‘Get your act together’, Berlin tells EU partners on trade deals

Good morning from Berlin,

Speaking at a conference held by German industry organisation BDI on Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the next European Commission should clinch more free trade agreements (FTAs) with third countries without requiring unanimous consensus among EU member states.

“We have not given responsibility for trade policy to Europe so that no more agreements are concluded,” Scholz (SPD/S&D) said, “but so that more agreements are concluded.”

“This is not the case at the moment,” he said, “[and] this is unacceptable in the geopolitical situation we find ourselves in.”

“We need a little more pragmatism and speed in this matter,” Scholz said.

Jonathan Packroff reports from Berlin.

EU leaders are set to call on the new European Commission to present in-depth policy reviews by mid-2025 for reforms needed to fulfil the bloc’s long-term ambitions, according to draft summit conclusions seen by Euractiv’s Eliza Gkritsi.

On foreign policy, EU member states approved on Monday a decision to use €1.4 billion in revenue from frozen Russian assets to send military support to Ukraine after finding a legal way to circumvent a Hungarian veto.

Incumbent chief of the liberal Renew Europe group, France’s Valérie Hayer, will be reappointed today during a meeting at 16:00. While at first, the leading faction within the group, ALDE party, had nominated an alternative candidate, newly elected Portuguese MEP Joao Cotrim, he ultimately rescinded his candidacy on Monday evening as he failed to gather enough support, as reported first by Euractiv.

The Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group is also expected to reappoint today incumbent President Iratxe García, from the Spanish socialist party (PSOE), as no other contenders have filed their candidacy. The biggest delegation in the group, Italy’s Partito Democratico, has not claimed the post.

PARIS

The President of the Rassemblement National (RN) party, Jordan Bardella, confirmed Monday that he intended to abolish France’s ‘droit du sol,’ the birthright to citizenship, and would restrict the Schengen area to EU citizens only after the snap elections. Read more.

Ahead of France’s legislative elections, unions and employers make their voices heard. Ahead of the legislative elections on 30 June and 7 July, French trade unions are divided over what strategy to adopt in the face of the rise of the far-right Rassemblement National (RN), while major employers seem wary of the promises made by the left and the right. Read more.

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BERLIN | WARSAW | PARIS

Germany, Poland warn against French far-right threat looming over Ukraine support. German and Polish defence ministers, meeting for talks with their French counterpart on Monday, warned against the risks of a French government coalition with the far-right and stressed that support for Ukraine was “not open for debate”. Read more.

Germany’s Scholz, Habeck pin their hopes on EU-China talks to avoid trade war. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz voiced hope on Monday that EU and Chinese negotiators will reach a deal on electric vehicle (EV) tariffs before 4 July – the day European duties on Chinese carmakers are meant to come into effect. Read more.

DUBLIN

Ireland to nominate finance minister McGrath for EU Commission. The leaders of Ireland’s three governing parties agreed on Monday (24 June) to nominate Finance Minister Michael McGrath as the country’s representative on the European Commission, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Read more.

ROME

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán opposes the way majority countries are handling discussions over the division of the EU’s top jobs, adding it is excluding others, according to comments made during a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who, for her part, remained silent. Read more.
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MADRID

Spain’s Díaz wants new Commission to have social economy portfolio. The next European Commission should have a commissioner with a social economy portfolio, Spanish Deputy Prime Minister and Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz said on Monday. Read more.

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LISBON

António Costa for EU Council ‘still on the table’: Portuguese FM. Portugal’s foreign minister, Paulo Rangel, said on Monday that the candidacy of António Costa to chair the European Council was still on the table but warned that work must continue until this week’s meeting. Read more.

PRAGUE

Jourová says citizens gave EU green policies a ‘yellow card’. EU Commission Vice President Věra Jourová believes voters in the recent EU elections issued a yellow card to the EU policies, especially on climate. Read more.

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WARSAW

Poland’s Duda wants more balanced trade with China as Brussels discusses tariffs. Polish President Andrzej Duda voiced hope during a visit to Beijing on Monday his country could boost its exports to China, just as the EU is set to begin talks with Beijing on tariffs it threatened to impose on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs). Read more.

SOFIA

Bulgarian drug lord convicted in three EU countries turns himself in. International crime boss Evelin “Brendo” Banev, convicted of cocaine trafficking and money laundering in Bulgaria, Romania and Italy, voluntarily surrendered to Bulgarian authorities on Monday morning, with border police investigating how he entered the country. Read more.

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Liene Lūsīte, Alice Taylor]