Good morning from Brussels,

“The Russians are very active in every [EU political] group,” former Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki claimed in an interview with Euractiv. 

In particular, regarding EU socialists, who he mentioned twice, he said, “I’m absolutely sure; I can give all dollars betting for this.” 

Read the full interview with Max Griera.

Meanwhile, the RussiaGate scandal has given the European Council something of a wake-up call.

EU leaders decided on Wednesday to launch a temporary crisis task force to centralise the monitoring and sharing of information on Russia’s attempts to interfere in June’s European elections, eyeing a permanent system after that. 

Read all the details here.

In other news from the capitals, Portugal’s president has dropped hints on former prime minister Antonio Costa heading towards Brussels to take over the position of European Council president, while refusing to be drawn on an ongoing corruption court case at home.

Speaking at a press conference alongside former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta, EUCouncil chief Charles Michel said on Wednesday that Europe’s answer to the US’s multibillion green subsidy programme should be to deepen its single market for financial capital. 

For his part, Letta, due to present his much-anticipated single market report to EU leaders on Thursday morning, highlighted the need for more EU-wide public funding and a “European industrial policy” to address the bloc’s industrial malaise. Thomas Moller-Nielsen has the story.

On the agricultural front, Letta said farmers should not bear the EU green transition costs alone. However, the backlash against EU green policies continues, Euractiv’s Maria Simon Arboleas reports, with plans to revive farmers’ protests ahead of June’s European elections and an expected surge in support for the far-right in rural areas. 

What’s in the box for Europe’s energy sector? A deepening of Europe’s Energy Union is a key priority, along with several targeted recommendations on how to transform Europe’s energy sector. Nikolaus J. Kurmayer has more.

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BERLIN

German regional far-right leader to stand trial for Nazi symbolism. Björn Höcke, one of the leading figures in Germany’s far-right AfD party, will go on trial on Thursday for allegedly using Nazi symbols, casting doubt on his ambitions to become prime minister of the state of Thuringia. Read more.

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PARIS

Human rights NGOs tackle France’s inaction towards rights of disabled people. Human rights NGOs denounced on Wednesday the French government’s failure to ensure the rights of people with disabilities are respected, one year after the Council of Europe issued their reprimands. Read more.

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VIENNA

Austria appeals to European Commission in escalation of German gas tariff dispute. On Tuesday, the Austrian (EPP) Vice President of the European Parliament Othmar Karas joined with his country’s Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler, to submit an urgent parliamentary question to the European Commission, challenging the legality of Germany’s gas transit fees. Read more.

STOCKHOLM

Sweden passes controversial gender identity law amid political division. The Swedish parliament, led by conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s Moderate Party, passed a controversial Gender Identity Bill on Wednesday, despite objections from its coalition partner, the Christian Democrats and its far-right ally, the Sweden Democrats, revealing massive internal divisions within the ruling coalition. Read more.

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COPENHAGEN | PRAGUE | THE HAGUE

Denmark, Czechia, the Netherlands look to support air defence for Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday called on Kyiv’s allies to dig deeper into their stockpiles to support Ukraine militarily, while three European leaders said they would look at the possibility of supplying missile defence systems. Read more.

LISBON

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has dropped hints about the prospects of Socialist former prime minister Antonio Costa heading to Brussels to take the role of president of the European Council as a court case related to corruption flounders in the appeal courts. Read more.

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ROME

Italy and Tunisia forge stronger ties to tackle migration challenges. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni embarked on a significant diplomatic mission to Tunis on Wednesday, where she solidified a partnership with President Kais Saied to tackle migration challenges. Read more.

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MADRID

Spain’s far-left Podemos criticise Sánchez for increasing defence spending. Deputy leader of the far-left Podemos party Irene Montero on Wednesday lashed out at the Socialist Party (PSOE/S&D) government and its ally, the Sumar platform, for increasing defence spending by over €1 billion. Read more.

BRATISLAVA

Slovaks rally behind arms fundraiser for Ukraine, defying Fico’s government. To support the Czech initiative to aid Ukraine, which the Slovak government refused to join, Slovak organisations launched a fundraising campaign called “Ammunition for Ukraine,” which raised over €700,000 in just two days. Read more.

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WARSAW

Duda-Trump meeting raises eyebrows in Poland. Polish President Andrzej Duda’s plans to meet with former US president Donald Trump during his visit to Washington on Wednesday were met with astonishment in Warsaw. Read more.

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PRAGUE

In Czechia, security, independence take centre stage ahead of EU elections. Czechs are particularly concerned about security and industrial independence, according to a recent Eurobarometer survey, which reveals a divergence between voters’ concerns in Czechia and the rest of the European Union. Read more.

SOFIA

Foreign minister pick causes tensions between Bulgarian president, government. Bulgaria’s caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev’s proposal to replace Foreign Minister Dimitar Stefanov with the conservative party’s GERB deputy leader Daniel Mitov has caused tension with President Rumen Radev, who is due to sign a decree on the rotation. Read more.

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ZAGREB

Ruling conservatives win most seats in Croatia election, but no majority. Croatia’s ruling conservative party won the most seats in a parliamentary election Wednesday but not enough to form a government, according to almost complete official results, with tough talks ahead to gather a majority. Read more.

• EU: Informal meeting of consumer protection ministers expected to focus on sustainable e-commerce, Influencer Marketing, effectiveness of European Consumer Protection Enforcement, and more;
• Commission Vice President Vĕra Jourová holds video call with Chief Executive of the European Investment Fund Marjut Falkstedt; Speaks at Brussels Forum;
• Vice President Margrethe Vestager meets with former US Vice President Mike Pence;
• Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski hosts European Beekeeping Association representatives;
• Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmit participates in event to launch call for funding proposals to combat long term unemployment, co-organised by the Commission and the CoR;
• Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides participates in EU-Türkiye high level Dialogue on Health, in in Ankara;
• International Partnerships Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen participates in IMF-World Bank spring meetings, in Washington, United States;
• Financial services, financial stability and Capital Markets Union Commissioner Mairead McGuinness participates in Financial Action Task Force (FAFT) ministerial meeting, in Washington, United States; Meets with Meeting with CEOs of global banks; Holds meeting with Chair of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Gary Gensler;

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