Nicolas Schmit emerges as Socialists’ top pick for election

Опубликовано: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 05:13

What’s driving the day in Brussels.

By JAKOB HANKE VELA

with ZOYA SHEFTALOVICH

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BREAKING OVERNIGHT — TRUMP WINS IN IOWA: In entirely expected news, former U.S. President Donald Trump won the Republican caucuses in Iowa, cementing his lead in the race to become the party’s nominee for president in November’s election. Ron DeSantis narrowly beat Nikki Haley to a distant second place. More here from my Stateside colleagues.

He’s everywhere: Far from Iowa, the prospect of Trump’s return to the White House is looming large over the World Economic Forum in Davos. Those gathered in the Swiss Alps fear a second Trump presidency would be even more anti-global than the last, Suzanne Lynch and Zachary Warmbrodt report.

Speaking after his win in Iowa, Trump told cheering supporters that “it would be so nice if we could come together and straighten up the problems of the world,” adding: “It’s going to happen soon.” More on how Trump’s run for the White House is playing out in Davos in this morning’s Power Play podcast with Anne McElvoy.

ROAD TO EU ELECTION

NICOLAS WHO? MEET THE SOCIALISTS’ ONLY CANDIDATE TO CHALLENGE VDL: Europe’s Socialists are on course to pick a relative unknown to take on Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the EU election: Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmit.

The 70-year-old politician from Luxembourg is the front-runner to become lead candidate (or Spitzenkandidat) for the European Socialists, three officials briefed on the decision said.

Strong endorsement: Germany’s SPD and Spain’s PSOE — the two biggest hitters in the EU’s Socialist group — are backing Schmit. The secretary-general of Germany’s Social Democratic Party, Kevin Kühnert, said at a press conference on Monday that his party is on board with Schmit. Spain’s Socialists will also back him, a PSOE official said.

Another factor helping Schmit? No other candidate has come forward.

How he got there: Read all about Schmit’s rise to Spitzenkandidat in this essential story by my colleagues Barbara Moens, Eddy Wax and Jacopo Barigazzi.

PRESSURE GROWS ON VDL: When EU ambassadors met Ursula von der Leyen for lunch recently, they had one pressing question: Did she plan to run for reelection? Several national envoys asked “politely” about her plans, according to two diplomats with direct knowledge of the exchanges, Playbook’s own Nick Vinocur reports.

PARLIAMENT’S AGENDA

CHARLES MICHEL SKIPS DEBATE, CITING BACK PAIN: Outgoing Council President Charles Michel won’t face MEPs in Strasbourg this week, skipping a scheduled appearance, two officials told Playbook.

Hot potato: Michel was due in plenary Wednesday for a grilling about the EU’s dealings with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. He was also likely to be asked about his decision to leave his Council job early to run for a seat in the European Parliament.

Backing out: Michel’s decision to put his future job before his current one irritated several EU countries and some MEPs, as Playbook reported. His decision to stay away from the debate in Parliament won’t help.

Von der Leyen flying solo: “Now he lets VDL deal with it alone,” texted a Parliament official, referring to the debate about Hungary, where Michel was supposed to explain the EU’s decisions together with the Commission president, who is still expected to attend.

Asked for a comment, a spokesperson for Michel said he was skipping Strasbourg due to “acute lumbago,” aka lower back pain. “On doctor instruction the President must restrict his movements,” the spokesperson said, adding that he would instead speak to the Parliament “at the beginning of February.”

HAPPENING TODAY — LIBERALS WANT TO HIT COMMISSION OVER HUNGARY FUNDS: The liberal Renew Europe group wants to put forward a motion of censure against the Commission if it unfreezes any more money for Orbán’s regime, according to draft amendments seen by Playbook.

Following up on Orbán: The group also wants to move forward with the Article 7 procedure, which could strip Hungary of its Council voting rights, and start a legal process to take the Commission to the Court of Justice of the EU.

