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Spyware fears mount after another MEP is targeted

STILL HERE? If you’re reading this in Brussels, then, frankly, I’m surprised. There has been a noticeable slowdown of the news cycle here this week, as the EU bubble swaps Schuman for sunbeds. But just how many of us are still left? Take a guess in my poll on X, where I’m trying to figure out how lonely I’m going to be over the next three weeks.
GOOD THURSDAY MORNING. It’s Eddy Wax with you today and Friday. Drop me a line today to let me know what’s going on.  
SEAFRONT HEALING: The liberal Renew Europe group of MEPs has ditched plans to go on a post-election retreat to Bratislava in September, and instead will go to Belgian seaside town Ostend, where American soul singer Marvin Gaye famously spent 18 months recovering from addiction. 
GIANT BEARS ON LOOSE IN PARLIAMENT: Two life-sized green bears have been spotted in the Parliament, my colleague Max Griera reports. The owners? The German Greens, who inherited them from MEP-turned-German State Secretary Sven Giegold, who used to collect soft toy animals to campaign for biodiversity. Here’s what the twins look like. 
**A message from DIGITALEUROPE: Europe is lagging behind on 7 of 8 critical technologies that will define our future. We have a plan to put Europe back on the map, creating the next wave of world-leading technology companies.**
PARLIAMENT FOILS ANOTHER SPYWARE ATTACK: Daniel Freund, a German Green MEP, has told Playbook that he was targeted by a sophisticated surveillance tool just two weeks before the EU election. Freund, who is vocal on transparency and integrity issues in Brussels — and a frequent critic of the Hungarian government under Viktor Orbán — said the European Parliament thwarted an attack that would have given the perpetrators full access to his digital device.
“I would have been under complete surveillance,” Freund told me and cybersecurity reporter Antoaneta Roussi. “My phone goes pretty much everywhere I go, and they would have been able to trace, to listen, to follow anything I do.”
Spyware spirals: Freund is not the first MEP to have been targeted by spyware in recent months. In February, POLITICO reported that MEPs Nathalie Loiseau and Elena Yoncheva — both members of the security subcommittee — had spyware detected on their devices, along with a parliamentary official. Parliament was on high alert for cyberattacks and foreign interference in the run-up to the EU election in June.
What happened: On May 27, Freund received an email purporting to be from a female student at Kyiv International University organizing a seminar about Ukraine’s chances of joining the EU. She invited Freund to “write a short message” to be shared with students and included a link. Clicking on it would have exposed Freund to the spyware (he didn’t).
Error message: As it happens, there is a young woman of the same name studying at that university, but she told Playbook she did not know who Freund was and did not recognize the Google Mail account that the message came from. “I’m shocked,” she said. “This email is definitely not from me.”
Freund was alerted by Parliament that the link contained spyware likely made by the Israeli company Candiru, which was blacklisted by the U.S. government in 2021, according to an email from a Parliament official seen by Playbook.
Intimate phishing: Candiru (Vandellia cirrhosa) is the name of a small parasitic Amazonian fish that is known (possibly apocryphally) to swim up the penises of bathers. According to researchers, its corporate namesake developed spyware that has allegedly been used by governments to secretly access devices belonging to activists, journalists and politicians.
Who is behind it? “There is no indication from where [the] attack originated,” the Parliament official wrote in the email seen by Playbook, and a Parliament spokesperson refused to comment on the incident when we reached out to them. 
Freund’s theory: The German MEP has led a push to suspend Hungary’s presidency of the Council of the EU and he raised the possibility this could be a potential motivation for targeting him. “I’m not saying it was Hungary, but out of the possibilities, this is what seems most likely,” Freund told Playbook.
There’s no evidence to link the Hungarian government to the incident and a government spokesperson declined to comment when approached by Playbook. Wherever it came from, the attack on Freund will amplify concerns about the use of spyware by European governments and against European citizens.
