Costa tours EU capitals as Merz rallies budget hardliners in Berlin

European Council President António Costa has kicked off a series of visits to EU member states to find out what leaders expect from the bloc's upcoming seven-year budget and what concessions they might accept to reach a deal. His first stop was Bratislava, where Slovakia is among the countries pushing to safeguard cohesion and agricultural funding.

Later this week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz plans to gather like-minded northern European countries in Berlin to push for a significantly leaner budget and major cuts to the European Commission's proposal, which is worth close to €2 trillion. Politico's Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart examined the two competing campaigns as negotiations enter a decisive stage.

Tension within the socialist family

The discussion also touched on a brewing dispute inside Europe's socialist political family, centered on Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's cooperation with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on migration policy. That cooperation has raised questions about whether the resulting friction could spread to the Socialists & Democrats group in the European Parliament.

Greece hopes for an 'Odyssey' tourism boost

Separately, Greece is looking to capitalize on interest in Christopher Nolan's film The Odyssey to attract visitors. Since parts of the movie were filmed in the Peloponnese, regional authorities are developing an "Odyssey Route," hoping the production will leave a lasting tourism legacy similar to what Mamma Mia! did for the island of Skopelos.