This is just a drill …right?

You’re reading Rapporteur on Monday 4 May. This is Eddy Wax, joined by Nicoletta Ionta in Brussels.

Need-to-knows:

🟢 EU war games begin🟢 Armenia convenes leaders🟢 Ombudsman warned about ‘perceptions’ of conflict of interest

On the roundabout: EU spent €33 million on democracy campaign

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From the capital

As we reported first, ambassadors of 27 EU countries will today run an unprecedented simulation to test out the EU’s mutual assistance clause. It’s a far weaker alternative to NATO’s Article 5, which is not exactly rock solid these days.

Transatlantic unity was dealt another blow by Donald Trump’s sudden announcement he plans to withdraw 5,000 of the roughly 36,000 US troops in Germany over the next 12 months. There’s speculation that Italy and Spain will be next. Friedrich Merz is surely regretting his comment that Iran was humiliating the US – especially after Trump threatened to increase his tariffs on European – read, German – cars over the weekend.

But back to today’s war games. Defence reporter Charles Cohen tells me that the EU’s diplomatic arm, the EEAS, wants to pin down what kind of crisis would require governments to trigger Article 42.7 for the EU Treaties, and what support – if any – they’d receive from Brussels.

This won’t be a Waterloo-style battlefield reenactment, with drones, or even toy soldiers. Even though that would be more fun. According to two sources, ambassadors will instead be taken through a series of fictional crisis scenarios to assess whether they fall under the scope of Article 42.7, and what resources would be available.

The Europeans – as usual – are divided. Some EU countries have been fretting that even talking about this clause will hasten Trump’s abandonment of European security. Others, including the Commission, have pushed to beef it up, and fast.

The clash between the NATO and EU clauses is triggering some interesting legal questions. As Pietro Guastamacchia writes today, the EU’s assistance pact could reach further afield, given that far-flung parts of the globe, such as Guadeloupe and Curaçao, are in the EU, and are not covered by NATO.

Far from EU lawyers, NATO’s far bigger exercise, Steadfast Deterrence, kicks off on Tuesday aiming to test the military capabilities of the Alliance in the event of a Russian attack. For anyone worried about such a scenario, this exercise is the one to watch.

Why Armenia?

Over 40 European leaders, and Mark Carney, have flown into Yerevan, Armenia for a meeting today and Tuesday. First there’s a meeting of the European Political Community, or EPC, a rather blank space for leaders to meet every so often, and then a formal EU-Armenia summit.

As Cristina Vanberghen writes in an op-ed today, the EPC is a political prototype that was launched before Europe has decided what it actually wants it to become. The focus in Armenia must shift from broad declarations to concrete cooperation in the South Caucasus, she argues.

The EU summit marks the apex of Armenia’s deepening ties with the EU, a process that has been accelerating, reports Neil Hauer. Historically a close ally of Russia in its first few decades since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Nikol Pashinyan, the prime minister, has steered the country closer to Europe following his election in 2018. He is chasing candidate status – which will allow Armenia to join the long waiting list to join the EU.

Nacho Sánchez Amor, a Spanish socialist MEP whose main focus is on Turkey, questioned the timing of the EU summit, so close to the next election, saying it could give ammunition to those who like to accuse Brussels of election interference. “The timing of the summit could be used by others to introduce some doubts about the … attitude of the European Union,” he said.

Who ombuds the Ombudsman?

Stamping out conflicts of interest is slap bang in the remit of EU Ombudsman Teresa Anjinho. But her appointment of her former head of cabinet, Lampros Papadias, as the institution’s new secretary general risked creating “perceptions of a conflict of interest,” MEPs have said.

Euractiv first reported that appointing her longtime senior aide could raise questions over perception of favouritism. While deputies acknowledged the recruitment procedure complied with formal rules and included external oversight, they questioned the Ombudsman’s dual role in both chairing parts of the selection board and making the final appointment herself.

MEPs also pushed back against the Ombudsman’s refusal to share key recruitment documents, arguing Parliament is entitled to them.

Questions over EU body’s €149 Zoom fee

MEPs want answers over a €149 daily allowance paid to members of the European Economic and Social Committee for attending meetings online.

The committee’s 329 members, drawn from unions, employers and civil society, do not receive salaries but can claim the fee even when joining remotely via video link.

Last week, MEPs backed a report urging tighter transparency and proportionality rules to “reinforce public trust,” arguing that remote attendance payments must be strictly justified. The EESC spent €259,669 on remote participation in 2024, alongside more than €6 million for in-person attendance.

Reality dawns on divided Eurogroup

Eurozone finance ministers gather in Brussels today to discuss the economic impact of the Iran war, amid a growing realisation its impact is likely to be long-lasting, Thomas Møller-Nielsen writes.