Words vs. actions: Despite a letter by EPP lawmaker Petri Sarvamaa calling for that Article 7 procedure to move forward, the current draft text of the resolution regarding Hungary does not even mention the procedure.

What’s next: MEPs representing Parliament’s political groups meet this morning to negotiate the text of the resolution, before it’s up at 1 p.m. If the joint text does not call for Article 7(2) to be triggered, Renew will put forward the amendments, officials from the group told Playbook.

ALSO TODAY — RIGHT-WING ALLIANCE EMERGES TO GIVE HUNGARY ERASMUS MONEY: Parliamentarians will also today vote in plenary on the Erasmus program. But ahead of the vote, the center-right EPP has moved to amend the legislative text with the votes of far-right MEPs to allow Hungary to benefit from the funds.

What happened: In the culture committee, members from the EPP, ID and ECR groups, as well as Orbán’s Fidesz party, voted for an amendment calling for Brussels to agree a deal with Hungary to pay out the education funds.

Background: In 2022, the Commission froze Erasmus funds for Hungary after Orbán’s government seized control of academic governance bodies, which the Commission said threatened academic freedoms. Previously, the Court of Justice of the EU ruled that Orbán’s restrictions against foreign universities were incompatible with EU law.

S&D slam right-wing alliance: “The EPP, including [Germany’s] CDU/CSU, is changing course hard to the right shortly before the European elections,” Jens Geier, chair of the German Social-Democrat MEPs told Playbook. “This is the third major vote in the European Parliament at the end of the legislative period in which the conservatives form a joint majority with nationalists,” Geier said, citing the nature restoration law and the pesticide regulation.

With friends like these: “Manfred Weber remains silent and protects Orbán, as he has done for years. In doing so, the EPP leader is damaging the Erasmus program, the protection of the rule of law in Europe and his own EPP group,” Geier claimed.

MORE FROM PARLIAMENT

IRAN STEALS SAKHAROV PRIZE: Tehran has imprisoned the lawyer of Mahsa Amini, the posthumous winner of the EU’s top human rights gong, Parliament President Roberta Metsola announced to MEPs Monday night in Strasbourg. Amini was a 22-year-old who died in the custody of the morality police in 2022, sparking a mass protest movement for women’s rights in Iran. The regime banned her family from traveling to Europe to pick up the award, so they sent their lawyer Saleh Nikbakht instead, who collected it at a ceremony in December.

Iran is scared of the EP: “Shortly after his return to Iran, Mr Nikbakht was arrested and the award confiscated,” Metsola told the plenary, Eddy Wax writes in to report. “According to our information he has been sentenced to a term of imprisonment, for allegedly engaging in propaganda against the system,” Metsola added, calling it a “false charge” and condemning it on behalf of the institution.

NEW VP INCOMING: Eddy also hears that German liberal lawmaker Jan-Christoph Oetjen is tipped to replace Nicola Beer as one of Parliament’s vice presidents in a vote at noon. Beer left the Parliament to become a vice president of the European Investment Bank. Michael Kauch, a former German MP turned consultant, replaced her as an MEP.

More new faces: Former Polish MP Krzysztof Brejza (EPP) replaces former MEP Radosław Sikorski, who became Poland’s foreign minister and met his French counterpart Stéphane Séjourné on Tuesday — two ex-MEPs, now FMs, who would normally have been in Strasbourg this week, as Andy Bounds of the FT points out. Spain’s Esther Sanz Selva (The Left) replaced former MEP Sira Rego, who became the Spanish minister for youth and children.

**YOUR ONLINE INVITATION: This week POLITICO takes the Davos community for a party with a special guest. You’re invited to watch live and share your thoughts using #POLITICODavos**

COMMISSION MUSICAL CHAIRS

REYNDERS PLANS LATE-MARCH EXIT: The Commission will soon have to find a new interim justice commissioner to handle the rule of law and data protection portfolios, with Didier Reynders eyeing the Berlaymont exits to focus on his campaign for his next job.

Campaign kick-off: Reynders told my colleague Clothilde Goujard he expects to soon formally start his campaign for the top job at the Council of Europe, a human rights organization. “If I’m in the real campaign after the shortlist issued by the institution maybe at end of March, beginning of April, I will propose to take the decision to take unpaid leave and to work on the campaign,” he said.

Second time lucky? Reynders ran and lost the election for the job in 2019, but said he told Commission boss Ursula von der Leyen he wanted another shot. “My idea was to try again because, in fact, I’m working on the same topics, democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights,” he said.

Stiff competition: Former Swiss President Alain Berset and Estonia’s former Culture Minister Indrek Saar are also running for the Council of Europe job. Reynders reiterated that if he loses out, he is “very open also to continue in the Commission.”

MIDDLE EAST

IRAN CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR STRIKES NEAR US CONSULATE IN IRAQ: Multiple explosions were reported near the U.S. consulate in the Iraqi city of Erbil, with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claiming responsibility for missile attacks on what it claimed were Israeli “spy headquarters.” More here, from Playbook’s Zoya Sheftalovich.

WHERE HAMAS GETS ITS WEAPONS: Iranian sniper rifles, AK-47 assault rifles from China and Russia, North Korean- and Bulgarian-built rocket-propelled grenades, anti-tank rockets secretly cobbled together in Gaza — Hamas is fighting with a diverse patchwork of weapons from around the world, according to AP.

AND SPEAKING OF IRAN: Airstrikes are unlikely to deter the Tehran-backed Houthis from attacking shipping in the Red Sea, argues Jamie Dettmer — because from Iran’s perspective, its strategy of fatiguing and frightening Western powers with the prospect of escalation in the region is working.

IN OTHER NEWS

WEAPONS AUDIT: The External Action Service is conducting an audit of weapons supplied by EU countries to Ukraine since the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the FT reports, with the aim to present the findings ahead of the February EUCO summit. The audit comes after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz last week called for countries’ military deliveries to Kyiv to be scrutinized.

MACRON’S NEW PROBLEM: Ever since winning reelection in 2022, the main threat to French President Emmanuel Macron’s party has come from Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally, which is surging ahead in the polls. But ahead of June’s European Parliament election, center-left MEP Raphaël Glucksmann is posing a potentially serious danger to the French president’s tribe, reports Victor Goury-Laffont.

POLITICIANS ON THE HUNT: The EU is getting bloodthirsty as politicians go hunting for election glory. Momentum has been growing in recent months across Europe to relax hunting rules for large carnivores, as political right-wingers see an opportunity to score points with rural voters, write Leonie Cater and Louise Guillot.

EU’S CLIMATE ASSESSMENT UNFIT FOR NET-ZERO, REPORT WARNS: The EU doesn’t have the monitoring capabilities and data required to effectively tell its members how to adapt their policies to reach climate targets for 2030 and beyond, according to a report out Monday from the European Climate Neutrality Observatory.

NOW READ THIS — LIZ TRUSS HEARTS BEIJING? Ex-British prime minister and strident China hawk Liz Truss lobbied U.K. ministers to “expedite” the export of defense equipment to … China, writes my colleague Graham Lanktree in a scoop today.

**POLITICO’s Global Playbook is taking you to Davos. Forgot your ticket to the Swiss Alps? Not to worry — our global newsletter will take you behind the scenes of the World Economic Forum, so you can understand every detail of the multifaceted discussions on tomorrow’s economy — from Tech and AI, all the way to finance and health care. Read here.**

AGENDA

— World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Chinese Premier Li Qiang speaks at 10:50 a.m. … European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at 11:20 a.m. (watch) … Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at 2:15 p.m. … U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan at 5 p.m. Full agenda. Sign up to Global Playbook for the latest, delivered daily to your inbox.

— POLITICO hosts “The Great AI Debate” in Davos. Opening remarks at 12:45 p.m. by moderator Suzanne Lynch … debate with founder and CEO of Clarity AI Rebeca Minguela, professor of computer science at UC Berkeley Stuart Russell and international policy director at Stanford University Cyber Policy Center Marietje Schaake at 1:55 p.m. … interview with Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at IBM Rob Thomas at 1:40 p.m. Full agenda. Register to watch.

— Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides is also in Davos; delivers a speech at the panel discussion “Bad Bugs, No Drugs: Facing a World without Antibiotics” … Innovation Commissioner Iliana Ivanova participates in the session “Europe’s Rush to Innovate” … Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson participates in the panel “Energy amid Rivalry.”

— Economic and Financial Affairs Council. Arrivals at 8 a.m. … press conference around noon. Full agenda. Watch.

— Informal meeting of environment ministers. Press conference at 12:45 p.m. Full agenda. Watch.

— The European Parliament’s plenary session continues in Strasbourg. Debates include … Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo presents Belgian presidency program at 9 a.m. (he’ll also hold a press conference with Parliament President Roberta Metsola at 10:45 a.m.) … keeping commitments and delivering military assistance to Ukraine at 10:30 a.m. … humanitarian situation in Gaza at 3 p.m. … European Ombudsman annual report at 6 p.m. … fight against the resurgence of neo-fascism in Europe at 8 p.m. Full agenda. Watch.

— Commission Vice President Věra Jourová meets with CEO of YouTube Neal Mohan … meets President of Global Affairs at Meta Nick Clegg.

— Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán meets Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Budapest, Hungary.

BRUSSELS CORNER

WEATHER: High of 1C, cloudy. The IRM has issued a warning for slippery roads until Thursday.

ELECTION WEBSITE: Brussels has launched a website to keep citizens informed about October’s municipal elections. The site explains how to vote and why it’s important, as well as the role of mayors, aldermen and councilors.

HIGH HOPES FOR REDUCING DRUG TRAFFICKING: Belgium is hoping to reduce drug trafficking at the port of Antwerp with a new digital platform to monitor containers. Belga has more.

FEELING STRESSED? Brussels is the fourth most stressful European city to live in after Budapest, Rome and Athens, according to a ranking by William Russell Insurance. The rankings are based on factors such as air pollution, cleanliness, financial stress, LGBTQ+ safety and suicide rates. The least stressed cities are Vienna, Munich and Edinburgh. Belgium as a whole scored as the third most stressful country in the OECD.

STUCK IN TRAFFIC? Brussels is also the 10th most congested city worldwide, according to TomTom’s Traffic Index, which covers 387 cities across the globe. In 2023, it took an average of 27 minutes to travel a distance of 10 kilometers by car in Brussels. The world’s slowest city remains London, followed by Dublin, Toronto, Milan and Lima.

FIX MY STREET: Over 150,000 problems were reported in the Brussels Capital Regions through the FixMyStreet app in 2023, a 55 percent increase compared to 2022, Belga reports. Almost half the requests were related to public cleanliness. Around 130,000 of the issues raised were resolved.

GET YOUR COFFEE FIX: If all those stats stressed you out, head to Bouche opposite Ireland’s perm rep at Rue Froissart 43A. It’s a sister café of Bouche at Rue de Namur.

BRUSSELS CITY POET: Lisette Ma Neza, the 2019 Belgian slam poetry champion, has been named the official city poet of Brussels. She will be tasked with writing 19 poems that will promote Brussels over the next two years. The first will be unveiled on World Poetry Day on March 21 in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. The hope is having a city poet will help Brussels in its bid to become the European Capital of Culture in 2030.

BIRTHDAYS: MEPs Tudor Ciuhodaru, Christian Sagartz and Helmut Geuking; EU Ambassador to the WTO João Aguiar Machado; Vice President of the European Central Bank Luis de Guindos; Portuguese diplomat Mónica Lisboa; Global Policy Institute’s Paolo Liebl von Schirach; OLAF’s Margarete Hofmann.

THANKS to Barbara Moens, Federica di Sario, Eddy Wax, Playbook reporter Ketrin Jochecová, editor Jack Lahart and producer Seb Starcevic.