New courts bill will speed up administration of justice, Mitsotakis says
The “correct and fast administration of justice is an integral part of liberal democracy,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has told MPs in the context of a debate on a new Justice Ministry bill, adding that his government wants to see cases “finalized within 600 to 650 days.”
Supreme Court moves to appeal Mati wildfire court decision
Supreme Court Prosecutor Georgia Adelini instructed the Prosecutor of the Athens Appeals Court to explore the possibility of appealing the court’s decision on the Mati wildfire case. It is recalled that the court’s decision, reached after more than eighteen months, found only five high-ranking state officials guilty, primarily from the Fire Service, while absolving those responsible for Civil Protection and local government officials.
Visa express now available on five more Greek islands for Turkish citizens
Another five Greek islands have opened to tourism from Turkish citizens through the expedited visa entry process (visa express) as of Tuesday (April 30), the Greek embassy in Ankara posted on X. Following Chios, Kos, Lesbos, Rhodes, and Samos, the visa program is also being extended to Leros, Lemnos, Kalymnos, Kastellorizo, and Symi, the Greek embassy said.
BoG: Over 30 mln tourists in Greece in 2023; receipts up 16.5% compared to 2022
Travel receipts in 2023 totaled 20,593.6 million euros, up by 16.5% compared with 2022, the Bank of Greece said on Tuesday in a final report on 2023.
Budget revenues from taxes exceed target in January-March 2024, finance ministry reports
Budget revenues from taxes in January-March 2024 were 598 million euros above the target at 14.844 billion euros, the national economy and finance minister announced on Tuesday.
Due to the May 1st strike there is no circulation of newspapers today
GOOD MORNING, and happy International Workers’ Day. We’re celebrating by delivering a packed Playbook!
Commemorating a different kind of union: Today is also the 20th anniversary of the European Union’s biggest enlargement, when 10 countries, including seven young democracies of the former Eastern Bloc, cemented their place in the West.
In a newsy interview with Playbook, the EU’s trade and economy chief Valdis Dombrovskiscelebrates enlargement as a success “both geopolitically and economically,” and calls for the EU to take the next step with Moldova and Ukraine in June. He also warns about the threats posed by Russia’s war and a new subsidy race that is fueling growth inequalities.
Against that backdrop: But first, to Georgia, where thousands of people have taken to the streets in a bid to push their government out of the Kremlin’s clutches and into the EU’s embrace.
GEORGIA AT A CROSSROADS
CRACKDOWN ON PRO-EU PROTESTERS: Tens of thousands of people, who were protesting a controversial Putin-style “foreign agent” law being rammed through parliament by the ruling Georgian Dream party, were forced to run from authorities through the streets of Tbilisi last night, reports POLITICO’s Gabriel Gavin, who is on the ground in the capital.
Stifling people power: Outside the national parliament, riot police charged crowds of peaceful, EU-flag-waving demonstrators,who’d gathered in opposition to plans to force NGOs, campaign groups and media outlets to register as “foreign agents” if they receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad. Georgia’s parliamentarians are expected to vote in favor of the bill at a second reading later today.
Sound familiar? The Georgian Dream proposals are reminiscent of President Vladimir Putin’s moves to stifle dissent and suffocate civil society in Russia.
What’s at stake — Georgia’s EU prospects: Brussels in December granted Tbilisi EU candidate status, raising the hopes of the four-in-five Georgians who consistently tell pollsters they want to join the Union. Yet, some fear Tbilisi is moving closer to Moscow under Georgian Dream, with the government ramming through draconian laws that undermine any chance at EU membership. The Putin-style foreign agent bill is “incompatible with European values,” the EU has said.
Last night’s violence marks a sharp escalation, after weeks of public demonstrations against the controversial proposals as they work their way through parliament. Police deployed tear gas, water cannons, shields and batons, and made several arrests, Gabriel writes in to report (after washing the tear gas from his own eyes). Levan Khabeishvili, the chairman of the UNM Party, the largest opposition grouping, was reportedly detained and posted a picture of himself looking badly beaten.
Crunch visit: The footage of the violent crackdown against peaceful protesters will be front of mind for the EU’s enlargement policy chief, DG NEAR boss Gert Jan Koopman, who lands in Georgia this morning for a crucial visit.
Difficult choices: The Commission and EU governments made a conscious choice to grant Georgia accession status, seeking to give the country more impetus to enact crucial rule-of-law reforms and nurture its fledgling democracy. But how long will the EU maintain that approach amid concerns Georgian Dream is actively undermining accession?
Attitudes in Brussels appear to be hardening: German MEP Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, a member of the European Parliament foreign affairs committee, told POLITICO that Koopman should take a tough line with the government in the wake of the crackdown. “All the criteria that Georgia was supposed to meet were not met, and this new escalation is clearly against all the civil standards Georgia was supposed to uphold.”
Read more from Gabriel Gavin and Dato Parulava.
