Mitsotakis to meet Sisi on Wednesday
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is expected to visit Greece on Wednesday for a meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
https://www.amna.gr/en/article/901973/Mitsotakis-to-meet-Abdel-Fattah-el-Sisi
FM Gerapetritis: Greece–Türkiye high cooperation council to be held this summer
Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis announced in an interview at the OT 5th FORUM that the High Cooperation Council between Greece and Türkiye will take place during the summer.
Pierrakakis: Major changes expected in the use of digital media to combat tax evasion
Major changes are expected in the use of digital means to address tax evasion, Minister of National Economy and Finance Kyriakos Pierrakakis, said in his speech at the 6th International Conference of the Economic Chamber of Greece on Monday evening.
Gov’t to tighten immigration laws, says migration minister
Migration Minister Makis Voridis has announced that a new bill aimed at tightening country’s immigration framework will be submitted in May and will introduce stricter measures for migrants who remain in the country illegally after being denied asylum.
ATHEX: Bourse slips on German pretext
The government hiccup in Berlin, with the temporary rejection of Friedrich Merz in the afternoon before he got the Bundestag approval later on, was a good excuse for traders on Tuesday to take some profits from the recent rise of Greek stocks. Focusing primarily on banks, investors sold some of their positions before reverting to buying during the rest of the week, with the issue of banks’ first-quarter financial reports.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1268917/athex-bourse-slips-on-german-pretext
KATHIMERINI: Tightening noose for illegal migration
TA NEA: Ridiculous claims: differences between tax declarations and wealth
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Arbitrary ousting of university students who participate in violent rallies
RIZOSPASTIS: Students will respond to the government on May 14th
KONTRA NEWS: “Drunk” proposal by Deputy Minister of Transport Kyranakis
DIMOKRATIA: Former Defence Minister Giannos Papantoniou to stand trial again for kickbacks
NAFTEMPORIKI: “Black list” with 70,000 taxpayers
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING
INDIA STRIKES PAKISTAN:
India fired missiles into Pakistani-controlled territory in several locations overnight, killing at least 19 people, AP reports. India said it targeted terrorist camps, after a terror attack in Kashmir last month, but Pakistan said civilians were among those killed. State-run Pakistan Television said the country’s air force had shot down several Indian jets in retaliation.
Reactions: U.S. President Donald Trump called the escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbors “a shame” and said “I just hope it ends very quickly.” China’s foreign ministry said Beijing is “concerned about the ongoing situation” and expressed “regret” about India’s actions. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has convened a meeting of the National Security Committee today.
SALVE. I’m occasional Vatican correspondent Ben Munster, welcoming you to the first in what we expect to be an extraordinarily brief run of Conclave Playbooks (provided the next pontiff isn’t a sprightly 91-year-old).
It’s been a hell of a week. Your guest Playbook reporter spent the past few days chasing — at times quite literally — the most holy men in the Catholic Church around St. Peter’s Square, hounding them for hot tips on papal prospects like some deranged born-again TMZ paparazzo. Just like your average junior diplomat fleeing reporters at the margins of the Council, most offered carefully hedged non-answers. But the flowing capes and cassocks made a welcome change from the gray on gray on gray of the usual Eurocrats.
The prelates look tired. One especially anxious cardinal begged a group of reporters to leave him alone so he could go get dinner. Playbook caught another on Tuesday evening feigning a phone call to fend off an excitable pilgrim. Privately, the clerics are more willing to play the game, leaking assiduously (including to POLITICO) about preliminary voting breakdowns, runners and riders, who’s in and who’s out. So don’t fall for the affected piety: The cardinals are incorrigible gossips, just like the rest of us.
As of today, the beleaguered clerics are bunking in the drab Santa Marta guesthouse in Vatican City, in rooms assigned by lottery, as they prepare to begin voting. It’s “Love Island” meets “Deal or No Deal” meets the Eurogroup — a charged ecclesiastical sleepover that’s all a bit unbecoming for the men who will soon have God’s earthly envoy on speed dial.
DRIVING THE DAY: HOW THE CONCLAVE WILL (WELL, MIGHT) PLAY OUT
UNDER LOCK AND KEY: For first-timers, this is the 76th papal conclave since the first in 1276. It will feature a record 133 cardinals, who will attend regimented voting rounds under Michelangelo’s dazzling frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, which has been fitted with temporary polling booths.
There’ll be just one vote today, then up to four daily until a candidate secures a two-thirds majority, at which point the fabled white smoke will emerge from a specially erected chimney. Cardinals looking to project unity hope for a quick conclave; anything longer than three days will hint at deep divisions. Until then, expect plumes of black smoke filling the Roman sky.
Prep for the conclave has been meticulous. Advance squadrons of specialists have swept the Sistine Chapel for bugs and installed frequency jammers to foil spies, leakers and cyberhackers. (There’s speculation the CIA intercepted the voting in 1963.) Cardinals have swapped out their MacBooks and iPhones for analog alarm clocks and wristwatches ahead of a harrowing few days without tech or WiFi, one told Playbook. An army of nuns, sworn to absolute secrecy, are on standby to provide medical, culinary and cleaning assistance — and reportedly “moderate” helpings of wine. More juicy details in this curtain-raiser.
