On the eve of a European Council that promises to be crucial in consolidating the EU’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Parliament, the European Council and the European Commission showed a united front, on Wednesday 23 March, at the European Parliament’s mini-plenary session in Brussels.
The overwhelming majority of MEPs and the Presidents of the Commission and the European Council agreed on strengthening the European Union’s energy autonomy, welcoming refugees with dignity, giving more help to Ukraine - some MEPs were adamant that it should join the EU - but also to Moldova and Georgia, always against the backdrop of the pursuit of the dual digital and green transition.
Condemnation of the Russian invasion was again unanimous and many insisted on the need to bring the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and all those responsible for the war, before the International Criminal Court.
In his speech, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, summarised the main decisions of the Versailles Summit, including: - drastically reducing the EU’s energy dependence on Russia; - the use of the Peace Facility to the tune of one billion euros in particular.
The President also stressed the importance of making rapid progress on the drastic reinforcement of the semiconductor industrial fabric, without forgetting the health ecosystem and the question of European defence in connection with the “Strategic Compass”.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, in a reference to a famous poem by Paul Eluard, said that if freedom were to have a name, it would be Ukraine.
In her opinion, the effects of the European sanctions are already palpable: the Russian currency, the rouble, is plummeting, the rating agencies are turning Russian banks into “junk banks” and entrepreneurs are fleeing the country.
For her, the objective is this: to make Mr Putin the enemy of the Russian people. She also stressed the need to reduce Europe’s energy dependence on Russia, citing the RepowerEU initiative. Mrs von der Leyen praised the work of EU Member States in the front line of refugee reception.
While Mr Michel stressed the importance of industry, Mrs von der Leyen highlighted the role of the Single Market in the resilience of the EU.
The President called on Mr Putin to let the ships leaving Ukraine carrying wheat through. Otherwise, the Russian president will be responsible not only for the victims of the Russian invasion, but also for the famines he will have triggered in Lebanon, the Middle East and elsewhere, she warned.
Further solidarity with Ukraine and sanctions against Russia
The tone among MEPs and, in particular, the chairs of the political groups was similar.
However, many asked for more. Manfred Weber, Chair of the EPP group, citing the efforts of local and regional authorities in Poland, called for more money.
“We will have to redeploy further in this respect. [...] We will also have to talk about binding solidarity mechanisms, distribution mechanisms in Europe so that everyone contributes”, he said. The EPP Chair also advocated for Ukraine to be granted candidate country status.
He called as well for the EU to stop funding Russia’s war by, among other things, stopping the import of Russian oil and coal.
Finally, the EPP Chair expressed his wish to strengthen trade relations with Canada, calling for a “CETA plus”.
He ended his speech by talking about the European position vis-à-vis China. “I hope that Europe will have the unity, the strength to also tell China that we will not tolerate them choosing the wrong side”.
Iratxe García Pérez, the Chair of the S&D group, called for Russia to be disconnected from the cryptocurrency market. Taxation must play a role, she said, in smoothing the cost of soaring energy prices to protect the most vulnerable. She suggested creating a protection mechanism for Ukrainian children. For her, the refugee crisis is a signal for a thorough review of the Pact on Migration and Asylum.
Stéphane Séjourné, President of the Renew Europe group, echoed the language of the French Presidency of the EU Council, citing “Europe as a power” and the importance of ensuring the EU’s energy and food sovereignty. On defence, he welcomed the recent progress made, but said that a battalion of 5,000 EU soldiers was “ not enough!”.
Greens/EFA Co-President Ska Keller structured her speech on the reception of refugees by welcoming the general momentum of European Member States and citizens.
The President of the Identity and Democracy Group, Marco Zanni, said he was puzzled by the world map revealed by the UN vote on the resolution condemning the Russian action. This was not supported by states that together represent half of humanity. This mapping should guide the European Council in developing a 20-year EU strategy, he said.
Raffaele Fitto, President of the ECR group, wanted the European Council to go further to counter the war, to help Ukraine, the neighbouring countries and the Member States hosting refugees. In his view, the Strategic Compass should be at the centre of the EU’s external policies. He warned against a return to the old rules of economic governance. To do so would be a “serious mistake”, he said.
Dimitrios Papadimoulis, on behalf of The Left group, also warned against a return to budgetary orthodoxy and any move towards a return to austerity policies that would break the EU’s economic recovery from the pandemic. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)