New election in Portugal + Moldova&#8217 • Table.Briefings

Dear reader,

The European socialists are convening for a pivotal family reunion today and tomorrow in the coastal city of Málaga, Spain, under the stewardship of the party’s figurehead, Stefan Löfven, Sweden’s former Prime Minister. This congress will assemble the party’s luminaries, including key Members of the European Parliament, national social democratic party leaders, and the SPD’s co-leader with a focus on international affairs, Lars Klingbeil. Notably, the host nation’s Pedro Sánchez, leader of the Spanish PSOE, and Italy’s Partido Democratico helmswoman, Elly Schlein, are also in attendance. The European Parliament’s socialist faction will be represented by its leader, Iratxe García Pérez, and the esteemed Katarina Barley, Germany’s lead candidate and Vice-President of the Parliament.

The public speeches by Europe’s second-largest political family will command attention, but the real intrigue is anticipated in the private conclaves and intimate group discussions. With the European elections looming in seven months, the socialist party’s leadership remains tight-lipped about their choice for the lead candidate. Notably absent from the roster are two recent front-runners: Frans Timmermans of the Netherlands and Finland’s former Prime Minister, Sanna Marin.

Adding to the speculation is whether Stefan Löfven might emerge as a contender for the European Commission’s presidency. Meanwhile, Portugal’s António Costa, previously seen as a potential successor to Charles Michel for the Council’s presidency, is sidelined amidst ongoing judicial proceedings.

As the socialists gear up for another family meeting in spring to finalize their lead candidate and kick off the election campaign, the direction and strategy remain points of deliberation. Adelante, compañeros!

Your
Markus Grabitz

Trilogue agreement on Nature Restoration Law

By

Claire Stam

After nine hours of negotiations, the negotiators agreed on a Nature Restoration Law on Thursday evening. The text differs greatly from the proposal presented by the Commission in June 2022. Both the Greens and the EPP were able to score successes.

As expected, the negotiations on Article 9 (Agricultural ecosystems) were particularly difficult, especially paragraph 4, which refers to peat bogs. Parliament had completely deleted this article under pressure from the EPP. In the compromise, the targets for the restoration of drained peatlands are included again. This was a particular concern of the Greens.

“Peatlands as natural allies against the climate crisis should be rewetted and protected”, said shadow rapporteur Jutta Paulus (Greens). Despite exceptions to the ban on degradation or the use of individual indicators, the overarching goals and all ecosystems defined as worthy of protection remain part of the new law, she emphasized.

EPP puts food security at the forefront

To this end, the text provides for the introduction of a so-called emergency brake. It makes it possible to temporarily suspend the provisions for agricultural ecosystems in exceptional circumstances. This was a key concern of the EPP in order to ensure food security. “It is crucial that the restoration of nature and the achievement of our climate goals go hand in hand with agriculture and forestry. Only then can we ensure Europe’s food security”, said Christine Schneider (CDU), chief negotiator for the EPP Group.

The non-deterioration requirement (Articles 4 and 5) was also the subject of intense debate. Although restored areas should remain in good ecological condition, the text allows Member States flexibility and a number of exceptions. The scope of restoration was not limited exclusively to Natura 2000 sites, which corresponds to the Commission’s initial position. But flexibilities have also been added here, which may ultimately reduce the total area that needs to be restored.

NRL a central component of the Green Deal

As a central part of the Green Deal, the renaturation law is intended to ensure that degraded ecosystems are restored to a good state. The aim of the European Commission’s legislative proposal was to oblige member states to take measures such as greening cities, rewetting drained moors, restoring marine ecosystems, or making rivers and forests more natural. Fields and pastures should also be made more insect- and bird-friendly and the decline in pollinators halted.

This legislative proposal must also be seen in an international context. On the one hand, it is intended to enable the EU to fulfill its international commitment under the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Agreement to restore at least 30 percent of degraded ecosystems. Indeed, the agreement stipulates that the member states must restore at least 30 percent of the habitat types covered by the new law to good condition by 2030. This figure is to rise to 60 percent by 2040 and 90 percent by 2050.

Agreement may still fail

Among other things, it is intended to help the EU achieve its climate targets: According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), between 30 and 50 percent of carbon-rich ecosystems such as moors and forests must be restored in order to limit global warming to below two degrees Celsius. In addition, CO2 storage by healthy ecosystems is firmly included in the EU climate target for 2030, which should achieve ten percent of the necessary emissions reductions.

The agreement in the trilogue has been reached, but it could still fail. This is because both the Parliament and Council still have to vote on the outcome of the negotiations before the regulation can enter into force. Before the summer, the two bodies only adopted the draft regulation by a narrow majority.

Portugal’s political crisis: the way forward

Portugal’s political landscape is navigating through uncharted waters as a judicial probe ensnares the close aides of Prime Minister António Costa, precipitating a crisis that could reshape the Socialist Party’s future and potentially shift power to the center-right opposition. This shake-up comes at a juncture when the populist right-wing Chega party is strengthening its foothold in the polls.

The political shockwave hit on Monday with the revelation that several government offices were raided, leading to the detention and interrogation of individuals within Costa’s inner circle. The scrutiny includes Costa himself, compelling his resignation and temporary withdrawal from the political scene.

Preparations for early elections

Nearly eight years of Costa’s governance are drawing to an uncertain close, with President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa setting the stage for early elections post the approval of the 2024 state budget proposal, which is scheduled for Nov. 29. The Socialist Party, bruised by the scandal, and the Social Democrat Party, contending with the rise of Chega, are poised for a showdown in the forthcoming elections.

For Costa, this could mark the end of his premiership, but also open up new prospects. His potential bid for the EU presidency has gained momentum with his resignation. Costa’s European ambitions, once constrained by domestic pressures not to emulate former Prime Minister Durão Barroso’s leap to the European Commission during a crisis, now seem more politically feasible.

