Brussels Playbook: Leaving Sudan — North Sea summit — China talks

SUDAN LATEST: Countries including the U.S., U.K. and France have been working to evacuate embassy staff and others from Sudan as a violent conflict between the army and a paramilitary group continues to rock the country. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock canceled her participation in today’s EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg to focus on coordinating Berlin’s evacuation mission, officials told Playbook. She will be replaced by Germany’s ambassador to the EU, Michael Clauss.

Calls for ceasefire: Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell reiterated calls for a ceasefire overnight and said he was “relieved” that the EU’s delegation is being evacuated, thanking France and Djibouti for their help. But he added that the EU’s ambassador will continue to work from Sudan.

DRIVING THE DAY: NORTH SEA SUMMIT

WIND IN THEIR SAILS: Leaders from nine European countries will meet today in Belgium’s sleepy coastal town of Ostend to agree on how to fast-track offshore wind energy projects in the North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish and Celtic Seas.

Big ambitions: Formerly the cradle of the Industrial Revolution and home to some of the world’s most ambitious engineering projects, such as the Eurotunnel, the countries surrounding the North Sea want to take the lead again.

“The North Seas can be the world’s biggest power plant,” the nine leaders wrote in an op-ed for POLITICO. For now, they have some catching up to do: Since 2015, China has been ahead of the entire EU in terms of installed wind-energy capacity.

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Make or break: According to estimates from the WindEurope lobby, EU countries have agreed to the equivalent of 420 GW total installed wind capacity by 2030; last year, however, the bloc installed just 16 GW of new capacity, missing its annual target by half, while turbine orders fell 47 percent and new investments in Europe dropped by €24 billion. Read more on that from my energy team colleague Victor Jack here.

Getting the wind up: Belgian Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten also conceded it would be “a difficult road from now until 2030,” but promised the summit would be a clear case of “action” by politicians.

What to expect: The participating countries — Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Ireland, Norway, the U.K. and Denmark — want to boost investment to increase the wind power generated on the North Sea to a combined 120 GW by the end of this decade, compared to 30 GW at the moment, rising to 300 GW by 2050.

To get there, they plan to build new grid interconnectors and multidirectional “hybrid” links; coordinate government-led wind power auctions; and construct artificial “energy islands” to smooth the flow of electricity across Europe. Belgium’s version, Princess Elisabeth Island, will be partly ready by 2026, Van der Straeten said.

Industry plea: Over 90 companies (representing the whole offshore wind and renewable hydrogen supply chain) are expected to urge governments to increase support to the sector.

Amid Russian sabotage fears: The meeting comes days after a Russian spy ship was spotted lurking in the murky waters of the North Sea. Officials warned it appeared to be mapping power and data cables.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo didn’t mince his words when he told reporters last week that EU countries “need to build up capacity and to be prepared for attacks on vital infrastructure. And when I talk about infrastructure, I’m talking about cables. I’m talking about energy installations. About pipelines.”

Missing link: Investments in Europe-wide grids are particularly important since wind power is wasted and investors feel discouraged if farms shut down during local low-demand periods to prevent the grid from collapsing. In March, Greece floated centralizing existing EU funds under a special “European Grid Facility.” Over 10 EU capitals have voiced support for the idea so far, a senior Greek diplomat said, while the Commission has also “shown openness.”

Timing: Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre will pen an EU-Norway cooperating agreement at 11 a.m. Summit arrivals start at 3:30 p.m., followed by on-site visits and press statements from 4-6 p.m. The signing ceremony for the leaders will take place after 6 p.m. in the presence of von der Leyen and Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson.

EU-CHINA RELATIONS

FOREIGN AFFAIRS CHIEFS TO TALK CHINA: EU foreign affairs ministers are meeting for their regular Council gathering in Luxembourg today for discussions that were expected to center around Ukraine, but China will also be looming large once again.

Latest headache: Comments by Lu Shaye, China’s ambassador to France, questioning the independence of all former Soviet states under international law.

Lu said that “former member countries of the Soviet Union do not have the … effective status of a sovereign state in international law.” Asked in a brilliant TV interview by LCI’s Darius Rochebin whether Crimea belongs to Ukraine, Lu said: “It depends how you perceive the problem.”

Lu then went on to make an even more explosive (and inaccurate) statement. “These ex-Soviet countries, they don’t have actual status in international law because there is no international agreement to confirm their status as a sovereign country,” he said, adding: “We shouldn’t fuss about these problems.” (Watch here from 14 minutes on.)

