LECORN-WHO? French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu appointed a largely unknown group of ministers last night in his second attempt to form a government.

Welcome to Rapporteur. This is Eddy Wax, with Nicoletta Ionta in Brussels. Got a story we should know about? Drop us a line – we read every message.

Need-to-knows:

• Brussels: "Beast of the Berlaymont” Martin Selmayr eyes a frontline EU comeback

• Parliament: Manfred Weber under pressure after French MEPs back censure motion

• Gaza: EU leaders invited to signing of peace deal they didn’t broker

Word on the street in Brussels is that Martin Selmayr could be in for a big comeback to frontline EU politics.

The former head of Cabinet to Jean-Claude Juncker famously became the top civil servant at the European Commission in 2018 – only to resign a year later after facing cronyism allegations from the European Parliament and criticism from an EU watchdog that his appointment broke EU law.

Now, the diplomatic wing of the EU run by Kaja Kallas – the European External Action Service (EEAS) – is looking for a replacement for seasoned British-Irish diplomat Simon Mordue, one of three deputy secretaries general, who recently joined Ursula von der Leyen’s cabinet as her diplomatic adviser.

The EEAS is looking for a new deputy secretary general for “geoeconomics and interinstitutional issues" and put out a job ad last week – seen by Rapporteur – calling for someone to start the influential role “immediately.”

Following a restructuring in June, the job covers all “global issues” and communication. It involves representing the EEAS at the so-called Coreper meetings with EU countries’ ambassadors, leading work on the next EU budget and the Commission’s annual policy programmes, and dealing with the European Parliament.

Several well-informed sources told Rapporteur this weekend that Selmayr – a wily political operator – is indeed being discussed as a likely applicant. Since his dramatic departure from the Commission, he has taken a step back and now serves at the EEAS in Rome as a diplomatic liaison with the Vatican and UN institutions, hardly the top-level job he once held.

His return, though, has long been rumoured, and never yet come to fruition.

Putting Selmayr into the EEAS could beef up its political heft on the world stage. But it could also create internal conflict with its top official, Belén Martínez Carbonell – a Spanish diplomat who only started the job under Kallas, replacing Stefano Sannino. It’s also unclear to what extent von der Leyen or Kallas would welcome it.

The interim holder of the post, senior French diplomat Olivier Bailly, could also apply, we hear, teeing up a potential Franco-German duel.

American tech giants meet Finnish calm

The Commission’s digital chief, Henna Virkkunen, said the EU doesn’t need to be “provocative” in responding to US criticism of its digital rules.

In an exclusive interview in Denmark with my colleague Anupriya Datta, Virkkunen said Brussels remains “committed to enforcing the rulebook.” Washington has recently accused the EU of unfairly targeting American tech giants.

The rules apply equally regardless of where tech companies are based, Virkkunen said, and are “not targeted at US companies,” but “the same for European and Asian companies as well.”

Weber under pressure after French revolt

There's discontent with Manfred Weber in the EPP group after he appeared to allow his French MEPs to vote to bring down the Commission last week. François-Xavier Bellamy and three of his colleagues voted for Jordan Bardella’s far-right motion, defying the EPP line.

“Weber trusted him to be the bridge between the party and the group, and Bellamy simply played his own game – against his own boss,” one EPP MEP told Euractiv Chief Correspondent Sarantis Michalopoulos.

“If Weber doesn’t react now, this all just means some delegations are more equal than others,” said another source in the group.

Lecornu names a few vets, and many unknowns in new govt

France’s newly reappointed PM Sébastien Lecornu announced his second cabinet on Sunday amid mounting pressure to deliver a 2026 budget and restore stability after weeks of political turmoil that have unnerved markets.

The 39-year-old centrist – who had unveiled his first government just a week ago before resigning hours later – kept key figures such as Jean-Noël Barrot (foreign affairs), Rachida Dati (culture), Gérald Darmanin (justice), and Amélie de Montchalin (public accounts), my colleague Laurent Geslin reports. He also appointed Catherine Vautrin to the defence portfolio and Roland Lescure to lead budget talks.

The reshuffle has widened rifts in Les Républicains, whose leader Bruno Retailleau excluded six members that joined the cabinet. Marine Le Pen said her far-right National Rally party would file a no-confidence motion as early as Monday, while Manon Aubry, from the left-wing La France Insoumise, quipped that there was “no point” in remembering the names of the new ministers as “the government won’t last the week.”

EU invited to witness peace deal it didn’t broker

European Council President António Costa will “participate” in a summit of more than 20 world leaders in Egypt today to mark the end of the Israel-Hamas war, after being invited by Donald Trump and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (von der Leyen is busy as she’s on a Western Balkans tour). How exactly Costa will participate is unclear, as the only ones signing the agreement are the countries that mediated the deal: Qatar, Turkey, Egypt and the US.

The verbs used to describe Europe’s actions in Costa’s press release say everything about the bloc's marginal role in ending the war: “deplored,” “reaffirmed,” “recalled,” and “reiterated.” Now, Europeans are “committed” to contributing to the reconstruction of Gaza, which largely means by keeping their chequebooks open while the political decisions are taken elsewhere.

Macron, Pedro Sánchez and Giorgia Meloni will be there, though Costa already represents them, and so will Keir Starmer. Today should see the return of the hostages held by Hamas.