The center-left Socialist Party faces a rapid internal transformation. It is expected to conduct a primary election, inviting all party members – and possibly sympathizers – to choose a new leader. Pedro Nuno Santos, a pivotal figure in the party’s left wing and a key player in Costa’s 2015 prime ministerial bid, stands out as a leading candidate despite his contentious past decisions regarding the airline TAP.

In the party’s centrist faction, resistance to Santos’s possible ascent is brewing. Names like Mariana Vieira da Silva, Fernando Medina, and José Luís Carneiro, the current Minister of Internal Affairs, are circulating as potential leaders, with Carneiro reportedly consolidating support within the party base.

Despite the internal party dynamics, Santos’s favoritism suggests a likely leftward shift for the Socialist Party, potentially paving the way for coalitions with the Communist Party and the Left Bloc post-election.

Right-wing parties on the rise

The political tableau also features center-right PSD leader Luís Montenegro, who now sees a window of opportunity to claim the premiership. However, with Chega’s André Ventura making electoral strides amid heightened concerns about corruption – a key issue Ventura has capitalized on – Montenegro faces the delicate task of widening his appeal across the political spectrum without alienating the center or courting the far-right.

Despite the upheaval, major policy shifts are improbable. PSD and other right-leaning parties may push for tax cuts, while a left-leaning Socialist Party would likely maintain or enhance income and social support measures. Given Portugal’s recovery from severe debt crises, drastic departures from established fiscal policies are not anticipated, regardless of the election outcomes.

As Portugal steels itself for the upcoming elections, the socialists are grappling with leadership choices, while the right navigates a path to potential power without succumbing to extremist alliances. The political narrative continues to unfold, with the specter of corruption and the quest for fiscal stability framing the country’s immediate future. Sergio Anibal

Moldova arms itself in the information war against Russia

By

Lisa-Martina Klein

A ray of hope for Moldova: On Wednesday, the EU Commission gave the green light for the start of EU accession negotiations “as soon as the conditions are met”. The member states still have to give their approval in December, after which negotiations could begin next year, two years after the official application.

Moldova’s President Maia Sandu welcomed the assessment as an “important milestone”. The government will continue to work tirelessly to fulfill the conditions, Sandu wrote on X.

Moldova is therefore facing a tour de force. In addition to further reforms, above all in the areas of corruption, the judiciary, financial regulation, and deoligarchization, the government of the former Soviet republic must also fight against hybrid attacks from Russia on an unprecedented scale.

€50 million for influencing elections

The republic, which is considered the poorest country in Europe, has only been on a steady, albeit fragile, pro-Western course since Sandu was elected president in 2020. Since then, Russia has been trying to destabilize the country using all means of hybrid warfare, such as propaganda and disinformation in the media, fake anti-Western demonstrations, illegal party funding by pro-Russian oligarchs, and vote-buying to influence elections.

Russia invested the equivalent of around €50 million in paying anti-Western demonstrators this spring and influencing the local elections last weekend, the head of the Moldovan security and information authority, Alexandru Musteata, said recently. There are also cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and administration.

EU presence in Moldova

Pressure from Moscow is likely to increase once again ahead of the presidential elections next year and the parliamentary elections in 2025. In particular, the regions of Gagauzia and Transnistria, which are independent of the government in Chișinău, and the north of the country are almost entirely pro-Russian. However, even in the capital, the ruling “Party of Action and Solidarity” (PAS) and at the top of the government, a permanent European-oriented government is not assured.

To keep the country on course and make it resilient against disinformation and cyberattacks, Sandu relies on advice from international experts, including from the United States, the UK, Japan, NATO, and, above all, the EU.

The European Union has two missions on the ground. The “Rapid Cyber Response Team” supports the military security of its national cyberspace as part of Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO). Especially at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when many hundreds of thousands of people fled across the border to Moldova, cyberattacks caught the administration unprepared. NATO also sent a “Cyber Support Team” at the time.

Strategic communication as the most important lever

The second mission, the EU Partnership Mission Moldova (EUPM Moldova), began its work in May of this year and is mandated until May 2025. The 40 experts, led by Romanian Cosmin Dinescu, advise the government and civilian organizations. The country, which has a population of over 2.5 million, mainly lacks trained specialists, education, communication with the population, networks, and exchange platforms. It is the EU’s first advisory mission specializing in hybrid threats and cyberattacks.

One of the most visible results so far is the establishment of a center for strategic communication, which is intended to identify disinformation at an early stage, develop a proper communication strategy against it, and make the EU more visible. This is because infrastructure projects paid for by the EU are often presented as being financed by Russia, thus serving the narrative of Russia as an investor.

Moldova must counter false information like this at an early stage if it wants to prevent anti-Western sentiment from re-emerging in the upcoming elections.

Sánchez and Puigdemont reach amnesty agreement

Spain’s Socialists and the separatist Junts per Catalunya party reached an agreement on Thursday regarding the amnesty of those involved in the 2017 trial. The agreement paves the way for the inauguration of candidate Pedro Sánchez. It could take place next week. The agreement is not an inauguration agreement, but a legislative agreement for the next four years, said Santos Cerdán, signatory of the agreement for the Socialists and Organizing Secretary of the PSOE.

Cerdán assured that the agreement on the amnesty law was final and included people “who were associated with the ‘procés’ from 2012 to 2023”. This refers to the Catalan independence efforts, which the Spanish judiciary had declared illegal.

The agreement “comes at a key moment for the country” and “represents a historic opportunity to resolve a conflict that can and must only be resolved by political means”, explained Cerdán at the presentation of the agreement in Brussels.

Puigdemont shields himself against terrorism accusations

During his appearance before the media in Brussels, Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont said that the future amnesty would offer compensation for what he described as political persecution. Regarding the pact, Puigdemont said that some points had not yet been definitively clarified and referred to their fulfillment. “We don’t trust promises”, he emphasized.

