Welcome to The Capitals, with me, Eddy Wax, Nicoletta Ionta and Magnus Lund Nielsen. We hope you slept well, but the question is how did Geert Wilders sleep? The Dutch far-right leader said Monday that he would "sleep on" the question of whether to effectively bring down The Netherlands' ruling coalition in a push to toughen immigration policy. As we revamp this newsletter, we want your feedback. And don’t hesitate to send us story ideas for what we should be covering. Enjoying the newsletter? Forward it to a friend and sign up here. |
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Cold War spy-turned-MEP defends Moscow trip Fernand Kartheiser’s trip to Russia last week was the final straw for the national conservative ECR group in the European Parliament, which will expel him on Wednesday. He counts it as a resounding success. With EU-Russia ties frozen amid Putin’s war in Ukraine, the Luxembourgish MEP undertook a two-day trip to Moscow last week, meeting top Putin allies such as Alexander Grushko, the deputy foreign minister, and MP Leonid Slutsky. “Somebody had to break the ice I think - and they appreciated this,” he told me and Magnus Lund Nielsen in his Brussels office, offering us chocolates. Since being elected last June, the former diplomat has given interviews to a sanctioned Russian newspaper, defied his group’s staunchly pro-Ukraine stance, and met Russian diplomats in Brussels. Next stop: In going to Moscow to see “polite” and “extremely well informed” politicians, he ignored an ultimatum from the ECR, led by Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy and the Polish Law & Justice party. He has received an offer from another political group and though he wouldn’t be drawn on who that might be, it would be no surprise if he ends up sitting with Viktor Orbán’s Patriots. He described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as illegal, but he hit many Russian talking points, from the lack of effectiveness of Western sanctions to Putin’s supposed lack of interest in expanding his war to a NATO country. Tinker, tailor, soldier, MEP? Kartheiser has confirmed that Russian military intelligence (known as the GRU) approached him when he was studying diplomacy in Vienna in the late 1980s as a young military officer. He said that he immediately reported back to his superiors in Luxembourg and on the proposal of the CIA he then became a double agent for the Americans until the Cold War ended. “I did my duty … in order to work in those days against the GRU,” he said. Does he still have connections with the GRU? “No, it’s 30 years ago.” What did he do as a spy? “I’m not going to tell you what I did in [the] secret service.” Paris wins SkinnyTok takedown, but leaves Brussels sidelined TikTok has banned the hashtag #SkinnyTok worldwide after pressure from the French government, which bypassed Brussels and dealt with the platform directly. The hashtag, long criticised for promoting disordered eating behaviours, especially among young women, has drawn mounting scrutiny. France's Digital Minister Clara Chappaz claimed a win on Sunday, calling the move “a first collective victory”. TikTok confirmed to Euractiv that the ban is now enforced globally as part of a broader review of platform safety measures. A company spokesperson said the hashtag was blocked due to its links to “unhealthy weight loss content.” The decision puts the European Commission’s credibility as a tech enforcer under the spotlight. While it signals a major win for content moderation and child protection, EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen (who champions such issues) has remained notably silent on the 'SkinnyTok' case. Read more here. Russia proposes short truce in Istanbul talks Russia has proposed a limited two-to-three-day ceasefire along parts of the frontline in Ukraine, a senior Kremlin official said Monday after a new round of talks in Istanbul. This marks the second time Kyiv and Moscow have held direct peace talks this year. The first round took place just last month, also in Istanbul, and was the first such contact since March 2022. Ukraine's lead negotiator Rustem Umerov confirmed that both sides agreed to new prisoner exchanges, and to return the bodies of 6,000 fallen soldiers each. But Russia once again rejected Ukraine’s demand for an unconditional ceasefire. Instead, Moscow offered a short truce “in certain sectors of the front” and shared a memorandum outlining possible steps toward a broader ceasefire. Ukrainian officials say they will review the proposals before responding. Read more. |
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A strong Europe needs strong businesses! AT60 – the new House of the Austrian Economy in Brussels – is where vision meets action. Powered by the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO), it’s a place to connect, share ideas and shape Europe’s future. Find out more. |
