Rubio arrives in Athens ahead of meetings, business deals
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Athens late Tuesday for a visit expected to see the signing of a series of deals on new US weapons purchases by Greece. The visit coincides with the sixth round of the Greece-US Strategic Dialogue, scheduled for Wednesday at Greece’s Foreign Ministry. Topics include regional issues, ties between the two nations, international developments, security and law enforcement, energy, shipping, technology, trade, investment and defense. On defense matters, the two sides are reported to have already agreed on the purchase of US weapons, including missiles and self-protection systems, for F-35 aircraft and upgraded F-16 Viper jets. Agreements are also expected on follow-on support for military systems, including Black Hawk and MH-60R helicopters.
Mitsotakis promises energy subsidies for industries
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told a business forum Tuesday that his conservative government proposes to subsidise energy costs for industry to the tune of €95 million. Speaking at the annual general assembly of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises, or SEV, Mitsotakis said the measures would affect concrete, food, paper and plastic industries, with additional support provided for energy-intense businesses. Mitsotakis also outlined his economic policy, stressing the importance of adhering to fiscal discipline.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1317391/mitsotakis-promises-energy-subsidies-for-industries
Spate of Turkish air-traffic infringements and airspace violations recorded
Seven Turkish aircraft were involved in a series of incidents over the Aegean on Tuesday, the Hellenic National Defense General Staff (GEETHA) has said. The aircraft, operating over the northeastern and southeastern Aegean, comprised two armed F-16s flying in formation, a CN-235 surveillance aircraft and four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
PM Mitsotakis: The Parthenon is a global symbol – we will ramp up our demands for the reunification of its Sculptures
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke about the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures during his discussion with author Daniel Mendelsohn on Tuesday, in the Dialogue for Athens Conference: From myth to modern city”. He stressed that Greece was not seeking to empty museums around world and that the Parthenon Sculptures were a unique case, and a reunification would set a precendent for a unique cultural partnership between Greece and the United Kingdom, and particularly between Greece and the British Museum. Mitsotakis admitted that discussions on the issue have not progressed, adding that “we will very clearly ramp up the intensity of our claims, not ony with the Brithsh museum but also with the UK government. He pointed out that a piece of legislation called the Deaccession Act of 1963 essentially prohibits the British Museum from permanently disposing of artifacts that are part of its collection. In order for this to happen, he added, Greece would need an exemption from this act that only a parliamentary majority can implement.
ATHEX: Banks lead genuine recovery
The Euronext Athens (ATHEX) general index closed at 2,686.20 points, adding 1.75% to Monday’s 2,639.95 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index expanded 1.95% to end at 6,898.60 points, though mid-caps grew just 0.01%.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1317393/athex-banks-lead-genuine-recovery
KATHIMERINI: The 4,8 trillion euro that terrify investors
TA NEA: Council of State to rule on the marine park on Monday
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Rubio in Athens: We do have money but only for armaments
RIZOSPASTIS: Thousands protested against Rubio’s visit in Athens and threw to the garbage the dangerous American deals
KONTRA NEWS: Samaras concerned with the latest polls
DIMOKRATIA: Hubris for New Democracy’s history: Behold who celebrated alongside Mitsotakis
NAFTEMPORIKI: Shocking scenarios regarding oil in 2027 as well
DRIVING THE DAY
EUROPE BRACES FOR A DEADLY HYBRID ATTACK — AND DEBATES WHO SHOULD RESPOND: EU capitals are quietly preparing for a major hybrid attack that kills several people — an outcome that looks increasingly likely, five EU diplomats and officials told Nick Vinocur. But the discussions have exposed divisions over how far the bloc should go on security, and whether its role would duplicate NATO’s.
Nightmare scenario: Ambassadors from all 27 EU countries have held confidential talks in recent weeks in a “restricted format,” without phones or assistants, including a meeting last Wednesday that focused specifically on attacks causing mass casualties, two diplomats said. The diplomats were granted anonymity to discuss the confidential exchanges.
Discussions have intensified since an explosive-laden drone was found at Leipzig airport in August. While the EU has long had a “hybrid toolbox” for coordinating responses to cyberattacks, election interference and sabotage, the latest talks have considered emergency response teams, freeing up EU funds for an affected country and how EU leaders should communicate.
“We have to be prepared for something serious,” a senior EU diplomat said. “Unfortunately, Leipzig showed us that a very serious incident, something that causes multiple casualties, is not out of the question.”
Rising danger: The EU says Russia has stepped up cyberattacks, sabotage and other covert operations since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On Tuesday, sailors were reported missing after drones struck two ships in the Black Sea. “Given the scope and scale of Russia’s action there are bound to be casualties sooner than later,” a second EU official said. “It’s sheer luck there haven’t been any yet.”
Some capitals fear the EU is overreaching on security and duplicating NATO, which has underpinned European security for nearly 80 years. “If there is confusion or duplication, that risks slowing down the decision-making,” said Oana Lungescu, a former NATO spokesperson.
Several diplomats are also worried that sensitive information shared in EU meetings could leak. “It either shows up in the media or goes straight to Moscow,” said a diplomat from an eastern flank state.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed an “emergency security protocol” and a “European Security Council,” with both expected to feature in a European Security Strategy due early November. Some diplomats say new structures could take months to establish and overlap with existing tools. “We already have mechanisms in place,” one senior national diplomat said, pointing to the EU’s crisis response system, IPCR.