The four-page agreement stipulates that the amnesty law also covers cases of “lawfare“. The party of Carles Puigdemont, who fled from justice, is demanding that the amnesty law explicitly recognizes that the state prosecuted the people involved in the Procés 2017. The aim is for the amnesty to cover and exonerate most of the cases from the independence process. In this way, Puigdemont wants to protect himself and others, such as his former chief of staff Josep Lluís Alay, who are charged with terrorist crimes in the “Tsunami-Democràtic” case.

Debt relief amounting to €15 billion

A further point of the agreement between the political parties is the cancellation of the debt of €15 billion that Catalonia has borrowed from the state via the Autonomous Liquidity Fund (Fondo de Liquidez Autonómico, FLA).

The debt relief had already been agreed on November 2 between the PSOE and the other separatist party, Esquerra per Catalunya (ERC), which Sánchez needs for his inauguration. Thanks to the debt relief, the Catalan state treasury will be able to save an additional 1.3 billion euros in interest payments over the coming years.

The main opposition party, the People’s Party, describes the pact between PSOE and Junts as “humiliating and shameful”. iccc

Expert assessment: Commission must approve relief on electricity prices

According to an expert assessment, the German agreement on industrial electricity must be approved by the EU Commission under state aid law. “The regulations on German electricity price compensation provided for in today’s electricity price package require an amendment to the German Electricity Price Compensation Directive“, Götz Reichert from the Center for European Policy (cep) told Table.Media yesterday. These changes would have to be approved by the EU Commission.

According to Reichert, the decisive factor is the planned removal of the deductible for electricity price compensation and the additional relief for particularly electricity-intensive companies. Until now, companies with high energy consumption have also had to pay a small proportion of the CO2 costs of the electricity they consume. According to Reichert, the Commission’s review is based in particular on the EU’s “Post-2021 ETS” state aid guidelines. ber

Clean Air Directive: Poorer member states want postponement

For poorer member states, the new Clean Air Directive would not apply until up to ten years later. The limit values would then not come into force in member states whose economic output per inhabitant is below the EU average until 2040 rather than 2030. The member states want to push through this regulation in the trilogue negotiations. It is part of the compromise for which the Spanish Council Presidency received a qualified majority at Coreper I level.

The Federal Government has abstained. It firmly rejects entry into force based on economic performance. It would put wealthier member states at a disadvantage because they would have to shoulder additional burdens. And it would also disadvantage the population in less affluent member states, who would be exposed to higher levels of pollution for longer. The German government only wants to agree to a trilogue result if the regulation on entry into force according to economic performance is not part of the package.

Trilogue begins on Thursday

The trilogue negotiations are due to begin on Thursday. With regard to the limit values, the Council supports the Commission’s proposal. The Commission had proposed bringing the 2030 limit values closer to the WHO recommendations, but not implementing them one-to-one.

The limit value for particulate matter (PM2.5), for example, is to be reduced from 25 micrograms per cubic meter of air to ten micrograms in 2030. The limit value for nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), in turn, is to fall from 40 micrograms to 20 micrograms. The WHO proposes limit values of five micrograms for fine particles and ten micrograms for nitrogen oxides. The member states want to oblige the Commission to review the legislation in 2030. The Parliament wants to implement the WHO limits one-to-one. mgr

Euro 7 emissions standard: trilogue can begin

The European Parliament has adopted the proposal of the Environment Committee (ENVI) on the Euro 7 emissions standard for cars, vans, trucks, and buses. In plenary, 329 MEPs voted in favor of the compromise supported by the Christian Democrats, Liberals, and ECR. 230 MEPs voted against. 41 abstained.

The proposal sets new limit values for pollutants in the exhaust of vehicles with combustion engines and defines the test conditions. It also regulates tire abrasion and brake dust. Parliament’s decision now clears the way for the trilogue. mgr

Lindner: substantial progress on reform of EU debt rules

There is movement in the debate on the new European debt rules. On the fringes of the Ecofin discussions in Brussels, German Minister for Financial Affairs Christian Lindner stated that substantial progress had been made in reforming the fiscal rules. “It is now generally recognized that we need a safety line when it comes to reducing public debt and that there must be a consideration of targets in relation to annual budget deficits”, said the Minister. Nevertheless, there is still a lot of work to be done.

Lindner emphasized that the instruments have been recognized, but that they still need to be calibrated with figures and requirements. “It’s now about the level of ambition.” Germany stands for an ambitious approach to reducing deficits and public debt ratios. “The EU must remain committed to the idea of stability, and the new fiscal rules must contribute to this.” The rapprochement was preceded by a meeting between Lindner and his French counterpart Bruno Le Maire on Tuesday in the run-up to the Ecofin meeting.

Spanish Presidency plans special Ecofin at the end of November

The French Finance Minister also emphasized on the sidelines of the discussions that progress was being made and that they were moving in the right direction. Le Maire will travel to Berlin in the coming days to try to work towards a Franco-German agreement on the new rules of the Stability and Growth Pact. Lindner made it clear in Brussels that should an agreement be reached between Paris and Berlin, this could help to reach a consensus among all EU states on the new debt rules.

At the end of the discussions, the current EU Council President Nadia Calviño announced her intention to present a draft law for the new fiscal rules in the coming days. In addition, the Spanish Presidency intends to convene a special council of EU finance ministers at the end of November. Madrid is convinced that it will take two ministerial meetings to reach political agreement, the so-called general approach, at the regular meeting in December. This is a prerequisite for the member states to be able to enter into negotiations with the EU Parliament, which is a co-decision-maker in the fiscal reform. cr

Apple faces new trial over billions in back taxes in Ireland

In the tax dispute with the European Union, Apple is facing a €13 billion back payment. Due to technical deficiencies, Advocate General Giovanni Pitruzzella recommended to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on Thursday that a ruling in favor of the US company be set aside and referred back to the lower court. Although the court is not bound by this recommendation, it follows it in four out of five cases.

