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02:55And this is now the moment to begin talks.
02:58We know there's been talks at a technical level.
03:00Now they have moved on into a political level between Peter Mader and the head of the commission.
03:05As I say, the money, 10 billion euros, is not insignificant for an economy the size of Hungary.
03:09And he also said he will be back.
03:12Then in terms of the meeting itself, he did put out a tweet after just speaking with Funderlein,
03:19in which he said we had very highly constructive and productive meetings with the head of the European Commission.
03:24And in one sentence, EU funds will soon start, and this is the key, arriving in Hungary,
03:30enabling us to kickstart the Hungarian economy.
03:34So the focus very much on the money.
03:36And as I said, he's already said he will be back in Brussels on May 25th.
03:40Obviously, he will be prime minister by then.
03:42So optimistic rhetoric, Maria, but a tight deadline.
03:45Well, very much.
03:46And honestly, this sounds very optimistic when I look at this because the deadline is tight.
03:51If you look at this in practical levels, you are almost factoring four months of money that has been blocked
03:57now for years
03:58over very serious issues that are not easy to fix overnight.
04:03And they have to do with not just allegations of corruption, but also the idea of rule of law and
04:07the judiciary.
04:08This is also going to be politically sensitive for the two of them because Peter Mader clearly needs the money.
04:14He clearly has the Hungarian economy in focus, but he also has to walk a very fine line.
04:19And that is not being seen as perceived as, certainly in Hungary, as a man who is simply saying yes
04:24to the commission
04:25and as a man who is simply taking orders from the head of the commission.
04:29And when it comes to the European institutions too, this is also delicate because they need to show that money
04:35is not political
04:36and merit money is always political, but they need to also show that there is merit behind this,
04:43that there are real changes that are going to happen in Hungary.
04:46And of course, there's a cautionary tale with Poland because if you go back in time when Donald Tusk won
04:51the election,
04:52also promising a reset with the European Union, the institutions rushed to unlock money.
04:57But then, of course, now the Polish are really struggling to change fundamental issues like the judiciary
05:03because of the presidential veto. Mader does not have that issue.
05:07He has a supermajority, but he does have this issue of the timing, the authority, the language around this.
05:12And of course, this is going to be tricky for the two of them to arrive to this point in
05:16August.
05:17But obviously, that is how a Brussels deal works. It needs to be seen as difficult for the deal to
05:21happen.
05:22OK, Maria, thank you so much for that analysis.
05:25Now, weeks before a closely watched EU-China meeting, tensions are threatening to boil over between both sides.
05:33China has publicly criticised Brussels multiple times in the past week,
05:37including over its plans to shield its homegrown EU industries.
05:42So is there a road back to even-handed diplomacy or more fighting ahead?
05:48From all, we're joined in the studio this morning by our correspondent, Angela Scugins.
05:52Angela, great to see you again.
05:54Remind us why are these tensions boiling up again this week?
05:58Good morning, Mader.
05:59So like so many of these international spats, it is mostly centred on trade.
06:05Beijing came out with a statement this week blasting the EU's push to supercharge industry
06:10and support the local manufacturing of products such as cars, solar panels, aluminium and cement.
06:17They stated, that spokesperson from the Chinese commerce industry, Chinese commerce ministry,
06:23has stated that this push could potentially violate World Trade Organisation principles and hurt foreign investment.
06:30It's important to point out that many see this push as a way to even out that trade deficit
06:36with 300 billion euros, the difference in 2024, with European manufacturers paying the price.
06:44I managed to speak to an MEP from the European Parliament, Sakis Arunotoglu,
06:50who sits on the delegation regarding EU-China relations.
06:54He pointed out that there is a difference in the dynamics between the duo when it comes to trade.
07:00But maybe finally the EU is speaking a language that China recognises.
07:05For many years, we believed openness alone was enough.
07:08But today we know resilience matters too, because otherwise you cannot survive in this environment.
07:14And China has been very tough.
07:18We don't seek any confrontation.
07:20But I think Europe must stop being vulnerable.
07:24And some say we have been a little bit naive too.
07:28An MEP speaking there to me about the difference between the European Union and China,
07:34the EU's big push to become more autonomous when it comes to supply chains and those products.
07:41It's also important to point out that Beijing is furious regarding an EU push to change the Cybersecurity Act,
07:48as well as by placing at least a dozen defence companies on a sanctions ban.
07:55But all eyes will be on an important EU-China conference expected to take place on May the 12th.
08:03The event is being billed as an opportunity for a frank discussion among delegates as well as politicians.
