The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, would like the EU27 to initiate a debate this weekend on the strategic priorities for the next legislative cycle, so that the European Union is better prepared to tackle the existential challenges it faces and to welcome new member countries.
In a letter addressed to the EU Heads of State or Government on Friday 23 June, Mr Michel identifies four areas where these priorities need to be refined: - the economic base; - climate and environmental challenges; - security and defence; - international cooperation, particularly in the field of migration. In each area, the question of European sovereignty is raised.
With regard to the enlargement of the EU to countries such as Ukraine, we need to consider the political process as well as “our absorption capacity” in financial and institutional terms, according to Mr Michel.
This discussion between European leaders will be taken further at the Extraordinary European Summit, to be held on Friday 6 October in Granada (Spain), with the aim of producing a new strategic agenda for the EU under the Belgian Presidency of the Council in the first half of 2024.
See Mr Michel’s letter to the EU27: https://aeur.eu/f/7qe (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)