“We will ensure that all sanctions are fully implemented. And we stand ready to act quickly with further sanctions if necessary,” it said.
Russia is demanding an immediate ceasefire in the war in Ukraine. With regard to Ukraine’s application for membership of the European Union, submitted on February 28, it is said that regardless of this examination, the intention is to strengthen relations and deepen the partnership with the country.
The Ukraine war overshadows a two-day special summit of EU heads of state and government, including Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP), in Versailles, France, which begins on Thursday. At the summit, the EU also wants to agree on strengthening its defense capacities, including higher defense spending, in view of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. Another focus is the reduction of energy dependency on Russia.
Discussion on EU accession of Ukraine
In addition, EU Council President Charles Michel announced that the EU would “discuss Ukraine’s application for membership in the coming days”. While Austria and Germany, among others, are stepping on the brakes, eastern EU states such as Poland and Slovenia are demanding accession prospects for Ukraine. The current French EU Council Presidency has also dampened Ukrainian hopes for rapid EU accession. The topic is “not for tomorrow,” said French Europe Minister Clement Beaune on Thursday before the informal summit of the 27 EU heads of state and government in Versailles. “It will take time,” he added on French radio station France Inter. However, he did not rule this out for the future.
More sanctions
The EU summit on Thursday and Friday should also deal with further sanctions against Russia, aid for Ukraine and an answer to the economic slump feared by the Russian invasion. Instead of Ukraine’s accession, EU diplomats had brought up “association plus plus”, meaning closer ties between Ukraine and the EU internal market. Beaune underlined the EU’s goal of making itself independent of Russian energy supplies.
Paris had discussed another EU aid fund based on the model of the Corona reconstruction fund, which is intended to strengthen European defense and security of energy supply. The Corona Fund has a volume of 750 billion euros, and the EU Commission can take out loans itself. However, the French proposal was met with skepticism in a number of EU countries such as the Netherlands.
Hungary against oil boycott
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán rejected the boycott of oil and gas imports from Russia, as the US has done, as further sanctions: “I made it clear that we cannot follow the example of the United States, they imposed sanctions yesterday importing these products. This would mean an unsustainable burden for Hungary, so there is no question that we join these sanctions, we still need the gas and oil that comes from Russia,” Orbán said on Wednesday Facebook.
From Nehammer’s point of view, the special summit should set a “sign of peace”. The European Union is supporting Ukraine “with what we do best, namely with peaceful means,” said Nehammer on Thursday on the sidelines of a meeting of the European People’s Party (EPP) ahead of the summit in Paris. On the one hand, sanctions are crucial, on the other hand, a ceasefire and humanitarian corridors are needed. The EU Commission is examining Ukraine’s application for membership, “but the crucial thing is that we are helping Ukraine now.”
“Europe is facing its 9/11”
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo told the daily newspaper “Le Soir” (Thursday) regarding the al Qaeda terrorist attacks in the USA in 2001 that Europe was facing its 9/11 moment. “We’re not involved, but he’s on our doorstep.” September 11, which sparked the “war on terror” and the invasion of Afghanistan, “was a pivotal moment in the United States. This war in Ukraine is Europe’s 9/11.”
The summit agenda also includes a debate about a European growth and investment model for 2030. The deficit and debt rules in the Stability and Growth Pact play a central role in this.
Source: Nachrichten
