Welcome to Rapporteur. This is Eddy Wax in Luxembourg, with Nicoletta Ionta in Brussels. Got a story we should know about? Drop us a line – we read every message.
Need-to-knows:
- Brussels: EU diplomats meet on 19th package of Russia sanctions after Austria lifts veto
- Luxembourg: Foreign ministers to discuss Ukraine, the Middle East, and Georgia tensions
- Amsterdam: Swedish leaders clash over migration at Socialist congress, deepening EU rift
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From the capital
For months, the EU has demanded a seat at the table in any Ukraine peace talks with Vladimir Putin. In a very twisted way, they got what they wanted… in the shape of Viktor Orbán.
The Hungarian prime minister’s curveball announcement late last week that he would host negotiations between Donald Trump and the Russian leader set off a desperate diplomatic chain reaction by other Europeans, who characterise Orbán’s methods for ending the war as mere Russian appeasement.
Europeans are trying hard to project they’re in control of events. On Friday, Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa joined a video-call of national European leaders with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was fresh from a disappointing meeting with Trump in the White House – one that ended without Tomahawk missiles.
EU foreign ministers hosting their Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha in Luxembourg are bracing for a Hungarian show today. “The Hungarian minister will probably make a big song and dance about it,” a senior EU diplomat said. There may be no date yet for the Budapest Putin-Trump bonanza – but Orbán is already gloating.
Orbán’s crowing comes as momentum on supporting Ukraine financially appears to be hitting a wall, and recriminations are getting louder at home. “There are big member states that are not pulling their weight,” the same senior diplomat said.
Another problem: Belgium still hasn’t received enough assurances about the reparations loan idea from the Commission.
Though diplomats say a deal is close, Slovakia’s Robert Fico is still blocking the 19th sanctions package against Russia. Behind the scenes, diplomats are asking why Hungary’s Orbán would wave it through when it is on the cusp of hosting Putin – and when, for them, the mainstream strategy of reaching “peace through strength” amounts to warmongering.
And don’t even mention Ukraine’s accession to the EU, another area where Hungary is blocking any formal steps forward.
“What is the power of the EU if such an honourable Union can’t deal with one not-so-big country?” asked Oleksandr Korniyenko, the first deputy speaker of Ukraine’s Rada, in a conversation with Rapporteur.
The lack of progress is hard to explain to his fellow MPs, Korniyenko said, and it “seems like injustice because Ukrainians now die with the European Union flag on their backs.”
Austria lifts veto on fresh Russia sanctions
Austria has dropped its veto on the EU’s 19th sanctions package against Russia. Vienna had been demanding the unfreezing of certain Russian assets to compensate Raiffeisen Bank, affected by Moscow’s counter-sanctions. The package will be discussed by EU ambassadors in Brussels today.
With Austria’s veto lifted, Slovak PM Robert Fico is now the final holdout. The issue will resurface at this week’s EU leaders’ summit on Thursday, where Fico has already voiced his “astonishment” that Kyiv’s war with Russia is “being treated as the top priority topic.”
Georgian-German relations in tatters
Germany has temporarily recalled its ambassador to Georgia, escalating tensions between the EU and the Caucasus nation. Berlin’s foreign ministry said the decision follows “months of agitation” by Georgia’s leadership against the EU, Germany, and Ambassador Ernst Peter Fischer personally.
Fischer has faced repeated criticism from Georgian officials, including PM Irakli Kobakhidze, who accused him of meddling in domestic affairs and even suggested expelling him.
The ambassador’s attendance at court hearings of opposition figures and his rebuke of government references to Germany’s Nazi past have further fuelled the diplomatic row. EU foreign ministers will discuss Georgia today.
Romanian centre-left drops ‘progressive’ label
At a congress of Europe’s socialists in Amsterdam over the weekend, Romanian MEP Victor Negrescu confirmed that his party, PSD, will drop the word “progressive” from its statutes, arguing that in Romanian politics the term carries “libertarian” connotations. The move has raised concerns among socialists about the party’s alignment on issues like LGBTQI rights.
