Good morning from Brussels.
The EU's snappily titled European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) hits a crunch European Parliament vote today, but MEPs already agree the €1.5 billion cash pot is nowhere near enough, writes Euractiv’s Charles Cohen.
The Parliament's industry and defence committees will vote on an amended version of EDIP this morning as a key hurdle before the file reaches negotiations with the Commission and Council, probably set to start in the summer.
Lawmakers say the text is likely to pass, with the Social Democrats (S&D), the Greens and liberal Renew faction overwhelmingly backing a draft text. However, it remains unclear whether the right-wing European People's Party (EPP) will back the deal, and a request for comment went unanswered late Wednesday.
“There was an agreement by all EPP negotiators on the Parliament’s version of the EDIP legislation,” Green MEP Hannah Neumann told Euractiv. “Against this backdrop, I have no understanding whatsoever for this last-minute mess,” she added.
But there are still grumbles over the text. In the past few weeks of deliberations, the issue of eligibility criteria for projects to benefit from the €1.5 billion financial envelope has caused a stir within centre-right MEPs.
These criteria are essential to define which military products can qualify for the cash pot. Initially it was set at 65% of European components in the Commission proposal, but the amended version states brought it up to 70%, Renew MEP Nathalie Loiseau told Euractiv. |
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| Click on the picture to read the story | [Thierry Monasse/Getty Images] |
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The European Commission has imposed fines totalling €700 million – the first to be issued under the EU's Digital Markets Act – on American big tech juggernauts Apple and Meta yesterday amid spiralling trade tensions with the US government, write Anupriya Datta and Magnus Lund Nielsen.
“This novel form of economic extortion will not be tolerated by the United States,” said US National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes. “Extraterritorial regulations that specifically target and undermine American companies, stifle innovation and enable censorship will be recognized as barriers to trade and a direct threat to free civil society.” However, President Donald Trump has so far not issued a statement regarding the ruling.
Meanwhile, Members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet are likely to seek to curb the influence of employees at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and reassert control over budgets and staffing once Elon Musk steps down from his role, according to two government sources with direct knowledge of the matter, speaking to Reuters.
‘It’s very scary.’ Donald Trump’s tariffs have thrown a giant wrench into the global economy, but his attempts to influence US monetary policy risk triggering a full-blown financial meltdown, writes Thomas Moller-Nielsen.
Rearmament cash. The EU's defence chief met with South Korean defence officials on Wednesday as member states are discussing whether foreign countries and their companies should benefit from the EU funds destined for the bloc’s rearmament, writes Aurélie Pugnet.
Washington continues to pile pressure on Ukraine and Russia to reach a peace deal, but US President Donald Trump continues to place most of the blame on Kyiv, writes Alexandra Brzozowski.
EPP race. A field of twelve candidates is vying for just ten vice-presidency positions in the European People’s Party, setting the stage for a tightly contested internal race, writes Sarantis Michalopoulos.
Confident. The European Commission believes it has the right formula to stop the bloc's pharmaceutical industry from moving to the US – but the EU’s slow-moving legislative machine could put its 'confidence' to the test, write Emma Pirnay and Thomas Mangin.
Fast-tracking. The European Commission may still decide to submit a 2035 climate target before a UN-imposed September deadline, after opting for a rethink on the use of an expedited process for getting it cleared by the bloc's policymaking apparatus, writes Nikolaus J. Kurmayer.
Animal feed. After failing to convince Europeans to swap steaks for cricket pasta, insect producers have turned to the animal feed market as their next big hope, writes Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro.
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| Click on the picture to read the story | [EPA-EFE/CLEMENS BILAN] |
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| BERLIN Germany’s Foreign Office has warned that the Russian ambassador could be forcibly removed if he proceeds with plans to attend German memorial ceremonies related to the Second World War. Read more.
Right-wing populism is fuelling climate change scepticism in Germany. Disillusioned by years of crisis, Germans no longer consider fighting climate change much of a priority, according to the results of two separate surveys. This attitude does not seem to stem from a lack of awareness among Germans, but rather from a self-centred outlook, and a pessimistic attitude towards climate action appears closely tied to the approval of right-wing populism. Read more.
