This time it’s different: The EU’s competition bosses have previously rejected plans to forge a railways titan with Siemens and Alstom, for example.
The hope is now that because the satellite business is global in nature, even the strongest anti-monopolist would agree that Europe needs a serious competitor to SpaceX, even if that means rolling together local players.
ROGUE RUSSIAN ROCKETS: Dump them in the ocean, let them rust in the rainforest, or … ship them back to Russia? At least two Soyuz-2 rockets remain at Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana after they were abandoned by Roscosmos in 2022.
With start-ups set to move in, the rockets need to be moved quickly.
Josh has the story.
ITALY VS STOLTENBERG: Tensions between Rome and outgoing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg escalated on Sunday as Defense Minister Guido Crosetto attacked the alliance chief.
Two fronts: PM Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party voted last week against the confirmation of Ursula von der Leyen as Commission president; the Italian leader is now also opening a front at NATO. In a highly unusual move, Italy’s Ambassador to NATO Marco Peronaci wrote an angry letter last week questioning Stoltenberg’s suggestion of a new (non-Italian) special envoy overseeing the Mediterranean.
Parting gift? NATO is expected to hand a new “southern neighborhood” role on Tuesday to Spanish diplomat Javier Colomina, NATO special envoy for the Caucasus and Central Asia. According to Italy, Colomina should not be appointed so close to Stoltenberg’s Oct. 1 end date. Meloni is one of the biggest advocates of a stronger focus on the Med, given migrant flows.
Scusi! “While recognizing that such appointments have been made according to Secretary General’s prerogatives, Italy observes that this strategic decisions are taken at the very end of your mandate and without proper consultation with the Allies,” the Italian envoy said in the letter, obtained by Stuart. Rome “learned about the timing of such decision with great surprise and disappointment.”
Appeal to Rutte: Peronaci sent incoming NATO chief Mark Rutte a copy of the letter. The hidden message was clear: He should rename an Italian to the role. “I am instructed by my Government,” Peronaci wrote Stoltenberg, “to notify that it is our understanding that, by referring [to what you called] “my Special Representative”, this appointment is to be considered as a temporary one, pending any decision that the incoming Secretary-General might want to take.”
Make no mistake: Such interventions — in black and white — are very rare, not just because Stoltenberg is seen as an authoritative figure steering the West’s boat even in the highly unpredictable Trump era. The North Atlantic Council, where the 32 ambassadors sit, is also a body that prioritizes consensus above all.
Betrayal! Crosetto pulled no punches with Stoltenberg. “He made me angry and there will be consequences in terms of personal relationships,” he said in an interview with La Stampa daily. “His act was a betrayal of a principle: It was Italy that had fought to introduce the role of envoy for the Southern front.”
Vendetta: “Stoltenberg didn’t want to nominate a representative from the South. He had to put it in the resolution because Italy wanted it and so he took revenge by giving the role to a Spaniard,” Crosetto added.
PLOT TWIST IN FRENCH DEFENSE COMMITTEE: French lawmaker Thomas Gassilloud from Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party will not be returning as head of the National Assembly’s defense committee and will instead be replaced by Jean-Michel Jacques, also from the French president’s camp.
What happened: Jacques is a known figure: He was the rapporteur on France’s seven-year military planning law and used to be in the armed forces. On Friday he successfully challenged Gassilloud in an internal party vote, two officials told me. Next day he won the committee chairmanship against opponents from the National Rally and the left-leaning New Popular Front.
Top priority remains the same: Before the snap election, Jacques was supposed to lead the June review of the military planning law, so there’s no doubt the budgets of the armed forces will be one of the main items on his agenda.
Les Républicains lawmaker Jean-Louis Thiériot, who was reelected committee vice-president, said the “absolute priority” is to ensure military spending is not watered down. In the longer run, “we’ll need to think about the consequences of Trump’s likely election and the new configuration of the European Commission on our security architecture.”
Here’s the National Assembly’s new defense committee.
MEET THE PARLIAMENT’S NEW COMMITTEES: The final composition is here. According to a document obtained by our colleague Eddy, Polish Civic Platform MEP Borys Budka is set to chair the industry committee.
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HUNGARY FIGHT: Foreign ministers will have a splitting headache to deal with at the FAC today: Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán’s recent self-styled peace missions to Moscow and Beijing.
To go or not to go: European ministers are wondering whether to show up in Budapest Aug. 28-29 for an informal foreign affairs summit — known as a Gymnich meeting. After a lot of back and forth, top EU diplomat Josep Borrell will decide today on whether the Commission will attend after listening the ministers, a senior EU official told reporters.
Tightening the thumbscrews: Ministers will today — again — discuss the European Peace Facility’s €6.6 billion package, which is still being blocked by Hungary. No one expects Budapest to move, but “we continue to apply pressure on Hungary,” a senior EU diplomat said.
TWO PESCO PROJECTS AXED: The Council has ended the European
Union Force Crisis Response Operation Core (EUFOR CROC) and the European Medical Command (EMC), according to a decision published in the EU’s official journal, which also includes an updated list of all projects and members.
GERMANY SEEKS TO MODERNIZE DEFENSE INDUSTRY: Berlin is reportedly working on a “strategy paper” that could include faster approvals to build arms factories in the country.
UKRAINE, EUROPE REARMAMENT DRIVING SAAB’S GROWTH: That’s per the Swedish defense contractor’s CEO, Micael Johanson, in presenting the company’s earnings.
NATO’S REAPER DRONES CLUB: NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency, the U.K. and Belgium inaugurated the MQ-9 International Cooperation Support Partnership, which will foster interoperability and cooperation among users of MQ-9A and MQ-9B Reaper drones.
HYDIS CONTINUES: The second of four meetings devoted to user requirements took place in Paris last week.
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