Negrescu said the move is meant to “win back voters from disadvantaged groups” who have drifted to the far right. Former Swedish PM Stefan Löfven, who leads the organisation uniting Europe’s centre-left parties, downplayed concerns, calling it “a Romanian domestic debate.”
A split between Löfven and his successor in Stockholm, Magdalena Andersson, meanwhile highlights the broader unease among Europe’s socialists over identity and migration, Magnus Lund Nielsen reports.
Socialists challenge EPP over Metsola’s future
Socialist chief Stefan Löfven challenged the notion that Roberta Metsola should get a third term as European Parliament president. “We have a deal,” he said, speaking at a congress this weekend in Amsterdam, where Magnus represented Euractiv.
But is there really a deal? Socialists claim there is a piece of paper signed by the EPP and the Socialists after last year’s EU Parliament election that guarantees their group the right to name an MEP as president between 2027 and 2029. Yet no one has been able to show Rapporteur the piece of paper.
It is customary for the Parliament to switch presidents at mid-term. Only Metsola and German Social Democrat Martin Schulz have led the assembly on two sides of an election.
Rare earths, emergency meeting
Industry Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné has called an “emergency meeting” this morning with sectors impacted by China’s latest export controls on rare earths. The online session will bring together industries including automotives, wind energy, defence, chemicals, and mining as Séjourné seeks to assess the potential impact on European production.
Commissioners will chew over his findings on Tuesday in Strasbourg.
Simplification gets complicated
A nocturnal trilogue on Friday aimed at simplifying rules for farmers collapsed, Alice Bergöend reports for Agrifood subscribers. The Danes walked out of the talks, blaming MEPs for making unrelated demands.
Parliament is under pressure from the Council to show that it’s not slow walking the simplification drive. Roberta Metsola penned a Europe-wide op-ed over the weekend to make the case that the Parliament is serious about cutting red tape.
Plenary problems
Metsola is making another push to make European Parliament debates less dull. She will draw up “concrete proposals” to reform the plenary after input from MEPs.
Tons of ideas are floating around: a new 60-minute debate format, holding debates on controversial bills earlier in the legislative process, limiting late-night debates, seating MEPs in the front rows, making “question time” with commissioners more combative, allowing MEPs to interrupt each other more, and incentivising MEPs to turn up.
The Parliament has already experimented with withholding MEPs’ speaking slots to force them to stay in the chamber longer, waiting for their turn. But this hasn’t solved the problem of low turnout.
Ukrainians want to meet Patriots
Korniyenko, a former leader of Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People party, said he’s been reaching out non-stop to the far-right groups – Patriots and ESN – in the European Parliament to set up meetings. But to no avail. “We want to share with them our position,” he said. “Any results start with dialogue.”
The capitals
NICOSIA 🇨🇾
Voters in northern Cyprus ousted Turkish President Erdoğan’s ally Ersin Tatar, handing moderate Tufan Erhürman a decisive win with nearly 63% of the vote. Erhürman, a former prime minister, ran on a promise to kickstart reunification talks with the island’s Greek Cypriot south. He replaces Tatar, who had pushed Ankara’s two-state vision. Still, Erhürman said he would coordinate foreign policy with Turkey. Erdoğan congratulated him and vowed to keep defending the territory’s “sovereign interests.”
PARIS 🇫🇷
Emmanuel Macron is in Slovenia today for the MED9 summit of southern EU states, where talks will focus on competitiveness and the bloc’s next long-term budget. Von der Leyen and the King of Jordan will join the gathering for discussions on Europe’s role in Gaza. Macron will stay for a bilateral visit on Tuesday to deepen economic ties, capped by a partnership between the Port of Koper and France’s shipping group CMA CGM.
