Euronews takes you through the day of summits in Brussels as EU leaders discuss Ukraine, its EU candidacy and food security.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ukraine and Moldova on Thursday evening officially became candidates for European Union membership after the bloc's 27 heads of state unanimously approved the status during a summit in Brussels.
Georgia was meanwhile granted European perspective, as recommended by the European Commission.
The leaders branded their decision "historic", a "big victory for Ukraine" and a "good day for Europe."
EU leaders will also discuss ways to accelerate the export of grains stuck in Ukraine as well as a French proposal to create a so-called European Political Community to enable European countries that are not member states to forge closer relations with the bloc.
They kicked off the day though with the leaders of Western Balkan countries whose respective bids to join the EU started over a decade ago.
Follow the action-packed day live in the blog below.
${title}
Live ended
That's it from us from this "historic" day. We'll come back tomorrow with some more live action. Till then, have a good night!
Leaders still discussing Wider Europe
EU leaders are still behind closed doors discussing Wider Europe, i.e, a European political Community as outlined by Macron.
They are expected to deliver conclusions on this later tonight but there should be no press conference.
Enlargement not the best geopolitical perspective: Macron
There seems to be some confusion about what the French president said earlier over the EU's enlargement process and the candidate status for Ukraine and Moldova.
"For Moldova and Ukraine, very clearly, it is linked to the context. And yes, it's a political message, I totally assume it," he told reporters before adding that "we must have a neighbourhood that doesn't live with us."
"Otherwise, it means that the European Union has limits only at the limits of Europe and that it is the only political existence in Europe," he went on, adding that enlargement is somewhat incompatible with the bloc's desire to be more integrated and which has made the membership process a lot harder in recent years.
He then said that that is why another community is needed, but that as it doesn't yet exist, offering candidate status was necessary.
"I simply think that in the moment that we had, after NATO had said no to Ukrainian membership, for good reasons, we would have made a political mistake and left a vacuum if we had not reached out to Ukraine and Moldova. Because this political community does not exist today and we could not leave a strategic and geopolitical vacuum. That is the meaning of this European perspective and of this recognition of candidate status," he said.
'European Council ready to grant status of candidate country to Bosnia', EU leaders say in conclusions
As part of the European Council's conclusions on the Western Balkans, EU leaders said they are "ready to grant the status of candidate country to Bosnia and Herzegovina."
The EU Council said it invites the Commission to report back on Bosnia's progress in implementing reforms in order to decide on candidate status.
It called on political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina to "urgently finalise the constitutional and electoral reform which will allow the country to advance decisively on its European path, in line with the opinion of the Commission."
Bosnia’s candidate status has been on hold since 2019, when the Commission issued a 14-point agenda of reforms needed to receive the bloc’s approval.
Recently, the country has been mired in the deepest political crisis in decades, effectively freezing any progress regarding these reforms.
'Unequivocal & strong signal' for Moldova: Maia Sandu
The President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, has welcomed the decision of EU leaders in Brussels to grant the country candidate status as "historic".
"An unequivocal and strong signal of support for our citizens and Moldova's European future. We are grateful and committed to advancing on the path of reforms," she added.
What about Georgia?
Georgia has fallen short of becoming an official candidate to join the European Union.
While Ukraine and Moldova were granted the coveted status by EU leaders, Georgia was simply recognised as a “European perspective,” a sort of prelude to candidacy devoid of legal implications.
The country has suffered from political instability in recent years and has been asked to undergo a series of reforms before any formal step is taken.
“I’m convinced it’s extremely important for the people of the country to implement the fundamental reforms: the fight against corruption, the independence of justice. And we’re very close with all the Georgian institutions in order for them to make progress,” said European Council Charles Michel, who last year helped broker an agreement between the country’s main political parties.
“I’m confident if there’s a political will in the political landscape within Georgia, then it could be possible for them to make huge progress. They know exactly what’s needed to take steps in the right direction.”
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said her message to the Georgian people is "the enormous desire you have and belonging to the European Union is the strongest push on the path forward to the European Union.”
“There has been a lot of political progress, now what is needed is to deliver on a few reforms that are important and to show political unity, to engage political society and to move forward on these reforms and then the next steps are within reach," she added.
French President Emmanuel Macron called it nonetheless a “historic day” for Georgia.
“We have all seen the will of your president, the very clear message that she sent, and the will of the people who came out in the street, which called for Europe,” Macron said.