According to the EU Commission, Ireland, where Apple’s European headquarters are located, had granted the US company an unlawfully low tax rate of 0.005 percent in 2016. This violated the state aid guidelines of the international community. It called on Ireland to reclaim €13 billion in taxes from Apple. A lower European court upheld Apple’s appeal against this decision in 2020.

Attorney General sees technical errors

In his opinion, Advocate General Pitruzzella criticized various legal errors in the ruling from three years ago. Among other things, the methodological errors made by the Irish authorities in determining the tax rate, as put forward by the Commission, should be reassessed.

Apple, on the other hand, pointed out that the lower court decision had clearly shown that the US tech company had not received a selective advantage or state aid. “We believe that this should be confirmed.” Irish Finance Minister Michael McGrath expressed a similar view. “Ireland has been and remains of the view that the correct amount of tax has been paid and that no state aid has been granted to Apple.” rtr

Data Act receives clear approval in Parliament

With a clear majority of 481 votes in favor, 31 against, and 71 abstentions, the plenary of the European Parliament adopted the Data Act on Thursday. The formal approval of the Council is now required for the Data Act to become law. Preparation in the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) is scheduled for Nov. 22 and adoption in the Council for Nov. 27.

“The Data Act will create a new data-agile system that enables easy access to an almost infinite amount of high-quality data”, commented rapporteur Pilar del Castillo Vera (EPP) on the result. The law will be crucial to optimize existing business models and processes, promote the development of new ones, and create new value. “In other words, an opportunity for innovation and competitiveness.”

Shadow rapporteur Damian Boeselager (Greens/EFA) stated that one of the most important changes brought about by the law is that the Data Act establishes the right of ownership in the digital space (not a right of ownership to data, as we incorrectly wrote in yesterday’s edition). This would end manufacturers’ royalty-free access to data from products that no longer belong to them. vis

What’s cooking in Paris? Duel of the aspirants

By Claire Stam

One, Gérald Darmanin, 41 years old and French interior minister since 2020, comes from the conservatives and now wants to cultivate his social streak. The second, Gabriel Attal, 34, newly appointed Minister of Education, has completed his ox tour with the Socialists and attracted attention at the start of the new school year by banning the abaya.

The careers of Gérald Darmanin and Gabriel Attal are very different and their mutual sympathy is extremely limited, according to reports in Paris. The rivalry is obvious, with both politicians vying for influence in the period after Emmanuel Macron’s term of office comes to an end.

Two ambitious young men

Gérald Darmanin wants to embody a socially conservative direction. He likes to repeat that he wants to speak to the working class, which, neglected by the traditional parties, is throwing itself into the arms of the extreme right. He refers to his humble origins, reminding people that he is the “son of a cleaning lady” and the “grandson of two guest worker grandfathers”.

Darmanin’s appointment as Minister of the Interior had caused outrage – feminist voices in particular criticized his appointment since a rape case was pending against him at the time. However, the case was dropped.

Gabriel Attal, a Parisian who looks like an executive, has a very different style. The son of a film producer who attended a private school in the chic 6th arrondissement of Paris, he believes that the socially weaker voters are lost to the Rassemblement National. In his opinion, it is the “middle classes” that need to be addressed first and foremost. Those who “keep our economy going through their work” and “finance our public services through their taxes” without “benefiting” from social benefits or pensions, he explained in Le Monde in May.

In his private life, Attal, the former spokesperson for the Macron government, is married to Stéphane Séjourné, the chairman of the Renew Group in the European Parliament. Séjourné was an influential advisor to Emmanuel Macron at the beginning of his first term in office. The tandem quickly rose to important positions in Parisian politics: One whispered in the president’s ear, while the other spoke on behalf of the government, to borrow a phrase from Le Monde.

Stylistic differences

Gérald Darmanin and Gabriel Attal each have their own style. The former crosses rhetorical boundaries and provokes, while the latter faithfully follows the president’s line. In his ministry, which belongs to the “reserved area” of the head of state, Gabriel Attal implements the will of the president to the letter. It is worth remembering that education is a central government responsibility in France and Paris carries enormous weight in decisions that affect pupils and teachers in Lille just as much as in Nice.

Emmanuel Macron is also relying on his two ministers in a national political context that has been deeply shaken by terrorist attacks . The murders of teachers Samuel Paty in October 2020 and Dominique Bernard in October this year join a long list of acts of terrorism that the country has already experienced.

Darmanin looks worn out after three and a half years in office and his safety record hangs around his neck like a millstone. Attal, on the other hand, was only promoted three months ago – he first has to prove himself.

EUROPE.TABLE EDITORS

Till
Hoppe

Charlotte
Wirth

Falk
Steiner

Timo
Landenberger

Corinna
Visser

Lukas
Knigge

Eric
Bonse

Sarah
Schaefer

Manuel
Berkel

Lisa-Martina
Klein

Markus
Grabitz

Stephan
Israel

Claire
Stam

Dear reader,

The European socialists are convening for a pivotal family reunion today and tomorrow in the coastal city of Málaga, Spain, under the stewardship of the party’s figurehead, Stefan Löfven, Sweden’s former Prime Minister. This congress will assemble the party’s luminaries, including key Members of the European Parliament, national social democratic party leaders, and the SPD’s co-leader with a focus on international affairs, Lars Klingbeil. Notably, the host nation’s Pedro Sánchez, leader of the Spanish PSOE, and Italy’s Partido Democratico helmswoman, Elly Schlein, are also in attendance. The European Parliament’s socialist faction will be represented by its leader, Iratxe García Pérez, and the esteemed Katarina Barley, Germany’s lead candidate and Vice-President of the Parliament.

The public speeches by Europe’s second-largest political family will command attention, but the real intrigue is anticipated in the private conclaves and intimate group discussions. With the European elections looming in seven months, the socialist party’s leadership remains tight-lipped about their choice for the lead candidate. Notably absent from the roster are two recent front-runners: Frans Timmermans of the Netherlands and Finland’s former Prime Minister, Sanna Marin.

