EU ready to react to ‘unnecessary and stupid’ tariffs threatened by Trump, leaders say – Europe live

People flee Santorini as earthquake fears grow

Helena Smith

in Athens

Earthquake fears have prompted people to flee Santorini, as Greece’s most popular island destination continues to be hit by what scientists described as a “barrage” of tremors.

With authorities on heightened alert amid mounting concerns of an impending natural disaster, residents, tourists and workers are scrambling to leave the island on ferries and planes.

By midday on Monday, Aegean airlines, the national carrier, had announced it was doubling the number of flights from Athens to Santorini for the next two days, as travel agents said the new flights were sold out “within seconds”.

On Monday, an earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale, the most powerful yet, was registered at 2.17 PM local time. Land and rockslides were also recorded.

Earlier today, the country’s prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis appealed for calm, saying that authorities were monitoring a “very intense” geological phenomenon over recent days, and adding: “I want to ask our islanders above all to remain calm” (13:59).

Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis appealed for calm on Monday after a wave of seismic tremors hit the tourist island of Santorini, prompting concern among locals and hundreds of departures, AFP reports.

Speaking from Brussels, Mitsotakis said authorities were monitoring a “very intense” geological phenomenon over recent days, adding: “I want to ask our islanders above all to remain calm.”

Known for its spectacular cliffside views and a dormant volcano, Santorini and neighbouring Aegean Sea islands have been hit by hundreds of tremors since last week, the largest with a magnitude of 4.9.

The neighbouring islands of Anafi, Ios and Amorgos have also been affected.

The activity has prompted authorities to send rescue units to the area and close schools, and some areas have been declared off-limits because of rockslide risks.

What else is coming today?

Jakub Krupa

In terms of timings of what else is coming, we’re expecting (all times CET):

• CDU/CSU’s chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz to speak in Berlin around 15:15.

• French prime minister François Bayrou to speak in Paris as he introduces his budget around 16:00.

• UK prime minister Keir Starmer and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte to speak with the media after their meeting in Brussels around 16:40.

Then for all the night owls among you:

(We will catch up on that presser in tomorrow morning’s Europe Live.)

Next steps in French budgetary talks

Kim Willsher

in Paris

France faces further political uncertainty as the prime minister, François Bayrou, prepares to ignore threats of a no-confidence motion and force the 2025 budget bill through without a vote.

With no majority in the Assemblée Nationale, the centrist politician has little choice but to use the constitutional measure, known as the “49.3”, on Monday to pass the legislation aimed at reducing the country’s soaring deficit.

The hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) has said it will lodge a confidence vote immediately afterwards, a move supported by the country’s ecology party (EELV) and Communist party (PCF).

The Parti Socialiste (PS) has not said if it will support the motion and the far-right National Rally party (RN) is meeting in the next few hours to decide whether to throw its weight behind the move, which would bring down a second government in less than two months.

Bayrou, who was appointed shortly afterwards, will present his budget bill to the lower house on Monday afternoon after the text was approved by a cross party committee last week.

If Bayrou uses the 49.3 to push through the bill, as he suggested this weekend he will, opponents have 24 hours to lodge a censure motion that must be voted on within 48 hours.

If it succeeds, the bills are rejected, the government collapses and France returns to a political impasse.

If the budget bill is passed, it will come into effect in the second half of the month.

Nato secretary general Mark Rutte has now joined the EU leaders at their informal meeting in Brussels.

Before going into Palais d’Egmont, or Egmontpaleis if you prefer the Dutch name, he said that Europe needs to “ramp up defence spending”, and the new defence spending pledge will have to be “considerably higher than 2%”.

He was also asked about Nato’s position on Greenland, and he diplomatically said that he had good discussions with Denmark and other allies, and all parties “have to do more collectively” to protect the high north.

Asked to comment on Trump’s tariff threats, he declined to get involved saying jokingly that it’s above his pay grade.

Lessons from Serbia, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Poland and Belarus for Americans under Trump

Julian Borger

in Belgrade

Citizens of central and eastern Europe are long accustomed to receiving counsel from a multitude of well-meaning US organisations on how to protect their fragile democracies following the fall of the Berlin Wall. Now, after just 10 days of Donald Trump’s executive orders and civil service purges, the advice is beginning to flow the other way.

With the new Trump era likely to pose unprecedented challenges the message from Europe’s fragile democracies is: stay united and safeguard your institutions.

Earlier today, Lisa O’Carroll brought us comments from Ireland’s deputy prime minister Simon Harris on Trump’s tariff threats (11:34).

But this morning we also heard from the new prime minister, Micheál Martin, who is at the EU leaders’ talks in Brussels.

This is what he said:

The European Union has to act as one. We are an economic entity. We have a single market.

Trade is, as you know, the competency of the commission, but obviously member states have an input into how Europe will respond, how Europe navigates this period.

So first of all, we have to see what happens, and assess it and measure it, calibrate the impacts, and then develop our response.

But I wouldn’t do anything prematurely right now, until we see what exactly is being proposed, if something is being proposed.

Earlier today, I reported on German chancellor Olaf Scholz’s unusual detour into domestic politics and criticism of the CDU/CSU opposition party as he arrived at the EU leaders’ meeting in Brussels.

His reaction comes after a difficult week in German politics, which culminated in a turbulent sitting of the Bundestag on Friday discussing the opposition’s ultimately failed proposals to tighten the country’s immigration laws. We covered this in Europe Live on Friday (here).

But over the weekend, thousands of Germans protested against his plans and his perceived openness to accept the votes of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland for their proposals, breaking the longstanding “firewall” arrangement in German politics.

CDU/CSU’s chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz, who leads in the polls with three weeks to go, will try to regain the momentum today as he speaks at the party’s conference and sets out his plans should he be elected into the office, including on economy and migration.

CDU delegates are expected to support a 15-point plan to implement “immediately” if the party wins the elections and forms a government.

It contains many of the measures in one motion passed with the AfD, including plans to turn back asylum seekers at the German border and the unlimited detention of “dangerous” migrants who are set for deportation.

He will speak in the afternoon; in the meantime, here are some pictures from this weekend’s protests.