Why Orbán’s man in Brussels is here to stay — for now Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi’s job looks secure, thanks to EU traditions and positive reviews from colleagues.

The EU is eager to move on from Viktor Orbán, but there is one part of his legacy that's likely to continue: his European commissioner, Olivér Várhelyi.

The great global bake-off for the world’s top food job Europe lost the race for the U.N.’s top food job to China in 2019. Now it’s trying again. Just one problem: it can’t agree on a nominee.

The EU is making its move to put a European in charge of one of the most powerful jobs in the UN for the first time in half a century.

Whether it can agree on whom that should be is another matter.

J-Lo, Rihanna and Kardashians: How fur is fighting an EU ban Celebrities and catwalks suggest a revival. Inside the EU, officials are weighing whether the industry should survive at all.

J-Lo, Rihanna and Kardashians: How fur is fighting an EU ban

EU Commission loses another access to documents court case NGO ClientEarth asked to see documents about a controversial pesticide approval, which the EU executive refused.

The European Commission should have granted an NGO access to documents on pesticide approvals, an EU court ruled — the latest setback for the institution in a string of transparency battles.

EU to reject fur-farming ban despite enormous petition Citizens petitioned for a ban, but Animal Welfare Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi is poised to opt for tougher standards, per a draft seen by POLITICO.

The European Commission is set to reject calls for an EU-wide ban on fur farming, opting instead to propose stricter animal-welfare standards for the sector, according to an internal draft communication seen by POLITICO.

‘Polexit’ now a real threat, Tusk warns Poland’s prime minister warns domestic Euroskeptic forces are emboldened by allies from Moscow to America’s MAGA movement.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned today that a potential Polish exit from the EU is now a “real threat,” accusing nationalist President Karol Nawrocki and right-wing opposition parties of steering the country toward leaving the bloc.

Czech PM Andrej Babiš built his fortune making fertilizer. But that’s just one part of his vast business network.

A POLITICO examination maps the quieter pillar of his business empire — and the regulatory blind spots surrounding it 👇

🔗 www.politico.eu/article/fert...

Brussels implements EU-Mercosur trade deal The accord is controversial because it hasn’t yet been officially blessed by the European Parliament.

The EU will provisionally implement its trade deal with the South American Mercosur bloc, Ursula von der Leyen has announced.

The move is likely to trigger a major backlash from European capitals and lawmakers opposed to the deal.

IVF, lingerie and funeral flowers: The lesser-known businesses of Czech PM Andrej Babiš A POLITICO examination maps the quieter pillar of Andrej Babiš’s empire and the regulatory blind spots that surround it.

The commercial empire of Czech PM Andrej Babiš spans nitrogen-based fertilizers, assisted reproduction, online lingerie stores and more.

Yet in Brussels, no one can answer a simple question:

Which of his companies receive EU money — and how much?

UN food chief Cindy McCain to step down over health concerns The U.N. World Food Programme’s executive director, who suffered a mild stroke last year, will leave her post in three months as the agency battles deep funding cuts and record global hunger.

Cindy McCain will step down as executive director of the U.N. World Food Program later this year, citing ongoing health concerns after suffering a mild stroke in October.

Czechia’s Babiš faces accusations he didn’t fully cut ties to his agricultural empire A leaked document is reviving fears of conflicts of interest in both Prague and Brussels

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is facing new accusations that he never fully severed ties with his agricultural empire, after publicly promising to do so in order to avoid major conflicts of interest in both Prague and Brussels.

As the Polish government tries to undo controversial court reforms, long-settled divorces are being thrown into doubt.

And that is handing fresh ammunition to the opposition.

🔗 www.politico.eu/article/pola...

Polish fugitive ex-minister says his Hungary asylum isn’t an escape — it’s a fight-back From exile in Hungary, Zbigniew Ziobro defends his record, while prosecutors in Warsaw press on with cases against him.

Zbigniew Ziobro spent eight years reshaping Poland’s legal system.

Now, speaking from political asylum in Hungary, the former justice minister says the same system is being turned against him, and that he can only fight it from abroad.

Polish minister warns of ‘dangerous precedent’ as Hungary’s Orbán grants asylum to fugitive politician By using asylum to block extradition, Budapest is testing whether EU law can still be enforced between member states.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is exposing a dangerous weak link in EU law that allows populist governments to shield their allies from jail, Poland’s Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek has warned in an interview with POLITICO.

Opponents rally for last-ditch bid to derail EU’s Mercosur trade pact As Ursula von der Leyen prepares to sign the Mercosur deal, its opponents still plan legal action against it.

As Ursula von der Leyen prepares to sign the Mercosur deal on Saturday, its opponents still plan legal action against it even as they admit their chances of success appear slim.

Story with @maxgriera.bsky.social and @thisisbartosz.bsky.social

www.politico.eu/article/eu-m...

Opponents rally for last-ditch bid to derail EU’s Mercosur trade pact As Ursula von der Leyen prepares to sign the Mercosur deal, its opponents still plan legal action against it.