Adding to the speculation is whether Stefan Löfven might emerge as a contender for the European Commission’s presidency. Meanwhile, Portugal’s António Costa, previously seen as a potential successor to Charles Michel for the Council’s presidency, is sidelined amidst ongoing judicial proceedings.

As the socialists gear up for another family meeting in spring to finalize their lead candidate and kick off the election campaign, the direction and strategy remain points of deliberation. Adelante, compañeros!

Your
Markus Grabitz

Trilogue agreement on Nature Restoration Law

By

Claire Stam

After nine hours of negotiations, the negotiators agreed on a Nature Restoration Law on Thursday evening. The text differs greatly from the proposal presented by the Commission in June 2022. Both the Greens and the EPP were able to score successes.

As expected, the negotiations on Article 9 (Agricultural ecosystems) were particularly difficult, especially paragraph 4, which refers to peat bogs. Parliament had completely deleted this article under pressure from the EPP. In the compromise, the targets for the restoration of drained peatlands are included again. This was a particular concern of the Greens.

“Peatlands as natural allies against the climate crisis should be rewetted and protected”, said shadow rapporteur Jutta Paulus (Greens). Despite exceptions to the ban on degradation or the use of individual indicators, the overarching goals and all ecosystems defined as worthy of protection remain part of the new law, she emphasized.

EPP puts food security at the forefront

To this end, the text provides for the introduction of a so-called emergency brake. It makes it possible to temporarily suspend the provisions for agricultural ecosystems in exceptional circumstances. This was a key concern of the EPP in order to ensure food security. “It is crucial that the restoration of nature and the achievement of our climate goals go hand in hand with agriculture and forestry. Only then can we ensure Europe’s food security”, said Christine Schneider (CDU), chief negotiator for the EPP Group.

The non-deterioration requirement (Articles 4 and 5) was also the subject of intense debate. Although restored areas should remain in good ecological condition, the text allows Member States flexibility and a number of exceptions. The scope of restoration was not limited exclusively to Natura 2000 sites, which corresponds to the Commission’s initial position. But flexibilities have also been added here, which may ultimately reduce the total area that needs to be restored.

NRL a central component of the Green Deal

As a central part of the Green Deal, the renaturation law is intended to ensure that degraded ecosystems are restored to a good state. The aim of the European Commission’s legislative proposal was to oblige member states to take measures such as greening cities, rewetting drained moors, restoring marine ecosystems, or making rivers and forests more natural. Fields and pastures should also be made more insect- and bird-friendly and the decline in pollinators halted.

This legislative proposal must also be seen in an international context. On the one hand, it is intended to enable the EU to fulfill its international commitment under the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Agreement to restore at least 30 percent of degraded ecosystems. Indeed, the agreement stipulates that the member states must restore at least 30 percent of the habitat types covered by the new law to good condition by 2030. This figure is to rise to 60 percent by 2040 and 90 percent by 2050.

Agreement may still fail

Among other things, it is intended to help the EU achieve its climate targets: According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), between 30 and 50 percent of carbon-rich ecosystems such as moors and forests must be restored in order to limit global warming to below two degrees Celsius. In addition, CO2 storage by healthy ecosystems is firmly included in the EU climate target for 2030, which should achieve ten percent of the necessary emissions reductions.

The agreement in the trilogue has been reached, but it could still fail. This is because both the Parliament and Council still have to vote on the outcome of the negotiations before the regulation can enter into force. Before the summer, the two bodies only adopted the draft regulation by a narrow majority.

Portugal’s political crisis: the way forward

Portugal’s political landscape is navigating through uncharted waters as a judicial probe ensnares the close aides of Prime Minister António Costa, precipitating a crisis that could reshape the Socialist Party’s future and potentially shift power to the center-right opposition. This shake-up comes at a juncture when the populist right-wing Chega party is strengthening its foothold in the polls.

The political shockwave hit on Monday with the revelation that several government offices were raided, leading to the detention and interrogation of individuals within Costa’s inner circle. The scrutiny includes Costa himself, compelling his resignation and temporary withdrawal from the political scene.

Preparations for early elections

Nearly eight years of Costa’s governance are drawing to an uncertain close, with President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa setting the stage for early elections post the approval of the 2024 state budget proposal, which is scheduled for Nov. 29. The Socialist Party, bruised by the scandal, and the Social Democrat Party, contending with the rise of Chega, are poised for a showdown in the forthcoming elections.

For Costa, this could mark the end of his premiership, but also open up new prospects. His potential bid for the EU presidency has gained momentum with his resignation. Costa’s European ambitions, once constrained by domestic pressures not to emulate former Prime Minister Durão Barroso’s leap to the European Commission during a crisis, now seem more politically feasible.

The center-left Socialist Party faces a rapid internal transformation. It is expected to conduct a primary election, inviting all party members – and possibly sympathizers – to choose a new leader. Pedro Nuno Santos, a pivotal figure in the party’s left wing and a key player in Costa’s 2015 prime ministerial bid, stands out as a leading candidate despite his contentious past decisions regarding the airline TAP.

In the party’s centrist faction, resistance to Santos’s possible ascent is brewing. Names like Mariana Vieira da Silva, Fernando Medina, and José Luís Carneiro, the current Minister of Internal Affairs, are circulating as potential leaders, with Carneiro reportedly consolidating support within the party base.

Despite the internal party dynamics, Santos’s favoritism suggests a likely leftward shift for the Socialist Party, potentially paving the way for coalitions with the Communist Party and the Left Bloc post-election.

Right-wing parties on the rise

The political tableau also features center-right PSD leader Luís Montenegro, who now sees a window of opportunity to claim the premiership. However, with Chega’s André Ventura making electoral strides amid heightened concerns about corruption – a key issue Ventura has capitalized on – Montenegro faces the delicate task of widening his appeal across the political spectrum without alienating the center or courting the far-right.

