Parliament to probe whether ex-minister tampered with site of Tempe rail disaster
The Greek Parliament decided late Tuesday to set up a preliminary investigation committee that will consider allegations against former Deputy Climate Crisis and Civil Protrection Christos Triantopoulos.
Motion of censure against gov’t is a ‘public demand’, Androulakis says
The motion of censure against the New Democracy government that PASOK-Movement for Change (KINAL) will table on Wednesday will be jointly signed by SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance and Nea Aristera and supported by Plefsi Eleftherias, PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis said on Tuesday evening in Parliament.
Civil Protection Secretary General Secretary resigns ‘to facilitate justice’ investigating Tempi accident; gov’t sources
Civil Protection Secretary General Vassilis Papageorgiou tendered his resignation in a letter to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday, “to primarily facilitate the work of Greek justice in the Tempi case,” as he noted, referring to the deadly train collision of two years ago.
PM Mitsotakis welcomes von der Leyen’s REARM Europe proposal
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed REARM Europe plan proposed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday, calling it in a post on X “a significant step toward strengthening our collective European security.”
https://www.amna.gr/en/article/888011/PM-Mitsotakis-welcomes-von-der-Leyens-REARM-Europe-proposal
ATHEX: Credit stocks soften blow for bourse
The raging trade war on a global scale and the pressure it is inflicting on capital markets has been affecting the Greek bourse too, albeit in a more moderate fashion on Tuesday, as Monday’s international stock growth coincided with a holiday for Athinon Avenue. Banks contained the drop of the benchmark, keeping it above the 1,600-point mark for another day, while turnover remained at a high level.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1263201/athex-credit-stocks-soften-blow-for-bourse
KATHIMERINI: Five scenarios for the change of the political scenery
TA NEA: Tempi preliminary investigation committee: The devil is in the details…
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: The government’s downfall has begun
RIZOSPASTIS: Tempi rallies: The determined and organized people can leave their mark on political developments
KONTRA NEWS: Erdogan is the leader of the EU’s “Coalition of the willing”
DIMOKRATIA: They are acquitting [former Deputy Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister] Triantopoulos without a trial
NAFTEMPORIKI: Trade War erupts
DRIVING THE DAY
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING: In the last few hours, Donald Trump delivered the longest-ever annual presidential address to Congress, clocking in at one hour and 40 minutes. He revived his greatest hits, claiming he was “going to get” Greenland “one way or the other,” riffing on illegal immigration and praising Elon Musk, as he touted this actions since returning to office on Jan. 20.
Message to Ukraine: In a triumphant prime-time address to the joint Houses of Congress, Trump once again falsely claimed the U.S. spent $350 billion on Ukraine, which he said had taken it “like taking candy from a baby.” He also said that “we’ve had serious discussions” with Russia. But there was a sliver of good news, with Trump saying he had received “an important letter” from the Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which “I appreciate.” The comment came hours after the Ukrainian president posted a conciliatory statement on X, stating that he was ready to negotiate with the U.S.
Message to Europe: Trump took aim at Europe, erroneously claiming it “has sadly spent more money buying Russian oil and gas than they have spent on defending Ukraine by far.” But he added that “we’re getting along very well with them.”
Doubling down: He also doubled down on his tariff policy, warning that “other countries have used tariffs against us for decades, and now it’s our turn to start using them against those other countries” — name-checking the EU specifically.
MOMENT OF TRUTH: Trump’s latest intervention comes ahead of Thursday’s key “five-minutes-to-midnight” special European Council summit, the latest effort to show the EU can hold its own in terms of defense capabilities following Washington’s shock decision to cut military aid to Ukraine. Zelenskyy is expected to address leaders by video link.
Member States Unite! The European Commission unveiled details of its long-anticipated “REARM Europe” plan Tuesday, outlined in a letter by President Ursula von der Leyen, with leaders due to give their first response to the proposal at Thursday’s summit.
What’s included: A €150 billion loan program for member countries using funds raised on the capital markets and backed by the EU budget … greater freedom for countries to diverge from strict debt and deficit rules if it’s for defense spending … and plans to channel money from cohesion funds to boost defense resources.
