POLITICO Confidential: Qatargate's lasting impact – POLITICO - POLITICO Europe

Dear readers,

Spring has officially sprung in the capital of Europe and I’m feeling particularly well-disposed to this strange city as the local authorities have finally approved the extension of my residence permit. It really is a most fascinating, frustrating, chaotic experience venturing into the wilderness of Belgian bureaucracy, where every nonsensical regulation is merely a compromise meant to paper over earlier compromises and contradictions.

I am now permitted to stay in Europe for another year and nine months, which is a random length of time but a nice feeling.

On Monday, past and present colleagues and I celebrated the life and career of my predecessor, Stephen Brown, who was editor-in-chief of POLITICO Europe from 2019 until his untimely death in 2021. This past Monday was the three-year anniversary of that very sad day and, as we have for the last couple of years, the newsroom gathered to remember Stephen and celebrate what he meant to POLITICO. I never actually met him — but he was, by all accounts, a brilliant journalist and a wonderful man. I’m told he used to exhort his reporters to write stories that were so surprising and distinctive they made him spit out his malbec (he spent a lot of time in Argentina as a journalist). So each year at POLITICO in Europe, we gather at a Belgian beer bar in the heart of the European Quarter in Brussels and raise a glass of malbec to Stephen. His spirit lives on in everything we do.

If you have a little time this weekend, make sure to check out this documentary on the Qatargate corruption scandal. The film rightly credits POLITICO for leading on this momentous story from the moment it broke at the end of 2022 — and, starting from around the ninth minute, you will see contributions from some of our star reporters who worked on this throughout the last year and a half.

It’s clear that this scandal has had a lasting impact on the European Union institutions and shaken the previous complacency that existed in Brussels when it came to conflicts of interest or even blatant cases of corruption. In my meetings this week with several ambassadors and members of the European Parliament, the ripples from the Qatargate case can be felt everywhere. The aftermath of that scandal is also likely to have a bearing on the topic that most excites Eurocrats and diplomats: Who is going to get which of the top jobs later this year?

No other media is as well placed as POLITICO to bring you the latest gossip on this most important of subjects. So stay tuned, dear reader, to find out who’s up and who’s down as we enter EU election season in earnest in the weeks to come.

Until next time, bon weekend,

Jamil

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Europe’s far right uses TikTok to win youth vote

Just as the United States considers banning TikTok, the European far right is eagerly using the app to boost its appeal with young voters ahead of the election. Our team of reporters looked into what makes some members of European Parliament true influencers on the Chinese-owned app. Excellent data analysis, too. Read the story.

Top EU college terminates professor’s contract over sexual harassment claims

This late-evening scoop from our EU reporting team is the culmination of many months of great work on a story we first broke to the world. The College of Europe in Bruges terminated professor Olivier Costa’s contract following an investigation by the university into allegations of sexual harassment from a current student. Read the story.

France pitches radical joint EU borrowing plan to pay for defense

We managed to snag a letter drafted by France before it was even sent to the Commission, detailing President Emmanuel Macron’s efforts to get support for war bonds. It was a tremendous document scoop that was timely and relevant. Read the story.

Putin may be the biggest dupe of his fake election landslide

Our smart, incisive take on the rigged Russian vote showed that while Vladimir Putin may have superficially consolidated power, the Kremlin had in many ways overplayed its hand by claiming the autocrat won nine out of every 10 votes. This stood out among a sea of coverage from our competitors. Read the story.

Slovakia, the EU’s next rule of law headache

Just as Poland has returned to the fold in Brussels, a new EU problem child has emerged: Robert Fico’s Slovakia. A thoroughly reported piece ahead of a high-stakes presidential election, we looked into the patented POLITICO crystal ball to analyze the impact of Putin-pal Fico consolidating his grip on power. Read the story.

Russia is winning the global grain war

Fantastic scoop of insight and content. We looked at how Russia — and not Ukraine — is inflicting pain on European farmers by ramping up its world-beating wheat exports and driving down prices. We also predicted the EU would reimpose tariffs on imports from Russia — which it duly did at its Brussels summit. The verdict? A distraction; not a solution to the problem. Read the story.

Boeing crisis: Why is everybody freaking out?

This is a sparkling job of rounding up all the travails suffered by airplane giant Boeing. The piece is incisive, easy to read and packed with great analysis. It also gave birth to a follow-up article in which Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary savaged French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire for belittling Boeing. Read the story.

YOUR WEEKEND PLAYLIST

EU Confidential: Farmers lead the EU climate backlash

As EU leaders received a stark warning about the climate risks facing the bloc, the European Commission caved to farmer protests and demands to slash environmental requirements. Host Sarah Wheaton talks to POLITICO’s climate policy reporter Zia Weise about the recent report on climate risks facing the EU — the first of its kind from the European Environment Agency. We dive into the sobering findings and the reactions. And then Sarah hosts a conversation with POLITICO’s senior climate correspondent Karl Mathiesen and Tom Brookes — the head of the Meloire Foundation and one of Brussels’ top green lobbyists. Tom reveals new polling on how European citizens view climate issues heading into the European election in June — and they debate the politics of climate blowback. Listen to the episode.

Westminster Insider: The secrets of the pollsters

Host Sascha O’Sullivan delves into the secrets of the polling industry and asks: If the polls were wrong before, could they be wrong again? David Cameron’s former pollster Andrew Cooper tells Sascha how the Conservatives upstaged the polling industry in 2015 and pulled an unexpected election victory out of the bag. Labour polling stalwart Stan Greenberg explains what the other side of the 2015 campaign was like. Tom Lubbock of JL Partners, along with Josh Williams of Labour Together, explain why voter archetypes — from “Mondeo Man” to “Stevenage Woman” — are so beloved by the media … and how they’re actually useful for politicians seeking to win elections. Sascha also tags along to a series of focus groups — including with More in Common’s Luke Tryl — to see how they really work. And the New Statesman’s associate political editor Rachel Cunliffe, along with pollster Scarlett Maguire, explain how communicating polling can be twisted or over-egged. Listen to the episode.

Power Play: Labour’s David Lammy on Trump, ‘visionary’ Margaret Thatcher and Lammy’s bid to be the UK’s next foreign secretary

With the specter of a famine and a possible ground incursion of Rafah looming, Israel’s allies are fretting. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned of an impending catastrophe in Gaza. Yet Benjamin Netanyahu says “no international pressure will stop Israel” from achieving its war aims. The wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as uncertainty about who will be calling the shots in the White House next year, are testing European foreign ministers — and those vying for their jobs. Nowhere more so than in Britain’s Labour Party, which is under closer scrutiny as it looks likely to form the next government of the United Kingdom. Host Anne McElvoy talks to Labour’s Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy about the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, cultivating friendships across the aisle in Washington and paying tribute to Margaret Thatcher. Listen to the episode.

DECLASSIFIED

Trump and Putin wage war on the British royal family. Read this week’s Declassified column to find out more.

Caption competition

“I think it’s a great idea to make Thierry Breton the commissioner for the Arctic Circle.“

Can you do better? Email [email protected] or on Twitter @pdallisonesque

Last week we gave you this photo:

Thanks for all the entries. Here’s the best from our postbag — there’s no prize except for the gift of laughter, which I think we can all agree is far more valuable than cash or booze.

“Please don’t tell Ursula about our bromance!” by Andre Duijsters.

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POLITICO Confidential: Qatargate's lasting impact – POLITICO - POLITICO Europe
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POLITICO Confidential: Qatargate's lasting impact – POLITICO - POLITICO Europe

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