“There’s still a great deal of uncertainty, but we know that this won’t be over soon,” said a senior European official, adding that the EU is now facing a “tangible risk” of supply shortages.

“This realisation wasn’t there in the early days of the conflict,” the official said. “But now it is. And it creates a new basis for these discussions.” The official downplayed the likelihood of any concrete outcomes.

The remarks come amid deep disagreements among EU capitals about how to respond. Italy and Spain have urged Brussels, without success, to suspend its fiscal rules to allow capitals to better support EU firms and households. Both also called for a bloc-wide tax on energy companies’ ‘windfall profits’ – a proposal backed by Germany, Austria, Portugal, and Belgium.

Exclusive: More CO2 permits for everyone

The European Commission is set to hand out more free CO2 permits than originally planned in the coming years following pressure from Berlin and Rome, my colleague Nikolaus J. Kurmayer reported. EU heavy industry, covered by the bloc’s Emissions Trading Scheme, has long benefited from free allowances tied to efficiency improvements.

The latest overhaul of the ETS benchmark system would have reduced free allocations for sectors such as chemicals and paper from 2026 to 2030, partly due to stringent Nordic biomass-based standards. To address the concerns raised by the industry, the EU executive is now shifting its methodology to also factor in indirect emissions.

The change is expected to increase free allocations by around €4 billion, according to a document seen by Nikolaus.

Schuman roundabout

PROTECT WHAT MATTERS: The EU spent €33 million on a current pro-democracy campaign that will be rolled out in all 27 member states, mainly targeting young people under the slogan ‘protect what matters.’ As we wrote last week, the ads have run on Snapchat and Twitch, at bus stops, and in newspapers.

Why now? Markus Lammert, a Commission spokesperson, told us by email: “Numerous studies and surveys show that young people across Europe are neither aware of the benefits and freedoms that come with living in a democratic system nor of the fact that these achievements are increasingly challenged.” The campaign was designed by the Commission “with the support of external contractors,” he added.

The capitals

PARIS 🇫🇷

With less than a year to go, far-left France Unbowed leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon officially launched his bid for the 2027 presidential election last night, casting himself as the right person to guide France through an uncertain world. It was no surprise. The 74-year-old, who rules his party with an iron fist, will be making his fourth attempt at becoming president. He said in 2022 that he wouldn’t stand again for the presidency. Could 2027 be the first time he makes it to the two-candidate run-off?– Eddy Wax

ROME 🇮🇹

Marco Rubio will travel to Rome on Thursday, where he is set to meet Pope Leo XIV in a bid to ease tensions after Donald Trump’s recent attack on the pontiff. He is also due to hold talks with Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Defence Minister Guido Crosetto. According to Italian media reports, Rubio has also requested a meeting with Giorgia Meloni.– Alessia Peretti

MADRID 🇪🇸

Former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos is set to appear before the Supreme Court on Monday, accused of leading a criminal network of rigged tenders, kickbacks and influence peddling within his ministry. His long-awaited testimony in the high-profile trial follows the statements made last week by his personal aide Koldo García, and businessman Víctor de Aldama, allegedly central to the story. Public prosecutors are seeking a 24-year sentence for the former minister currently held in pre-trial detention, together with García.– Inés Fernández-Pontes

ATHENS 🇬🇷

Athens is stepping up discussions with Libya aimed at reaching an agreement on the delimitation of exclusive economic zones in the Mediterranean, in a move seen as a response to the 2019 maritime accord between Libya and Turkey, Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday. Ankara views Greece’s current initiative as an attempt to undermine its deal with Libya.– Sarantis Michalopoulos

WARSAW 🇵🇱

President Karol Nawrocki on Sunday appointed a “New Constitution Council” to draft proposals for a potential overhaul of the current 1997 constitution. The body includes figures such as former constitutional court president Julia Przyłębska. Nawrocki said the aim is a “next-generation constitution” by 2030. Donald Tusk criticised the move, urging authorities to respect the current constitution, which he said already clearly defines institutional responsibilities.– Charles Szumski

TIRANA 🇦🇱

Albania signed a 20-year, $6bn agreement involving the US and Greece for the supply of American liquefied natural gas and the development of the Vlora Energy Hub. Prime Minister Edi Rama framed the deal as a step toward strengthening Albania’s energy security and positioning the country as a regional energy gateway.– Bronwyn Jones

Also on Euractiv

A decision on tax rates for nicotine pouches could prove key for whether a long-discussed EU tobacco taxation deal is finalised during the Cypriot EU Council Presidency.

Contributors: Charles Cohen, Alice Tidey, Pietro Guastamacchia, Thomas Møller-Nielsen, Nikolaus J. Kurmayer, Sarantis Michalopoulos

Editors: Matthew Karnitschnig, Sofia Mandilara, Charles Szumski