Spain calls for an EU army

POLITICO’s must-read briefing on what’s driving the day in Brussels, by Gerardo Fortuna, Nicholas Vinocur and Gabriel Gavin. By NICHOLAS VINOCUR

Good morning! It’s Nick Vinocur — let’s dive in.

In today’s Playbook:

— Trump response: Spain tells us it wants an EU army to ensure Europe is “free of coercion.”

— Responding to Putin: Will the EU condemn the Venice Biennale over organizers’ decision to invite Russia?

— Faces in the crowd: Bernd Lange, Gerhard Schröder, Anita Anand, Édouard Philippe, Zbigniew Ziobro, José Manuel Albares, Patryk Jaki, Simos Piperidis, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Maria Tomasik, Friedrich Merz and more.

On today’s Brussels Playbook Podcast: Zoya and Nick discuss how the far right could kill French cinema.

DRIVING THE DAY

EXCLUSIVE — SPAIN SAYS EUROPE NEEDS ITS OWN DETERRENT: The EU must build its own military so foes like Russia aren’t tempted to exploit doubts about whether the U.S. would come to its rescue, Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has told Playbook.

“We cannot be waking up every morning wondering what the U.S. will do next,” Albares told Zoya Sheftalovich in an exclusive interview in Madrid ahead of today’s Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. “Our citizens deserve better.”

So what: Albares framed the Iran crisis as a defining moment for Europe’s strategic autonomy. “This is the moment of the sovereignty and independence of Europe. The Americans are inviting us to that,” he said. “We have to be free of dependence. Free of dependence means to be free of coercion, whether it comes to tariffs or the use of military threat. And free of the consequences of someone else’s decisions.”

Friendly fire: Madrid has denied American military planes access to its air bases for the war, and the U.S. responded by threatening Spain with a trade embargo, troop withdrawals and even suspension from NATO.

“We need a military, a common defense capacity,” Albares said, adding that this shouldn’t be seen as an attempt to undermine NATO. “The United States have been making their army stronger and stronger and no one thinks that that weakens NATO. If NATO is not providing any more the security that was given before … [then] we have to do more as Europeans.”

Don’t mess with me: “The magic of NATO is that you are in NATO and nothing happens because no one dares to try to check if Article 5 really works or not,” Albares said, referring to the alliance’s mutual defense clause. “That’s what we have to recreate — the deterrence. That if you want to mess with me, go somewhere else. Because we will stand together.”

Trump reality: “We really believe in transatlantic relations,” Albares said. “For me, the United States is the historical natural ally of Europeans.” But, he added, “we need both Europeans and Americans on board. And we have to accept that the Trump administration has a new vision and new ideas about transatlantic relations.”

Takeaway: Albares’ comments reflect a broader tone shift in the EU, as even the most transatlantic-minded countries are forced to grapple with the reality that Washington is not a predictable ally — a realization sharpened by the Iran war.

COMING SOON: POLITICO is launching a Madrid Playbook. Sign up now.

BIG AND BREAKING

HE’S RUNNING: France’s former center-right Prime Minister Édouard Philippe yesterday launched his campaign for next year’s presidential election, in which he’s the leading contender to stop the far-right National Rally.

FILM NOIR: As the Cannes film festival kicks off tomorrow, French movie industry heavyweights are facing up to the possibility that a far-right president would tear up a generous system of state funding and tax breaks.

ANOTHER TRY: The next round of European Parliament-Council discussions to finalize the EU-U.S. trade deal will probably take place on May 19, with MEP Bernd Lange saying negotiators would “stick to our timetable” (for subscribers).

THREATENED ANIMALS: EU countries are considering loosening the bloc’s wildlife protection rules to make it easier to build industrial projects, even if that results in protected species being deliberately killed or disturbed.

GUNNING FOR GREEN: NATO is openly backing renewables and other non-fossil fuel sources of energy as key to the alliance’s security, just as the group’s most powerful member actively undermines attempts to shift away from oil and gas.

