Good morning from Brussels.
EU states want the revised regulation of the European Maritime Safety Agency to limit the role of its executive director, amid concerns that the incumbent, Croatian Maja Markovčić Kostelac, is overstepping her mandate, diplomatic sources told Euractiv, writes Euractiv's Sarantis Michalopoulos.
The Lisbon-based EMSA is meant to provide EU member states and the European Commission with technical support on policies related to maritime safety.
However, a draft document, seen by Euractiv, shows EU countries are using negotiations over a new regulation for EMSA to push for safeguards to ensure that Kostelac sticks to her technical role.
According to Commission sources and EU diplomats, Kostelac often interferes in political matters beyond her job description of ensuring the day-to-day administration of the agency, causing confusion and frustration.
“Her ambitions often exceed her technical role, confusing third countries over who the actual EU decision maker is,” an EU diplomat said.
"Once she pissed off member states and was asked to leave the room in order for EU diplomats to discuss a sensitive political issue.”
Complaints about Kostelac's handling of the agency are widespread, with Spain and Denmark the most vocal about the need for clear limits to her role.
In an inter-institutional document on the ongoing talks between member states and the European Parliament, member states reiterate that EMSA’s tasks should not affect their rights. |
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| Click on the picture to read the story | [European Parliament] |
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Donald Trump’s tariffs set fire to the global economy – but a strong euro is pouring gasoline on European exporters’ prospects, writes Thomas Moller-Nielsen.
Belgian prosecutors vs. MEPs. Belgian prosecutors have asked the European Parliament to lift several MEPs’ immunity amid a probe into alleged Huawei bribes, in the latest sign that the scandal is intensifying, write Eddy Wax and Nicoletta Ionta.
Capitulation, surrender, humiliation. The UK's right-wing media savaged centre-left Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s deal with the EU on Monday, writes Eddy Wax.
‘Feeling the strain’. The Commission sharply reduced its GDP forecast for the EU on Monday, as it warned that heightened trade tensions and geopolitical uncertainty risk inflicting further damage on the bloc’s already weak economy, writes Thomas Moller-Nielsen.
€150 billion loan plan greenlighted. EU countries agreed on a final version of a €150 billion loan plan aimed at boosting joint European defence procurement in talks on Monday morning, sources told Aurélie Pugnet and Charles Cohen.
Donald Trump stated yesterday, following his call with President Vladimir Putin, that Russia and Ukraine would begin negotiations for a ceasefire without delay. However, the Kremlin cautioned that the process would take time, and the US President signalled that he was not prepared to align with Europe on introducing new sanctions to increase pressure on Moscow.
Stricter tobacco control. A new UN political declaration draft for preventing chronic diseases calls on countries to raise tobacco taxes and restrict marketing, sparking industry backlash and splitting member states amid growing pressure for a new EU taxation bill, writes Emma Pirnay.
EU Biotech Act. The European Parliament’s health committee is stepping up its work on the Biotech Act, with a draft report calling for simplified regulation and increased funding to boost EU competitiveness, ahead of the Commission’s long-delayed proposal expected in 2026, writes Thomas Mangin. |
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| BRUSSELS
Public sector strike set to paralyse Brussels’s transport network on Tuesday. Public transport across the Belgian capital, including trains, tram, metro, and buses, will be “severely” disrupted this Tuesday as public sector workers march against the new federal government’s planned sector cuts. Read more.
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THE HAGUE
Netherlands continues negative trend, sees further decline in drug wait time rankings. The Netherlands has continued to fall behind in the innovative medicines waiting time rankings, dropping to 11th place in Europe, according to the EFPIA Patients WAIT Indicator 2024. Read more. |
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| Click on the picture to read the story | [Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images] |
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| LONDON
The EU and UK signed on Monday a security pact and agreed on a 'reset' deal that includes commitments on food trade, energy and mobility, which leaders on both sides claimed as a "win-win." Read more.
EU, UK agree to rethink post-Brexit carbon and power market split. Brussels and London have agreed that the UK should re-integrate into the bloc’s electricity and carbon markets, reversing a post-Brexit split and paving the way for increased investments in the North Sea. Read more.