ROME 🇮🇹
Giorgia Meloni on Sunday criticised attempts in the US to eliminate Columbus Day, describing them as part of a “woke culture” that she said threatens shared traditions. Speaking by video to the National Italian American Foundation’s 50th anniversary gala in Washington, Meloni thanked Trump for restoring the holiday and commended his proclamation honouring Italian American heritage. Trump later shared a clip of her remarks on Truth Social, praising her call for transatlantic cooperation.
MADRID 🇪🇸
Pedro Sánchez will travel to Portorož, Slovenia, on Monday to attend a summit of nine southern EU countries. Local reports said he will push for a unified stance on major policy questions before new EU budget talks, where this capital has previously expressed reservations. The so-called MED9 group – which includes Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Croatia, and Slovenia – has sought to amplify the voice of southern Europe within the bloc.
LISBON 🇵🇹
Thousands rallied in this capital on Sunday to call for peace in Palestine and the enforcement of the peace deal. Organised by Unitarian Platform for Solidarity with Palestine – a coalition including Amnesty International Portugal, Greenpeace, Médecins Sans Frontières, and the José Saramago Foundation – the march stretched from Rossio to Rua da Prata. The demonstrations coincided with Israel’s renewed enforcement of the US-brokered ceasefire, after it accused Hamas of repeatedly violating the truce and launched fresh strikes in Gaza.
WARSAW 🇵🇱
President Karol Nawrocki heads to Lithuania on Monday to join Gitanas Nausėda in inaugurating an upgraded section of the Via Baltica, the main road connecting Poland with the Baltic states. As part of the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network, it plays a strategic role in trade and NATO troop movements. Talks between the two leaders will focus on security and continued backing for Ukraine, with tensions still simmering on the alliance’s eastern flank.
Schuman roundabout
PALESTINE PROTEST: Around 40 pro-Palestine activists attempted to establish a “people’s encampment” near the European Commission’s Berlaymont headquarters on Sunday. Police immediately intervened, seizing tents before they were put up, according to social media posts. “We are being detained,” the group wrote on Instagram. Their aim is to “demand REAL accountability for Israel’s crimes.” As of last night, we heard they planned to remain overnight.
Also on Euractiv
Belgium rallies EU support to greenlight Afghans’ returns
Belgium’s push for an EU-wide coordination on deporting irregular and criminal Afghan nationals has gained…
3 minutes
A Belgian-led call for tougher EU action on deporting irregular Afghan migrants has secured backing from 19 countries, according to a joint letter obtained by Euractiv. The signatories, which include Germany and Italy, urged the Commission to greenlight both voluntary and forced returns and to give Frontex, the bloc’s border agency, a stronger role in managing deportations.
The appeal comes as Berlin moves ahead with plans to restart deportations to Afghanistan despite not recognising the Taliban regime.
Czech PM hopeful Babiš faces renewed conflict of interest allegations amid EU budget talks
Czech populist leader Andrej Babiš’s election victory has reignited conflict of interest allegations over his…
4 minutes
Brussels is bracing for the return of Czech populist Andrej Babiš, the billionaire former prime minister whose control of a vast agribusiness empire once put him at odds with EU conflict of interest rules.
As his ANO party sweeps back to power, European officials warn they will scrutinise whether Babiš again risks steering subsidies toward his own conglomerate, Agrofert – an allegation he denies while exploring possible legal fixes.
Agenda
— Ursula von der Leyen attends the MED9 summit in Slovenia
— Foreign Affairs Council meets in Luxembourg
— Energy Council meeting in Luxembourg
— Parliament plenary in Strasbourg, with debates on: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, chemicals strategy, the Google fine, and David Cormand’s report on a new legislative framework for products fit for the digital and suitable transition
— Coreper 2 meets at 8:30pm to prepare Tuesday’s General Affairs Council and Thursday’s European Council
Contributors: Magnus Lund Nielsen, Thomas Møller-Nielsen, Laurent Geslin, Alessia Peretti, Inés Fernández-Pontes, Paulo Agostinho, Aleksandra Krzysztoszek
Editors: Matthew Karnitschnig, Sofia Mandilara
