Inviting the members of the European Council In an invitation letter President Charles Michel said, I would like to invite you to the European Council meeting of 27 and 28 June. This will be a particularly significant meeting, as we face both a substantive agenda and critical decisions that will shape our path forward.
Among these decisions, three stand out in particular: first, we will adopt the Strategic Agenda. True to its role under the Treaties, the European Council will frame the EU’s priorities and set the EU’s strategic orientations for the next five years, thereby guiding the work of the next institutional cycle. Second, we will determine the way ahead on internal reforms, and thirdly, we will agree on the institutional appointments.
Concretely, our meeting will kick off on Thursday 27 June at 2pm with an exchange with President Zelenskyy. This will be an opportunity to discuss the situation on the ground, but also take note of some achievements since our last meeting.
In particular, this European Council will be an opportunity to welcome the adoption of negotiating frameworks and the holding of Intergovernmental Conferences with Ukraine, Moldova and Montenegro. These are historic steps in supporting these countries’ respective path towards European membership.
Furthermore, we have been ambitious and bold in channelling the extraordinary revenue from immobilised Russian assets to support Ukraine this year. For the following years, together with partners, we will secure loans for Ukraine for an additional EUR 50 billion.
It is also imperative that we intensify our military support to Ukraine, focusing on air defence, ammunition, and missiles. Additionally, we must continue to rally broad international support for a just peace in Ukraine based on the UN Charter.
Our meeting will also tackle the devastating Middle East crisis. International law and international humanitarian law must be respected in all circumstances. In this context, we will call for the full implementation of the terms of the ceasefire proposal set out in UN Security Council Resolution 2735 and for respecting and implementing the Orders of the International Court of Justice.
Secondly, we will repeat our call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages and an increase in humanitarian assistance, significant enough to meet the dire needs on the ground.
Thirdly, we will reiterate our unwavering commitment to a lasting and sustainable peace on the basis of the two-state solution. We will continue to support the Palestinian Authority and work with all our partners in the region and beyond to revive a process to that end.
This meeting will also allow us to advance constructively on the tasks we set out in our previous conclusions. This includes following up on our March European Council taskings with regard to security and defence. Likewise, in the light of our extensive exchange on competitiveness at our April European Council meeting, we will review progress on all our competitiveness-enhancing initiatives, focusing in particular on the Capital Markets Union.
I count on you to make every effort to reach agreement on these important issues. A determined and driven Union is essential in these times.
I look forward to seeing you in Brussels.