SANCTIONS WATCH

SETTLER SANCTIONS: The EU is set to move forward with a political agreement to sanction so-called violent settlers in Israel’s West Bank — if Hungary’s new government gives the deal a green light during today’s gathering of foreign ministers, four EU diplomats and officials told Playbook.

Unblocking: The move would mark the first time in months that the EU has been able to get unanimous support for sanctions against Israel, with previous efforts at the height of Gaza hostilities blocked by member countries.

What to expect: The political deal expected today would set the stage for sanctions against several individuals involved with West Bank settler violence, which has earned criticism from EU leaders including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Israel’s ambassador to the EU said his country was in “ongoing and direct” contact with the European Commission on all aspects of the relationship and that diplomacy should be conducted “directly, rather than publicly.”

Key background: While the original proposal named Israeli Ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, their names were subsequently removed from the list — allowing the sanctions to win support from 26 of 27 EU countries, according to a senior EU official.

Hungary was the sole holdout. A deal appears likely now that Péter Magyar has been sworn in as prime minister of Hungary (Magyar had previously said he wouldn’t block broadly supported sanctions). “I fully expect [Hungary] to agree to the listings,” one of the diplomats told POLITICO.

But for others, narrow sanctions targeting violent settlers are a “minimum.” One diplomat from a large EU country said that “we need to go further,” adding that other measures, including a Franco-Swedish push to impose tariffs on goods coming from West Bank settlements, should also be considered. But a broader push to suspend the Israel-EU Association Agreement is unlikely to gather sufficient support.

BACK IN THE EU’S CROSSHAIRS: Brussels sees an opportunity to prepare another round of sanctions against Moscow’s shadow fleet, the loose network of aging, opaquely owned tankers used to move Russian oil around the world.

UKRAINE CHILD ABDUCTIONS: Chief EU diplomat Kaja Kallas is set to unveil sanctions targeting about two dozen individuals involved in abductions of Ukrainian children during an event this afternoon also attended by Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand.

20-SECOND PLAYBOOK PRIMER

The EU Critical Medicines Act being discussed by the three main European institutions in Brussels today is intended to improve the availability and supply of drugs. It’s a move to tackle chronic drug shortages and, in part, to ensure the EU is better prepared if there’s another pandemic (perhaps the spread of hantavirus will help focus minds). More than a year after a Commission proposal, there are still sticking points, including on how heavily to lean on “Made in EU’ requirements in procurement.

TALK TO PLAYBOOK: On the Brussels Playbook Podcast, Zoya asked for your favorite European film. WhatsApp us on +32 491 050629 and listen from 7 a.m. to hear if we give you a shoutout.

PUTIN’S SOFT POWER

WAR OF ART: Culture ministers from across the EU will be asked today to join forces and condemn the Venice Biennale over organizers’ decision to invite Russia. Latvia will raise the issue during a Council meeting and is backed by Finland, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Denmark, Belgium and Spain, diplomats told Playbook.

Sporting chance: It’s not the only area of concern for capitals, given Russia has repeatedly used arts, culture and sports to promote its narratives and gain legitimacy. Sports ministers will be asked tomorrow to push back against sporting organizations “increasingly allowing athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete under their national flags and anthems.”

On the field: That’s according to a draft discussion paper developed by Poland, backed by the Baltic states, France, Romania and Sweden and seen by POLITICO. Sports federations should reconsider such moves, it insists, “otherwise there is a risk that the ability to organize sporting events in Europe could be significantly curtailed,” with officials and attendees pulling out in solidarity with Ukraine.

6 MORE THINGS GETTING US TALKING

HANTAVIRUS UPDATE: More than 90 passengers from the cruise ship at the center of the hantavirus outbreak were repatriated Sunday. French PM Sébastien Lecornu said five French nationals were put into strict isolation after one developed symptoms on a charter flight back to Paris, per the BBC. One returning American has tested positive and another is showing mild symptoms, our Stateside colleagues report.

HIT ME WITH YOUR (LAST) SHOT: Embattled U.K. PM Keir Starmer will signal a change of direction in a speech today, but it could be his final chance to save his political career.