PRAGUE 🇨🇿

Czech coalition talks were plunged into turmoil after Filip Turek, the right-wing Motorists’ candidate for foreign minister, was accused of making racist and antisemitic comments in old social media posts. Deník N reported that Turek praised Hitler and mocked the Holocaust, prompting a police investigation. He denied the allegations, calling them a smear, while ANO leader Andrej Babiš – who is seeking to form a government with the Motorists and far-right SPD – said the claims were “serious” and he will meet with the party’s leaders today on the issue.

PARIS 🇫🇷

The €100 billion Future Combat Air System, Europe’s flagship fighter jet programme, is facing fresh turbulence after France’s Dassault Aviation threatened to proceed alone and its government collapsed. With Paris' commitment uncertain, Berlin and Madrid are expected to engage in informal talks exploring fallback plans – going ahead without France, joining the GCAP alliance, or restarting with new partners such as Sweden.

LISBON 🇵🇹

Portugal’s ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) led by Luís Montenegro won control of the country’s five largest municipalities – Lisbon, Porto, Sintra, Vila Nova de Gaia, and Cascais – in Sunday’s local elections, reported Diário de Notícias. In coalition with the CDS and Liberal Initiative, the PSD now governs the biggest municipalities for the first time since 2005. The Socialist Party, meanwhile, posted a respectable result, rebounding from its poor showing in the legislative elections earlier this year.

BERLIN 🇩🇪

Germany is close to finalising an agreement with the Taliban to restart regular deportations of Afghans convicted of crimes, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told The Pioneer. The plan comes despite Germany not recognising the Taliban and growing political pressure on Friedrich Merz to toughen migration policy amid far-right gains.

MADRID 🇪🇸

Pedro Sánchez and Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares are due to attend the signing of the Gaza peace plan in Sharm El-Sheikh, at the invitation of the Egyptian government. The visit underscores this capital's bid to play a more visible role in Middle East diplomacy. Last week, Sánchez praised the US-backed accord, expressing hope it would “mark the beginning of a just and lasting peace.”

WARSAW 🇵🇱

Poland has secured an exemption from migrant relocation and related financial contributions under the EU’s migration and asylum pact, according to Polish media RMF FM. The opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party credited President Karol Nawrocki, citing a letter he reportedly wrote to von der Leyen. But PM Donald Tusk’s government insisted the outcome stemmed from its negotiations in Brussels, accusing PiS of mobilising protests against an issue “that no longer exists.”

French Renew MEP Marie-Pierre Vedrenne – a trade heavyweight – will leave the European Parliament to take up a role as a junior minister in charge of veterans in Lecornu’s new government, the Élysée announced. Former MEP Jérémie Decerle returns to the EP. Vedrenne’s relationship with Renew’s group leader Valérie Hayer has been reportedly terrible but her departure could strip the French of their influential trade committee role in Parliament.

Correction: Friday's newsletter misstated EPP lawmaker Dariusz Joński’s voting record in last week’s censure motions against the Commission. He voted against both motions.

China’s suspension of US soybean imports has flooded Europe with cheap American supplies, offering short-term relief but heightening long-term risks. With Beijing sourcing from Brazil, US exports to China have collapsed from €10 billion last year to zero, and Brussels is taking in the surplus under its trade deal with Washington.

Analysts warn the price drop could hurt Europe’s own producers and leave the bloc even more reliant on North and Latin American suppliers – a dependence that researcher Olivier Antoine says that it exposes Europe’s limited control over the soybean system sustaining its livestock sector.

British American Tobacco’s commercial chief Kingsley Wheaton warned that Europe could repeat Australia’s mistakes if it pushes steep tobacco tax hikes, saying “high excise taxes and extreme regulations” there drove 80% of sales underground.

The Commission has proposed a 139% cigarette tax rise and tougher rules on alternatives to meet its 2040 smoke-free goal. Brussels rejects industry claims, saying harmonisation will curb smuggling and strengthen the single market.

➡ Henna Virkkunen meets Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal in Kyiv to discuss defence tech, drones, and cybersecurity

➡ Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee votes on the first omnibus law at 4 p.m., followed by a 6:15 p.m. press conference with MEP Jörgen Warborn

➡ Von der Leyen visits Tirana, Albania, for meetings with President Bajram Begaj and PM Edi Rama, then travels to Podgorica, Montenegro, for talks with President Jakov Milatović and PM Milojko Spajić

➡ Roxana Mînzatu meets PM Robert Abela in Malta and addresses the Union for the Mediterranean, previewing the Pact for the Mediterranean (coming on Thursday) and warning that “too many young people are still excluded from employment, education, or training"

➡ EU justice ministers meet in Luxembourg

➡ Roberta Metsola and Raffaele Fitto speak at the European Week of Regions and Cities – expect a lot of disgruntlement from mayors about the next EU budget

➡ NATO chief Mark Rutte holds a 3 p.m. press conference in Slovenia with PM Robert Golob

➡ António Costa attends the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit for Peace

Contributors: Elisa Braun, Sarantis Michalopoulos, Anupriya Datta, Jacob Wulff Wold, Inés Fernández-Pontes, Aleksandra Krzysztoszek, Aneta Zachová

Editors: Christina Zhao, Sofia Mandilara