Who will these 10 countries send to Brussels?

What’s driving the day in Brussels.
By EDDY WAX
with ZOYA SHEFTALOVICH
Send tips here | Tweet @NicholasVinocur @swheaton @EddyWax | Listen to Playbook and view in your browser
HAPPY FRIDAY! This is Eddy Wax. I’ll be heading to Vienna early next week to bring you some Austrian-themed newsletters. If you’d like to meet for a coffee/send tips, drop me a line. My colleague Nicholas Vinocur will be bringing you Monday’s Playbook.
WHERE’S CARLES? The whereabouts of mop-haired fugitive Carles Puigdemont are still unknown after a day of madcap drama in Barcelona, where the Catalan separatist chief craftily gave the slip to Spanish cops who’d had seven years to prepare for this moment. My colleagues Aitor Hernández-Morales and Max Griera have this rip-roaring story (and check out the footage from Puigdemont’s rally, by AP’s Chief Photographer Emilio Morenatti).
MAIS QUEL CHARMEUR CE STARMER! France has fallen in love with Britain’s new PM, even as Keir Starmer’s honeymoon period back home has been curtailed by far-right riots. My colleagues Clea Caulcutt and Mason Boycott-Owen have the story of President Emmanuel Macron and Starmer’s love-in, and how it could strengthen cross-Channel ties — if it lasts.
WHO WILL THESE 10 COUNTRIES CHOOSE? Seventeen EU countries have made it pretty clear who they’re offering for the EU stage — thanks to a flurry of nomination letters from governments that landed on Commission boss Ursula von der Leyen’s desk earlier this month. (You can find those nominees in this excellent EU Transition Playbook.) But for the 10 others — including powerful countries like Italy and Poland that will set the bloc’s agenda between now and 2029 — there are only hints and rumors. Playbook takes a spin around the bloc …
BELGIUM HESITATES, REYNDERS STAYS? The four parties negotiating a new government have not yet agreed on a name, writes Barbara Moens, with former PM-turned-MEP Sophie Wilmès ruling herself out. Whichever party gets the commissioner gig will receive fewer ministerial posts in the national government. That leaves an opening for current Commissioner Didier Reynders, who failed in his bid to lead the Council of Europe and now wants to stay put. His good relationship with von der Leyen could help him clinch an important portfolio (competition is rumored) — assuming his French-speaking liberal Reformist Movement party is willing to lose some national clout.
BULGARIA DEADLOCKED: As it heads for yet another election, the political stalemate in Bulgaria is making it hard to pick a commissioner, and any names floating around now are likely just rumors. In local media, GERB party figures like ex-Labour Minister Denitsa Sacheva and ex-Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva are being floated.
Side bar: The European Court of Auditors has still not filled the job formerly held by Bulgaria’s current commissioner, Iliana Ivanova — and she would be keen to return to the post, my colleague Antoaneta Roussi hears.
CYPRUS KEEPS QUIET: President Nikos Christodoulides is staying schtum, but three names are circulating in local media: Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos, ex-Finance Minister Harris Georgiades and ex-Energy Minister George Lakkotrypis.
DENMARK’S MAN COULD BE JØRGENSEN: Climate and Development Minister Dan Jørgensen, a social democrat, is the runaway favorite in government discussions taking place in Copenhagen. An announcement could be linked to an upcoming government reshuffle led by PM Mette Frederiksen.
Think tankers suggest nabbing the climate portfolio might be too much of a stretch for Jørgensen, with Spain’s Teresa Ribera first in line (though her nuclear skepticism makes her unpopular with some lawmakers and nuclear-loving countries like France, my colleague Victor Jack reports this morning).
ITALY FAVORS FITTO: There’s only one favorite to be Giorgia Meloni’s point-man in Brussels: Raffaele Fitto. Italy’s current Europe minister used to sit in the center-right European People’s Party group before joining Team Meloni, and is widely seen as a pragmatist, an expert on handling EU funds and someone who could help the Italian PM reset her relationship with von der Leyen, as Gregorio Sorgi pointed out in Thursday’s must-read profile.
