PARIS

France is leading a European push to entice top US researchers disillusioned by Trump’s crackdown on academia – but funding and job insecurity remain major hurdles. Read more.

ROME

Defence, spending, Starlink: Italy’s big decisions ahead of NATO summit. President Sergio Mattarella has convened the Supreme Defence Council for 8 May to tackle a packed agenda: the EU’s White Paper on defense, military modernization, strategic infrastructure, and the crises in Ukraine and the Middle East.

At the centre of the discussion is Italy’s commitment to meet NATO’s 2% GDP defence spending goal – a stance the government appears united on. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni confirmed it in Washington during her meeting with Donald Trump, while Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani went further, claiming Italy will announce it has already hit the target at June’s NATO summit.

Another hot topic is “strategic infrastructure,” widely seen as code for Elon Musk’s Starlink. Talks are currently on ice, according to Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, who blamed political noise. President Mattarella is reportedly cautious about foreign-controlled networks, but Deputy PM Matteo Salvini is pushing ahead, calling for tech choices based on performance, not politics.

(Alessia Peretti | Euractiv.it)

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LISBON

Portugal: PM denies speeding up immigrant removal before election. The PSD leader denied on Sunday that the process of notifying thousands of immigrants to leave Portugal in a few weeks has been accelerated due to the elections and criticised the opposition "for only focusing on bad-mouthing the government".

Halfway through a visit to the Cantarinhas Fair in Bragança, on the first day of the official campaign, the AD delegation stopped for a coffee and Luís Montenegro was once again asked about the topic that marked the pre-campaign Saturday: the government's announcement that the Agency for Migration Integration and Asylum (AIMA) will start notifying 4,574 foreign citizens next week to leave the country voluntarily within 20 days.

“Things aren't happening because there are elections. Things are happening because the process started in June last year. It hasn't been accelerated now. It hasn't been accelerated at all," he assured, saying that “the process has to run and it can't stop” because of the snap elections on 18 May.

On this subject, Montenegro said that the government had started by creating a mission structure and service centres, and had multiplied AIMA's service capacity "sevenfold".

When asked about the PS's criticism that the AD campaign has been "Trumpised," Montenegro said he didn't want to comment on "what others say" but ended up replying.

"There's a problem with the opposition in Portugal at the moment: they're too focused on just bad-mouthing the government. I used to be in the opposition, I sometimes said good things about the government, and I also recognised what the government did well. And I think voters like that, they like someone who is in opposition and yet recognises that we need to work in the same direction," he said.

Still on immigration, the caretaker government's prime minister considered it possible to "strike a good balance between all those born and grow up and live in Portugal and those who come here to work".

"At the moment, the government has information that around 18,000 of the cases that were pending do not fulfil the conditions to be approved and 4,500 of them have already been decided," he said, saying that after the notifications, people can appeal or there may be cases in which the state can't even contact them.

"This isn't about coming and taking them by force and taking them out, it's about notifying the person who can complain. If they can't fulfil the requirements, they must leave," he says.

(Sara Madeira – edited by Pedro Sousa Carvalho | Lusa.pt)

WARSAW

During a visit to the United States, PiS (ECR) presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki encountered a reserved reception at Chicago's Polish diaspora parade, which was intended to be politically neutral for the national holiday. Read more.

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PRAGUE

Czech president expects 1.8 million shells delivery to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Prague on Sunday, meeting with Czech President Petr Pavel to discuss continued support for Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing war.  The main focus of the talks was military aid, especially the Czech-led initiative to supply Ukraine with large-calibre ammunition.

If the current agreements are fulfilled, Ukraine could receive up to 1.8 million rounds of ammunition by the end of this year, Czech president said. Discussions are already underway to secure additional deliveries for 2026. According to the Czech president, eleven countries are backing the initiative, which aims to address Ukraine’s urgent battlefield needs.

The Ukrainian president welcomed Czech support and said that the ammunition initiative works “excellently”.

Pavel warned against assuming that peace will be reached within the year. In his view, the ability to supply Ukraine with a sufficient quantity of ammunition is essential to persuading Russia that continuing the war is pointless. Without such pressure, he argued, Russia could gain the upper hand and see no reason to end the aggression.

The Czech president also made clear that the deployment of foreign troops to Ukraine is not currently being considered. “At the moment, there are no concrete negotiations about which soldiers or what units could possibly be deployed to Ukraine. We are really far from that," he said.

On Monday, Zelenskyy will meet with representatives of the Czech government and parliament to discuss further support for Ukraine.

(Aneta Zachová | Euractiv.cz)

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BRATISLAVA

Conspiracy theories spread in Russia amid Fico and Vučić’s health issues. As Moscow prepares for Victory Day on 9 May, the only two European politicians expected to attend – Slovak PM Robert Fico and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić – have both unexpectedly cancelled their recent programmes, fuelling speculation which Fico has since denied. Read more.

SOFIA

MPs in Sofia suspect sabotage of first Bulgarian F-16. A technical malfunction in Bulgaria’s newly delivered F-16 Block 70 fighter jet has sparked political tremors in Sofia, fuelling allegations of sabotage and prompting calls for a parliamentary investigation into potential foreign interference – including from foreign intelligence structures. Read more.

Sofia requests the Commission to exceed 3% deficit limit for defence spending. The Bulgarian government has decided to officially ask the European Commission to activate a national derogation clause, as provided for under the Stability and Growth Pact, in order to exceed the 3% deficit threshold. This decision is driven by the need to bolster the European Union's defence capabilities amid growing geopolitical tensions and escalating threats to both European and global security.

“This will allow more investment in defense without jeopardizing fiscal sustainability,” PM Rossen Jeliazkov said.

According to the Bulgarian Cabinet, the request aligns with the government's strategic priorities, which focus on ensuring national security and defence. These priorities include active participation in NATO and the EU, building robust cybersecurity systems, countering foreign interference in the information space, and developing the domestic defense industry's production capacity.

In response to the ongoing geopolitical crisis, the European Commission has proposed that Member States be allowed to increase defense spending by up to 1.5% of GDP relative to 2021 levels. This coordinated activation of the national escape clause would apply for a period of four years, starting in 2025.

Bulgaria intends to use the national derogation clause to allow defense spending, as measured by the Classification of Functions of Government (COFOG), to exceed 3% of GDP for the duration of the measure. The aim is to maintain the predictability and sustainability of public finances, while ensuring compliance with European economic governance rules and national fiscal constraints.

(Krassen Nikolov |  Euractiv.bg)

• EU: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers closing speech at “Choose Europe for Science” event alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, in Paris, France; Receives European People’s Party Chair Manfred Weber, Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats Chair Iratxe García-Pérez and Renew Europe Chair Valérie Hayer;
• Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera visits H2Med Project future connection at Barcelona Port, in Spain;
• Vice President Roxana Mînzatu participates in high level conference on future of “Science in Europe”, in Paris, France;
• Vice President Raffaele Fitto participates in Parliament’s debate on economic and social cohesion report; Coordiantes meeting for European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) presentation;
• Agriculture and Food Commissioner Christophe Hansen meets with European Diary Association (EDA) board;
• Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy Commissioner Jessika Roswall gives keynote speech at Global Solutions Summit 2025, in Berlin, Germany; Participates in roundtable on “Environment & Competitiveness Partnership or Paradox?”;
• Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth Commissioner Hopke Hoekstra hosts Minister for Environment of Japan Keiichiro Asao;
• Parliament’s plenary session debates European Investment Bank financial activities control, and more.

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[Edited by Vas Panagiotopoulos, Charles Szumski, Daniel Eck, Sofia Mandilara]