EU secures major win in fisheries deal with UK, London gains market access. Brussels has clinched 12 more years of access to British waters in a ‘reset’ agreement that leaves British fishers feeling sold out in exchange for better access to the EU market. Read more. |
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| MADRID Spanish court orders Airbnb to delist over 65,000 illegal tourist rentals. Madrid’s Supreme Court has upheld a ruling by the ministry of consumer affairs ordering Airbnb to remove more than 65,000 “illicit” tourist rental listings. The ministry, which has now sanctioned the platform three times, argued that the listings violated current regulations, as many failed to display a valid property license number or clarify the landlord’s legal status – whether as a private individual or a legal entity. “I believe this is a clear victory for those who fight to protect housing rights,” Consumer Affairs Minister Pablo Bustinduy told the press on Monday. The listings affected by the order are mainly located in the country’s most touristic regions, including Catalonia, Valencia, the Balearic Islands, as well as Madrid, Andalusia and the Basque Country. The move is the latest in a series of measures by the Spanish government to tighten control over short-term rentals, amid growing public pressure to address the country’s housing crisis – including a recent reform requiring tourist rentals in apartment buildings to obtain approval from neighbourhood residents. Faced with public pressure, Airbnb has recently sought to align with local authorities. Last year, Airbnb signed a collaboration agreement with the Canary Islands government, committing to comply with EU-mandated registration requirements and promote “sustainable and quality tourism” according to a company statement. Similar deals have been struck with the regional governments of Murcia and the Balearic Islands to promote sustainable tourism and shield residents and the environment from mass tourism’s impact. (Ines Fernandez-Pontes | Euractiv.es)
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LISBON
Portugal: Brussels to scrutinise budget strain from tariffs response and defence spend. The European Commission on Monday warned that it will monitor Portugal's response to the economic impact of US tariffs, as well as the deviation from necessary investment in defence, calling for budgetary balance in the country. "With regard to this support package, as far as we know, most of the funding is expected to be channelled through credit lines from the national development bank and also that the period of the package will be extended," but "we will have to continue to monitor both its macroeconomic impact and its budgetary impact," said European Commissioner for Economic Affairs Valdis Dombrovskis, in an interview with the Lusa news agency and other media in Brussels. On the day the European Commission presented its spring economic forecasts, marked by the impact of US announcements of heavy tariffs on the European Union (EU), Valdis Dombrovskis was questioned by Lusa about the Portuguese €10 billion package to support exporting companies with credit lines, insurance and expanded support for internationalisation. "There is a certain amount of subsidies, as far as we know, of around €400 million," he said. Even so, "our spring forecast does not take this package into account," Valdis Dombrovskis said. He appealed: "We need a more detailed financial commitment. We need to be sure that we have a good financial commitment on specific measures and the timetable for implementation, all of which must be specified". (Ana Matos Neves | Lusa.pt) |
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| Click on the picture to read the story | [Artur Widak/Anadolu via Getty Images] |
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| WARSAW
Polish parliamentary speaker Szymon Hołownia (Poland 2050, Renew), who failed to advance to the second round of Sunday’s presidential election, and his Third Way bloc partner, the centrist-agrarian Polish People’s Party (PSL, EPP), have both endorsed Rafał Trzaskowski of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s Civic Platform (PO, EPP) in the runoff scheduled for 1 June. Read more.
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PRAGUE
Czechia falls in EU prosperity ranking due to housing problems. Czechia has slippedto the 16th place in the EU Prosperity and Financial Health Index, down from 15th last year, mainly due to worsening housing affordability. The annual ranking is compiled by analyst portal Evropa v datech and Czech bank Česká spořitelna. The index tracks ten key areas, including housing, health and safety, financial health, business environment, and digitalisation. Czechia fell in six of them, with housing as the weakest link. High prices, slow permitting, and costly household expenses place the country among the EU’s six worst for housing. Even rental prices, once more favourable than ownership, now match the EU average. Still, Czechia continues to do well in health and safety, particularly due to accessible healthcare and strong cybersecurity. Sweden and Denmark remain the strongest performers overall, while Austria reached the top three for the first time thanks to improvements across several indicators. At the opposite end of the scale are Greece in last place, Bulgaria second to last, and Slovakia in 25th. (Aneta Zachová | Euractiv.cz)
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BRATISLAVA
Slovak government under fire for its stance on WHO pandemic accord. The Slovak government has been facing widespread criticism after PM Robert Fico and one of his coalition parties rejected a WHO pandemic accord, despite support from the health minister, another coalition party, the president, scientists, and the opposition. Read more. |
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| SOFIA
Borissov highlights Erdogan ties as key to protecting EU’s external border. Former Bulgarian Prime Minister and GERB leader Boyko Borissov met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Sunday, underlining the importance of bilateral cooperation in safeguarding the EU's external frontier. Read more.
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BUCHAREST
Nicuşor Dan faces a challenging mandate from day one. Following Sunday’s unexpected victory, there will be no honeymoon period for Nicuşor Dan. The economic crisis is looming, populists hold around 30% of seats in Parliament, and the incoming government is expected to be fragile. Read more. |
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| EU: Foreign Affairs Council and Foreign Affairs Council in its defence composition convenes to discuss EU support to Ukraine, readiness, situation in Middle East, including Syria, and more; Informal meeting of ministers responsible for cohesion policy expected to focus on EU 2030 Territorial Agenda, sustainable urban development, and more; Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers speech at Annual EU Budget Conference 2025; Hosts President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel; Holds meeting with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi; Commission Vice President Henna Virkkunen delivers keynote speech at Parliament’s panel for Future of Science and Technology (STOA) event “Building European Leadership for the Second Quantum Revolution”; Vice President Roxana Mînzatu holds online meeting with Nordic Council of Ministers for Labour; Vice President Raffaele Fitto delivers closing remarks at Parliament’s Outermost Regions Forum; Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maros Šefčovič meets with Moldova Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization Doina Nistor; Holds videoconference with Minister for Trade and Tourism of Australia Don Farrell; Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Šuica meets with UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini; Agriculture and Food Commissioner Christophe Hansen participates in conference on insurances and risk management, organised by DG AGRI and European Investment Bank; Parliament President Roberta Metsola holds meetings with President of Czechia Petr Pavel, Foreign Affairs Minister of Poland Radosław Sikorski; Delivers speech at Annual EU Budget Conference. *** |
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| [Edited by Vas Panagiotopoulos, Charles Szumski, Daniel Eck, Sofia Mandilara] |
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