08:10So all eyes will be on this to see whether the conversation can continue or whether it will peter out.
08:16Angela will be keeping an eye on that conference, I'm sure, on May the 12th.
08:20Well, thank you so much for that.
08:22We're turning to Mali now because last weekend armed groups, including separatist and jihadist militants,
08:29carried out coordinated attacks across the country, killing the defence minister.
08:33The wider Sahel region has been experiencing a period of profound instability,
08:37with European credibility in the region in steep decline, as our reporter Estelle Nilsen-Julian explains.
08:46Europe is grappling with strategic security concerns on all fronts,
08:52from the Middle East to Russia's war against Ukraine.
08:55But there is another crisis that Europe cannot ignore.
08:57The ongoing situation in the Sahel, where a coup epidemic has been underway since 2020.
09:04Over the weekend, an alliance of al-Qaeda-linked jihadists and two ARAG separatists
09:09staged the largest coordinated attack on Mali in over a decade.
09:13These two groups may have different ideologies, but they share the same opponent.
09:18The military junta that has run Mali since 2020, backed by Russia.
09:22France has since urged any citizens currently in Mali to leave the country.
09:27But this isn't just about Mali.
09:29The country sits in the Sahel region, a belt that stretches across West and Central Africa,
09:35where coups and jihadist violence have been rising in recent years.
09:39Since 2022, France has been dismantling its military presence in the region,
09:44pushed out by a growing anti-Western sentiment and a shift of support in favor of Russia.
09:50Although Europe has been working to strengthen ties with Mauritania and coastal Western African countries,
09:56it has struggled to implement a unified strategy.
09:59The situation has major consequences for the bloc.
10:02Officials have long warned that Sahel terrorism is a threat to European security.
10:07The belt also sits on key migration routes, meaning instability could drive more migrants towards Europe.
10:15Europe is failing to claw back relevance while Russia and China are consolidating their foothold.
10:25Well, yesterday I sat down with the EU's special representative to the Sahel, Shuao Cravinho,
10:31and I started by asking him what the most recent uptick in violence in Mali could mean for the EU's
10:37strategy towards the region.
10:39Well, firstly, it means very clearly that the situation is extremely unstable.
10:44It is a situation of very precarious stability, meaning that what happened on the weekend can happen again.
10:55So this is really a terrible situation above all for the Malian population.
11:00What it means is very simply that it has become clear that there is no military solution to the situation
11:08in the Sahel as a whole,
11:11including Burkina Faso and Niger.
11:13This comes following years of instability, including successive military coups in many countries in the central Sahel.
11:21We also know that the EU has lost real clout and influence in the region.
11:27Do you see the possibility now for it to claw back some of this influence?
11:32And is it possible to do that while Moscow, but also Beijing, Tehran, has such a visible presence?
11:38Well, firstly, I think it is absolutely correct and normal for us to acknowledge that we have no monopoly in
11:46the region.
11:47This is a region that must be respected for what it is.
11:50And it is perfectly legitimate for other countries to have partnerships with other parts of the world.
11:57However, having said that, I don't think any other part of the world has the same level of direct interest
12:05as Europe does.
12:06What is clear is that over the past few years, we have had a series of monologues between us rather
12:14than a dialogue.
12:15We have not been, and it's a mea culpa here, we have not been capable of listening and understanding properly,
12:23as we should.
12:23We have not really been capable also of explaining what our interests are in the region.
12:29And by the same measure, I think there has been a failure in terms of dialogue on the other side.
12:35So the idea of deepening and making a lot and improving our dialogue is fundamental.
12:43That's a starting point.
12:44And we're on the road.
12:46We've been doing that over the last year, year and a half.
12:49And I think there's quite a lot of recognition.
12:51Our relations with those regimes now have bridges which did not exist some time ago.
12:58Would you say that the incidents in Mali could have undermined maybe the reputation or the image of Russia as
13:06a security partner?
13:07And could that lead to maybe efforts to diversify security ties from Mali?
13:13Well, firstly, I think, of course, the Malians are going to have to do some reassessments.
13:18It's theirs to do.
13:20And I can't tell them what to do.
13:23But I think that it's obvious, due to the tremendous security failures of the past week, that they need to
13:31do some reassessment.
13:32Secondly, it's very clear that there is no solution through military means alone.
13:39The Russians only offer military support.
13:41They offer nothing else.
13:42Do you fear that the Sahel is being neglected?
13:45And what could be the cost of that for Europe?
13:47Well, I think it is very evident that there is limited bandwidth from our political deciders.