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PARIS
France power system faces stability challenge, outgoing EDF chief warns. The mismatch between intermittent renewable power sources and dispatchable ones, like nuclear, needs attention to avoid stretching the stability of the French electricity system, the outgoing EDF chief warned at a parliamentary hearing yesterday. Read more.
BarMar hydrogen pipeline's fate hinges on Germany, France says. The future of the BarMar hydrogen pipeline connecting Spain and France ultimately depends on the EU and Germany, the cabinet of French energy ministry Marc Ferracci has said. Read more.
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| Click on the picture to read the story |[Adam Berry/Getty Images] |
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| STOCKHOLM Criminal networks in Sweden are using a national free choice system to plant younger students in specific schools and tighten their grip on districts notorious for drug use, SVT revealed in an investigative programme. Read more.
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COPENHAGEN
Denmark to deploy new regiment on Baltic island amid security concerns. The Danish government has announced the formation of a new battalion-sized unit to bolster the country's defences on the island of Bornholm, national media DR reports. Read more.
Danish King set for first official visit to Greenland. King Frederik X will travel to the Arctic island on 28 April, accompanied by the Head of Greenland’s government, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, according to a statement from the Greenlandic government reported by local media Sermitsiaq. The visit is the king's first official trip to the autonomous region under Denmark since his accession to the throne in early 2024. The programme for the royal visit has not yet been made public. However, local media interpret the move as a symbolic gesture of continued unity between Denmark and Greenland amid rising geopolitical tensions and US President Donald Trump's suggestion that the US would annex the island. Ahead of the king's visit, Nielsen will go to Denmark, where he is expected to meet with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and speaker of the parliament, Søren Gade this weekend. (Magnus Lund Nielsen | Euractiv)
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TALLINN
Estonia to build new military base on Russian border. The Estonian government plans to build a new military base in Narva near the Russian boarder, Bloomberg reports. The base will host a contingent of between 200 and 250 soldiers – composed of active-duty soldiers, conscripts, and reservists – to increase the military presence in eastern Estonia, General Vahur Karus said on public radio broadcaster ERR today. This will send a “security signal” to Narva, Estonia’s third biggest city, Karus added. Estonia has significantly increased its defence spending in recent years. In 2024, the country spent 3.4% of GDP on defence, the second-highest contribution among NATO members after Poland. (Charles Cohen | Euractiv)
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VILNIUS Vilnius unveils wartime evacuation plan amid Russia fears. Lithuania's capital Vilnius has revealed a full-scale evacuation plan in case of a Russian attack, as the country braces for potential spillover from the Ukraine conflict, AFP reports. Read more. |
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| ROME
Liberation Day tensions flare as Italian government calls for ‘low-key’ celebrations. Since Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government took office, Italy’s Liberation Day on 25 April has become a recurring flashpoint. This year, the government has called for more "sober" and "low-key" celebrations, citing the five-day mourning period declared for Pope Francis's death. Read more.
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LISBON
Portugal PM confirms request to exempt defence spending from EU budget rules. The outgoing prime minister confirmed on Wednesday that Portugal has asked Brussels to activate the safeguard clause, exempting investments to be made in the defence sector over the next few years from European budgetary rules, namely from being counted towards the deficit. Speaking to journalists outside the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See in Lisbon, where he signed the book of condolences for the Pope's death, the prime minister said that the government had already had the opportunity to inform the Socialist Party (PS), the largest political force in the opposition, about the procedure that the executive has requested from the European Commission in order to activate the safeguard clause. “Basically, [this procedure] makes it possible to invest more in the defence area in the coming years, but without jeopardising the sustainability of public accounts,” said the leader of the executive. Luís Montenegro then pointed out that the government “and the opposition” share the idea that there is a need for Portugal to live up to the "current circumstances in order to invest more in the area of defence,” “but without damaging or penalising not only financial stability, but also the promotion of social policies.” (Joana Morais Fonseca, edited by Cristina Cardoso | Lusa.pt) |
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| WARSAW
Polish foreign policy focus on standing against Russian threat. An annual speech to Poland's parliament setting out Warsaw's foreign policy direction tweaked at Russia and wove in a plug for the pro-EU candidate in the country's presidential election next month. Read more.