The bigger picture: In Spain, at least 65 Catalan separatist politicians have been targeted by spyware. In Greece, a scandal erupted when the government acknowledged it had wiretapped an opposition leader’s phone. Parliament’s President Roberta Metsola previously also faced an attempted hacking using spyware. Last year, after an investigation into the issue, MEPs declared that misuse of spyware put “democracy itself at stake,” and made specific recommendations to Hungary, Poland, Greece, Cyprus and Spain.
Curb your snooping: As Antoaneta scooped this week, the Commission is formulating a position on spyware that is expected to warn governments that protecting national security doesn’t give them a blank check to justify the use of intrusive surveillance software. Stricter safeguards will be introduced to protect individuals’ privacy. Publication of the document was initially intended for June but has been delayed, according to people familiar with the matter.
MINISTERS AVOID HEALTH MEETING LIKE THE PLAGUE: Hungary is convening an informal meeting of EU health ministers today in Budapest to discuss organ donation and cardiovascular health … but it looks like almost no ministers will actually show up, health reporter Mari Eccles writes for Morning Health Care subscribers. Some countries like Denmark and Austria are boycotting, while others including France and Germany are sending only lower-ranking representatives. 
Presidency on life support: It’s the latest episode in the feud between Brussels and Budapest that has escalated under Hungary’s six-month presidency of the Council of the EU. Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán’s self-declared “peace missions” to Ukraine, Russia and China pushed the wrong buttons of leaders in Brussels and other EU capitals — and they’re now shunning the non-essential parts of its agenda. 
HOW TO WIN PORTFOLIOS AND INFLUENCE VDL: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is building her new team, and will start interviewing for the remaining 25 EU commissioner spots in mid-August. Read Barbara Moens’ full explainer here.
FIGHT CLUB MED: Cyprus has opened its campaign to win the new commissioner portfolio for the Mediterranean. President Nikos Christodoulides told my colleague Nektaria Stamouli in an interview that a Cypriot would be ideal for the job and claimed responsibility for its creation. “We can contribute to issues related to shipping and the Mediterranean,” Christodoulides said. You can read the full interview here.
SÍK CHOICE! The Czech Republic nominated Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Síkela as a candidate, passing over EPP MEP Danuše Nerudová. Síkela, 57, is a former investment banker who ran a bank in Ukraine, speaks fluent English, German and Russian, and loves music.
FEARNE WILTS: Chris Fearne, who Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela was tipping just this month as commissioner, is out of the race after a court ruled that he and 13 others will face trial in a major corruption case centered on hospital contracts. Fearne says he’s innocent. Rory O’Neill has more for Pro subscribers.
SCHMIT VS. HANSEN: Was Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden saying Wednesday that he wants a “serious and interesting portfolio” in the next Commission good news for current Commissioner Nicolas Schmit? Luxemburger Wort thought so.
The Socialist Schmit has an uphill battle to convince Frieden to pick him over fellow EPP politician Christophe Hansen — but if portfolio heft begins to matter more than party affiliation, Schmit’s chances could just have gone up a notch. Von der Leyen, the thinking goes, might do the Socialists a favor by offering Luxembourg a bigger role if Schmit takes the job. Watch this space.
DOs AND DON’Ts: Playbook has put together a handy guide for all those EU governments still toying with names to put forward to send to Brussels.
Do … say you’re interested in an important, economic portfolio. Everyone else already has!
Do … get your act together and nominate! Von der Leyen is thinking about this right now. 
Do … make your potential nominees battle it out in a Takeshi’s Castle-type live streamed event. 
Do … Leak their names to POLITICO first.Don’t … call it a “portOfolio,” unless you’re Portuguese. It’s portfolio. 
Don’t … refuse to nominate a woman, and come up with excuses for why you’re specially exempt. (*Cough* Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris.)
Don’t … have an awkward public spat over the nominee like Lithuania is doing.
Don’t … nominate someone who could face trial on fraud charges … (See Malta’s Chris Fearne above.)
BIDEN SAYS HE’S ‘PASSING THE TORCH’ TO SAVE DEMOCRACY: U.S. President Joe Biden spoke for the first time about his historic decision to end his reelection bid, saying in an Oval Office address that he made the painstaking choice to stand down for the good of his party and country.
