Athens ‘certain’ sea drone is Ukrainian
Defense Minister Nikos Dendias, speaking at a gathering with his EU colleagues, said Tuesday he was “certain” the unmanned explosives-laden sea vessel found last Thursday off the coast of the island of Lefkada in western Greece was Ukrainian. Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was taking part in the meeting via online link, claimed ignorance but promised to investigate and come back with answers.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/politics/foreign-policy/1303592/athens-certain-sea-drone-is-ukrainian
New legislation implementing EU Pact on Migration and Asylum posted for public consultation
The Greek government on Tuesday presented a new draft bill that implements the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, which envisages a comprehensive overhaul of the national legislative framework for managing illegal migration, asylum and returns, for a period of public consultation. According to the ministry of migration and asylum, the new legislative framework seeks to strengthen the protection of the European Union’s external borders, accelerate asylum procedures and create tougher and more effective return mechanisms for those not eligible for international protection and legal residence in the country.
Fuel Pass III: Over 2.5 million beneficiaries and 113 million euros to blunt the impact of the Middle East crisis
Developments in the Middle East and the renewed international energy turmoil prompted the government to activate Fuel Pass III, in an effort to contain pressures before they were transmitted to the market and households’ disposable income. According to the program’s final figures, a total of 2,559,592 beneficiaries were included in Fuel Pass III, with the overall amount of support reaching 113,085,905 euros.
BoG Governor Stournaras: Instability will remain high
The Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras, in an interview with the Italian newspaper Avvenire, stressed that the crises of recent years have shown just how vulnerable Europe is. He noted that coordinated investment in infrastructure, interconnections and the diversification of energy sources are needed, as well as accelerating the use of renewable sources.
https://www.amna.gr/en/article/992423/BoG-Governor-Stournaras-Instability-will-remain-high
ATHEX: Market jitters send index back south
The fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran continues to trouble money markets and on Tuesday it ate into recent gains of the Greek bourse benchmark, which mainly suffered due to the decline of bank stocks. With Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras predicting that uncertainty is here to stay, traders will be happy to keep their cards close to their chest for the time being, even if the domestic economy offers some significant investment opportunities.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1303591/athex-market-jitters-send-index-back-south
KATHIMERINI: Express-trials for MPs
TA NEA: Our children are taking their own lives: Why?
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Eurostat on the absorption of RRF funding: Money existed but… got lost
RIZOSPASTIS: University students are voting today for their studies and their lives
KONTRA NEWS: Tsipras jumps to 15,1% in vote intent
DIMOKRATIA: Ukraine is a hostile state
NAFTEMPORIKI: Early repayment of 3 bln of debt owed to EFSF
DRIVING THE DAY
FUNERAL BELLS FOR DG REGIO? It’s one of the Commission’s oldest services, overseeing almost a third of EU spending. But the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy could soon become the next casualty of Ursula von der Leyen’s broader restructuring of the EU executive, as Brussels redesigns itself around new priorities.
Cohesion, reworked: Playbook spoke to nine EU officials and diplomats familiar with the discussions about the future of the Commission department responsible for regional development. Their view: The EU’s €600 billion cohesion policy — designed to help poorer regions catch up —is looking outdated after the Covid-19 pandemic-recovery fund proved Brussels could move money faster through a more centralized model.
How we got here: Traditional cohesion funds are managed jointly by EU governments and regions. But the pandemic changed that, with national recovery plans negotiated directly with the Commission. That logic is now also shaping talks over the EU’s next long-term budget.
Von der Leyen’s power play: The Commission president has long pushed to redirect regional money toward defense and competitiveness. And under both restructuring scenarios now circulating, she would gain tighter control over EU spending.
#1 — DG INVEST: The Commission is weighing the creation of a super-DG — informally dubbed “DG INVEST” — overseeing regional and social funds as well as the future competitiveness fund, four officials said. It would be a major opportunity for von der Leyen. “If you build a structure from scratch, you shape it in your own image,” one of the officials said. All were granted anonymity to discuss the confidential plans.
#2 — The Great Merger: But scrapping DG REGIO outright would be difficult because it’s such a historic service, three others said. Their bet: the merging of DG REGIO and the Reform and Investment Task Force, known as SG REFORM, which manages Covid recovery funds and sits close to von der Leyen through the Secretariat-General. This would create a new investment-focused structure.
Expect a fight: Ľubica Karvašová, vice chair of the European Parliament’s REGI Committee, told Playbook the ideas are “a failure to understand what cohesion policy is really about.” Europe’s regions, she argued, can’t be managed through an overly centralized investment model — and warned there would be resistance if other departments are strengthened at DG REGIO’s expense.
The human angle: Anxiety is spreading inside DG REGIO. One official described staff as “an egg in the fridge” — carrying an expiration date. Many have moved elsewhere, though there hasn’t been a “panic exodus” yet, they said.
Timing: Officials point to the Commission’s review, slated to be completed by the end of this year ahead of the 2028 budget cycle, as the key window for an overhaul. The expected retirement next year of Director-General Themis Christophidou is fueling talk that DG REGIO could be killed off, two Commission officials said.
Takeaway: Even if DG REGIO survives, established cohesion policy is fading, while von der Leyen-controlled strategic investment is on the rise.
BIG AND BREAKING
EXCLUSIVE — WILL THE SUN EVER RISE ON TURNBERRY? The European Commission has floated a possible compromise to break the deadlock on the EU-U.S. trade deal — specifically on one of the most controversial topics, the so-called sunrise clause, Camille Gijs reports (for subscribers).