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PRAGUE
Czechia reacts to Russian threats against ice hockey legend. Czech officials condemned threats made by Russian ex-president Dmitry Medvedev against Czech ice hockey legend Dominik Hašek. Medvedev called Hašek a “russophobe” and warned him to “watch out when crossing the street”.Medvedev lashed out after Hašek criticised Russia and slammed Russian NHL star Alexander Ovechkin for not condemning the war in Ukraine. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský instructed his ministry to propose measures which could be taken in the response, and said Czech diplomats stand behind any citizen threatened from abroad. Interior Minister Vít Rakušan offered Hašek police protection, and Prime Minister Petr Fiala said such threats are “absolutely unacceptable”, noting that Medvedev is “a senior Russian official, not a private individual”. Hašek, a retired star NHL goaltender who also led Czechia to the country's only Olympic gold medal in the sport, is an outspoken critic of the Kremlin. Hašek also reported the threats to international sports authorities. (Aneta Zachová | Euractiv.cz) |
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| Click on the picture to read the story | [EPA-EFE/ANDREJ CUKIC] |
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| BELGRADE
Protests against corruption continue in Serbia, despite the appointment of a new government last week, as students have been blocking the public television buildings for the past nine days. Read more.
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SOFIA
Bulgarian court tightens regime for construction of agro-photovoltaics. The Bulgarian Constitutional Court (CC) yesterday cancelled all administrative concessions for the construction of agro-photovoltaics on agricultural land. Following the court ruling, Bulgarian farmers who had intended to invest in photovoltaics must first go through a complicated procedure for legalising the projects, which will most likely reject most of them. Over the past two years, Bulgaria has been embroiled in a clash between investors in solar parks and large farmers, in which pro-Russian parties in parliament have also intervened and declared themselves against green energy. At the end of last year, President Rumen Radev intervened in the disputes, taking the issue of the development of photovoltaic systems by farmers to the Constitutional Court. (Krassen Nikolov | Euractiv.bg)
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BUCHAREST Romanian president backs gradual boost to defence budget. Interim Romanian President Ilie Bolojan on Wednesday stressed the need to continue modernising the Romanian Armed Forces, not only through ongoing arms procurement programmes, but also by gradually increasing the defence budget, investing in state-of-the-art military equipment, strengthening the national defence industry and improving personnel training. Romania has earmarked 2.24% of its GDP for defence spending in 2025, according to the budget passed by parliament in February, with the potential to increase this to 2.5% depending on the progress of the defence ministry's procurement programmes. Bolojan also announced a new meeting of the Supreme National Defence Council on 30 April to discuss the draft defence law and Romania's role in Readiness 2030. (Cătălina Mihai | Euractiv.ro) |
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| EU: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in London, United Kingdom: meets with Prime Minister Keir Starmer; Participates in Future of Energy Security Summit; High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas on official visit in Chisinau, Moldova; Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera on official visit in Mexico: visits UNHCR refugee integration project in Vallejo; Vice President Henna Virkkunen delivers keynote speech at “European Competitiveness & Defense” event; Receives European Competitive Telecommunications Association; Economy and Productivity Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis attends G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, in Washington D.C., United States; Attends 2025 World Bank Group/IMF spring meetings; Holds meetings with Japanese Minister of Finance Katsunobu Kato, Governor of People’s Bank of China Pan Gongsheng; International Partnerships Commissioner Jozef Síkela delivers speech at Global Inclusive Growth Summit in Washington D.C., United States; Holds meetings with Deputy Minister for International Development of Canada Christopher MacLennan, Minister of State for International Development of Latin America and Caribbean Jenny Chapman, UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed; Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy Commissioner Jessika Roswall meets with European Round Table for Industry Chair Jean-François van Boxmeer and Secretary General Anthony Gooch Gálvez; Meets with European Recycling Industries' Confederation (EuRIC) President Olivier François, Vice President Peter Hodecek; Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration Commissioner Piotr Serafin meets with Romanian Interim President Ilie Bolojan, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, in Bucharest; Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety debates report on Water Framework Directive implementation; Parliament’s Committee on Development debates Global Vaccine Alliance 2026-2030 strategy, Humanitarian priorities, and more. *** |
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| [Edited by Vas Panagiotopoulos, Charles Szumski, Daniel Eck, Sofia Mandilara] |
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