EU summit: Strengthening security, supporting Ukraine
An exceptional European summit was held in Brussels yesterday, concluding late last night, focusing on EU security and the current situation in Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron best summarized the conclusions of the Brussels summit. He discussed strengthening the 'European pillar' of NATO, which could be largely financed through joint borrowing, to achieve the 150 billion euro target that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen aims to secure rapidly.
European Council President António Costa advocated for the issuance of a joint EU declaration on Ukraine, which garnered support from all member states except Hungary.
'We cannot be held hostage because Hungary's views differ from the other 26 member states,' he stated.
Similar to the European leaders' meeting two weeks prior, 26 EU member states – excluding Hungary – signed a joint declaration supporting Ukraine. Budapest has opposed, as it has long done, joint efforts to support Kyiv, as well as that part of the declaration that reiterated EU support for Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Furthermore, several member states are pushing for a large-scale loan, similar to the one issued during the Covid-19 pandemic. The European Union then borrowed 800 billion euros. This time, the needs are estimated to be similar, but the European Commission has so far refused to commit to this.
A new conference is anticipated next week in Paris, with Canada and the UK participating, to rebuild a NATO-style common military structure, in anticipation of a potential US withdrawal under Donald Trump.
The European Commission aims to enable member states to allocate up to 1.5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) over four years to military expenditure, without concerns of breaching budget rules on public deficits.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated that the door remains open, under certain conditions, to Turkey and the UK, once the latter signs a security partnership agreement with the twenty-seven. She said she hopes the signing will be possible before an EU-UK summit scheduled for May this year.
The European Commission has also identified the strategic sectors where priority investments should take place. The main goal is to fill the gaps in the defense industry regarding ammunition, air defense, drones, and long-range missiles.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