MAKING FRIENDS: As Jordan Bardella prepares for a potential presidency run, the leader of France’s far-right National Rally is trying to soften his party’s historically hostile posture toward Germany.
MONEY LAUNDERING ALLEGATIONS: Just as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pushing to secure rapid EU membership for Ukraine, a deepening corruption scandal in Kyiv is undermining his case that the country is ready to join.
DIGITAL HUNT: Over two days in mid-April, teams from 18 countries convened in Europol’s headquarters in The Hague to comb through photographs, social media profiles and metadata, seeking information about Ukrainian children believed to have been abducted by Russia.
MAKING HAY: At least five NATO countries on Europe’s eastern flank are rushing to bid for American troops on their soil after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would pull 5,000 or more soldiers from Germany.
A LOW-CARBON LOVE STORY
EXCLUSIVE — A EUROPEAN UNION: Two Green members of the European Parliament shocked their colleagues by announcing in a behind-closed-doors meeting that they are in a relationship with one another, Max Griera writes in to report.Greens group Co-President Bas Eickhout, 49, from the Netherlands, and Austrian Lena Schilling, 25, revealed the matter during the group’s study days in Zagreb last month.
The relationship brings together one of the most senior lawmakers in the Parliament, in terms of rank, with the current youngest MEP.
Content couple: “I am happy I found someone as obsessed with international carbon credits as I am,” Schilling told Playbook. Eickhout added that he was “happy to have found someone like Lena.”
Why this is news: While there are no official Parliament rules guiding MEPs’ personal relationships, they do need to declare them if they believe they can lead to a conflict of interest. “The announcement ensured that everyone in the group is aware of the relationship and it will not affect the workings of the group,” said Greens spokesperson Simon McKeagney.
Why they’re important: Eickhout and Schilling are the top lawmakers on climate files in the Greens. They represented the group at the COP climate summit in Bélem, Brazil, last November.
Leadership battle: Eickhout faces reelection as group co-president in six months, at the midpoint of the parliamentary term, and is under pressure from Baltic and eastern Green lawmakers seeking greater representation in the group’s leadership. His position has been weakened by the merger of his Dutch party with the Social Democrats, with Dutch Greens expected to join the European Parliament’s S&D group after the 2029 EU election.
How it went down: One of those present in the meeting in Zagreb described the announcement as a “very awkward” moment. Another person present said it was uncomfortable for the group and that mixing work with pleasure can become “problematic” — but that, at the end of the day, “love is love.”
20-SECOND PLAYBOOK PRIMER
Several EU countries aren’t taking part in — or even screening — the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, in protest at Israel’s participation. But why is non-European Israel — and, for that matter, Australia — participating in the first place? The right to take part in the song contest is contingent on membership of the European Broadcasting Union and Israel has been a member since 1957 and first took part in 1973. It won the competition in 1978, 1979, 1998, and 2018. Australia first took part in 2015.
TALK TO PLAYBOOK: On the Brussels Playbook Podcast, Ian asked Commission insiders to tell us what they think of the potential merger of DG REGIO. WhatsApp us on +32 491 050629 and listen from 7 a.m. to hear if we give you a shoutout.
COMBUSTION COMEBACK?
START YOUR ENGINES: An initiative backed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Bavarian EPP chief Manfred Weber is back on the Brussels agenda today, as CEOs from top carmakers join commissioners and MEPs over lunch to discuss rolling back the EU’s combustion engine ban, Max and Jordyn Dahl report.
Another push: The Commission had told automakers to reduce tailpipe emissions from new vehicles by 100 percent by 2035, but later backtracked under EPP pressure, saying a 90 percent cut would be enough. Today, Italian EPP lawmaker Massimiliano Salini will present a draft that rolls back green ambitions even further, raising the odds that the EPP will need to turn to the far right to get the backing it needs in the Parliament.
Centrist cracks: The EPP invited socialist and liberal lawmakers to the meeting, to build bridges. But none of the S&D and Renew invitees who responded to POLITICO — including the groups’ lead negotiators — plan to attend.
Confrontation looming: “China doesn’t care about your love for roaring engines and the smell of petrol … get real, accept the current market reality,” said Dutch Renew MEP Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, who was invited but won’t attend. “Electric cars have outperformed all expectations.”
Guest list: Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall; Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas; Ford Europe President Jim Baumbick; Mahle CEO Arnd Franz; Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius; Hyundai Europe President Xavier Martinet; Renault CEO François Provost; Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna.
DASHBOARD
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EU TESTS WATERS ON AFGHAN RETURNS: The European Commission has invited Taliban authorities to Brussels to discuss returning Afghans who have been ordered to leave the EU and are deemed security threats — a push that could define upcoming EU returns policy. But the move is already drawing warnings that it disregards international law and fundamental rights.
5 MORE THINGS GETTING US TALKING
HANDS-ON WITH HANTA: EU ambassadors will discuss today, for the first time, a joint strategy for containing the spread of the deadly hantavirus, two diplomats and an official told Gabriel Gavin.
STANDING FIRM: Spain won’t abandon its commitment to international law despite mounting criticism from the U.S. over its refusal to allow its air bases to be used for the Iran war, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told POLITICO.
BY A THREAD: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under increased pressure to resign, even as King Charles III prepares to announce the U.K. government’s legislative plan for the next year.
PARTY POOPED: Boycotts, protests and fears about vote-rigging are threatening to overshadow this week’s Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna — where Israel last night made it through to the final.
EMISSIONS TRADING: The European Commission says it will push ahead with plans to charge airlines for carbon emissions from international flights, despite the risk of tensions with the U.S. and opposition from carriers already facing high jet fuel prices.