“It’s not fussing — if a part of China was amputated, you wouldn’t say we are fussing. This is a really serious question,” Rochebin responded. Only at this point did China’s envoy seem to start to realize what a mess he had gotten himself into. There was then an awkward silence, Lu took a sip of water, and replied that “their problems are not so easy to say in one word.”

Swift rebuke: France’s government said it had noted Lu’s words “with dismay,” and recalled that Ukraine’s sovereignty had been recognized by all U.N. members, including China, when it joined the U.N. in 1991. Paris also asked Beijing to clarify whether Lu’s words reflected China’s official position.

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia jointly summoned the top Chinese envoys in their countries to give an explanation. Lithuanian FM Gabrielius Landsbergis told Playbook that Lu’s comments proved that his country’s decision to withdraw from the so-called 17+1 group of Central and Eastern European countries and China two years ago “was timely right.”

More than 80 European MPs and MEPs, including many foreign affairs committee chairs, called on France to kick Lu out by declaring him persona non grata, after he questioned several EU countries’ (and some of France’s closest allies’) right to exist.

Not going down well in Kyiv either: “It is strange to hear an absurd version of the ’history of Crimea’ from a representative of a country that is scrupulous about its thousand-year history,” said Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior Ukrainian presidential aide.

China’s own goal: This comes just after French President Emmanuel Macron presented China with an open goal to capitalize on divisions within the EU and NATO, and portray itself as a peacemaker in Ukraine (if only the EU forgets about Taiwan). But now Beijing’s ambassador has turned around and scored an own goal instead.

Regardless of whether Lu’s remarks were an amateurish mistake or a planned provocation, in just one interview, China’s envoy has united the EU, forced France to speak up, and completely discredited Xi Jinping’s rhetoric about building a new “security architecture” for Europe.

What’s next: Watch out today to see whether EU foreign ministers will make a joint statement on the matter. Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs has already said he “will call on the EU to condemn the unacceptable statements of the Chinese ambassador to France” during today’s Foreign Affairs Council.

A senior diplomat from another EU country told Playbook the EU should jointly “ask for a clarification from China.”

Not completely united: The EU doesn’t see eye to eye on everything China-related, however: As our editor in chief, Jamil Anderlini, reports today, France and Germany are at odds over whether to revive a moribund investment agreement with Beijing. Full story here.

CHINESE TRADE MINISTER COMES TO TOWN: Meanwhile, China’s Trade Minister Wang Wentao is in Brussels today to meet EU trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis. They’re accompanied by their respective ambassadors to the World Trade Organization, João Aguiar Machado and Li Chenggang, a Commission spokesperson confirmed.

Further reading 1: Hans von der Burchard takes an in-depth look at German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who has been playing hardball with autocracies such as China, recently delivering a broadside against Beijing over its (not-so-indirect) support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. She’s been using this to burnish her credentials to someday become chancellor, but questions still remain about her chances.

Further reading 2: The EU is also plotting how to win back — or not lose — four key “priority countries” amid concerns about the influence of China and Russia. Jacopo Barigazzi has the story on Brussels’ scheme for Brazil, Chile, Nigeria and Kazakhstan.

BORRELL SAYS SEND SHIPS TO TAIWAN STRAIT: More EU countries should send warships to patrol the Taiwan Strait, according to foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who will chair the EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Luxembourg today, Stuart Lau reports.

In his own words: “Europe must in fact be very present on this issue [of Taiwan],” Borrell said in the somewhat anti-Macron message to Le Journal du Dimanche. “That is why I call on European navies to patrol the Taiwan Strait to signify Europe’s commitment to freedom of navigation in this absolutely crucial area. At the same time, we must be vigilant against provocations and overbidding.”

It’s our responsibility: “The vast majority of the Taiwanese population believe that the peaceful status quo is the most appropriate solution. Let us, therefore, be firm in ensuring that this principle is respected,” Borrell said. Chinese leader Xi has vowed to take the self-ruling democratic island — which Beijing claims as its own — by force if necessary.

MORE FOREIGN AFFAIRS

MOLDOVA ON THE AGENDA: Also on the agenda at today’s Foreign Affairs Council: sanctions for individuals accused of fomenting unrest in Moldova. Chișinău has long urged the EU to sanction Moldovan oligarchs like Ilan Șor and Vladimir Plahotniuc. The sanctions package is basically a done deal, though it will not be signed off today by ministers, and instead will be agreed by written procedure later this week. (The U.K. and U.S. have already moved to sanction individuals.)