LITHUANIA’S BALTIC BUST-UP: Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who hails from the center-right EPP family, wants the job (though he hasn’t formally said so) — but he’s facing opposition from the politically unaffiliated President Gitanas Nausėda, who reckons Lithuania could do better. Nausėda can veto Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė’s nominees, so he has power here. A proposed mini-reshuffle has fed talk that Nausėda and Šimonytė have reached some sort of deal on a name, and it might well be Landsbergis (who wants an enlargement or foreign affairs portfolio). Others in the frame: Finance Minister Gintarė Skaistė and chief civil servant Giedrė Balčytytė.
LUXEMBOURG PITS HANSEN AGAINST SCHMIT: No change in the epic battle of nerves between outgoing Socialist Commissioner Nicolas Schmit — who’s hoping von der Leyen will do him a big favor by offering Luxembourg a bigger portfolio if he stays — and MEP Christophe Hansen, Prime Minister Luc Frieden’s more obvious choice given they share the same center-right party.
POLAND KEEPS A SECRET: Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski says Warsaw has decided on a name — it’s just not been announced yet. What a mystery! Rumors have long pointed to Sikorski himself, though he has said he isn’t interested in the defense portfolio that’s been widely touted for Poland.
PORTUGAL’S PENDING PAIR: Two names keep popping up, Aitor Hernández-Morales and Max Griera report: One is Maria Luís Albuquerque, who was finance minister during a rocky patch for Portugal and was overlooked for the commissioner post a decade ago. She is seen as a skilled technocrat who could be in line for a prominent economic post. The other is academic Miguel Poiares Maduro. A former advocate general of the European Court of Justice and law professor at the European University Institute in Florence, Poiares Maduro could be well-placed for a justice-related post or some kind of cohesion-linked role, as he also served as minister for regional development.
ROMANIA EYES NEGRESCU: Victor Negrescu, a 38-year-old social democrat MEP who recently became vice president of the European Parliament, is by far the frontrunner, Playbook hears from well-informed sources. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, a social democrat leading a coalition with the center-right liberals, is said to have told von der Leyen that given Romania’s last two commissioners have been women, a single male pick should be allowed. (Bucharest is angling for an economic portfolio — who isn’t? — but that’s seen as tricky for a non-Eurozone country; with Moldova as its neighbor, an enlargement portfolio is possible.)
SPEAKING OF SINGLE MALE PICKS: Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris defends his choice to only propose Michael McGrath as his country’s commissioner in his letter to von der Leyen, pointing out that two of Ireland’s last three commissioners have been women, and arguing the nomination is in line with the EU Treaty.
VON DER LEYEN URGED TO CONDEMN BULGARIAN LAW: MEPs leading on LGBTQ+ rights last night wrote to Ursula von der Leyen asking the Commission president to “urgently condemn” a new Russian-style law passed by the Bulgarian parliament to ban so-called gay propaganda in schools.
Silence speaks volumes: Activists, liberal politicians and campaign groups have strongly criticized the Bulgarian legislation. Not so the Commission’s spokesperson service, which hid behind the fact the law is still technically a draft (it’s yet to get the backing of the pro-Russian Bulgarian President Rumen Radev) to avoid directly addressing it.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to tackling discrimination, inequalities and challenges faced by the LGBTIQ individuals,” spokesperson Anitta Hipper said on Thursday. But not enough to actually condemn Bulgaria’s backslide, it seems.
“Assault” on kids: “This law is a direct assault on the LGBTIQ+ community — in particular children,” Dutch MEP Kim van Sparrentak and Luxembourgish MEP Marc Angel, co-presidents of the Parliament’s LGBTI Intergroup, wrote in their letter to von der Leyen, which they also sent to Equality Commissioner Helena Dalli. “Such ‘anti-propaganda’ bills put children and youth at risk by contributing to creating a threatening environment where LGBTIQ+ children can be subject to bullying, harassment and increased health-related risks,” the MEPs wrote. The Commission started infringement proceedings against Hungary for a similar law in 2021.