“I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America’s future all merited a second term,” Biden said. “But nothing — nothing — can come in the way of saving our democracy, and that includes personal ambition.” My U.S. colleagues Eli Stokols and Lauren Egan have a write-up.
NETANYAHU DEFIANT: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a fiery address to the U.S. Congress on Wednesday in which he promised “total victory” against Hamas and denounced American opponents of the war in Gaza as “idiots.” The Associated Press has more.
Biden to confront him: The Israeli prime minister is expected to sit down this week with Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Freed of the political shackles of having to seek reelection, Biden will look to take a tougher tone with Netanyahu to reach an agreement with Hamas to free the group’s hostages and end the fighting that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, POLITICO’s Jonathan Lemire reports.
TEAMING UP ON DEFENSE: Europe’s two largest donors of military aid to Ukraine — Germany and Britain — are buddying up in a defense pact as fears grow that a victory for Donald Trump in November’s U.S. election could spell disaster for European security, my colleagues Joshua Posaner, Nette Nöstlinger and Henry Donovan reported.
ICYMI: Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced he intends to run for reelection next year.
THE MANFRED WEBER SHOW: German MEPs have called on public broadcasters ZDF and ARD to invite more European Parliament members to their political talk shows. Only EPP chief Manfred Weber has been invited since the EU election, the lawmakers complained.
**MEDEF supports its members at all the important moments in the life of a company. With MEDEF, you are never alone: never alone in your concerns, never alone in answering your questions, never alone in achieving your goals.**
—  Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders holds a video conference call with Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin.
— European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas is in Paris, where he will visit the Europa Experience and launch the official medal counter of Team Europe for the Olympics, as well as participate in the Forum on Sport and Sustainability.
— European Commission Executive Vice President Maroš Šefčovič is also in Paris, participating in the Conference on Climate and Cities and the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy board meeting.
— Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn is in Salzburg, Austria, and delivers a keynote speech at the Salzburg Summit.
— Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the G20 finance ministers meeting.
— Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis participates in the second EU-Singapore free trade agreement committee meeting, with Grace Fu Hai Yien, Singapore’s minister in charge of trade relations.
WEATHER: High of 25C, sunny.
NEW JOB: Former MEP Eluned Morgan is set to become first minister of Wales, Noah Keate reports.
‘BREAKING BAD,’ BELGIUM-STYLE: Brussels’ Federal Criminal Police confiscated 545 kilograms of crystal meth hidden in a shipping container coming from the U.S. The operation involved multiple partners and was one of Belgium’s largest synthetic drug busts, according to a police press release on Thursday. No word yet if police are looking for a certain Wouter White, who goes by the nickname Heysel-berg.
MUSIC FESTIVAL: The first Cameristica Festival, featuring classical music concerts and classes for amateurs and pros, will take place in Brussels from Aug. 25 to Sep. 1. Details here.
DANCE THROUGH THE SUMMER: The festival “Plaisirs d’Éte” transforms the city into a giant dance floor. The main stage is at Place de la Bourse, with others in Dansaert, Mont des Arts and the Marolles. You can dance the Sirtaki or give Kizomba a try. Starts Friday. 
CORRECTION: This newsletter has been updated to correct Margaritis Schinas’ schedule in Paris.
BIRTHDAYS: MEP Svenja Hahn; former MEP Gheorghe-Vlad Nistor; Latvian politician Raimonds Bergmanis; former World Bank President Robert Zoellick; journalist Anne Applebaum.
THANKS TO: Antoaneta Roussi, Giovanna Faggionato, Sarah Wheaton, Mari Eccles, Barbara Moens, Max Griera; Playbook editor Alex Spence, reporter Šejla Ahmatović and producer Dean Southwell.
**A message from DIGITALEUROPE: Europe has what it takes to be a digital powerhouse by 2030, but according to our recent study we are lagging behind our global competitors on 7 out of 8 critical technologies. Our lack of competitiveness, from AI to advanced semiconductors, is the biggest threat to our economic security. A defensive strategy for economic security won’t win. We can turn the tide by focusing on competitiveness and partnerships with likeminded countries. Read more about our plan to make Europe a digital powerhouse.**
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