Holding oligarchs accountable: Moldovan Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu told Playbook that it is vital that individuals are held to account. ​​

“We have several oligarchs who effectively stole money from Moldova and are using it to wreck domestic politics and derail it,” he told my colleague Suzanne Lynch. “It is vital that we fend off these attempts, and that we continue our efforts to reform Moldova by limiting the influence of corrupt politicians.”

In particular, Moldova has been pushing for Șor to be extradited from Israel, accusing him of working hand-in-glove with Russia. “Very clearly, there are coordinated attempts between these oligarchs and Russia,” Popescu said. Moldova, which was granted EU candidate status last June along with Ukraine, said last month it had thwarted a Russian-backed coup in the country, and the country has accused Russia of staging several anti-government protests.

NO DEAL YET ON AMMO PRODUCTION: EU countries have yet to finalize a legal text on the so-called “second track” of ammunition plans for Ukraine, which involves boosting the production of weapons and ammunition in Europe. France originally defended the principled (or radical, depending on your viewpoint) position that the entire supply chain would have to be located in the EU or Norway to benefit from EU and Norwegian funds.

While three diplomats said there was now an agreement that supplies from outside the Union would be allowed, there are still disagreements over the legal wording on how far such exemptions should go. A fourth diplomat sought to play down the delay, arguing there was no hurry as long as there was still money for the first track — which involves reimbursing countries for their own ammo shipments to Ukraine.

But officials have argued Europe needs to ramp up production capacities as soon as possible to be able to supply Ukraine.

GREECE EXPORTED MALICIOUS SPYWARE TO SUDAN: Greek officials confirmed that the Greek government issued a license to export Predator spyware to Sudan.

Alternate Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis and Deputy Education Minister Angelos Syrigos said the Greek state had issued the license for the export. However, Syrigos claimed the state was not aware of what the product was exactly. He claimed that Intellexa, the company selling it, “described it differently.”

Last November, it was revealed that the Greek government has facilitated the export of Predator and equipped the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group with it.

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MEDIA FREEDOM UNDER THREAT

PROBLEMS IN THE EU: Playbook confirmed last Friday firsthand that the German press — and many politicians — can still party in style, at the annual Press Gala in Berlin, which was dedicated to the principle of press freedom.

But a deluge of reports this week is set to shed a light on a worrying decline in media rights.

As Suzanne Lynch writes in to report, the Committee to Protect Journalists will publish its latest report on Wednesday, urging the EU to do more to tackle the myriad of issues facing the free press — from intimidation of journalists, to state control of media.

Threats on the rise: First out of the traps is the annual Liberties Media Freedom Report 2023, publishing this morning. The analysis finds that physical attacks on journalists and abusive lawsuits, known as SLAPPS, are on the rise. The report also points to the problem of over-concentration in media ownership, which it says “threatens the diversity of media voices and creates more opportunities for biased reporting,” name-checking Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and France.

Visegrad 4: Also today, the Committee for Editorial Independence publishes new polling examining the state of play in the four Visegrad countries — Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The results are not pretty. The poll finds that a majority of citizens in these countries are concerned about media freedom — and in Poland and Hungary it’s the government, not commercial players or media owners, that is seen as the biggest threat to media freedom.

Commission view: Commissioner Věra Jourová has spearheaded the EU’s Media Freedom Act, which will create powers for Brussels with the aim of ensuring basic freedoms and is currently winding its way through the EU’s institutions.

Jourová told Suzanne that the overwhelming majority of people in the Visegrad countries “want the media to be independent from political or business pressures, yet they also see that this is not the case,” adding that there is an expectation for the EU to act.

A bit more complicated: But some publishers and countries such as Germany are wary of the proposed Media Freedom Act, which also includes rules to prevent concentration and which regional bodies fear would encroach on their regulatory powers.

In a boost to the Commission, however, the Council’s legal service last month upheld the legal basis of the proposed act — a blow for countries that were seeking to limit the scope.

IN OTHER NEWS

EU TO MOVE AHEAD WITH REFORM OF SPENDING RULES: The European Commission is putting the final touches on proposals to reform EU spending rules, and is likely to adopt it on Wednesday, two people familiar with the discussions told my colleague Paola Tamma.

CAMPAIGN TIME IN GREECE: Greece’s election campaign was formally launched Sunday with a presidential decree dissolving the parliament posted on the building’s entrance, paving the way for a national vote on May 21. The ballot will take place under a new proportional representation system, posing difficulties for any party to gather a majority and making two rounds of voting likely. A runoff election would probably take place in July.

BRITAIN WANTS BACK IN ON SCIENCE: After two years frozen out of European science projects, Britain wants back in — at a bargain price. But Brussels is unimpressed, Cristina Gallardo reports.

