Good morning from Brussels,

It would be a “huge mistake” if Europe starts a fundamental revision of the EU institutions because of the enlargement, former European Commission President José Manuel Barroso told Euractiv in an interview. 

“I was president of a Commission with 28 members, and all studies and opinions showed that our Commission was making decisions more effectively and quickly than the previous smaller Commissions,” Barroso said.

Moreover, Barroso explained why deepening and enlarging the EU project simultaneously would be possible, also from a cost point of view. 

Read the full interview with Alexandra Brzozowski. 

Meanwhile, in Warsaw, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk promised Poles on 1 May -  the day Poland celebrated 20 years as part of the European Union - that their income would be higher than Brits’ in five years time.

“The energy crisis isn’t over, prices remain higher than they were pre-COVID, and markets are still very volatile,” Miriam Dalli, the energy minister of Malta, told Euractiv’s Nikolaus Kurmayer in an interview. 

Since the 2004 enlargement, most of the “new” EU member states have made huge economic progress. However, there are persistent gaps in healthcare provision and resulting outcomes. Euractiv’s health team put together data illustrating the state of play in healthcare.  

BERLIN

Germany’s left-wing parties are accusing the far-right of creating a “climate of fear” after several incidents of physical attacks on left-wing campaigners were reported since the left-wing parties officially launched their EU election campaigns. Read more.

German Chancellor Scholz, unions hit back at calls for longer working hours, pension reform. On International Workers’ Day, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD/S&D) and trade union representatives voiced opposition to calls by business leaders and pro-business parties for longer working hours and to increase the retirement age. Read more.

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PARIS

French far-right party unveils long list of EU election candidates. France’s far-right Rassemblement party, which is currently leading opinion polls in France ahead of the EU elections, has unveiled the first 35 names on its list of candidates for the June vote, including outgoing MEPs, historic leaders, several youn g people, and supporters of Marine Le Pen. Read more.

Thousands protest over salaries, Gaza at France May Day marches. Thousands marched at May Day protests across France on Wednesday, making demands ranging from better salaries to a ceasefire in Gaza, with minor skirmishes in some cities. Read more.

STOCKHOLM

The European Union must become “democracy-secure” and be able to expel countries that move in the opposite direction, former prime minister and Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson told a press conference ahead of her Labour Day speech. Read more. 

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COPENHAGEN

Abolished public holiday pushes support for Danish ruling coalition to all-time low. Support for the three parties that make up Denmark’s ruling coalition has hit an all-time low, according to an opinion poll published on Wednesday, after the coalition abolished a popular public holiday last year against the will of the majority of Danes. Read more.

LONDON 

Britain starts physical checks on fresh food imports from the EU. Britain launched physical checks on fresh food products imported from the European Union on Tuesday some three years after it left the bloc’s single market and eight years after it voted to leave the EU. Read more.

Britain rolls out post-Brexit plans for authorising EU investment funds. Britain set out its “roadmap” on Wednesday for authorising investment funds from the European Union to offer products in the UK, a post-Brexit milestone that reflects how most funds sold to retail investors in the country are still listed in the EU. Read more.

ROME

Council of State resolves decade-long EU-Italy beach concession dispute.  A recent decision by the Italian Council of State ordering the country to urgently introduce genuine tendering procedures for beach concessions has brought to an end the contentious legal battle between the European Commission and Italy over its beach concession practices. Read more.

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MADRID

Spain’s VOX counts on Trump, Meloni, Milei to boost EU election message. Spain’s far-right VOX party is counting on the support of former US president and Republican candidate Donald Trump, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni and Argentina’s President Javier Milei, among others, to boost its message of a Europe of sovereign nations ahead of the European elections in June. Read more.

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VALLETTA

Malta’s ex-PM named in money laundering probe linked to ‘fraudulent’ hospitals concession. Malta’s former socialist Labour Party (S&D) prime minister Joseph Muscat, his former chief of staff Keith Schembri and former minister Konrad Mizzi have been named by the country’s attorney general on suspicion of money laundering in connection with a controversial public-private partnership for hospitals. Read more.

PRAGUE

The Czech ANO party launched its EU election campaign on Wednesday, with the fight against the EU Green Deal and the migration pact being among its top priorities, further distancing itself from its European partners in the liberal Renew Europe group. Read more.

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WARSAW

Tusk promises Poles will soon be richer than Brits. Poland’s GDP per capita could be higher than the UK’s in five years’ time, according to the latest World Bank data, which Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk vowed to make a reality on Wednesday – the day Poland celebrated 20 years as part of the European Union. Read more.

SOFIA

Bulgaria restricts gambling, bans advertising across all media. Bulgaria has banned the opening of casinos in towns with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants and completely banned gambling advertising in all types of media, with most parliament lawmakers voting in the new bill’s favour. Read more.

• EU: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, together with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, visit Lebanon, and meet with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Azmi Mikati, Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri;
• United Kingdom: Local elections to be held;
• ECHR: Ruling on dispute between Italy and the Getty Foundation over ownership of a Greek statue;

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