EU: Ukraine, energy, food security and defense to be discussed at European Council on 30-31 May

Ukraine, energy, food security and defense are the topics to be discussed at the European Council on 30-31 May in Brussels.

The first item on the European Council’s agenda is the situation in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Zelensky will address a teleconference to European leaders at the beginning of the debate.

“One of our most pressing concerns is to assist the Ukrainian state, together with our international partners, in its liquidity needs. We will also discuss how to better organize our support for the reconstruction of Ukraine, as it will require a great global effort to rebuilds the country “, stressed the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, in his well-established letter to the European leaders before the Summits and added:” From the very first day, we were steadfast in our humanitarian, economic, military and political support “The Ukrainian people and their leadership. We will continue to put pressure on Russia. Unity has always been our strongest asset and remains our guiding principle.”

After all, on the first day of the European Council, the “27” EU leaders will discuss the issue of energy and high prices, which hit households and businesses hard. “We need to accelerate our energy transition if we want to phase out our dependence on Russian fossil fuels as soon as possible. Based on our decisions in Versailles, we will discuss the best ways to move the work forward,” Charles Michel wrote in the letter. of.

European leaders will also discuss the dramatic impact on global food security posed by Russia’s military aggression. The discussion will be attended by the President of the African Union, Maki Sal, via teleconference. “Food prices have skyrocketed and we face serious risks of hunger and destabilization in many parts of the world. In our meeting, we will discuss specific ways to help Ukraine export its agricultural products using EU infrastructure. We will also look at how to “We need to better coordinate multilateral initiatives in this regard,” said Charles Michel.

Finally, European defense will occupy the “27” leaders, as Russia’s war against Ukraine has further strengthened their ambition for a strong, coordinated European defense. It is recalled that in March, the European Council instructed the Commission, in coordination with the European Defense Agency, to analyze gaps in defense investment and to propose further initiatives to strengthen the European defense industrial and technological base. The priority is for Member States to coordinate their efforts to replenish stocks and build a European industrial base.

Source: AMPE