“And so I think that it is necessary around this arc of will and appetite for Europe that political unity and the necessary reforms are built.”
Tens of thousands of demonstrators had marched in the capital in favour of EU membership as the European Commission gave its opinion last week that Georgia must first carry out political and other reforms before it can qualify for the status.
European Political Community is 'right answer', Macron says
The French President said his proposal for a European Political Community to forge closer relations with other European countries is the "right answer" as the enlargement process can take many years.
"We have to think much faster and stabilise our neighbourhood," he told reporters.
It's particularly relevant he said because not all countries will be able to join the EU.
"We don't all have to live in the same house but we all share the same street," he offered as a metaphor, stressing that the EU has a high level of integration and "intimacy" over economic, strategic and social issues.
The European Political Community would enable the EU and other countries to "build something where we can cooperate" on issues ranging from security, geopolitics and energy that could stretch "from the Russian border to the Turkish border, to our westernmost extremity."
Macron's proposals are the next topic of discussion for leaders who have returned behind closed doors.
Today's decision is 'strong signal to Russia', Macron says
President Emmanuel Macron said the decision to grant Ukraine and Moldova EU candidate status was a "strong signal" to Russia.
"I think that the message which is being sent very clearly today...is a very strong message, consistent with what our Europe has been able to do since the first day of the conflict, that is to react in a rapid, historical and united manner."
He said the decision was owed to the Ukrainian people who are "fighting for our values" and to Moldova due to its "generosity" in the context of the war.
EU leaders 'committed' to unblocking dispute between Bulgaria and North Macedonia: Michel
Eu Council president Charles Michel said that the summit this morning with Western Balkans' leaders had led to EU leaders recommitting themselves to "reviving the engagement process with the Western Balkans"
"We remain very committed to this dispute between Bulgaria and North Macedonia even in the coming hours," he also said.
Today's decision 'strengthens EU': VDL
The head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen told reporters that she is "deeply convinced that our decision taken today strengthens us all" and "strengthens the EU because it shows once again to the world that the EU is united and strong in the face of external threat."
She stressed however that "the countries all have homework before moving to the next stage" but said she believes that they will all be able to "move as swiftly as possible and work as hard as possible".
'Fight for freedom continues', writes Polish PM
"Ukraine has obtained the status of a candidate for the EU. This is a historic day for Europe. This is a great moment for the unity of Europe and the defense of its fundamental values. The fight for freedom continues!" Mateusz Morawiecki wrote on Twitter.
Zelenskyy joins EU summit virtually
The Ukrainian President is currently connected live to the summit meeting with EU leaders.
Conclusions on the membership applications of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia have meanwhile been approved.
What are the seven reforms that Ukraine needs to undertake this year?
When the European Commission released its opinion on Ukraine’s EU bid, it recommended that the country be given candidate status. But the executive also added a list of seven urgent reforms that Ukraine needs to undertake before the end of the year, reports Euronews' Jorge Liboreiro.
These are:
- Improve the selection of judges appointed to the Constitutional Court, with criteria based on their integrity and professional skills.
- Complete the vetting of judges appointed to the High Council of Justice, the main body that oversees the independence of the judiciary.
- Strengthen the fight against corruption through efficient investigations and credible convictions, and appoint new directors to the main anti-corruption offices.
- Align the existing anti-money laundering legislation with international standards and adopt an “overarching strategic plan” to reform law enforcement.
- Implement a law to limit the “excessive influence” that oligarchs have over the country’s economy and political life.
- Adopt a media law in line with EU standards and set up a genuinely independent media regulator.
- Ensure the rights of minorities in the fields of education, language and democratic participation are properly respected.
The Commission will monitor the implementation of reforms and report back on the progress by the end of the year.
EU leaders will use the reform to decide their next step regarding Ukraine’s accession. Brussels has already warned the whole process can be reversed “if the underlying conditions are not met anymore.”
Italian PM Draghi wants an extraordinary EU summit on energy
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has asked for an extraordinary meeting of the European Council to take place in July to discuss the issue of rising energy prices in greater detail, diplomatic sources have told Euronews.
French President Emmanuel Macron supported the idea.
Since a power crunch began to send electricity bills soaring in autumn last year, Italy has become one of the leading advocates for greater market intervention, a push that has received the backing of Southern states. But it has been met with opposition from a group led by Germany, the Netherlands and the Nordic countries.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has only exacerbated the energy crisis, injecting more volatility and uncertainty for households and companies.
