The leaders of the European Union will meet this Thursday in Brussels for a two-day summit, which will discuss the future of Ukraine in terms of security, as well as the latest developments in the war. The agenda will also include the topic of migration and a discussion on China.
The summit begins with the participation of the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, in a working lunch with the heads of State or Government of the 27. In this first part of the meeting, the preparatory work for the 11th and 12th took place July, in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will participate in the summit via video conference from kyiv. The debate on Ukraine will focus on a discussion on the defense of the territory. According to European sources heard by TSFthere will be a statement on the EU’s contribution to “security commitments” with regard to Ukraine.
“The European Union and the Member States are ready to contribute, together with their partners, to future security commitments for Ukraine,” reads the latest version of the draft of the summit conclusions, already read by the TSF.
However, at this stage it is not clear what the contribution of the European Union will be. The position of Hungary, which has refused to support Ukraine militarily, assuming itself as neutral, is still not clear. Austria, Ireland and Malta are traditionally neutral countries.
A European source added that it is a proposal launched “by France”, and that it would go through bilateral and multilateral agreements, with the aim of helping Ukraine “defend itself in the long term, deter acts of aggression and resist destabilization efforts”. . “.
Within the scope of these commitments, “the security and defense policy of certain Member States” will be safeguarded, reads the document, in which the 27 promise to “quickly consider the modalities of this contribution.”
reconstruction of Ukraine
The debate on how to use frozen Russian assets abroad is one of the controversial issues on the table. Among the various modalities considered is the application of taxes on excessive profits from the assets of the Central Bank of Russia that are seized by the European Union.
However, it is not clear to what extent the measure can be advanced, since it raises “legal issues” that must be considered, commented a diplomatic source heard by the TSF.
migrations
Also on the first day of the summit, the issue of migration will be discussed. After the latest tragedy that killed more than 600 people in the Mediterranean, the European Union will reaffirm its “commitment” to the fight against trafficking in human beings. According to a working document seen by the TSFit will be stated that “migration is a European challenge that requires a European response”.
However, some leaders are not happy with the recently approved immigration policy, which distributes the responsibility among the 27 countries, including those that refuse to receive immigrants, namely Poland and Hungary.
These two countries support an initiative proposed in a letter sent to the European Council, calling for the introduction of “innovative solutions” to deal with migration. The letter is signed by countries such as Denmark, Greece, Austria, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Malta, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. This initiative was also supported by the Netherlands.
However, several countries oppose the introduction of “ambiguous language” in the text of the conclusions, and reject the initiative for “not understanding what they mean by innovative solutions.” It is in this group that Portugal is found, along with Germany, Luxembourg, France.
Porcelain
On Friday the 27th, the competitiveness of the European Union will be debated and, in this context, China will be discussed.
Despite the growing tension, with the strategic ambiguity of Beijing, in the face of the war in Ukraine, the European Council maintains the multifaceted approach of considering China “at the same time partner, competitor and systemic rival”.
The European Council should also express interest in “continuing constructive and stable relations”, despite their “different political and economic systems”.
The 27 will also recall China’s “special responsibility” to “uphold the rules-based international order, the United Nations Charter and international law,” and call on “China to pressure Russia to stop its aggressive war and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine”.
Source: TSF
