European leaders will meet between Thursday and Friday in Brussels at the European Council, which will feature the Secretary General of the United Nations as a special guest and will once again be marked by war and European Union (EU) support for Ukraine.
At the first summit of EU heads of state and government since the first anniversary of the start of the Russian military offensive on February 24, 2022, the 27 participants will continue discussions on the strengthening and urgency of the support of the community bloc for Ukraine, in the Council, in which the president is expected to Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky will again intervene via videoconference, and this after he was physically present at the previous summit on February 9 last year.
Even though Ukraine once again celebrated its membership in the European Council, as it did last year, there are still many other topics on the agenda of EU leaders, mainly of an economic nature, namely the strategy of the community bloc to increase competitiveness in the long term and deepening the single market, following recent proposals presented by the European Commission and energy and trade policy 27, as well as a “brief” discussion of migration.
On the second day of work, on Friday, the Eurosummit will be held in an inclusive format, with the participation of member states outside the single currency area, and which will also have two guests, the president of the Eurogroup, Pascal Donoghue and the president of the European Central Bank (ECB), Christine Lagarde , who are expected to discuss with the leaders 27 recent “shocks” in the financial system and the resilience of the EU banking sector in light of the collapse of the US bank Silicon Valley Bank and the difficulties of Credit Suisse, as well as inflation and monetary policy.
The European Council kicks off Thursday morning at 11:30 am in Brussels (10:30 am in Lisbon) with a meeting with UN chief António Guterres in the form of a working lunch.
In a letter of invitation addressed to European capitals on Tuesday, European Council President Charles Michel recalled the participation of the UN Secretary-General in the June 2021 summit and expressed the hope that, as in this case, a fruitful exchange of views on key geopolitical issues and global challenges “.
Diplomatic sources said that at the meeting, which should last about three hours, António Guterres would like to discuss with 27 people such as the consequences of the war in Ukraine, especially in terms of food security, combating climate change and the international financial architecture and its relationship with development aid.
After lunch, Zelenskiy will join EU leaders via videoconference to discuss Russian military aggression in Ukraine.
“We, as always, will reaffirm our unwavering commitment to helping Ukraine. This includes continuing the work on accountability. [dos perpetradores de crimes de guerra]about the use of frozen Russian assets and the mobilization of the world community in support of an international order based on rules, “and increasing collective pressure on Russia,” Charles Michel wrote in a letter addressed to 27.
The President of the European Council stressed that since the February summit, the EU “has been working on an urgent increase in the production and supply of ammunition to Ukraine.”
Last Monday, at a joint meeting of the EU27 foreign and defense ministers, they approved a €2 billion package for the production and supply of large-caliber ammunition to Ukraine, with the aim of supplying a million artillery shells to Ukraine. Ukrainian army in the next 12 months.
Two billion euros are allocated for the production of 155mm ammunition, which Ukraine has long requested to further repel the invasion of the Russian Federation, while a billion euros is provided for the immediate supply of large-caliber ammunition, another billion euros for an unprecedented joint purchase.
Portugal has confirmed that it is one of 18 countries that will join the European Defense Agency project for the joint purchase of ammunition.
Leaders should formally welcome the decision, focusing the discussion on funding issues, and it is possible that they will reach a political agreement to increase the budgetary capacity of the European Peace Fund, the main vehicle through which it channels military support to Ukraine.
Subsequently, the 27 participants will discuss the challenges the EU faces in terms of competitiveness by discussing the proposals presented last week by the European Commission, namely legislative proposals for pollutant-free industry in response to EU green subsidies. United States, rules to speed up the extraction and processing of critical raw materials, as well as a proposed reorganization of the European electricity market to make electricity prices less volatile and less dependent on gas prices.
Discussing these competitiveness debates in light of the European Environment Pact’s industrial plan is an unusual “clash” between Berlin and Paris that is drawing attention in Brussels as the traditional Franco-German alliance has given way to a clash of positions in recent weeks. on at least two issues: the Brussels-set goal of banning the sale of new combustion-engine cars from 2035, which Germany now wants to revise after it has given its consent, and France’s announcement that nuclear power will be “chosen” in as a preferred path in the decarbonization process, which the German government rejects.
Portugal is represented at the summit by Prime Minister António Costa, who leaves the European Council for the Dominican Republic on Friday to attend the 28th Ibero-American Summit, which will take place from Friday to Saturday.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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