Gazprom, Russia’s leading energy provider, has begun cutting or limiting supplies to several EU member states, including Italy and France.
Italian officials have circulated a proposal to establish a price cap on wholesale gas prices to avoid extreme peaks and bring down the final bill for consumers.
Since this form of market intervention would affect the functioning of the single market, the measure would need the blessing of member states and the technical approval of the European Commission.
EU countries are rushing to fill their gas storage facilities and reach a minimum 80% level by 1 November.
'Future of Western Balkans is in the European Union', says Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas tweeted that the future of the Western Balkans is in the European Union as the 27 member states met to discuss a number of topics including enlargement.
"We affirmed this in Brussels with Western Balkan leaders," she tweeted during the summit which followed a meeting with Western Balkan states.
"Estonia has always supported their joining the EU and it’s more crucial than ever to give them clear messages and deepen swift integration."
The member states are reportedly discussing whether to include candidate status for Bosnia and Herzegovina in their final conclusions. They are widely expected to grant candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova.
EU should 'calm down' on sanctions against Russia, top Orbán adviser says
Balázs Orbán, political director of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, told Euronews reporter Sándor Zsíros, that the war and sanctions against Russia have pushed the European economy into "serious trouble".
"We have to be very honest with ourselves," he said, arguing that "the European economy is in a very bad shape. The inflation rates are very high. The energy prices skyrocketed."
"And it's caused, obviously, by the war, but it's also caused, obviously, by the sanctions regime, what we introduced. We were on board with the six previous sanction packages because accepting those were important for (a) European united response
"But we have to realise that this position will hurt not only the Russians but the European economy as well. So our suggestion is that we should calm down, we should analyse the situation, we should realise that something has to be done differently and we have to work on peace," he said.
Divisions over Bosnia delaying decision on Ukraine and Moldova's candidate status
The discussion around the EU bids of Ukraine and Moldova is taking longer than expected as the leaders from Slovenia, Austria and Croatia push to include Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final conclusions, according to diplomatic sources consulted by Euronews.
The three countries considered that Bosnia, which submitted its EU application back in 2016 but made little progress since then, deserves to be granted candidate status.
Earlier on Thursday, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer tweeted that “when it comes to EU candidate status, there must be no first-class or second-class countries.”
“I don’t understand that,” he continued. “It must be a strategic security interest of the entire Union to avoid putting the Western Balkans at a disadvantage.”
European Council President Charles Michel had previously said that moving forward Bosnia’s European integration was a top priority for the bloc.
Bosnia has been divided into two main administrative units with some autonomy since the 1995 Dayton Accords ended the bloody 1992-95 war between the country’s Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs.
Read more about what's happening in Bosnia here.
EU leaders started their discussions on Western Balkans rather than Ukraine
A senior EU official said that rather than starting their summit by delving into Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia's EU membership bids, leaders instead discussed the Western Balkans.
Leaders felt there was a need for them to discuss the Western Balkans following the morning's summit, which overran by about two hours.
'Fatigue' setting in Europe over impacts of Ukraine war: Metsola
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, addressed EU leaders at the beginning of their first session and then reported to journalists.
She called for the EU to remain united and to make the "historic" decision to give Ukraine and Moldova candidate status and stressed that "it is time" to see results for Western Balkan countries.
On the war, she warned that "it would also be wrong to assume that public opinion will continue to drive our actions in support of Ukraine or to underestimate the extent of Russian influence."
"We have to acknowledge that inflation-fuelled fatigue is setting in, that we are seeing many cases where the resilience of our citizens to the social and economic impact is waning and we need to push back harder. We need to counter the Kremlin’s narrative not feed into the fears it spreads."
"Concurrently, we need to speed up delivery of military, humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine. And we need to advance on sanctions," she said.
"Sanctions are a useful tool if implemented properly, and here we need to start the next package, close loopholes or extend were necessary," she added.
Russia using energy to 'blackmail' EU: Finland
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin told reporters that "it's very likely that Russia will use gas and energy as blackmail."
"I think we should get rid of Russian energy as soon as possible also because Russia will use it as a tool, as a weapon against us and so we have to help each other to make sure we have enough.
She called for further investments to diversify Europe's energy mix but also argued that "it's actually already too late, we should have done the investments earlier."
She also discussed Finland's NATO membership bid and said the country and Sweden are in talks with Turkey to lift its veto.
