it may yet ultimately be in favor if there are some clarifications to it). In the EU Council, officials said they couldn’t remember a time legislation had been passed with France and Germany both opposed.
That’s the spirit! Greece was a staunch holdout and was even, ahead of the final round of negotiations, branded an impossible get. But then Greek Labor Minister Domna Michailidou took the floor and said that in the “spirit of compromise” the country would back the deal — sparking a spontaneous round of applause in the room. “Thank you very much, Domna,” said Belgian Labor Minister Pierre-Yves Dermagne, with an audible sigh of relief.
FRONTLINE REPORTS
BIDEN WARNS BIBI: U.S. President Joe Biden will consider conditioning military aid to Israel if the country moves forward with a large-scale invasion of Rafah, my Stateside colleagues report.
ARMS RACE UPDATE: France has overtaken Russia as the world’s No. 2 arms exporter, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s latest analysis of arms transfers. More here.
UKRAINE’S TRADEMARK BATTLE: Ukraine’s “Russian warship, go fuck yourself” slogan is at the center of a fierce trademark battle between Kyiv’s State Border Guard and the European Union Intellectual Property Office, Claudia Chiappa reports.
IN OTHER NEWS
BRUSSELS STILL A CITY OF SPIES: Belgian Justice Minister Paul Van Tigchelt warned in an interview with my colleague Barbara Moens that scandals such as Qatargate and Chinagate are only the tip of the espionage iceberg in Brussels. The interview comes ahead of the Belgian parliament preparing to approve new rules that will make it easier to punish those caught spying.
FINNISH FAR-RIGHT BOOST: A study shared with POLITICO Morning Tech’s Clothilde Goujard found YouTube excessively pushed far-right, anti-immigration videos during Finland’s presidential election earlier this year. The platform’s recommendation algorithm demonstrated a “clear political bias,” nudging users to content supporting the Finns Party, according to CheckFirst and FaktaBaari.
Right of reply: YouTube’s systems “do not promote, demote, or filter content based on political perspective,” said spokesperson Ciarán Ward. “This includes for elections, and during the Finnish elections, our systems surfaced content from authoritative sources and we quickly removed content that violated our policies, regardless of the speaker’s political views.”
BABIŠ AND THE CASE OF MISTAKEN JANDENTITY: Who amongst us hasn’t sent an email to the wrong recipient? Former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is the latest to be caught out, after ordering his aide Jan Rovenský to dig up dirt on Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský. Problem was, he sent the vitriolic email to another Jan Rovenský — a Czech ecological activist, who was not pleased, as Ketrin Jochecová reports.