Despite the upheaval, major policy shifts are improbable. PSD and other right-leaning parties may push for tax cuts, while a left-leaning Socialist Party would likely maintain or enhance income and social support measures. Given Portugal’s recovery from severe debt crises, drastic departures from established fiscal policies are not anticipated, regardless of the election outcomes.

As Portugal steels itself for the upcoming elections, the socialists are grappling with leadership choices, while the right navigates a path to potential power without succumbing to extremist alliances. The political narrative continues to unfold, with the specter of corruption and the quest for fiscal stability framing the country’s immediate future. Sergio Anibal

Moldova arms itself in the information war against Russia

By

Lisa-Martina Klein

A ray of hope for Moldova: On Wednesday, the EU Commission gave the green light for the start of EU accession negotiations “as soon as the conditions are met”. The member states still have to give their approval in December, after which negotiations could begin next year, two years after the official application.

Moldova’s President Maia Sandu welcomed the assessment as an “important milestone”. The government will continue to work tirelessly to fulfill the conditions, Sandu wrote on X.

Moldova is therefore facing a tour de force. In addition to further reforms, above all in the areas of corruption, the judiciary, financial regulation, and deoligarchization, the government of the former Soviet republic must also fight against hybrid attacks from Russia on an unprecedented scale.

€50 million for influencing elections

The republic, which is considered the poorest country in Europe, has only been on a steady, albeit fragile, pro-Western course since Sandu was elected president in 2020. Since then, Russia has been trying to destabilize the country using all means of hybrid warfare, such as propaganda and disinformation in the media, fake anti-Western demonstrations, illegal party funding by pro-Russian oligarchs, and vote-buying to influence elections.

Russia invested the equivalent of around €50 million in paying anti-Western demonstrators this spring and influencing the local elections last weekend, the head of the Moldovan security and information authority, Alexandru Musteata, said recently. There are also cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and administration.

EU presence in Moldova

Pressure from Moscow is likely to increase once again ahead of the presidential elections next year and the parliamentary elections in 2025. In particular, the regions of Gagauzia and Transnistria, which are independent of the government in Chișinău, and the north of the country are almost entirely pro-Russian. However, even in the capital, the ruling “Party of Action and Solidarity” (PAS) and at the top of the government, a permanent European-oriented government is not assured.

To keep the country on course and make it resilient against disinformation and cyberattacks, Sandu relies on advice from international experts, including from the United States, the UK, Japan, NATO, and, above all, the EU.

The European Union has two missions on the ground. The “Rapid Cyber Response Team” supports the military security of its national cyberspace as part of Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO). Especially at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when many hundreds of thousands of people fled across the border to Moldova, cyberattacks caught the administration unprepared. NATO also sent a “Cyber Support Team” at the time.

Strategic communication as the most important lever

The second mission, the EU Partnership Mission Moldova (EUPM Moldova), began its work in May of this year and is mandated until May 2025. The 40 experts, led by Romanian Cosmin Dinescu, advise the government and civilian organizations. The country, which has a population of over 2.5 million, mainly lacks trained specialists, education, communication with the population, networks, and exchange platforms. It is the EU’s first advisory mission specializing in hybrid threats and cyberattacks.

One of the most visible results so far is the establishment of a center for strategic communication, which is intended to identify disinformation at an early stage, develop a proper communication strategy against it, and make the EU more visible. This is because infrastructure projects paid for by the EU are often presented as being financed by Russia, thus serving the narrative of Russia as an investor.

Moldova must counter false information like this at an early stage if it wants to prevent anti-Western sentiment from re-emerging in the upcoming elections.

Sánchez and Puigdemont reach amnesty agreement

Spain’s Socialists and the separatist Junts per Catalunya party reached an agreement on Thursday regarding the amnesty of those involved in the 2017 trial. The agreement paves the way for the inauguration of candidate Pedro Sánchez. It could take place next week. The agreement is not an inauguration agreement, but a legislative agreement for the next four years, said Santos Cerdán, signatory of the agreement for the Socialists and Organizing Secretary of the PSOE.

Cerdán assured that the agreement on the amnesty law was final and included people “who were associated with the ‘procés’ from 2012 to 2023”. This refers to the Catalan independence efforts, which the Spanish judiciary had declared illegal.

The agreement “comes at a key moment for the country” and “represents a historic opportunity to resolve a conflict that can and must only be resolved by political means”, explained Cerdán at the presentation of the agreement in Brussels.

Puigdemont shields himself against terrorism accusations

During his appearance before the media in Brussels, Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont said that the future amnesty would offer compensation for what he described as political persecution. Regarding the pact, Puigdemont said that some points had not yet been definitively clarified and referred to their fulfillment. “We don’t trust promises”, he emphasized.

The four-page agreement stipulates that the amnesty law also covers cases of “lawfare“. The party of Carles Puigdemont, who fled from justice, is demanding that the amnesty law explicitly recognizes that the state prosecuted the people involved in the Procés 2017. The aim is for the amnesty to cover and exonerate most of the cases from the independence process. In this way, Puigdemont wants to protect himself and others, such as his former chief of staff Josep Lluís Alay, who are charged with terrorist crimes in the “Tsunami-Democràtic” case.

Debt relief amounting to €15 billion

A further point of the agreement between the political parties is the cancellation of the debt of €15 billion that Catalonia has borrowed from the state via the Autonomous Liquidity Fund (Fondo de Liquidez Autonómico, FLA).

The debt relief had already been agreed on November 2 between the PSOE and the other separatist party, Esquerra per Catalunya (ERC), which Sánchez needs for his inauguration. Thanks to the debt relief, the Catalan state treasury will be able to save an additional 1.3 billion euros in interest payments over the coming years.

The main opposition party, the People’s Party, describes the pact between PSOE and Junts as “humiliating and shameful”. iccc

Expert assessment: Commission must approve relief on electricity prices

According to an expert assessment, the German agreement on industrial electricity must be approved by the EU Commission under state aid law. “The regulations on German electricity price compensation provided for in today’s electricity price package require an amendment to the German Electricity Price Compensation Directive“, Götz Reichert from the Center for European Policy (cep) told Table.Media yesterday. These changes would have to be approved by the EU Commission.

