Von der Leyen faces delicate balancing act to indulge EU leaders

Good morning from Brussels,

Ursula von der Leyen’s decision to re-run for the EU Commission presidency has prompted some positive reactions in several EU capitals, but her quest to secure enough support from governments may prove to be a little more challenging.

A European People’s Party (EPP) source told Euractiv that “there can be no room for liberal or partisan dogmatism in the next institution cycle”.

Euractiv’s newsroom and its network analysed von der Leyen’s challenges ahead of the EU elections in June, both from a policy point of view as well as in the context of the complex politics in EU capitals.

Read the full story.

INTERVIEW: Sweden is ready to talk with Hungary, which is still holding Stockholm’s NATO accession, but its membership of the alliance is “not a matter of negotiation”, Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson told Euractiv’s Aurélie Pugnet.

“The message I received from my Hungarian colleague is that the Hungarian parliament will ratify us as soon as possible,” Jonson said.

Meanwhile, Angelo di Mambro analysed data from the International Grain Council (IGC), suggesting that grain and oilseed exports from Ukraine have returned to the same levels as in March 2023 thanks to the UN’s Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Moreover, the European Commission opened formal proceedings against TikTok under the Digital Services Act on Monday, due to possible breaches in several areas, including child protection.

Last but not least, the European Left party (EL) wants to “abolish” the EU’s current fiscal rules to facilitate greater social and environmental spending, according to a draft electoral manifesto seen by Euractiv.

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BERLIN

German Liberals double down on criticism of coalition partners. Germany’s liberal FDP party is taking an increasingly confrontational stance on the economic policies of the three-way coalition government in which it is a junior partner, saying it has more in common with the conservative opposition. Read more.

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PARIS

EU border agency ‘hijacked’ by EU Commission, its former boss says. Fabrice Leggeri, the former boss of EU border agency Frontex who will run for the far-right Rassemblement National in the European elections, criticised European migration policy while touring the French-Italian border on Monday, saying Europe should “regain control of its borders”. Read more.

ATHENS

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola will discuss the issue of Greece’s rule of law at a visit to Athens on Tuesday following a recent resolution which sparked intense debate in the Mediterranean country, an EU official told Euractiv. Read more.

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MADRID

Sanchez-von der Leyen ties key for agenda-pushing in likely new far-right house, says expert. Strong relations between Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who on Monday announced she was seeking a second five-year term, will be vital in countering rising far-right anti-EU forces, Ignacio Molina, a senior researcher at the prestigious Elcano Royal Institute told Euractiv’s partner EFE in an interview. Read more.

WARSAW

Ukraine threatens to ban Polish food imports in retaliation for border protests. Kyiv may limit imports of Polish agri-food production if Polish farmers do not stop blocking the country’s borders in Ukraine against the influx of Ukrainian grain and other products, government officials told Ukrainian media. Read more.

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PRAGUE

Pro-Russian forces hijack Czech farmers’ protest. Pro-Russian forces hijacked a farmers’ protest that saw some 500 tractors roll into Prague on Monday morning, as speeches criticising the EU and the Czech government prompted many farmers to leave. Read more.

SOFIA

Bulgaria is delaying the delivery of 100 armoured personnel carriers to the Ukrainian army because the Defence Ministry has requested that NATO cover the transport costs, MPs from the ruling majority in Sofia told Euractiv Bulgaria. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Romanian Army uses Chinese surveillance systems. Chinese surveillance equipment, suspected of espionage in the US and UK, is being used by the Romanian Army in strategic locations, with the Defence Ministry assuring the surveillance systems are secure. Read more.

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ZAGREB

Croatian farmers protest in solidarity with EU colleagues. Several hundred farmers protested in Čakovec and Đakovo to show solidarity with their European counterparts and inform the public about the problems facing Croatian farmers. Read more.

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson]