Our European Council on Thursday 15 December will be a one-day meeting. We will focus on strategic issues on which our unity will be key.
Dear colleagues,
We are gathering in Brussels this week for two meetings: the EU-ASEAN
Commemorative summit on Wednesday 14 December and our European Council
the following day.
The EU-ASEAN meeting will give us an opportunity to exchange on our
strategic partnership and discuss important issues of common interest,
including security challenges, connectivity, trade, the green and
digital transitions and food security. I am convinced that this will be
the first of many regular engagements of our two like-minded regions.
Our European Council on Thursday 15 December will be a one-day
meeting. We will focus on strategic issues on which our unity will be
key.
Ukraine is, as always, at the heart of our concerns. Russia's massive
military escalation since 10 October, with its repeated targeting of
Ukraine's critical facilities and energy infrastructure, has caused huge
damage to Ukraine's power grid. Millions of civilians are left without
electricity, heating and running water. The situation, exacerbated as
snow and sub-zero temperatures set in, requires an appropriate response
from us, including in terms of humanitarian preparedness and assistance.
Beyond the country's immediate needs, a substantive debate is also
needed on how to guarantee the sustainability of our military and
financial support to Ukraine.
This year has radically transformed our energy landscape and has made
it clearer than ever that we need to act together. Ensuring security of
supply and reducing prices for citizens and businesses remain our
priority. Against this backdrop, we will review progress since October
and give further guidance.
We will also look ahead to next year's challenges in order to be
fully prepared. One of the most important milestones of 2023 will be the
electricity market reform to be proposed by the Commission as soon as
possible.
Our coordination efforts, however, need to be coupled with concrete
projects and a committed investment in innovation, infrastructure and
energy efficiency to phase out our dependency on Russian fossil fuels.
Our new energy horizon has had spill-over effects on our economy,
which has been more heavily impacted than that of our trading partners.
Our future growth perspectives depend not only on how well we manage the
energy shock in the short term, but also on our industries' ability to
remain competitive, and our capacity to innovate and invest in the
technologies of tomorrow. We will therefore focus on how we can better
manage our coordinated policy response, including with the support of
common European solutions.
Exactly two years after our last exchange on EU-US relations, we will
hold a strategic discussion on our transatlantic relations,
particularly in the light of the evolving global context. The discussion
will cover a broad range of issues, in particular our security and
economic cooperation.
On security and defence, we will take stock of progress since Versailles and provide further guidance as necessary.
Lastly, we will have a strategic discussion on the Southern
Neighbourhood and follow up on the recent Summit with the Western
Balkans in Tirana. This will provide us with an opportunity to discuss
the multifaceted aspects of our cooperation with these countries,
including migration.
I look forward to seeing you in Brussels.
European Council
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