Paolo Gentiloni, the former economy commissioner, has started work as a speaker and advisor for a Milan-based consultancy, becoming the latest in a long parade of erstwhile senior officials to cash in on their public service, writes Eddy Wax.
Gentiloni, a 70-year-old social democrat with an aristocratic pedigree who also served a stint as Italian prime minister, concluded his five-year term in Brussels in 2024.
His new position – at European House Ambrosetti – required the approval of an EU ethics panel, which ruled he should be allowed to join.
He will be paid a fairly modest €30,000 for a one-year contract, which can be renewed. Gentiloni is no stranger to the consultancy, having taken part in the Ambrosetti Forum – an annual economic conference – a few months before leaving office.
EU rules specify that former commissioners must not reveal information they gleaned during their work at the Commission, and that they must not lobby the institution on matters they were in charge of while working in the Berlaymont for a period of two years after leaving office.
The Commission’s independent ethics panel cautioned that Gentiloni’s spell as EU economy chief is “very likely” to benefit his new employer, as he will be advising and speaking on economic topics.
It stipulated some light conditions for approving his job, including handling his contact with former Commission colleagues with “particular care” and barring him from lobbying on any topics he dealt with at the Commission – rather than just economic policy. |
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US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated they would not attend what could be the first direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv in three years on Thursday, with the Kremlin sending instead a group of experienced technocrats.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s trade war is expected to dominate the discussion during a gathering of EU trade ministers in Brussels today.
EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič will first brief ministers on the current “state of play” of Brussels’ €1.6 trillion trade relationship with Washington, according to a senior EU diplomat.
Ministers will then discuss how a “balanced and mutually acceptable solution” could be reached to avoid Trump’s sweeping duties, the diplomat said.
Trump’s tariffs on cars, steel, aluminium, and other goods currently affect 70% of all EU exports to the US, or €370 billion worth of goods. The self-proclaimed ‘Tariff Man’ has also repeatedly threatened further levies on pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and lumber.
The EU has pledged to hit back with two separate retaliatory packages, which, if imposed, could collectively impact €116 billion worth of American exports.
The meeting comes after the UK last week became the first country to sign a trade deal with Washington since Trump imposed his “reciprocal tariffs” on 2 April.
It also follows the US and China’s recent decision to slash tariffs on each other’s goods by 115%, easing EU industries’ concerns that US-bound Chinese exports could be re-directed and dumped on European markets. |
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| Click on the picture to read the story | [EPA-EFE/ALESSANDRO DI MEO] |
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The European Commission announced it was removing its top lawyer from his post, just hours after a court handed the EU executive a crushing defeat in the so-called Pfizergate case, writes Eddy Wax.
NATO procurement probe. Prosecutors in Belgium apprehended two suspects on Monday, with one then arrested as part of a corruption case related to drone and ammunition contracts for NATO's procurement wing, writes Aurélie Pugnet.
The European Commission will unveil new ways to drive investment in high-tech defence startups and scaleups in 2026 as part of a new strategy that aims to make Europe "the best place" for technology-driven companies, writes Charles Cohen.
Cutting red tape. The Commission is preparing a series of major initiatives to cut red tape for startups and position Europe as “the best place” for technology-driven companies, write Claudie Moreau and Nicoletta Ionta.
Defence startups. The European Commission is asking telecom companies whether the stability and solvency rules imposed on banks in the aftermath of the 2007 global financial crisis are hindering investment in their networks, three documents seen by Euractiv show, writes Théophane Hartmann.
Chinese EV imports. Import tariffs on electric vehicles made in China are indeed effective in curbing sales – or rather, redirecting them to emerging markets – according to a new industry report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) published on yesterday, writes Jasper Steinlein. |
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| Click on the picture to read the story | [Nadja Wohlleben/Getty Images] |
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| BERLIN ‘Responsibility’ seems to be Friedrich Merz’s new favourite word. He used the word 18 times in his maiden speech as chancellor to Germany's parliament, the Bundestag, on Wednesday – more frequently than any other headline term bar ‘Germany’ (35 times) and ‘European’ (20 times), according to our rough count. Read more.
Germany’s Merz vows to build Europe’s strongest military. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged to “provide all necessary financial resources” to turn Germany’s military into Europe’s strongest in his first speech to parliament since taking office. Read more.
German renewables lobby critical of grid fee plan for home producers. Germany’s solar and wind industry has reacted cautiously to a new proposal by the Federal Network Agency’s that would impose grid fees on producers feeding electricity into the public grid. Trade associations claim the fees could slow the expansion of renewables in Germany, while energy system analysts argue the current rules unfairly favour small-scale power generators. Read more.
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PARIS
France struggles to cut pesticide use. France is "progressing more slowly" than the European Union average in reducing pesticide use, the agriculture ministry said, one year after the launch of the country’s latest pesticide-reduction strategy for 2030. Read more. |
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| ROME EU scrutiny on Italy’s rule of law amid ministerial no-show. Italy’s legal and democratic standards came under EU scrutiny in a closed-door hearing on Wednesday, where the upcoming 2025 rule of law report on Italy was previewed and the absence of key Italian ministers was seen as a political boycott. Read more.