HE’S MY MAN: Vladimir Putin wants Gerhard Schröder to negotiate a peace deal in Ukraine, with the Russian president saying the war is “coming to an end,” the Guardian reports. The EU and Ukraine are unlikely to accept the former German chancellor as an intermediary.

HEADING EAST: Donald Trump said he “might” move U.S. troops from Germany to Poland, as the Pentagon prepares to pull around 5,000 American soldiers out of Germany over the next year.

FLEEING WEST: Zbigniew Ziobro is reportedly now in the U.S. courtesy of a visa from Trump, after the fugitive former Polish justice minister fled Hungary.

MIDDLE EAST LATEST: Trump dismissed Iran’s response to an American peace proposal as “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE,” sending oil prices surging higher, Reuters reports.

BRUSSELS CORNER

WEATHER: High 13C, a few showers. Perhaps not yet the moment for outdoor meetings.

DG PARK: While warmer (or rather dryer) weather still seems a way off, Brussels bubble hospitality is already in full summer mode — and Playbook will this week be bringing you the top spots to steer meetings around the European quarter. With al fresco dining and drinks on the horizon, Gabriel Gavin writes in to recommend Guinguette Maurice — the semi-permanent gazebo erected in Parc du Cinquantenaire, a stone’s throw from the Schuman roundabout.

Outdoor cafeteria: Open every day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., it offers decent coffee, cold drinks and quiches during the day — with draft beer and burgers for after work. But don’t expect quick service, especially at peak times, with locals, lobbyists and Commission officials (especially those from DG GROW just across the road) lining up to be served.

SPOTTED … at the Europe Day festivities at the European Council on Saturday: French Coreper II spokesperson Rémy Tirouttouvarayane; Polish Coreper II spokesperson Wojtek Talko; Hungarian spokesperson Anna Atanaszov; German press lead Julian Fricke; the Council’s Maria Tomasik, Magda Buchowska and Simos Piperidis; Council President António Costa (who was mobbed for selfies with members of the public); and the Belgian perm rep’s Smurf.

TOP OF THE PLAYBOOKS

Berlin: A proposed tax-relief bonus is becoming another major setback for Friedrich Merz.

London: Keir Starmer will insist he’s not going anywhere — at least not willingly.

Paris: Boris Vallaud and Olivier Faure are expected to take to the airwaves to explain the psychodrama enveloping France’s Socialist Party.

Washington: The Congressional Black Caucus is facing an existential challenge as Republican-dominated states ax minority districts across the South.

AGENDA

— Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, with doorsteps starting at 7:20 a.m. and a press conference by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas at 4 p.m. Watch live here.

— High-level meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, hosted with Ukraine and Canada. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will deliver a video message.

— European Parliament President Roberta Metsola meets Maltese House Speaker Anġlu Farrugia at 12:30 p.m.

— First high-level political dialogue between the EU and Syria, co-chaired by Kallas and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani.

— Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen meets Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.

— Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius meets Lithuanian Health Minister Marija Jakubauskienė.

— Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall meets Flemish Environment and Agriculture Minister Jo Brouns.

— Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Šuica co-chairs the Syria Partnership Coordination Forum.

— Intergenerational Fairness Commissioner Glenn Micallef participates in the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council meeting.

— NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte meets Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

— Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni participates in a ceremony for the presentation of the Golden Collar of the Olympic Order at Palazzo Chigi at 6 p.m.

BIRTHDAYS

MEP Patryk Jaki; former MEPs Brice Hortefeux and Nirj Deva; Julien Lafleur from Edelman Global Advisory; broadcaster Jeremy Paxman; Igor Matovič, former prime minister of Slovakia.

Playbook is brought to you by POLITICO’s EU Politics team: Gerardo Fortuna, Nicholas Vinocur, Gabriel Gavin, Zoya Sheftalovich, Max Griera, Mari Eccles, Hanne Cokelaere and Sebastian Starcevic. And: reporters Ferdinand Knapp and Milena Wälde, editors Alex Spence and James Panichi, and producers Dean Southwell and Hugh Kapernaros.