According to Reichert, the decisive factor is the planned removal of the deductible for electricity price compensation and the additional relief for particularly electricity-intensive companies. Until now, companies with high energy consumption have also had to pay a small proportion of the CO2 costs of the electricity they consume. According to Reichert, the Commission’s review is based in particular on the EU’s “Post-2021 ETS” state aid guidelines. ber

Clean Air Directive: Poorer member states want postponement

For poorer member states, the new Clean Air Directive would not apply until up to ten years later. The limit values would then not come into force in member states whose economic output per inhabitant is below the EU average until 2040 rather than 2030. The member states want to push through this regulation in the trilogue negotiations. It is part of the compromise for which the Spanish Council Presidency received a qualified majority at Coreper I level.

The Federal Government has abstained. It firmly rejects entry into force based on economic performance. It would put wealthier member states at a disadvantage because they would have to shoulder additional burdens. And it would also disadvantage the population in less affluent member states, who would be exposed to higher levels of pollution for longer. The German government only wants to agree to a trilogue result if the regulation on entry into force according to economic performance is not part of the package.

Trilogue begins on Thursday

The trilogue negotiations are due to begin on Thursday. With regard to the limit values, the Council supports the Commission’s proposal. The Commission had proposed bringing the 2030 limit values closer to the WHO recommendations, but not implementing them one-to-one.

The limit value for particulate matter (PM2.5), for example, is to be reduced from 25 micrograms per cubic meter of air to ten micrograms in 2030. The limit value for nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), in turn, is to fall from 40 micrograms to 20 micrograms. The WHO proposes limit values of five micrograms for fine particles and ten micrograms for nitrogen oxides. The member states want to oblige the Commission to review the legislation in 2030. The Parliament wants to implement the WHO limits one-to-one. mgr

Euro 7 emissions standard: trilogue can begin

The European Parliament has adopted the proposal of the Environment Committee (ENVI) on the Euro 7 emissions standard for cars, vans, trucks, and buses. In plenary, 329 MEPs voted in favor of the compromise supported by the Christian Democrats, Liberals, and ECR. 230 MEPs voted against. 41 abstained.

The proposal sets new limit values for pollutants in the exhaust of vehicles with combustion engines and defines the test conditions. It also regulates tire abrasion and brake dust. Parliament’s decision now clears the way for the trilogue. mgr

Lindner: substantial progress on reform of EU debt rules

There is movement in the debate on the new European debt rules. On the fringes of the Ecofin discussions in Brussels, German Minister for Financial Affairs Christian Lindner stated that substantial progress had been made in reforming the fiscal rules. “It is now generally recognized that we need a safety line when it comes to reducing public debt and that there must be a consideration of targets in relation to annual budget deficits”, said the Minister. Nevertheless, there is still a lot of work to be done.

Lindner emphasized that the instruments have been recognized, but that they still need to be calibrated with figures and requirements. “It’s now about the level of ambition.” Germany stands for an ambitious approach to reducing deficits and public debt ratios. “The EU must remain committed to the idea of stability, and the new fiscal rules must contribute to this.” The rapprochement was preceded by a meeting between Lindner and his French counterpart Bruno Le Maire on Tuesday in the run-up to the Ecofin meeting.

Spanish Presidency plans special Ecofin at the end of November

The French Finance Minister also emphasized on the sidelines of the discussions that progress was being made and that they were moving in the right direction. Le Maire will travel to Berlin in the coming days to try to work towards a Franco-German agreement on the new rules of the Stability and Growth Pact. Lindner made it clear in Brussels that should an agreement be reached between Paris and Berlin, this could help to reach a consensus among all EU states on the new debt rules.

At the end of the discussions, the current EU Council President Nadia Calviño announced her intention to present a draft law for the new fiscal rules in the coming days. In addition, the Spanish Presidency intends to convene a special council of EU finance ministers at the end of November. Madrid is convinced that it will take two ministerial meetings to reach political agreement, the so-called general approach, at the regular meeting in December. This is a prerequisite for the member states to be able to enter into negotiations with the EU Parliament, which is a co-decision-maker in the fiscal reform. cr

Apple faces new trial over billions in back taxes in Ireland

In the tax dispute with the European Union, Apple is facing a €13 billion back payment. Due to technical deficiencies, Advocate General Giovanni Pitruzzella recommended to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on Thursday that a ruling in favor of the US company be set aside and referred back to the lower court. Although the court is not bound by this recommendation, it follows it in four out of five cases.

According to the EU Commission, Ireland, where Apple’s European headquarters are located, had granted the US company an unlawfully low tax rate of 0.005 percent in 2016. This violated the state aid guidelines of the international community. It called on Ireland to reclaim €13 billion in taxes from Apple. A lower European court upheld Apple’s appeal against this decision in 2020.

Attorney General sees technical errors

In his opinion, Advocate General Pitruzzella criticized various legal errors in the ruling from three years ago. Among other things, the methodological errors made by the Irish authorities in determining the tax rate, as put forward by the Commission, should be reassessed.

Apple, on the other hand, pointed out that the lower court decision had clearly shown that the US tech company had not received a selective advantage or state aid. “We believe that this should be confirmed.” Irish Finance Minister Michael McGrath expressed a similar view. “Ireland has been and remains of the view that the correct amount of tax has been paid and that no state aid has been granted to Apple.” rtr

Data Act receives clear approval in Parliament

With a clear majority of 481 votes in favor, 31 against, and 71 abstentions, the plenary of the European Parliament adopted the Data Act on Thursday. The formal approval of the Council is now required for the Data Act to become law. Preparation in the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) is scheduled for Nov. 22 and adoption in the Council for Nov. 27.