Putin doesn’t care: NATO should handle intelligence-sharing and military deterrence, while the EU focuses on civilian response, Lungescu said. But Moscow makes no distinction between the institutions: “Frankly, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin doesn’t care whether decisions are taken by Coreper 2 or the NAC,” she said, referring to meetings of EU ambassadors or NATO’s decision-making body.
BIG AND BREAKING
GREENS STAY THE COURSE: The Greens kicked off a season of midterm leadership appointments in the European Parliament by picking Terry Reintke and Nicu Ștefănuță as their new top duo, promising more energetic campaigning but no U-turn on the group’s political direction.
BERLIN’S MAMDANI MOMENT: Elif Eralp could become Berlin’s next mayor — if she can overcome concerns about antisemitism and convince Jewish Berliners to trust the Left.
KALLAS IN BEIRUT: EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas lands in Lebanon today for a two-day visit to pave the way for a new EU mission to train and advise the country’s armed forces, while pushing Beirut on financial and judicial reforms.
Kallas told Playbook exclusively that she expects EU foreign ministers to formally establish the new mission on Monday, adding: “The mission will make a crucial contribution to Lebanon’s security.” She’ll also oversee an EU-funded equipment handover and visit Beirut’s port.
BREXIT RESET PITCH
BRITAIN WANTS A PIECE OF “MADE IN EUROPE”: The U.K. wants its goods to count as European under the EU’s proposed new industrial rules, its Brexit minister Hamish Falconer told Playbook’s Zoya Sheftalovich — but he dismissed reports that London is discussing matching the bloc’s tariffs on Chinese electric cars.
Falconer is in Strasbourg today to meet European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, making his pitch for a closer relationship ahead of a U.K.-EU summit penciled in for next month.
“A straightforward and unfussy arrangement” is what the EU and U.K. should aim for, avoiding new barriers for British and European companies, Falconer said.
The EU’s “Made in Europe” plan would give preference to goods made in the bloc in some public contracts and support programs. The U.K. wants British industry included, with Falconer arguing that supply chains already cross the Channel: “For Europe to be more competitive and able to weather some of the shocks that we’re all talking about, we need to do it together.”
What does Britain have to offer in return? “The prime minister’s been absolutely clear that he is ambitious, and those are the instructions that I am under — to be ambitious, to look at all of the options,” Falconer told Zoya. He added that Andy Burnham would say more in a set-piece speech closer to the summit. Burnham “thinks the status quo doesn’t work well,” Falconer said. “It doesn’t work well, I think, for the U.K., and it doesn’t work well for the EU.”
On China: Falconer pushed back on the idea that Brussels was demanding that the U.K. slap tariffs on Chinese electric cars, saying he was “surprised” to have read those reports. “That’s not the kind of conversation that I’m having with my European counterparts,” he said. Falconer argued the U.K. is “not a backdoor for goods” and has “very robust arrangements” in place. The two sides should tackle shared challenges, he said, “but let us not do harm to our collective industrial base.”
20-SECOND PLAYBOOK PRIMER
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has appliedto the European Union Intellectual Property Office to trademark her voice … but what is the EUIPO? Based in Alicante, Spain, it’s an EU agency responsible for managing intellectual property rights that are valid across the bloc, as well as trademarks and EU designs. It used to be known as the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market.
FRANCE VS. EVERYONE
COUNCIL TUSSLES OVER WHO GETS DEFENSE CASH: Today will see the latest flashpoint between France and other EU governments over whether countries from outside the bloc, such as Canada, Ukraine and the U.K., can access defense funding in the next seven-year budget, Gregorio Sorgi reports.
The discussion among EU ambassadors is crucial for Paris, which argues that access to the planned €131 billion of defense funds should be limited to EU companies. It is clashing with a bloc of countries, including Germany and Italy, that insist defense firms from allied countries should be able to access the money.
Ambassadors will discuss a compromise put forward by the Irish presidency of the Council of the EU, obtained by POLITICO’s Marianne Gros, that envisions the participation of foreign countries that sign an association agreement with the EU.
LE PEN’S BUDGET THREAT: Far-right presidential frontrunner Marine Le Pen has unveiled plans to halve France’s net contributions to the EU budget from around €10 billion to €5 billion — a frightening prospect for EU governments wary that they might have to fill the gap if she wins the election next spring.
To reduce national contributions, Le Pen suggested harmonizing tobacco and alcohol taxes across Europe and transferring the revenues to the Brussels budget. She also proposed linking national budget contributions to carbon emissions.
Reality check: The ideas are unlikely to be accepted by Northern states wary of expanding the EU’s taxing powers and by countries with carbon-intensive industries, like Poland.
6 MORE THINGS GETTING US TALKING
AI LIABILITY … REMEMBER THAT? The EU shelved its rules on AI liability — but now OpenAI chief Sam Altman has revived the debate.
TRUMP WEIGHS IN: Donald Trump has blamed the wave of student protests in France on “out of control mass migration” and Islam (neither of which spurred the demonstrations).
Meanwhile … Trump told reporters last night he’ll have a call with Vladimir Putin to discuss Russia’s suspected plague case “very soon,” the Associated Press reports.
PERSONA NON GRATA: Latvia has moved to boot out Russian journalist Leonid Ragozin after he was accused of making pro-Kremlin comments on a podcast, Ali Walker writes.
FLAG FIGHT: France Unbowed MEP Rima Hassan accused Parliament President Roberta Metsola of making “factually false” claims that Israeli and EU flags were knocked over at an exhibition marking the Oct. 7 attacks.
AMENDMENT AVALANCHE: More than 4,000 amendments to the Industrial Accelerator Act land today — and the EPP may have a bombshell among them, my colleagues report in Morning Fair Play (for subscribers).