Socialists' budget brinkmanship
Live from Strasbourg! Nicoletta and I will be sitting in the European Parliament's Swan Bar between 17:30 and 19:00 today. Come and say hi to your newsletter team!
In today's edition: S&D get serious
Brunner gets deported
Patriots get climate bill
Schengen at 40
Today's edition is powered by CEN and CENELEC
Standards support European competitiveness
CEN and CENELEC welcome Denmark's Presidency of the EU Council. We are ready to leverage the strength of standards to help Europe complete the Single Market, drive innovation, strengthen competitiveness and ensure effective regulation across strategic sectors.
Read more. À la carte
How much more can the Socialists & Democrats take? And what are their options as the new right-wing alternative majority chips away at their once-central place in the EU power balance?
They say that this time their threat to block the next seven-year EU budget is not just empty words.
S&D MEPs were left disappointed by Ursula von der Leyen at a closed-door meeting in Strasbourg yesterday, as she outlined her broad plans for the 2028-2034 budget cycle, ahead of the official proposal on 16 July.
The centre-left group wants the Commission to rethink its plan to merge all EU cash into a single envelope per country. The Socialists also want a larger EU budget, more EU taxes, more common debt, standalone regional and agricultural funds, and a protected European Social Fund.
'We will not be shy to walk away from this important file,' said Dutch Socialist Mohammed Chahim. S&D's Carla Tavares, one of two lead MEPs on the budget, said von der Leyen gave them no 'relevant news' in the meeting.
Jean-Marc Germain, a French Socialist, said it was 'not normal' that only von der Leyen – and no other commissioner – seemed to know what was in the proposal. Though he rejected my query about the credibility of the Socialists' red lines.
Last year, when Socialist commissioner Teresa Ribera was threatened with rejection by the right, the S&D forgot their own initial refusal to let Giorgia Meloni's pick Raffaele Fitto become an executive vice president of the Commission.
"It was complicated for the College of Commissioners, for budget it's simple,' Germain said. 'Either we have our priorities and no red lines crossed, and it's a yes, or it's a no and there is no budget. That makes the threat credible."
Only the unveiling next Wednesday will tell if von der Leyen takes them seriously or not.
Socialists' uneasy Danish presidency
The S&D has problems closer to home too. Fewer than 20 of the 136 Socialist MEPs showed up to listen to Mette Frederiksen's speech in the plenary on Tuesday, even though she is one of only three European leaders from their political family.
Were they all too busy? Or were they perhaps irked by the Danish prime minister's tough stance on migration – which drew applause from the right of the hemicycle– and her statement that it is negatively impacting the cohesion of Europe's societies?
Either way, the EPP stuck the boot in. 'The resistance in S&D towards Mette Frederiksen will not stand in the way [of us working closely with her],' said its MEP Tomas Tobé.
Brunner gets deported
Magnus Brunner just got a tiny taste of what it's like to be deported. A high-profile EU visit to Libya ended in diplomatic chaos on Tuesday when the European commissioner for migration and the interior ministers of Italy, Greece, and Malta were expelled upon arrival in Benghazi.
Sources in Athens told Euractiv that the incident may be linked to the fact that the European delegation first visited Tripoli – the seat of Libya's internationally-recognised government. Read more.
Patriots for climate
Greens, Socialists, and liberals are scrambling to sideline the far-right Patriots for Europe group after it secured control of the EU's 2040 climate goal bill. With a crucial vote tomorrow, the centre-right EPP holds the balance.
'The Patriots can be outmanoeuvred and we will do everything we can to outmanoeuvre them,' said Green MEP Michael Bloss, warning they aim to 'sabotage everything' on climate. Fast-tracking the law could limit their influence, added Renew's Pascal Canfin. Read more.
Iran-EU
The ECR and EPP groups brought Iranian human rights activists and journalists to the Parliament yesterday, calling for the EU to do something before the nuclear deal expires and it's too late to pressure the Islamic Republic.
The regime's revolutionary guard has this week called for mass executions as it cracks down after the recent war with Israel and bombing by America. Most of the speakers said that France, Germany, the UK and the EU should make sure the 'snapback' UN sanctions on Iran are implemented swiftly. 'Appeasement has to end somewhere,' said Sima Sabet, founder of Pulse Media.
'The question should be put to Kaja Kallas. Is she going to act on this?' Swedish ECR's Charlie Weimers, a co-host of the event, said.
EU-US trade talks
Donald Trump said yesterday that the EU will 'probably' receive a letter setting its new US tariff rate on Thursday.
