I would like to invite you to our June European Council. We will address several issues that must be tackled together to advance our common ambitions: to build a more competitive, safer and more autonomous Europe for our citizens, and to ensure that the European Union can be an effective, predictable and reliable global actor.
The interplay between a challenging international context and our internal economic priorities, such as deepening the Single Market, is more important than ever. That is why I want us to discuss the geoeconomic challenges we are facing, addressing both the place of the EU in the world and its competitiveness. I look forward to hearing your views about global economic developments and the relationship we seek with key partners, including with a view to important upcoming international summits. This will also be a good opportunity to consider how to further strengthen the international role of the Euro.
We will address several other priorities. Starting with defence and security, the decisions we have taken in our meetings in March are bearing fruit: we are building the Europe of defence. Now we must stay the course and accelerate progress towards Europe’s common defence readiness by 2030. In this regard, I expect us to touch on the ongoing work to build up our capabilities, to strengthen our defence industry and to increase the financing of our defence efforts. Going forward, we must be guided by a collective approach to defence and security, and a focus on efficient spending. Our debates will factor in the NATO Summit taking place on the eve of our meeting.
Ukraine has been steadfast in its efforts to enable a real peace process. And the EU will remain equally steadfast in its support to Ukraine. Our objective remains unchanged – to end Russia’s war of aggression and build a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, grounded in the principles of the UN Charter and international law. We will take stock of the fast-evolving diplomatic context, follow up on EU support and address Ukraine’s path towards EU membership.
We will discuss the situation in the Middle East, with a focus on the dire situation in Gaza. The European Union has been clear about what is urgently needed: the safe, rapid and unimpeded distribution of humanitarian aid; the unconditional release of all the hostages; an immediate return to the ceasefire and a permanent end to hostilities, with a view to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution. Israel must fully comply with international law and its international obligations. We will assess the instruments and options at the disposal of the European Union in this regard and take stock of the outcome of the UN Conference on the implementation of the two-State solution, to be held in New York on 17-20 June 2025.
We will revert to the important topic of migration, with President von der Leyen’s forthcoming letter informing our discussion. The issues of preparedness and internal security, with a focus on organised crime, will equally be on the agenda, as well as the EU’s support to the Republic of Moldova and its accession process.
Our discussions will include the situation in the Western Balkans, where I will use the opportunity to debrief you about my recent visit to the region.
We will start our meeting on Thursday at 11:00, with our traditional exchange of views with the President of the European Parliament, followed by an exchange of views with President Zelenskyy and a discussion among ourselves about Ukraine. As ever, I will endeavour to keep our meeting limited to one day.
I look forward to our meeting.