What’s not: A mooted proposal to repurpose up to €93 billion in unused post-pandemic recovery loans for defense and a plan to tap the post-bailout European Stability Mechanism in some way. Gregorio Sorgi has the full story.
Pushback incoming: With EU leaders poised to give their first reaction to the new proposal at Thursday’s summit, resistance was brewing in other quarters, Jacopo Barigazzi reports. President of the Committee of the Regions Kata Tüttő said diverting funds away from cohesion would be a “catastrophic mistake.” “Europe needs both. Weakening cohesion weakens Europe’s ability to keep its regions strong and resilient in the face of growing instability.”
Parliament reaction: European People’s Party boss Manfred Weber told POLITICO that while he welcomed von der Leyen’s proposal, the EU needs more “flagship projects” that can show ordinary citizens it can protect them, such as a European missile defense system or common cyber defense project.
Communiqué update: Tuesday’s Brussels Playbook reported that an explicit reference to delivery of military funding proposed by foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas had been cut from the latest draft of the Council conclusions to be considered by leaders Thursday. Now the language is back, albeit with leaders kicking the can to ministers to “advance work swiftly on initiatives, notably that of the High Representative” Kallas to coordinate increased military support to Ukraine, Jacopo reports.
Further details today: Spare a thought for EU ambassadors who will meet bright and early at 7:30 a.m. to fine-tune the latest draft communiqué. Von der Leyen will brief Parliament leaders at today’s meeting of the Conference of Presidents at 5 p.m., three officials told Max Griera.
Orbán goes to Paris: Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron has the unenviable task of convincing Viktor Orbán to row in behind the EU when he hosts the Hungarian leader in Paris today. Orbán dissed Sunday’s gathering of European leaders in London as “bad, dangerous and mistaken” and has lauded Trump’s outreach to Russia.
WHO SPEAKS FOR EUROPE
TICK-TOCK, TICK-TOCK: Playbook once ran a daily tracker of how long it would take Ursula von der Leyen to sit down for a hard-hitting POLITICO interview. Now it’s time to take bets on how long it will be before she meets Donald Trump. A safe bet might be never — the U.S. president has made no secret of his disdain for the EU and his preference for dealing with national leaders.
Reading the room: What is certain is that the wily Commission president is unlikely to make the same mistake as Kaja Kallas, who made the rookie error of pre-announcing a meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio only to be snubbed on arrival to Washington last week.
Standing back: While von der Leyen has been relatively muted over the past few weeks as figures like Macron and Starmer have been front-and-center in trying to influence Trump, her uncharacteristic silence is likely calculated.
Biding your time: Europe may be floundering when it comes to defense, but it’s a different story on trade. To use the parlance beloved of Trump, the EU has a strong hand to play here given the size of its market. “Trump may not like it, but he may have to deal directly with the Commission if he escalates the trade war,” said one EU official. “The fact that the EU is a market of 450 million people means the U.S. can’t ignore it.”
You gotta know when to hold ’em … Similarly with tech regulation, the EU has at least some leverage. Tech bros can rage all they like against Brussels’ rules, but they want and need access to the bloc’s lucrative market.
The Commission’s happy place: Navigating the minutiae of trade deals is exactly the kind of boring, bureaucratic work the officials at the Berlaymont excel at. Sabine Weyand, who heads up DG Trade, is an experienced hand, while Tomas Baert, the top trade official in von der Leyen’s cabinet, was stationed in the EU delegation office in Washington during the first Trump administration.
Talking tough 1: With the possibility of a full-blown trade war with the U.S. moving closer following Trump’s decision to go all-in on Canada, Mexico and China this week, the European Commission reiterated its opposition to “protectionist measures that undermine open and fair trade” Tuesday. (It’s worth noting here that the Trump administration signaled the president could U-turn later today.)
Talking tough 2: China’s embassy in the U.S. warned overnight: “If war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end.”
Read more from our U.S. colleagues on how Trump’s decision to plow ahead with tariffs has shown the world that sometimes he should be taken literally.
DON’T FORGET MIGRATION
IT HASN’T GONE AWAY, YOU KNOW … The EU may be caught in a maelstrom of trade and foreign policy woes, but another political hot potato is simmering on the back burner: migration. Home affairs ministers from across the EU gather in Brussels today after their meeting originally scheduled for Thursday was bumped due to the emergency European Council summit.
