Good morning from Berlin,

The victory of the social democrat SPD party in the crucial state election in Brandenburg on Sunday was perceived as a relief for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and a “bitter defeat” for the main opposition Christian Democrats (CDU). 

According to the provisional official results, the SPD won 30.9% of the votes, closely followed by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which scored 29.2%. Leftist BSW (BSW) came third with 13.5%, while the CDU got 12.1%.

Scholz’s coalition partners (Greens and liberals) did not reach the 5% threshold to enter the regional parliament. 

SPD may celebrate the victory, however, it is not certain that it will lead to a general renaissance of Scholz, whose SPD party ranks third in national polls - well behind CDU and AfD. 

Some attribute the victory to the popularity of the incumbent Brandenburg SPD chief Dietmar Woidke, an often critical voice of the federal government’s policies.

Before the elections, Woidke had distanced himself from Scholz, while more than half of the SPD’s voters (52%) said in exit polls that they would not have voted for the SPD had it not been for Woidke. 

For CDU leader Friedrich Merz, who confirmed last week that he will run for the country’s chancellorship, Brandenburg’s elections was not a good result.

Speaking to ZDF, CDU secretary-general Carsten Linnemann blamed the polarisation of the election campaign between the AfD and Woidke for the CDU's sombre result, arguing that CDU voters chose to vote for the incumbent minister-president and not their own party to avoid an AfD victory.

Nick Alipour has all the details.

Meanwhile, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) will have little time on Monday to digest the results of the third round of local elections as he prepares for talks with car sector leaders on getting the country’s largest industry back on track. Jonathan Packroff has the story.

Despite a political consensus on creating the EU Parliament’s first-ever full committee on defence, it is dubious whether the final decision will be taken before the new Commission’s confirmation hearings, with groups still haggling over package deals and competencies. Aurélie Pugnet and Nick Alipour dig deeper.

Reporting from New York, Euractiv’s Alexandra Brzozowski analyses the agenda of the annual high-level United Nations General Assembly.

When it comes to the upcoming hearing at the EU Parliament, incoming environment commissioner will likely face tough MEP questions on the chemical rules revision, writes Nikolaus Kurmayer.

PARIS

Newly-appointed French Prime Minister Michel Barnier presented his government late on Saturday, largely maintaining the political course of previous pro-Macron administrations while making concessions to the far-right Rassemblement National (RN). Read more.

Geneviève Darrieussecq appointed new French health minister. Freshly nominated French Prime Minister Michel Barnier unveiled his new government on Saturday, appointing 68-year-old centrist MP Geneviève Darrieussecq as minister for health and access to care. Read more.

ROME  

Italy will formally present a proposal at a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday to bring forward to the first half of 2025 the review of the EU’s 2035 ban on combustion engine vehicles, currently scheduled for 2026, announced Italy’s Business and Made in Italy Minister Adolfo Urso. Read more.

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MADRID  

PSOE delegation and Puigdemont meet in Geneva to smooth relations.  Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and representatives of the ruling Socialist Party met in Geneva on Friday in an attempt to smooth relations after the separatist leader’s party voted against the ruling Socialists despite having previously agreed to back each other in parliament. Read more.

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NICOSIA | ATHENS

Cyprus signs agreement with Greece on ‘world’s longest’ subsea high-voltage cable. Greece and Cyprus have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to press ahead with a subsea electric cable linking continental Europe to the East Mediterranean, the energy ministries of the two countries said on Saturday. Read more.

WARSAW

US presidential candidate Donald Trump cancelled his meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda without giving a reason but did post a message of support on social media. Read more.

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PRAGUE

Babiš celebrates landslide wins in Czech regional and Senate elections. Opposition party ANO of former prime minister Andrej Babiš won a resounding victory in 10 out of 13 regions in the regional elections while simultaneously making a strong showing in the Senate elections. Read more.

SOFIA

Bulgaria’s GERB threatens ruling party in Skopje with expulsion from EPP. The ruling VMRO-DPMNE party in North Macedonia has been threatened with expulsion from the EU centre-right political family (EPP), with Andrey Kovachev, an MEP from Bulgaria’s largest party, GERB, accusing it of aggressive rhetoric against Bulgaria. Read more.

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BELGRADE

Serbia moves to reintroduce compulsory military service. Serbia’s government ministers on Friday agreed to reintroduce compulsory military service which was abolished 14 years ago. President Aleksandar Vučić praised the decision as an important step to improve the country’s defence readiness. Read more.

• EU: Agriculture and Fisheries Council convenes to discuss market situation, CAP strategic plans: stocktaking, amendement of fishing opportunities for 2024 – 2025, and more;
• Parliament President Roberta Metsola attends United Nations General Assembly, in New York, USA; Participates at World Economic Forum roundtable on “Advancing a Global Agenda through a Geopolitical Recession”; Delivers keynote speech at Concordia Summit;
• Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers keynote address at Association of Small Islands States Leaders Meeting;
• High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell participates in G7+ foreign ministers’ meeting on Ukraine Sector Support; Participates in G7 foreign ministers meeting;

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Martina Monti, Alice Taylor-Braçe]