Even after most member countries backed the EU’s landmark trade accord with Latin America, opponents of the deal in France, Poland and the European Parliament are still determined to derail or delay it.

Europe’s farmers lost the Mercosur battle. They’re still ahead. Europe’s farmers are a minority. You wouldn’t know it from the political power they wield.

Officially, the EU’s Mercosur trade deal, approved by the majority of the bloc's members last week, is a defeat for Europe’s farmers.

In reality, farm lobbies just can’t stop winning.

Von der Leyen to sign Mercosur deal Saturday in Paraguay A majority of EU member countries on Friday voted in favor of signing the long-awaited agreement.

The EU and Mercosur will sign their long-awaited trade agreement on Saturday, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen traveling to Paraguay on Jan. 17 for the signing ceremony.

Von der Leyen trades budget freedom for free trade Capitals have rushed to claim credit for a €45 billion gift to growers ahead of a Mercosur vote, but farm lobbyists are less convinced.

Ursula von der Leyen wanted her next EU budget to have a rainy-day fund in case of war, pandemic or competition from other world powers.

Instead, she is already raiding it to pay off farmers and nail down the Mercosur trade deal.

Von der Leyen makes €45B pitch to win Meloni’s support for Mercosur trade deal Brussels needs Rome’s support by Friday to secure a majority for the EU’s landmark trade agreement with South America.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is determined to travel to South America next week to sign the EU’s long-delayed Mercosur trade deal.

But she’s having to make last-minute pledges to Europe’s farmers in order to board that flight.

Brussels lines up farm funding concessions to get Mercosur deal over the line Declaration offering reassurances on budget money for farmers could sway Italy back into the “yes” camp.

Brussels is making a final push to get the European Union’s long-awaited trade deal with the Latin American Mercosur bloc over the finish line this week.

Tusk tells Poland’s president to stop interfering in foreign policy A domestic power struggle in Warsaw is spilling onto the global stage — undermining Poland’s diplomatic heft.

Just as Poland secured a coveted place among the G20 group of leading economies, a clash over who gets to represent Warsaw at the top table is undermining its diplomatic heft.

Eastern muscle arrives in Brussels A weekly newsletter on campaigning, lobbying and political influence in the EU. By BARTOSZ BRZEZIŃSKI Tips, tales, traumas to influence@politico.eu | View in your browser Cześć! I’m Bartosz Brzeziń…

A sneak peek of today’s EU Influence: 

🇩🇪 The EPP’s top brass is in Germany talking innovation 
🌱 The debate on glyphosate returns
🍔 While the European Parliament debates banning veggie names — its canteen responds by trolling

Dig in 👇

France seeks to delay crunch vote on EU’s Mercosur mega deal A senior EU diplomat warns that another delay could kill the Latin American trade deal after 25 years of talks.

France is playing for time over a crucial vote on the EU’s trade mega deal with Mercosur, in a strategy that could kill the long-awaited accord.

“If we do not allow [Ursula von der Leyen] to sign it on the 20th, it's dead,” a senior diplomat said.

www.politico.eu/article/fran...

While Poland is Europe’s largest defense spender, its domestic industry absorbs only a sliver of that money.

That’s becoming a political problem.

🔗 politi.co/4oLpU9e

A 250-page Brussels law is creeping into Europe’s gardens As EU countries sign off on a sweeping overhaul of plant rules, heritage growers warn tiny operators could get buried in bureaucracy meant for big industry.

The EU is overhauling its plant rulebook. This time, the people worried about it aren’t farm lobbyists — they’re the growers who supply your garden.

Poland fumes about being cut out of Ukraine peace talks Once one of the West’s strongest voices on Ukraine, Warsaw is now fighting just to get into the room.

As a frontline NATO heavyweight, Poland is seething at being relegated to the diplomatic sidelines on a potential peace deal in Ukraine.

EU ‘veggie burger’ ban stalls after talks collapse An MEP’s crusade for naming restrictions on non-meat foods expands to ‘liver’ and ‘ham’ — but national governments aren’t buying it.

Brussels’ battle over whether plant-based foods can be sold as “veggie burgers” and “vegan sausages” ended the year in stalemate today, after talks between EU countries and the European Parliament collapsed without a deal.

Poland is Europe’s top military spender but its defense industry is a dwarf Poland’s counter-drone plan fits the narrow niche its industry can deliver, while most of its massive rearmament still relies on foreign kit.

Poland is splashing cash on tanks, jet fighters, air defenses, drones, missiles, submarines, ammunition and rifles as it beefs up its military to face off Russia, but the big winners are defense contractors in the U.S. and South Korea, not Polish arms companies.

How a ‘veggie burger’ ban nobody wanted became one Brussels might actually pass A fringe amendment to protect meaty vocabulary has become a test of Europe’s loyalty to tradition and its waning appetite for food innovation.

A “veggie burger” ban nobody wanted is becoming one Brussels might actually pass.