The conclave comes at a time of cacophonous discord within the Church that reflects broader fractures in world politics.Throughout his papacy, the late Pope Francis appointed cardinals sympathetic to his vision of a more inclusive Church, elevating prelates from niche jurisdictions outside the old European stronghold, while sidelining many in the West. (Some of the cardinals are so new, they’ve been watching the movie “Conclave” for pointers on how the real thing will play out.) One high-ranking cardinal told Playbook that those new clerics have gained increasing momentum in recent pre-conclave lobbying sessions, assuring (in his heavily biased view) the election of a Francis “continuity” candidate.
But others are nervous about perceived efforts by U.S.-style conservatives to sway the voting. On Tuesday, progressives fumed when Vatican reporter Diane Montagna, a conservative American, came under fire for distributing copies of a report laying out cardinals’ positions on hot-button issues to clerics as they entered Vatican City. Asked if the report — which appeared to be gentler toward more conservative candidates — could unduly influence the conclave, Montagna told Playbook that “preparing and distributing information to cardinals ahead of a conclave is not a canonical offense.” She added that she consulted with an expert on Church law before doing so.
Kingmakers and mudslingers: Some cardinals have resorted to vintage smear tactics. One frequent target is Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s wily top diplomat and a close Francis-ally. Initially a frontrunner, his star has fallen, insiders tell Playbook, amid Italian media suggestions he was hospitalized during pre-conclave sessions (denied by the Vatican), allegations that he covered up child abuse, and outrage over his reported accommodation of the Chinese Communist Party.
With fears mounting over the prospect of a misaligned Catholic leader, we’re seeing medieval levels of papal plays and counter-plays. (Though no antipope has been fielded just yet.) Even French President Emmanuel Macron is said to have attempted to sway cardinals in a recent meeting with four of them, though his office has denied it. It’s no wonder that for many clerics, the biggest hope is that the whole affair just concludes quickly. Asked if it would be a fast election, Cardinal Fernando Filoni, caught in St. Peter’s Square, told Playbook: “I hope so.”
OPAQUE POLITICKING, GERMAN-STYLE
SECOND TIME (BARELY) LUCKY: Friedrich Merz was narrowly confirmed as chancellor of the Federal German Republic on Tuesday in a dramatic parliamentary vote that came hours after an embarrassing first round where he failed to win a mandate by six votes. After intense behind-the-scenes haggling, Merz secured 325 votes — nine above the 316 needed to win. Read the full story from our Berlin colleagues here.
You only Merz the ones you love: While the 69-year-old Westphalian is now safely in power, the initial humiliating setback underscored the fragility of his hacked-together coalition, which includes a conservative bloc and the center-left Social Democratic party.
Shot across the bow: Petr Bystron, an Alternative for Germany (AfD) MEP, suggested to Playbook that the rebels never really intended to prevent Merz from becoming chancellor. Instead, he argued, they wanted to punish him for joining forces with the Social Democrats and remind him that any, say, future confidence vote in his leadership will hinge on the support of this fractious, and razor-thin, majority.
Marriage of inconvenience: “The majority of Germans want conservative politics, period,” Bystron claimed. “They don’t want LGBTQ, and they don’t want the Green Deal.”
IMPACT ON EUROPE: The episode leaves Merz weakened from Day 1 — and Europe will pay the price, writes Tim Ross in this analysis. Without unity at home, Tim writes, Merz will struggle to drive the change he says Europe needs, from a surge in defense spending to policies that can insulate German manufacturing from Trump’s tariffs and the challenges posed by China.
DOG DEATH AFTERNOON: Not one to outdo his rival’s Tuesday humiliation, liberal leader Christian Lindner ran over and killed a dog owned by German film producer Wolf Bauer, reports POLITICO’s Seb Starcevic.
HAPPENING TODAY: Merz will visit his counterparts in Warsaw and Paris seeking to rejuvenate the informal Weimar Triangle alliance, which the chancellor sees as a potential engine for shaping a more robust European defense strategy. Chris Lunday has the full details here.
WINDS OF CHANGE
DUTCH WARNING ON EU-ISRAEL AGREEMENT: As EU foreign ministers gather in Warsaw today, the Netherlands’ Caspar Veldkamp is putting Israel-Gaza squarely on the table. In a letter addressed to Europe’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, and seen by Playbook’s Nicholas Vinocur, Veldkamp requests a review of Israel’s compliance with the EU-Israel association agreement, notably regarding Article 2: Israel’s obligations under humanitarian law.
Alarm over aid: Veldkamp raises doubts about Israel’s efforts to distribute aid in Gaza, saying “this system does not appear to be compatible with the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence, and would not allow for the unconditional and unhindered distribution of aid to people in need.”