More visitors than residents: Italian landmarks see record-breaking numbers. Italy’s state-owned museums and archaeological sites attracted more than 60 million visitors in 2024, surpassing the country's population of 59 million, according to the Italian ministry of culture. Ticket sale reached a record-breaking €382 million, €68 million more than in 2023. “This is the best result ever for state-owned museums and archaeological parks,” saidItalian Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli in a press release, adding that visitor numbers have exceeded pre-COVID19 levels. The Colosseum in Rome alone attracted 14.7 million visitors, followed by the Uffizi Galleries in Florence (5.3 million) and Pompeii’s archaeological site (4.3 million). (Ines Fernandes-Pontes, Euractiv)
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LISBON
Portugal: Economy minister says firms will thrive if Brussels slashes red tape. Portugal's economy minister, Pedro Reis, talked on Wednesday about the importance of Brussels reducing bureaucracy so companies can grow, stressing the need to create common legal instruments. “If we manage to make Europe an anti-bureaucracy oasis in this next cycle, and deregulate as much as possible, we will already be doing what companies need, and then we can let them breathe. If Brussels takes care of removing bureaucracy, companies will be grateful and grow on their own,” he said. The remarks were made during the Cotec Europa business summit taking place in Coimbra, where the economy minister stressed the importance of creating common legal instruments to "gain scale and competitiveness". "Common legal instruments that allow a product to be launched throughout Europe simultaneously, harmonisation is tremendously important. European seals of excellence that positively mark projects and achieve competitiveness with scale, particularly if they help competition and remove bureaucracy, which is the great challenge for Europe," he said. During his speech, the minister also said that Portugal "depends only on its ability to innovate and reindustrialise" and stressed that the country is "at the heart of the new knowledge revolution." (Sérgio Silva Soares – edited by Pedro Sousa Carvalho | Lusa.pt) |
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| Click on the picture to read the story | [EPA-EFE/KASIA ZAREMBA] |
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| WARSAW Right-wing candidates Karol Nawrocki and George Simion, running in the Polish and Romanian elections, respectively, appeared together at a campaign rally in Poland on Wednesday – before both countries head to the polls on Sunday. Read more.
Foreign ads target Polish election candidates, disinformation centre warns. With Poland's crucial presidential elections approaching on Sunday, the Polish Center for Disinformation Analysis, operating under the Research and Academic Computer Network (NASK), has detected Facebook advertisements potentially funded externally and designed to sway the current election campaign.
NASK, through its "Election Umbrella" initiative, revealed that in the last week, accounts suspected of being funded externally outspent all election committees on political advertisements aimed at Polish voters. Advertising campaigns from certain accounts seemingly favoured one candidate while undermining others. These campaigns specifically targeted the frontrunners in the polls: Rafał Trzaskowski of Civic Platform (PO, EPP), led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk; Karol Nawrocki of PiS (ECR); and Sławomir Mentzen of the far-right Confederation (PfE) party. “The analysis suggests a possible provocation, potentially aimed at harming the candidate ostensibly endorsed by such ads and destabilising the situation ahead of the presidential election,” NASK said in a statement. Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski (Left, S&D) stated that the government has security measures in place to protect all institutions participating in Sunday's presidential election. He added that cyberattacks can happen – and are likely already happening. “But we have a strong national cyber shield that protects us and will continue to do so. We have done everything to ensure the elections are secure,” he said on 14 May. (Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)
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PRAGUE Czechs can't get no, innovation... patients enduring long delays for new meds. The latest 'Patients W.A.I.T. Indicator 2024' report, comparing the availability of new medicines across 36 European countries, Czechia ranks seventh overall, with only Slovenia matching its performance in the region. Read more. /// BRATISLAVA Slovaks least willing to defend nation compared to Czechs and Poles. Slovakia scored the lowest in Central and Eastern Europe when it comes to willingness to defend the country if attacked, according to a new survey by Globsec, a non-partisan think-tank. Only 49% of Slovak respondents said they would take up arms, compared to 81% of Czechs and 84% of Poles. Read more. |
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| SOFIA Bulgaria shifts from EU funding to private capital for key public investments. Bulgaria is preparing to replace EU cohesion funds with private investments and long-term concessions for rebuilding its critical public infrastructure, PM Rosen Zhelyazkov announced on Wednesday, citing the need for financial and strategic partners in the country’s future infrastructure development. Read more. |
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- EU: Foreign Affairs Council in its trade composition convenes to discuss trade relations with US, European economic security, trade negotiations, and more;
- Commission President Ursula von der Leyen participates in EU-Western Balkans 6 dinner hosted by European Council President António Costa, in Tirana, Albania;
- High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas attends the Western Balkan Summit, in Tirana, Albania; Meets with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Research of Greenland Vivian Motzfeld;
- Commission Vice President Henna Virkkunen meets with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in Silicon Valley, United States;
- Vice President Raffaele Fitto meets with Foreign Affairs Minister of Uruguay Mario Lubetkin; Receives 15 mayors delegation from European municipalities promoting “Mayors for Housing” initiative;
- Defence and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius attends EU Chiefs of Defence meeting;
- Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Šuica participates in International Democracy Union (IDU) Forum 2025 on "The Shrinking Society: What happens when Nations stop having Children";
- Energy and Housing Commissioner Dan Jørgensen receives representatives from Fertilizers Europe;
- Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy Commissioner Jessika Roswall gives keynote address at Raw Materials Summit 2025; Hosts online meeting with European Beekeeping Association President Boštjan Noč; Meets with Plastics Recyclers Europe President Ton Means;
- Economy and Productivity Valdis Commissioner Dombrovskis meets with Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey;
- Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights human rights situation in Türkiye;
- Parliament’s Committee on International Trade debates trade relations with US, updated study on trade aspects of EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement;
- Parliament’s Special committee on Housing Crisis debates non-profit, cooperative, public housing models and public-private partnerships;
- Parliament’s Committee on Security and Defence debates Action Plan on cable security.
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| [Edited by Vas Panagiotopoulos, Charles Szumski, Daniel Eck, Sofia Mandilara] |
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