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POLAND Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk plans to submit a confidence motion to parliament in the coming days, as Conservative Karol Nawrocki’s presidential election win Sunday risks prolonging the country’s political deadlock. Faced with the prospect of Nawrocki, backed by the Law and Justice party (PiS), vetoing key legislation on abortion rights and the judiciary, Tusk has decided to go all in. Despite Sunday’s election result, the ruling coalition will continue its work, and the motion of confidence "will be its first test", Tusk declared in a televised evening address. "It is difficult to predict what stance the new president will take," Tusk admitted, adding that if the president shows a willingness to cooperate, it would be "a welcome surprise". Tusk’s colleagues share his pessimism. “We can forget about changes in the prosecutor’s office, the judiciary, and the key promises we made before the 2023 elections,” a senior figure from the ruling coalition said. “There will be no ambassadorial appointments. Every personnel change in the military will have to be coordinated with Nawrocki. We can expect resistance even on seemingly minor issues.” FRANCE & ITALY Emmanuel Macron is in Italy today to ensure that Paris and Rome can "move forward together", particularly on the Ukrainian issue, according to an Élysée adviser. For the French, Italy is “an important partner” that must contribute to the European “security guarantees for Ukraine” after the war - guarantees that could include the deployment of peacekeeping troops on Ukrainian soil. A working meeting and a dinner will provide Macron with an opportunity to mend ties that have weakened in recent months. Italian PM Giorgia Meloni made a very discreet appearance at the “Coalition of the Willing” meeting on Ukraine in Paris at the end of March. She also opted not to join a call on Ukraine during the European Political Community summit in Tirana on 16 May, and refused to commit to any initiative without the approval of the United States. Macron and Meloni are also expected to discuss the situation in Libya, migration issues, the war in Gaza, the European car industry, and challenges facing the steel sector, the Élysée added. Read more here. GERMANY A German court ruled yesterday that asylum-seekers cannot be turned away at the border without the proper application of the EU’s migration procedures. That undermines the conservative government's recent controversial decision to reject all asylum-seekers at the border except those deemed vulnerable. The ruling cannot be appealed and could likely pave the way for lawsuits against such rejections. An NGO called the decision “groundbreaking”. Read more from Nick Alipour here. ROMANIA Two weeks after the presidential elections, negotiations to form a governing coalition in Bucharest have made little progress. On Monday, the National Political Bureau of the Liberal Party voted in favor of joining a future pro-European coalition government, without setting any conditions on positions, including that of prime minister. The Social Democrats are yet to decide whether to participate in the next government. Speaking with journalists in Vilnius on Monday, President Nicușor Dan said that a "realistic deadline" for forming a government would be within two weeks. He added that he would only nominate a candidate for prime minister once it was clear that the nominee would have “sufficient parliamentary support”. SLOVAKIA Czech MEP Tomáš Zdechovský (EPP) has raised the alarm over alleged surveillance and political intimidation by Slovak authorities during a recent European Parliament fact-finding mission. In a letter to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola this week, Zdechovský described “troubling indications” that the official delegation he led, tasked with monitoring the use of EU funds in Slovakia, was being deliberately monitored. “What is especially alarming is that during an evening meeting with whistleblowers – including individuals from Slovak security services – we had strong reasons to believe that our activities were being deliberately monitored,” Zdechovský wrote in a letter obtained by Euractiv Czechia. “Such actions are unacceptable and contradict the principles of cooperation between Member States and EU institutions.” Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico told journalists that Zdechovský had come to Slovakia to do "dirty opposition work like a hit man". Zdechovský urged Metsola to "uphold the integrity and independence of our parliamentary missions,” warning that such interference is especially dangerous “at a time when authoritarian tendencies are on the rise in parts of the Union”. |
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Recommended: Bloomberg tax reporter Saim Saeed hosts historical walking tours around Brussels that dive deep into the country’s bloody colonial history. There are spots left this coming weekend. |
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Second day of the “Digital Baltic: Towards Common Security” event in Gdynia, Poland, organised by the Polish Presidency, with focus on initiatives such as Digital Ocean, Task Force X – Baltic, and Baltic Sentry; Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera delivers keynote speech on “Staying the Course on the EU’s Climate Ambition” at the launch of the second edition of the I4CE Climate Investment Deficit Report; Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maros Šefčovič participates in the WTO Mini Ministerial Meeting; Meets with Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao; Defence and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius delivers keynote speech at "Reimagining European Defence: Challenges and the Road Ahead" high level conference, in The Hague, Netherlands; Roberta Metsola holds meetings in Copenhagen ahead of the Danish EU Council Presidency; Parliament’s Industry, Research and Energy Committee votes on European technological sovereignty, digital infrastructure, and the Clean Industrial Deal; Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee delegation visits Slovakia to assess democracy, rule of law, and fundamental rights. |
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Reporters: Shane LaGesse, Nick Alipour, Laurent Geslin, Aleksandra Krzysztoszek, Aneta Zachová, Catalina Mihai. Editors: Vince Chadwick and Sofia Mandilara. Top image: Shane LaGesse, Mathieu Cugnot/European Union 2025 (Kartheiser) and Jon Hicks/Getty Images (Moscow) |
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