Veto warning: Veldkamp goes on to demand a review of Israel’s compliance with the association agreement, saying: “I withhold the support of the Netherlands for extending the EU-Israel Action Plan pending a review of Article 2.” The EU-Action Plan is the operational part of the association agreement, which a Dutch veto would render moot.
Taking a distance: The Netherlands has been taking a steadily tougher line against Israel since the breakdown of ceasefire efforts. In April, it tightened restrictions on exports of dual-use goods to Israel, checking them on a case-by-case basis. A Dutch call for suspending the association agreement would add heft to a push from other countries to review the relationship with Israel.
Veldkamp specifies that he supports Israeli security and calls for the release of all hostages held by Hamas. But he also calls for a “broader reflection on and discussing of our relationship with Israel,” underlining that he is “deeply concerned about these developments,” referring to Israel’s operations in Gaza, Syria and the West Bank.
ORBÁN WATCH
EU TAKES ON ORBÁN AND FICO: Brussels on Tuesday ignited the touchpaper on a potentially explosive showdown with the EU’s two most Kremlin-friendly member countries — Hungary and Slovakia — by unveiling new measures designed to ban Russian fossil fuels. Under the plans, developed by Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen, capitals will have to show they’re working toward a 2027 gas cutoff deadline. Details of the impending fight here.
Say no to veto! Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Slovakia’s leader Robert Fico have both previously threatened to block EU sanctions, which require unanimity, unless they got exemptions that allow them to keep profiting off access to Russian energy. Now, Jørgensen’s team has set out a string of tools that don’t require complete consensus and can be passed by a simple majority of countries, including powers to break contracts with Russia and tariffs on nuclear fuel. More on that from my energy colleague Gabriel Gavin here.
How rude: Speaking to POLITICO, Katarína Roth Neveďalová, an MEP from Fico’s party, said that “bypassing” sanctions by EU legislation is “not only overstepping by the Commission but also disrespect towards the member states.”
PARLIAMENT WARNS AGAINST HUNGARY’S BUDGET TRICKS: The European Parliament, in a letter seen by Playbook, has warned against Hungary’s attempt to reclaim EU funds that were frozen over breaches of the rule of law.
Message to Serafin: Two senior lawmakers urged Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin to turn down Hungary’s request to unfreeze €600 million in blocked regional funds. The heads of Parliament’s budget and budgetary control committees, Johan Van Overtveldt and Niclas Herbst, wrote that such an outcome “not only undermines the protection of EU financial interests, but also creates an unwelcome precedent for other Member States.”
Orbán’s ace: This comes amid lingering concerns that Orbán’s government might exploit loopholes in the EU’s so-called cohesion policy to claim back part of the frozen funds without carrying out the required reforms.
TRADING BLOWS
HALF A TRILLION ON THE LINE IN TRADE WAR: Donald Trump’s probes into pharmaceuticals, raw materials and semiconductors — combined with sweeping tariffs already applied against the European Union — are expected to hit a total of €549 billion of EU exports, Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič told reporters Tuesday. That’s some 97 percent of total EU exports, my trade colleague Camille Gijs reports.
Playing it cool: The EU has paused its own planned 20 percent tariffs on U.S. imports as it seeks to take advantage of Trump’s 90-day reprieve to secure a favorable deal, leaving only the lesser 10 percent duties in place. But if it comes down to it, the EU’s retaliatory tariffs could hit up to €100 billion of U.S. goods, four diplomats told Camille and Koen Verhelst.
CARNEY-TRUMP MEET-UP: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told Trump that “Canada is not for sale” during an Oval Office meeting Tuesday, where both leaders tried to downplay the rising tensions between their two governments. “We’re going to be friends with Canada,” Trump said — but he couldn’t resist needling Carney, repeating the phrase “never say never” as he touted benefits to Canada if it were to join the U.S. as a 51st state. Full write-up on the meeting here.
More where that came from: We are in an unprecedented moment in Canadian politics that will shape the country and the course of its relationship with the U.S. and power centers across Europe for decades. POLITICO will be your guide to the issues and players driving the agenda with a fresh version of one of our signature newsletters: Canada Playbook. Sign up here.
MEANWHILE, TRUMP STILL HAS HIS EYE ON GREENLAND: The U.S. is stepping up its intelligence-gathering efforts on Greenland, two people familiar with the effort told the Wall Street Journal.
IN OTHER NEWS
CLIMATE LEADERS MEET IN COPENHAGEN: Climate ministers are gathering in Copenhagen today and Thursday in a bid to energize talks ahead of the COP30 conference in Brazil later this year, POLITICO climate correspondent Louise Guillot writes in to report.
What’s at stake: The meeting will be an opportunity “to try to rebuild trust” between countries, said Jens Mattias Clausen, head of EU program at the Danish think tank Concito, especially after the COP29 summit in Baku last year left some developing countries “frustrated” about a climate finance goal lower than they had expected. But a Trump-shaped shadow will loom over the meeting.
QUITE THE F-UP: Another U.S. F-18 fighter jet sank in the Red Sea on Tuesday after sliding off the flight deck of the Harry S Truman aircraft carrier, Reuters reports. It’s the second such incident in about a week.