ENLARGEMENT ANNIVERSARY
DOMBROVSKIS LOOKS BACK AT 20 YEARS ENLARGEMENT ‘SUCCESS,’ WARNS OF NEW THREATS: It’s been 20 years since the historic 2004 EU enlargement, when Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia joined the club. To mark the anniversary, Playbook spoke to Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis.
The verdict: “Overall it has been a success, both geopolitically and economically,” the trade and economics chief said. “It has made the EU a stronger, bigger global player. And it firmly placed the new member states within the Western democratic world.”
But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows: Dombrovskis cautioned about clouds on the horizon. Economic convergence has paused recently. And the EU needs to mind growth inequalities, he reckons, if it wants to maintain popular support for the joint project among its member countries.
“We are facing competitiveness challenges,” Dombrovskis said. “We are facing the green and digital transformation of our economies … and it’s very important that in this process we are not leaving countries and regions behind.”
Subsidies could exacerbate inequalities: One dilemma, Dombrovskis said, is that competing with American and Chinese subsidies risks tearing apart the single market’s level playing field. “Not all countries have equal possibilities. Countries in the south and countries in the east will not be able to subsidize their companies as massively as Germany or France.”
Task for the next Commission: Dombrovskis said the EU needs to look at Union-wide funding instruments to ensure a level playing field. “From my point of view,” he told me, “the more flexibility there is on state aid, the more flexibility there needs to be for redistributions through the EU budget.”
Speaking of the next Commission: Dombrovskis told Playbook the EU should appoint a Central or Eastern European leader to one of its top jobs after the June election. “If you look at most of the top jobs and even also at the managerial level in the EU institutions, actually the Central-Eastern European region is still underrepresented,” he said.
WHAT ABOUT THE NEXT ENLARGEMENT? Dombrovskis wants the EU to wrap up negotiations on the enlargement framework with Moldova and Ukraine quickly — with a target of the June European Council summit. “The world is watching,” he said. “Now is not the time to dither.”
The countries that were left behind: Dombrovskis argued the 2004 enlargement was possible in part because it happened during a short period when Russia was less authoritarian. In the “Baltic states, we used this geopolitical window of opportunity, soon after regaining independence, towards integration in the EU and NATO,” Dombrovskis said. But some countries were left behind “in the gray zone, between Russia and the West.”
All eyes on EU: Europe needs to stand up for its values or risk more aggression down the line, Dombrovskis warned. “Other authoritarian regimes are watching how the West is reacting on Russia’s invasion against Ukraine and this will also shape their thinking and attitudes towards the collective West.”
Outfoxing the Kremlin: The commissioner argued it is vital for the EU to stand up for its values to deter future aggressors — which should include being “more systematic” in fighting back against disinformation and outside interference in democratic processes.
EYE ON MOLDOVA
SPEAKING OF ENLARGEMENT — PUMP THE GAS, MOLDOVA SAYS: Cristina Gherasimov, the Moldovan deputy prime minister for European integration, told POLITICO’s Barbara Moens that the EU must maintain the enlargement momentum as her country heads to the polls for a presidential election and a referendum on EU membership on October 20.
Moldovans need hope: “Showing to our citizens that things continue developing in Brussels — as a reflection of the political commitments in Brussels, but also of EU member states — is very important for us as deliverables before the presidential elections and the referendum,” Gherasimov said.
On the right track: The EU opened membership talks with Moldova and Ukraine in December. Now they’re waiting for the 27 European capitals to agree on the negotiating frameworks that set the guidelines and basic principles for their accession talks before negotiations can formally start. Gherasimov says Moldova is doing everything it can to move the process forward.
But it needs help: Russian propaganda and disinformation is ramping up ahead of the October votes, including claims that Moldova could, like Ukraine, be invaded if it chooses European integration. “Therefore, it’s so important to continue showing that things are moving also from the Brussels side,” Gherasimov said.
IN OTHER NEWS
TRUMP SPEAKS: Former (and potentially future) U.S. President Donald Trump has given an interview to Time. Asked about his comment that he “wouldn’t give a penny” to Ukraine if he was reelected, Trump seemed to hedge, saying: “I wouldn’t give unless Europe starts equalizing. … If Europe is not going to pay, why should we pay? They’re much more greatly affected. We have an ocean in between us. They don’t.”
GERMAN FAR RIGHT SHRUGS OFF ‘WITCH HUNT’: Allegations of espionage and undue Russia and China influence against Alternative for Germany politicians have thrown into doubt the party’s long ascent in German politics. But, as James Angelos reports, the reports don’t appear to have troubled fervent supporters in the former East Germany.
Nothing to see: If anything, the sensational allegations seem to have deepened loyalty to the far-right party, James discovered on a visit to Magdeburg where AfD supporters aired grievances against German decline, migration, and the mainstream media. “I believe it’s a witch hunt,” one said of the allegations. “They want to defame the AfD.”
DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE: On the occasion of International Workers’ Day, the European Disability Forum is calling on the EU to support the rights of people with disabilities with a “European Disability Employment and Skills Guarantee.”