That’s politics: The EU’s long-awaited migration pact, tortuously negotiated over a decade, finally got over the line last year. But the controversial new rules have yet to come into force and the pact itself attracted howls of protests from both the left (who argue it is cruel and impinges on human rights) and the right (who say the new rules are too soft).
Reminder: Asylum applications to Europe actually fell last year. New figures from the European Union Agency for Asylum this week revealed an 11 percent drop in the number of people who sought asylum in the EU, Norway and Switzerland in 2024 (though the number remained over 1 million).
Sneak preview: In typical EU fashion, the pact has already been overtaken by events, with the European Commission due to unveil its new directive on “returns” — aka deportations — next week. Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner told Playbook that the proposal will address “many of the issues currently hampering return processes in the Member States” including introducing stronger obligations for returnees and consequences for non-cooperation, stricter measures for people posing a security threat or flight risk, and linking up better to the readmission process.
“Europe needs effective and modern procedures for returning unsuccessful asylum claimants and visa-overstayers. Without these, we undermine the credibility and sustainability of the entire migration and asylum system,” the Austrian commissioner said.
Syria is on the agenda today. Though several European countries raced to cancel asylum requests from Syrians after the fall of the Assad regime, very few have returned home to a country that remains unstable and dangerous. (The UNHCR estimates that a whopping 12 million Syrians remain forcibly displaced.)
Taking stock: Ministers will today explore the concept of “go-and-see visits,” giving Syrians the chance to travel to their country temporarily to assess their options, without forfeiting visa rights in their adopted homes. Brunner says the Commission wants to support member countries to help Syrians secure “less-costly return routes, as well as better-prepared and more dignified returns.” They’ll also discuss deporting Syrians who are deemed a “security threat,” according to an EU official.
Reminder: The EU last week lifted sanctions on Syria, including in the transport, energy and banking sectors, as it tries to support the political transition underway in the country.
Computer says no: Also today, ministers will discuss the new entry and exit system coming into place for non-nationals visiting 29 European countries. The new border control systems, which are already popping up in airports across Europe, will be the most tangible indication of Europe’s efforts to beef up security at its borders. While three member countries have to submit their “declaration of readiness” to the Commission, the system will be up and running by the fall on a progressive basis, two EU officials said. More from Hanne Cokelaere in our Morning Mobility newsletter.
IN OTHER NEWS
WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF WORK: Training workers and improving education are at the center of the “Union of Skills” communication that will be presented by European Commission Executive Vice President Roxana Mînzatu today. “To be competitive and prepared for the future, the EU needs to support and prepare its people with the skills and competences needed for success,” according to a draft obtained by POLITICO’s Aude van den Hove. Our Fair Play newsletter has all the details.
MEPs CALL FOR TREATY REFORM … AGAIN: Federalist MEPs from pan-European party Volt will send country leaders a nine-point action plan today, ahead of the emergency EU leaders’ summit on Thursday, Max also writes in to report. The plan, seen by POLITICO, urges the leaders to strip Hungary of voting rights; to make Kaja Kallas a fully fledged EU foreign minister; to develop a common European army; and to open up the treaties to include EU competencies on defense and prepare for enlargement.
HOW MUCH EU CASH GOES TO ELON MUSK? That’s what German Green MEP Daniel Freund put to the Commission in a written parliamentary question on Tuesday afternoon, seen by POLITICO. Freund has asked the EU executive to provide an exhaustive list of all EU funds allocated — via grants, advertising fees, tenders and subsidies — to companies owned or controlled by the tech billionaire, such as Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, The Boring Company, X and xAI, Max Griera reports.
REPORT — U.S. BANS BRITS FROM SHARING INTELLIGENCE WITH UKRAINE: The Daily Mail reports that the White House has banned Britain from sharing any U.S. intelligence with Ukraine. Zelenskyy’s government previously had clearance to receive American intelligence from Five Eyes partners, which the Mail reports has now been revoked. The move may well make it harder for Ukrainian forces to repel Russian attacks. More on that here by Jamie Dettmer.