'They [the EU] are very tough but now they're being very nice to us,' Trump told reporters. 'We'll see what happens. We're probably two days off from sending them a letter. We are talking to them. I just want you to know a letter means a deal."
The comments come amid frantic efforts by EU officials to avoid Trump's sweeping 'reciprocal tariffs', which were set to enter into force on Wednesday before being delayed to 1 August. On Tuesday, he said tariffs of up to 200% on pharmaceutical products will be announced 'very soon', also flagging a new 50% levy on copper. Around the bloc
GERMANY | A Berlin court dealt another blow to Chancellor Merz's crackdown on migration, as it ruled on Tuesday that the German government must issue visas to an Afghan family. The family is part of a resettlement scheme providing visas for some local staff who worked for Germany's armed forces before the return of the Taliban regime. Merz's government has vowed to end the scheme, which has left some 2,400 Afghans stranded in Pakistan, where they were waiting for their resettlement to Germany.
FRANCE | A few months after being barred from standing in any election for five years, Marine Le Pen has submitted an application to the European Court of Human Rights, requesting the 'urgent' suspension of the provisional enforcement of the sentence. The leader of the National Rally (RN) MPs in the National Assembly has already appealed the decision handed down by the Paris Criminal Court and is expected to know the outcome within a year.
SWEDEN | In a major breach of security, members of Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's personal protection team have openly monitored their activity using popular fitness tracking app Strava, Swedish media revealed on Tuesday. Read more.
ITALY | Italy's Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday that the administrative detention of NGO rescue ships under the Italian government's controversial migration decree is constitutional. Read more.
POLAND | Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz on Tuesday called on those who wish to "defend Poland's borders" to join official services amid escalating border tensions and a rising number of self-organized vigilante patrols. Read more
CZECHIA | Several Czech companies continue to export goods to Russia in violation of EU sanctions, Czech news site Deník N reported, citing customs data and a list from the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Read more. Also on Euractiv
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euractiv
26 minutes ago
- Euractiv
UK, France and Germany push to revive Iran nuclear talks
Britain, France and Germany are planning to hold fresh talks with Iran on its nuclear programme in the coming days, a German diplomatic source told AFP on Sunday. The European powers, known as the E3, "are in contact with Iran to schedule further talks for the coming week," the source said, following warnings from the trio that international sanctions against Iran could be reactivated if Tehran does not resume negotiations. Iran's Tasnim news agency also reported that Tehran had agreed to hold talks with the three European countries, citing an unnamed source. Consultations are ongoing regarding a date and location for the talks, the report said. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a call on Friday with his British, French and German counterparts, as well as the European Union foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas. During the call, the Europeans warned that if Iran did not return to talks soon, they would activate a so-called "snapback" mechanism to reimpose sanctions lifted under a 2015 deal to curb Tehran's nuclear output. Iran and the United States had held several rounds of nuclear negotiations through Omani mediators before Israel launched its 12-day war against Iran on 13 June. However, US President Donald Trump's decision to join Israel in striking Iranian nuclear facilities effectively ended the talks. "Iran must never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. That is why Germany, France and the United Kingdom are continuing to work intensively in the E3 format to find a sustainable and verifiable diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear programme," the German source said. Iran denies it is pursuing nuclear weapons. The 2015 deal between Iran and world powers, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), placed significant restrictions on Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. However, the hard-won deal began to unravel in 2018, during Trump's first presidency, when the United States withdrew from it and reimposed sanctions on Iran. "If no solution is reached over the summer, snapback remains an option for the E3," the German source said. ( aw )
Euractiv
a day ago
- Euractiv
EU welcomes US-brokered deal between Syria and Israel
