The EU Foreign Ministers will meet on Monday 21 March in Brussels for their regular meeting, where they will once again discuss the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine. The ministers will discuss military support for Ukraine. On Thursday 17 March, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov called on Europeans at a hearing in the European Parliament to step up their support (see EUROPE 12913/1).
After an initial aid package of €500 million agreed under the European Peace Facility (EPF), High Representative of the Union Josep Borrell announced a further €500 million at the Versailles summit on Friday 11 March.
A senior official explained that there would be no decision on this new package at the meeting, as some Member States have parliamentary reservations. The German Bundestag, for example, is due to vote on the new aid on Wednesday 23 March. “All Member States agree to support Ukraine by providing military equipment”, said a senior official, while another source said that no Member State was questioning the continuation of military support.
The senior official added that the total requested under the EPF was more than the €500 million amount of the 1st package, which explains the 2nd package. However, less than €500 million has so far been validated, “but we will be there soon”, the official explained.
Moreover, according to a European source, a large part of the debate - which is expected to continue at the EU summit on 24-25 March - will be about sanctions. Ministers will discuss how to ensure that those already adopted are implemented (see other news) and that there are no ways of circumventing them, but also possible new measures.
On Friday 18 March, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmytro Kuleba, announced that he had discussed with Josep Borrell the preparation of a fifth package of sanctions. “The pressure will continue to increase as long as it is needed to stop Russian barbarism”, Mr Kuleba said on Twitter.
According to a European source, Member States are ready to adopt additional sanctions quickly. “If there is a need to adopt sanctions, we will do so”, a diplomatic source added, although no decision is expected on Monday.
The diplomatic chiefs may also focus on the fight against disinformation and how to reach the Russian public.
The discussion between the ministers is also expected to focus on cooperation with allies and partner countries, in terms of both sanctions and isolating Russia on the international stage. A meeting of G7 leaders will be held on Thursday 24 March in Brussels, on the sidelines of the NATO and EU summits, all of which will focus on the war in Ukraine, among other issues.
For her part, the President of the European Parliament announced on Friday 18 March that, as of today, Russian and Belarusian diplomats and government officials were banned from entering the Parliament.
The dire humanitarian situation in Ukraine and neighbouring countries after 3 weeks of war will be discussed as fighting intensifies in Mariupol and Kyiv and civilians and civilian infrastructure are targeted. “Beyond the diplomatic efforts to obtain an immediate ceasefire, there is a strong European mobilisation to ensure that humanitarian support reaches those in need, as well as a constant call for the respect of international humanitarian law”, stressed a European diplomat on Friday.
More than €500 million in humanitarian aid has been pledged by the EU for Ukraine and Moldova, which is hosting 300,000 refugees, in addition to the €90 million in initial emergency aid announced on 27 February to cover the basic needs of people in these two countries (see EUROPE 12902/5). in addition, 29 European countries responded to Ukraine’s requests for assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (see EUROPE 12911/7).
Ministers are also expected to address the situation of Ukrainian refugees. More than 3.2 million people have already left the country, including more than 2 million who have crossed into Poland, and this could intensify as shelling is now also taking place in western Ukraine.
The resilience of the countries in the neighbourhood of Ukraine and Russia will also be discussed with Moldovan Minister Nicu Popescu. The ministers are expected to discuss ways to help the country, which was already facing difficulties before the war, particularly in terms of health, with the Covid-19 pandemic, and energy (see EUROPE 12903/3).
According to one source, the heads of diplomacy will see what more can be done, notably in humanitarian terms, but also in terms of energy or to reroute trade flows, as Moldova works extensively with Russia and Ukraine.
Chisinau, which has an association agreement and a deep and comprehensive free trade area with the EU, applied for EU membership on 3 March (see EUROPE 12903/11).
At the end of the afternoon, the EU Defence Ministers will also discuss the situation in Ukraine, particularly from a military perspective. They are expected to meet by video conference with their Ukrainian Defence counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov. The discussion will complement the one held on Wednesday 16 March by NATO (see EUROPE 12912/1).
Africa. The European heads of diplomacy will also discuss the situation in the Sahel, and in particular in Mali, at their meeting.
The terrorist threat is spreading to the coastal states and the situation in Mali is complex, with the announcement of the withdrawal of the Takuba and Barkhane operations, the expulsion of the French ambassador and Danish troops, the presence of mercenaries from the Wagner group, and allegations of abuses by the Malian army.
The ministers will look at how to strengthen the commitment in the Sahel at the political level, in terms of support for the population and communication, and also in relation to regional organisations, explained a European source. According to the source, the ministers will discuss strengthening support for the coastal States of the Gulf of Guinea.
The heads of diplomacy are also expected to discuss the future of the EU’s CSDP missions in Mali: EUCAP Sahel Mali and EUTM Mali. However, according to a senior European official, no decision is expected to be taken at the Council. Indeed, the Europeans are awaiting a response to a letter sent to the Malian authorities on 8 March on guarantees for the continuation of the missions, including whether EU-trained personnel or equipment provided by the EU could subsequently be used by the Wagner group.
According to a document obtained by EUROPE (see EUROPE 12904/17), the European External Action Service has advocated a regionalisation of EU action with a concentration of the EUTM Mali mission on its Malian mandate and the creation of CSDP missions in Burkina Faso, if conditions allow, and/or in Niger.
These missions, as well as EUCAP Sahel Niger, are due to undergo a strategic review in the coming weeks.
Among the topical issues, the ministers will, at Italy’s request, briefly address the situation in Ethiopia, calling once again for an end to the conflict and violence, requesting humanitarian access and political dialogue to resolve the crisis (see EUROPE 12865/24).
The Foreign Affairs Council will also adopt conclusions on Cameroon without debate.
Strategic Compass. Finally, at a joint meeting with their defence counterparts, the Foreign Ministers will discuss and are expected to adopt the ‘Strategic Compass’. This strategy paper should then be taken up by the Heads of State or Government on Thursday 24 March at their European Council.
While a recent draft text focuses on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its consequences (see EUROPE 12905/8), the aim of the Compass is to set out guidelines for the development of European defence over the next five to ten years in the areas of crisis management, resilience, capability development and partnerships. Among the key measures of this ‘Compass’ are the creation of an EU rapid deployment capability of 5,000 troops and the strengthening of military mobility.
The High Representative presented his proposal on 10 November (see EUROPE 12830/2), which was subsequently negotiated between Member States. On Friday 18 March, discussions were continuing with a view to reaching agreement on the text. In particular, the role to be given to NATO was still in question, with the Baltic States and Poland wishing to insist more on this role, and the neutral countries being more reluctant.
North Macedonia. Ahead of the Council, a breakfast will be held with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with Aminata Niang)