“The Data Act will create a new data-agile system that enables easy access to an almost infinite amount of high-quality data”, commented rapporteur Pilar del Castillo Vera (EPP) on the result. The law will be crucial to optimize existing business models and processes, promote the development of new ones, and create new value. “In other words, an opportunity for innovation and competitiveness.”

Shadow rapporteur Damian Boeselager (Greens/EFA) stated that one of the most important changes brought about by the law is that the Data Act establishes the right of ownership in the digital space (not a right of ownership to data, as we incorrectly wrote in yesterday’s edition). This would end manufacturers’ royalty-free access to data from products that no longer belong to them. vis

What’s cooking in Paris? Duel of the aspirants

By Claire Stam

One, Gérald Darmanin, 41 years old and French interior minister since 2020, comes from the conservatives and now wants to cultivate his social streak. The second, Gabriel Attal, 34, newly appointed Minister of Education, has completed his ox tour with the Socialists and attracted attention at the start of the new school year by banning the abaya.

The careers of Gérald Darmanin and Gabriel Attal are very different and their mutual sympathy is extremely limited, according to reports in Paris. The rivalry is obvious, with both politicians vying for influence in the period after Emmanuel Macron’s term of office comes to an end.

Two ambitious young men

Gérald Darmanin wants to embody a socially conservative direction. He likes to repeat that he wants to speak to the working class, which, neglected by the traditional parties, is throwing itself into the arms of the extreme right. He refers to his humble origins, reminding people that he is the “son of a cleaning lady” and the “grandson of two guest worker grandfathers”.

Darmanin’s appointment as Minister of the Interior had caused outrage – feminist voices in particular criticized his appointment since a rape case was pending against him at the time. However, the case was dropped.

Gabriel Attal, a Parisian who looks like an executive, has a very different style. The son of a film producer who attended a private school in the chic 6th arrondissement of Paris, he believes that the socially weaker voters are lost to the Rassemblement National. In his opinion, it is the “middle classes” that need to be addressed first and foremost. Those who “keep our economy going through their work” and “finance our public services through their taxes” without “benefiting” from social benefits or pensions, he explained in Le Monde in May.

In his private life, Attal, the former spokesperson for the Macron government, is married to Stéphane Séjourné, the chairman of the Renew Group in the European Parliament. Séjourné was an influential advisor to Emmanuel Macron at the beginning of his first term in office. The tandem quickly rose to important positions in Parisian politics: One whispered in the president’s ear, while the other spoke on behalf of the government, to borrow a phrase from Le Monde.

Stylistic differences

Gérald Darmanin and Gabriel Attal each have their own style. The former crosses rhetorical boundaries and provokes, while the latter faithfully follows the president’s line. In his ministry, which belongs to the “reserved area” of the head of state, Gabriel Attal implements the will of the president to the letter. It is worth remembering that education is a central government responsibility in France and Paris carries enormous weight in decisions that affect pupils and teachers in Lille just as much as in Nice.

Emmanuel Macron is also relying on his two ministers in a national political context that has been deeply shaken by terrorist attacks . The murders of teachers Samuel Paty in October 2020 and Dominique Bernard in October this year join a long list of acts of terrorism that the country has already experienced.

Darmanin looks worn out after three and a half years in office and his safety record hangs around his neck like a millstone. Attal, on the other hand, was only promoted three months ago – he first has to prove himself.

EUROPE.TABLE EDITORS

Till
Hoppe

Charlotte
Wirth

Falk
Steiner

Timo
Landenberger

Corinna
Visser

Lukas
Knigge

Eric
Bonse

Sarah
Schaefer

Manuel
Berkel

Lisa-Martina
Klein

Markus
Grabitz

Stephan
Israel

Claire
Stam

New election in Portugal + Moldova&#8217;s show of strength + Euro7

Feature

Trilogue agreement on Nature Restoration Law

EPP puts food security at the forefront

NRL a central component of the Green Deal

Agreement may still fail

Portugal’s political crisis: the way forward

Preparations for early elections

Right-wing parties on the rise

Moldova arms itself in the information war against Russia

€50 million for influencing elections

EU presence in Moldova

Strategic communication as the most important lever

EU-Monitoring

News

Sánchez and Puigdemont reach amnesty agreement

Puigdemont shields himself against terrorism accusations

Debt relief amounting to €15 billion

Expert assessment: Commission must approve relief on electricity prices

Clean Air Directive: Poorer member states want postponement

Trilogue begins on Thursday

Euro 7 emissions standard: trilogue can begin

Lindner: substantial progress on reform of EU debt rules

Spanish Presidency plans special Ecofin at the end of November

Apple faces new trial over billions in back taxes in Ireland

Attorney General sees technical errors

Data Act receives clear approval in Parliament

Column

What’s cooking in Paris? Duel of the aspirants

Two ambitious young men

Stylistic differences

Europe.table editorial team

EUROPE.TABLE EDITORS

Feature

Trilogue agreement on Nature Restoration Law

EPP puts food security at the forefront

NRL a central component of the Green Deal

Agreement may still fail

Portugal’s political crisis: the way forward

Preparations for early elections

Right-wing parties on the rise

Moldova arms itself in the information war against Russia

€50 million for influencing elections

EU presence in Moldova

Strategic communication as the most important lever

EU-Monitoring

News

Sánchez and Puigdemont reach amnesty agreement

Puigdemont shields himself against terrorism accusations

Debt relief amounting to €15 billion

Expert assessment: Commission must approve relief on electricity prices

Clean Air Directive: Poorer member states want postponement

Trilogue begins on Thursday

Euro 7 emissions standard: trilogue can begin

Lindner: substantial progress on reform of EU debt rules

Spanish Presidency plans special Ecofin at the end of November

Apple faces new trial over billions in back taxes in Ireland

Attorney General sees technical errors

Data Act receives clear approval in Parliament

Column

What’s cooking in Paris? Duel of the aspirants

Two ambitious young men

Stylistic differences

Europe.table editorial team

EUROPE.TABLE EDITORS

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New election in Portugal + Moldova’s show of strength + Euro7