The EU on Saturday welcomed a US-brokered ceasefire between Syria and Israel, saying it was "appalled" by the deadly sectarian violence in Syria's southern Druze heartland that prompted Israeli strikes. "Now is the time for dialogue and for advancing a truly inclusive transition. Syria's transitional authorities, together with local authorities, bear the responsibility to protect all Syrians without distinction," the European Union's diplomatic service said in a statement. It also called for all perpetrators behind "grave violations" of international law to be held accountable. Syrian interior ministry forces began deploying in Sweida on Saturday under the US-brokered deal intended to avert further Israeli military intervention in the Druze-majority province. Israel had bombed defence ministry forces in both Sweida and Damascus earlier this week to force their withdrawal, after they were accused of summary executions and other abuses against Druze civilians during their brief deployment in the southern province. More than 700 people have been killed in Sweida since Sunday, as sectarian clashes between the Druze and Sunni Bedouin drew in the Islamist-led government, Israel and armed tribes from other parts of Syria. The office of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced an "immediate ceasefire" in Sweida which it called on "all parties to fully respect". US-brokered deal The deal between the Islamist government and Israel was announced by Washington early on Saturday, Damascus time. US pointman on Syria, Tom Barrack, said interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "have agreed to a ceasefire" negotiated by the United States. Barrack, who is US ambassador to Ankara, said the deal had the backing of Turkey, a key supporter of Sharaa, as well as neighbouring Jordan. (aw)
Euractiv
2 days ago
- Euractiv
The Brief – 18 July: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Happy Friday and welcome back to GBU, where we look back on what should be (we hope) Brussels' last busy week before everyone in the vicinity of the Schuman roundabout logs off for the summer. Decide for yourself what's good, what's bad, and what's ugly. MFF MADNESS: After weeks of build-up, the European Commission's presentation of its 'most ambitious ever' seven-year EU budget proposal took ( messy ) centre stage on Wednesday. While no one really knows what it all means, and it's still subject to significant change as the real budget talks are only about to begin, it's provocative, and it surely gets people talking . It was my first MFF announcement day and a good chunk of it resembled mass confusion on all fronts, although one would think the Commission had enough time to plan everything surrounding that spectacular €2 trillion proposal drop to a T. The International Press Association seems to think so, too, accusing the Commission of breaching media agreements and deliberately keeping journalists in the dark in a press release sent earlier today. Anyway, we did follow the revolting commissioners, unhappy parliamentarians and more on our live blog and are keeping an eye on the budget aftermath. Spoiler: It is all 'bout the money, contrary to pop culture belief. Thomas Moller-Nielsen has a must-read budget breakdown , Sarantis Michalopoulos tells you why the new budget has a smoking problem and Jeremias Lin spoke to disgruntled farmers who are readying their pitchforks for a September return to Brussels after farm subsidies got slashed big time. TIT, TAT, TARIFFS: S omewhat in the shadows of the budget, the EU-US tariff bonanza kept going, too. Trade chief Šefčovič travelled to Washington again and briefed EU ministers on the outcome this afternoon. So, where do we stand? Some want peace, some want violence, seemingly. At least France wants Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen to get the "bazooka" – alias the EU's most powerful trade weapon, the anti-coercion instrument – out in response to Trump's tariff threats. Sun's out, guns out? Would that even be possible? Is that a good idea? I personally wouldn't trust my judgment on this, but Tom beautifully lays it all down here. TOUGH ON RUSSIA, ROUND 18: Today, EU member states agreed on a new wave of economic sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine – after Slovakia's Russia-friendly PM Robert Fico lifted his weeks-long veto. The new measures target Russian banks and lower a price cap on Russian oil exports in a bid to crush the country's war chest. GERMANY'S MIGRATION SUMMIT: Against an alpine backdrop, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt hosted France, Poland, Austria, Denmark, and Czechia as well as EU Home Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner atop Germany's highest mountain to talk migration on Friday. Berlin is talking the talk as it's getting tough on migration and walking the walk as the first deportation flight to Afghanistan under Merz took off early this morning. Read all about it here. STRANDED USAID CONDOMS IN BELGIUM: A total 26 million condoms, millions of contraceptive pills, thousands of implants, two million injectable doses, and 50,000 bottles of HIV prevention medication from the US development agency USAID are sitting – unused – in a warehouse in the north-east of Belgium and face possible destruction. That's a stockpile worth about €8.6 million, and destroying would cost Washington around €145,000. How did we get here? Thomas Mangin knows . In case you haven't had enough yet, here are a few weekend reads: Laurent Geslin looked at the latest of France's military disengagement from Africa . In Senegal, a remnant of French colonial presence came to an end on Thursday, with the French army officially handing over the keys of the Dakar-based Camp Geille – which has been occupied by French forces since 1960 – to Senegalese authorities. Inés Fernández-Pontes explained how Sanchez's domestic corruption pickle leads to the country pushing for its minority languages – Catalan, Galician, and Basque – to become EU official once again. Do you know what E3, E4, G5 and MED9 stand for? Fear not, this is not a quiz. Just read Nick Alipour's piece spoon-feeding you Europe's alphabet soup. … and in case you missed it, Brussels supermarkets will be allowed to stay open longer. Want to get The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in your inbox? Subscribe to The Brief (jp)