"I must say very frankly also that actually Finland and Sweden are fully ready to enter NATO. We fulfill all the criteria so there shouldn't be any problem but if there are some questions, we are willing and ready to answer those," she added.
Candidate status is 'least we can do' for Ukraine: Lithuania
Gitanas Nausėda, the President of Lithuania, said that granting candidate status to Ukraine "is very important for the fighting spirit of Ukrainians."
"They need political support. They need economic military support, too. And this is the least we can provide to them and to continue this heroic fight for freedom. So I expect that it will be a happy day for me," he added.
On the issue of reduced gas exports from Russia, he said that Lithuania realised two decades ago it needed "to prepare and to stop this blackmail and manipulation of Russia."
"Now we are the first country to cut off all the ties and energy supply from Russia gas, oil and electricity. So for us, the threats like, we will disconnect you from the electricity grid or we will stop to supply the gas to you, the most senseless to us, because we are ready and we are ready to take alternative resources, alternative ways to satisfy our needs," he added.
He also said that he will raise the issue of Kaliningrad with other leaders, underlining that "we are just respecting the rules set by European Union and the EU are implementing the sanctions according to these rules."
"And yes, there is a need probably to to to set those rules more precisely. But even after this, we will continue to implement the sanctions according to European Union rules. So this is not a bilateral issue between Lithuania and Russia. This is the issue of the European Union and Russia. Yes, I would expect solidarity from the side of my colleagues," he said.
Borrell says Russia won't cut gas 'overnight' but warns winter could be difficult
The European Union’s top diplomat said Russia was "diminishing the supply of gas little by little to some countries almost 100%. To others they are cutting 10%, 15%."
Josep Borrell said that he didn’t think that Russia "was going to cut the gas overnight especially because we are going to the summer."
"In the summer gas is not a strategic weapon but the winter could be difficult and we have to be prepared in Europe for any kind of use of the gas as a weapon," Borrell said.
The European Union has sanctioned a number of Russian goods over the war in Ukraine but remains highly dependent on them for natural gas which is used in many countries to heat homes during the winter.
'Historic' Council summit: Taoiseach
Micheál Martin told reporters that this summit is "historic in the sense of the enlargement of the European Union, and I'm particularly pleased as a long-standing advocate for Ukraine's application to candidate status to become members of the European Union."
"We in Ireland know what the European Union means, being a member of the European Union. It's the 50th anniversary of Ireland's decision to join the European Union, probably the single most transformative decision and event that happened in modern Irish history."
"And so I've always cannot comprehend how we could ever refuse accession to other member states, because we know that membership itself can be transformative, that can spur on reforms, can spur on economic development," he added.
On the Western Balkans, "we dearly hope that progress can be made," he said, "particularly North Macedonia and Albania."
"There are issues and there are challenges there. But again, our position has always been one of, and certainly my own view, is to facilitate a more rapid and accelerated enlargement process," he went on.
EU 'facing difficult situation' this winter: De Croo
The Belgian Prime Minister told reporters the bloc is "facing a situation this winter that could be difficult" and urged collective action over energy supply and in particular gas after Russia's Gazprom started reducing deliveries to some EU countries.
"We have to work better together, this summer we can better prepare for this winter," he said. "The impact will anyway be on all countries so to avoid it we have to do everything together."
'Chance' of a 'breakthrough' on North Macedonia next week: Rutte
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told reporters as he arrived for the EU Council summit that there is a "lot of irritation" over the Bulgarian veto of North Macedonia's EU bid.
"I understand that the French and Germans really tried to negotiate an outcome," he went on, adding that: "nothing is ever easy on the Balkans but there is, I think, a 60-40% chance of a breakthrough next week."
He also said that there should be no issue over approving the candidate status for Ukraine and Moldova or with the Commission's list of priorities the countries still need to work on as the EU's executive did a "thorough and fair assessment".
Regarding Georgia, which is "one step behind", he said the country's citizens should see the situation as "glass is half full and not half empty" and that the European perspective is "a clear commitment from Europe to recognise the (country's) European ambition."
Summit was 'constructive': Macedonian leader
Dimitar Kovačevski, the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, described the discussions in the morning with EU leaders as "constructive with (the) possibility that in the future there will be more understanding and that the enlargement process will be purely merit-based process as it is written and that bilateral issues will not be a matter of multilateral integration."