Out of office: After publication, Bulgaria’s Commissioner Iliana Ivanova — who hails from GERB and whose portfolio covers education — said in a statement: “I am aware of the amendment to the Bulgarian education code adopted by the Bulgarian Parliament.
“I do not comment on pending legislation, but should it enter into force, the Commission will assess it to check if it is in line with EU legislation. The Commission has a clear stance on non-discrimination including in Education and stands in favour of a Union of Equality.”
Why so quiet? “It is concerning that Bulgarian EU Commissioner Ivanova (GERB) has remained silent on this act,” Bulgarian MEP Nikola Minchev, who is from the Renew-aligned We Continue the Change party, told Playbook in a statement. “It is crucial for all representatives, especially those in high positions, to speak out against such discriminatory and dangerous legislation,” he wrote. 
About the bill’s curious backers: Socialist MEP Angel said he was worried that Bulgarian socialists had also backed the law in the Bulgarian parliament vote. “This is not according to the values of our party,” he said, vowing to raise it with the Party of European Socialists.
Health hazard: “The way the law is phrased, it completely erases LGBT people,” Bulgarian public health expert Peter Bachev told Playbook reporter Šejla Ahmatović. He added that “there’s no legal way of being trans” in Bulgaria, after the country’s highest court ruled last year that legally changing one’s gender was unconstitutional. “This can only lead to the deterioration of mental health and higher rates of HIV,” Bachev said.
RENEW WANTS “IMMEDIATE” ACTION ON MUSK: The leaders of the liberal Renew Europe group in the European Parliament called on the Commission to take “every possible immediate action” to clamp down on the continued spread of disinformation on Elon Musk’s tech platform X, in a letter seen by Playbook.
Screens lead to screams: The letter, sent by top Renew MEPs Valérie Hayer and Billy Kelleher to Commissioners Thierry Breton and Margrethe Vestager, argues the spread of false information on X is “likely to be playing a role in driving political violence in Europe.”
War-mongering: The MEPs said they’re worried by Musk’s repeated statements about a coming “civil war” in Europe. The Commission has spent eight months investigating whether X is in breach of its fancy new social media platform law, but Renew’s letter implies it wants Brussels to move faster.
NOW READ THIS: POLITICO’s Laurie Clarke explains how Britain’s far right rallied on Telegram as riots swept the U.K. in recent days.
HOW BRUSSELS WORKS — PART 1: Just days after the College of Europe in Bruges sacked professor Olivier Costa for sexually harassing a younger female student in March this year, Jean Quatremer, the long-serving correspondent of French daily Libération, defended Costa online, dismissing POLITICO’s investigation as full of “vague allegations.” 
Just any old expert: Days later, Costa found a plum platform for his expertise on EU politics in an article about Europe’s far right, written by Quatremer, which quoted him as an expert without mentioning the professor’s ties to the College or the incident that got him sacked. Costa appeared in another article by Quatremer a month later, this time with his take on a speech by Emmanuel Macron, again with no mention of his sacking.
You scratch my back … Costa published an academic paper about the Qatargate corruption scandal this week singling out one journalist for his balanced, “moderate” approach to covering the scandal, as opposed to the “sensationalist” narrative he claimed was pushed by outlets such as POLITICO and Le Soir. The journalist he was praising: Jean Quatremer. 
Talking of sensationalism … “The institution has never before been confronted with a corruption scandal of this magnitude,” one commentator wrote five days after the scandal broke at the end of 2022. The author? Olivier Costa.
HOW BRUSSELS WORKS — PART 2: The EU has approved Diederik Samsom, a former top Green Deal official, to join the supervisory board of Dutch state-owned gas operator Gasunie — albeit with restrictions. Samsom, who was chief of staff to former EU Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans, had accepted the role before obtaining clearance.