13:55I have had an interesting experience as a special representative of the European Union.
14:00I've been visiting most European capitals and speaking with ministers.
14:04All the ministers tell me the Sahel is geopolitically strategic.
14:09And yet, they don't have time.
14:12They don't have time because of everything else that is happening.
14:14And the cost of that for Europe?
14:15The cost of that is that the situation is getting worse.
14:20But what I do believe is that we are developing the instruments to be able to take advantage of opportunities
14:27when they arise.
14:28And I think the opportunities will arise when it becomes evident that Europe is still the best possible partner for
14:36those countries.
14:40Moving on now, there will be no military hardware on show in Russia's Victory Day parade next month for the
14:47first time in almost 20 years, as Moscow claims it is under threat from Ukraine.
14:53In a phone call with US President Donald Trump yesterday, President Putin also said he would unilaterally declare a ceasefire
15:01in his war against Ukraine for the duration of Victory Day celebrations.
15:05We can cross over now to the European Parliament in Strasbourg and to our correspondent Vincenzo Genovese, who is there
15:11for us this week.
15:12And Vincenzo, on this issue of Russia, it also featured prominently in a debate on EU-Russia ties in the
15:19hemicycle last night.
15:23Yes, Mared, indeed. Good morning. Good morning from Strasbourg.
15:26It was quite a heated debate yesterday evening, as the topic is highly controversial among MEPs and also full discussion
15:33across Europe.
15:34Currently, we know Russian teams are excluded from sports competitions and Russia remains banned from cultural events such as the
15:41Eurovision Song Contest,
15:42but not from, for example, Venice Biennale, the world's most renowned contemporary art exhibition.
15:48So the question is, should the EU talk to Russia through diplomacy or at least through sports and arts or
15:56not?
15:56Let's put it to Vincenzo, who is an MEP from the Greens-HIFA group and chairs the European Parliament Russian
16:03delegation.
16:04Good morning. Welcome.
16:05Good morning. Good morning.
16:07Should we talk to Russia or not?
16:10I think we have to be very clear that Russia uses all connections or conciliation from our side as a
16:17way to show that they would have international legitimacy for their war crimes in Ukraine
16:22and ongoing slaughter of Ukrainians.
16:26So Russia has committed thousands of war crimes, torture of prisoners, rape of Ukrainian women, and these are kind of
16:37like systematic.
16:38So we have to remember that as long as the war continues and Putin does not take responsibility for the
16:45war crimes and Russia does not stop invading Ukraine,
16:48There is nothing we can talk about with Russia and we should not give them any legitimacy through sports or
16:54culture.
16:55The war continues, as you said, but Putin, Vladimir Putin, announced a ceasefire for the Victory Day.
17:00Do you believe him? Is it a serious offer?
17:03No, it's not.
17:04I mean, Putin also feels, Russia feels weaker now than they did a year ago.
17:09Ukraine has done a lot of drone attacks inside of Russia, so they start to feel threatened by those attacks.
17:15So this is also for them to try to create a day where they can show their strength, but then
17:22they want Ukrainians not to intervene.
17:25Some Europeans will go there, like Slovak Prime Minister Fico. Is it the right choice?
17:30I think it's a totally wrong choice.
17:32We don't want to show any support for the current Russian regime in their kind of like also reimagining the
17:40past.
17:40Russia uses the Victory Day as a way of strengthening a very nationalistic future for Russia, where human rights are
17:49not supported.
17:50And meantime, there is also a standoff between Ukraine and Israel for what he says is stolen grains from occupied
17:56territories.
17:57What you can do on that?
17:58I think you have to be very clear that all the support that we have for Ukraine and all the
18:03conditions and sanctions on Russia and action against Russians using Ukrainian resources elsewhere has to apply to all countries.
18:10So we have to be strict on Israel as well. And Israel has to pay if they do wrong on
18:16here.
18:17Very clear. Thank you very much, Willian Inisto.
18:20It's the last day of plenary session in Strasbourg, and we will follow it as usual on Euronews.
18:26Vincenzo there in Strasbourg, thank you so much for that.
18:29And that's it from us for today and for this week.
18:33We'll be back on Monday next week at the same time and the same place with the same news and
18:38analysis to start your day.
18:40In the meanwhile, you can keep up to date with more of our reporting on Euronews and Euronews.com.
18:46You can also get in touch with us, email us at europetoday at euronews.com with your questions, feedback and
18:54tips.
18:54And we'll see you again on Monday next week.
19:23Euronews
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