Albania will be in the EU 'hopefully before the next century': Rama
Edi Rama assured reporters that Albania is "going to get there for sure, hopefully before the next century".
Asked about the cancellation of the press conference by Macron, Michel and von der Leyen, Rama argued the "feel bad, very bad about what's happening and these people you mentioned, they have done everything they could."
Serbia in favour of Macron's European Political Community: Vučić
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić told reporters that the Western Balkans "need" the kind of community proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron.
"That's the only way for us to be heard and that's a good way for us to listen more often to our European colleagues and to get to know their way of thinking," he said.
He also called for progress for North Macedonia and Albania, stressing that "both countries did everything in accordance with European regulations, fulfilled all the requirements and they really deserve it."
He also took a swing at European media, criticising their coverage of Serbia when Russia launched its invasion on 24 February.
'Europe for us is a religion': Rama
The Albanian leader held a press conference with his counterparts from North Macedonia and Serbia and said he appealed to EU leaders to not break Albanians' faith.
"Albanians still have a big faith in Europe," he said, "despite this charade because we have for the first time in our history the possibility to be where we want."
"Europe for us is a religion, Europe for us is not Brussels," he went on.
"We don't want a war, we don't need conflict, blood and tensions back in our region and that's why we want to push forward in the direction we have picked," he also said, acknowledging how the EU has "many blows they have to deal with so they should not have another blow."
He also called on the EU to allow visa-free travel for the citizens of Kosovo, describing it as a "kidnapping" because "they are not "allowed to move freely in Europe."
They are the "only population on the soil of Europe that can not move freely," he emphasised.
"Their liberators are keeping them hostage. This is crazy," he said.
Albania wants the EU's 'nice words' to be followed by 'nice delivery': Rama
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has issued a statement on Twitter following the summit between Western Balkans and the EU, asking for the bloc to follow through on its "nice words".
"But we Albanians are not as nice as to give up nicely," he wrote. "So we will keep going and working even harder to make Albania a nice EU member."
Say 'EU enlargement'!
The EU-Western Balkans summit ended two hours late and so a scheduled press conference with France's Emmanuel Macron -- who holds the rotating EU presidency -- and Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen was cancelled.
What leaders did not skip on was the picture:
Topics leaders are not expected to discuss
Several topics are not on the agenda but are expected to rear their (ugly) heads. These include energy as prices have soared pushing inflation higher. Gas, therefore, is likely to be talked about but no conclusions will be released on this even though several member states have had their gas deliveries drastically reduced by Russia.
As a reminder, the bloc has committed to cut its Russian gas imports by two-thirds by the end of the year and is striking deals with alternative sources of supply including Israel, Norway and the US.
Not on the agenda and not likely to be discussed will be the EU's potential seventh round of sanctions against Russia over its aggression on Ukraine. An EU diplomat stressed that there is no proposal on the table and that leaders want to focus instead on the implementation of the six packages.
Finally, Kaliningrad should not be discussed at length either. In recent days, Moscow has warned of "unprecedented" action after Lithuania started checking Russian cargo transiting through its territory and heading for the Russian exclave for sanctioned goods. The EU, meanwhile, has supported Lithuania, emphasising the Baltic state is respecting the sanctions the bloc has imposed.
Topics leaders will discuss
Here's what on the official agenda:
- Ukraine: the latest development on the ground, the impact of the war on food security and the bloc's military, economic and humanitarian support to the war-torn country;
- Wider Europe, i.e, how to improve political dialogue and security with countries in the EU's neighbourhood;
- EU membership applications: leaders should back the candidate status for Ukraine and Moldova and discuss Georgia's application;
- Economic issues including whether to let Croatia adopt the euro.
Western Balkans keep waiting for EU membership
Western Balkan countries have been trying to become EU member states for over a decade and they are far from close to joining the bloc.
So the speed with which the EU has recommended candidate status for Ukraine and Moldova -- which leaders are widely expected to approve later today -- has ruffled some feathers.
Here's a recap of where they stand on their EU journey and why their bid to join the bloc has damaged its credibility.
How close are the Western Balkans to joining the European Union?
Ukraine and Moldova were given candidate status just weeks after applying to join the EU. Bosnia and Herzegovina applied in 2016. It is still waiting. #EuropeDecodedHello and welcome to our live blog for day one of the EU Council Summit taking place in Brussels. I'm Alice Tidey and I'll be taking you through the day.