Revolving door: “The aim of these restrictions is to prevent any risk of a real, potential or perceived conflict, while respecting the fundamental principle of former staff’s right to work,” Commission spokesperson Balazs Ujvari told my colleague Karl Mathiesen. Former senior officials cannot lobby the Commission on issues related to their prior work for 12 months. Karl has more for Pro subscribers.
PUTTING THE BRAKES ON CHINA’S EVs: The EU’s new duties on Chinese-made electric vehicles could be backdated to March, POLITICO’s Jordyn Dahl and Koen Verhelst report.
FOILED AUSTRIAN TERROR ATTACK UPDATE: The 19-year-old arrested over the alleged terror plot targeting a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna planned to carry out a suicide attack and allied himself with Islamic State, Austria’s Director General for Public Security Franz Ruf said in a press conference Thursday.
UKRAINE HITS RUSSIA AGAIN: Authorities last night declared a state of emergency in Lipetsk, in western Russia, after a “massive attack” by Ukrainian drones hit the region’s power infrastructure and caused explosions, the region’s Governor Igor Artamonov said in a Telegram post. Russian state media reported that a fire had broken out at a military airfield in the area.
Meanwhile, in Kursk … fierce fighting continues, with Ukrainian forces reportedly pushing further into Russian territory as they seek to disrupt, divert and demoralize Moscow’s troops.
MIDDLE EAST LATEST: The U.S., Egypt and Qatar have released a joint statement calling for Israel and Hamas to restart negotiations over a cease-fire and hostage release deal. The three nations invited the two parties for talks on Aug. 15. AP has more.
WEATHER: High of 24C, rainy.
FRIDAY FUNNY: Paul Dallison’s Declassified humor column reveals Scooby-Doo taught Carles Puigdemont everything he knows.
MORE (ICE CREAM) SCOOPS: So many ice cream parlors, so little time. On Thursday, we mentioned Gian Volpicelli’s list of his favorite places. Susanne Connolly, media relations officer at Canada’s mission to the EU, had one more to add — Pepe’s on Avenue Georges Henri in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert. “Shh, don’t tell anyone or they’ll all want one,” she warned on X. Oh well, too late.
BRUSSELS BUZZ: August in Brussels may seem quiet, but don’t worry, there’s still plenty to do. We Love Brussels has a list of events and festivals to keep your days entertaining and enjoyable.
BIRTHDAYS: MEP Vytenis Andriukaitis, a former European commissioner; former MEP Helga Stevens; former European Commission President and ex-Italian PM Romano Prodi; former Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union Uwe Corsepius; Amazon Web Services’ Katarzyna Koziol.
CELEBRATING SATURDAY: Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas, a former European commissioner; Australia’s former Ambassador to the EU Justin Brown; POLITICO’s own Jan Cienski; Austrian journalist Danielle Spera.
CELEBRATING SUNDAY: MEP Markus Buchheit; former MEPs Andrea Bocskor and Marian-Jean Marinescu; Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau, a POLITICO 28 alum; POLITICO’s Andrew McDonald; European Commission’s Cristina Torres Castillo; Cornelia Kutterer of Considerati Europe.
THANKS TO: Barbara Moens, Aitor Hernández-Morales, Max Griera, Antoaneta Roussi, Seb Starcevic, Pieter Haeck, Giulia Poloni, Karl Mathiesen, Elisa Braun, Playbook Reporter Šejla Ahmatović and producer Catherine Bouris.
SUBSCRIBE to the POLITICO newsletter family: Brussels Playbook | London Playbook | London Playbook PM | Playbook Paris | EU Election Playbook | Berlin Playbook | Global Playbook | POLITICO Confidential | Sunday Crunch | EU Influence | London Influence | Digital Bridge | China Watcher | Berlin Bulletin | D.C. Playbook | D.C. Influence | All our POLITICO Pro policy morning newsletters