EUROPE’S DIRTY LAUNDRY: When the Rana Plaza building collapsed in Bangladesh, killing more than 1,000 garment workers and injuring scores more, European brands were prevalent amid the rubble. The mistreated garment workers reportedly made apparel not just for brands such as Mango, Auchan and Primark but also Prada, Gucci and Versace.

A decade on, the EU is finally drafting rules to force companies to check their supply chains and ensure the workers making their clothes are doing so safely. My colleagues Leonie Kijewski, Sarah Anne Aarup and Susannah Savage have the story on the upcoming legislation.

Protest today: To mark 10 years since the disaster, activists will this morning install two-meter high “scales of justice” in Brussels’ Place du Luxembourg. They’re demanding more corporate accountability with the planned EU rules.

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AGENDA

— Foreign Affairs Council. Arrivals and doorsteps at 8 a.m. … roundtable at 10 a.m. … press conference by Josep Borrell at 4:30 p.m. (times are approximate). Watch.

— European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen receives Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre at 11 a.m. Watch.

— Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy Markian Dmytrasevych speaks to the European Parliament’s agriculture committee from 3 p.m. Watch.

— EU-Uzbekistan Cooperation Council in Luxembourg at 5 p.m.; chaired by Sweden’s Foreign Minister Tobias Billström, Uzbekistan’s delegation led by acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Bakhtiyor Odilovich Saidov.

— European Council President Charles Michel meets Togo’s Prime Minister Victoire Tomegah Dogbé at 11 a.m.; presents letters of credentials at 2:30 p.m.

— European Parliament President Roberta Metsola is in Prague for the Conference of Speakers of European Union Parliaments. Doorstep press point at 11:25 a.m. (TBC) … Troika Meeting at 11:30 a.m. … Speaking at session on Russia’s war in Ukraine and the EU’s response at 2 p.m.

— The North Sea Summit in Ostende, Belgium. Representatives from Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom to participate, as well as Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson. Arrivals from 3:30 p.m. … press statements and signing ceremony by the heads of governments at 5 p.m. … signing ceremony and press statements by energy ministers and Simson at 6 p.m. Watch.

— Commission EVP Margrethe Vestager meets via videoconference with Luxembourg’s Energy Minister Claude Turmes.

— Commission EVP Valdis Dombrovskis receives China’s Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao.

— Commission VP Maroš Šefčovič chairs an online meeting of the EU Energy Platform Steering Board.

— Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi meets Georgia’s Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili.

— Commissioner Johannes Hahn is in Katowice, Poland: delivers a keynote speech at the 15th European Economic Congress; meets Polish Finance Minister Magdalena Rzeczkowska.

BRUSSELS CORNER

NEW GIG FOR DI MAIO: Luigi di Maio has been appointed as EU representative to the Gulf region (Playbook had previously reported on this plan). He will start on June 1 and will be in office “for an initial period of 21 months,” according to a letter from top diplomat Borrell, seen by Playbook.

NATIONAL PEDESTRIAN BAROMETER: Belgium launched its first national survey on Sunday, aiming to better understand the needs of pedestrians. The survey will be available until June 30.

LES NUITS BOTANIQUE: The popular music festival Les Nuits Botanique kicked off Sunday, running until May 12. Lineup here.

ROMA WEEK: Brussels is marking Roma Week with a series of events today through Thursday, focusing on the past, present and future situation of the Roma people in Europe. The aim is to combat discrimination and encourage EU institutions and member countries to create more inclusive policies. More details here.

Balkan Trafik Music Festival: The Balkan Trafik Festival also starts at the end of Roma week, including concerts by Dubioza Kolektiv and Džambo Aguševi Orchestra. Dubioza Kolektiv previously managed to get the hemicycle in the Council of Europe dancing … here’s a look at how that went. Tickets.

BRUSSELS BELLY LAUGHS: Always wanted to laugh publicly at a POLITICO employee? Come see Giovanna Coi and Charlie Stevens at their stand-up comedy show on May 5 at La Plume Persée. Get tickets.

BIRTHDAYS: MEP Peter Jahr; Former MEP Jean-Paul Denanot; Ireland’s former leader Enda Kenny; Imprisoned Belarusian opposition activist Maria Kalesnikava; President of Malta George Vella.

THANKS to Suzanne Lynch, Victor Jack, Federica Di Sario, Nektaria Stamouli, Jacopo Barigazzi, Sarah Wheaton, Stuart Lau, Sarah Anne Aarup, editor Emma Anderson and producer Grace Stranger.

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