Belgium, which took over the Presidency of the EU Council on 1 January, is making support for Ukraine a foreign policy priority.
Providing “unwavering political, economic, military, humanitarian and legal support to Ukraine” will be a priority for the Presidency, according to its programme, which also aims to continue to exert pressure on Russia, Belarus and other responsible parties through sanctions and demands for accountability.
“A crucial priority will be to work on the EU’s security commitments, in support of the High Representative’s efforts and towards proper donor coordination for the reconstruction and modernisation of Ukraine”, says the Presidency. It will continue the Council’s work on freezing assets and updating the relevant sanctions regimes.
In addition, sustained EU initiatives will be needed to address the global consequences of the war, including food insecurity, and to ensure sustainable global support for the EU’s efforts in this regard.
In addition to support for Ukraine, the Presidency intends to continue supporting Europe’s direct neighbourhood to help “EU neighbours in tackling the challenges they face, such as the impact of Russia’s aggression, energy security, irregular migration flows, transnational organised crime and various economic difficulties”.
Belgium also wants to strengthen the EU’s commitment and continue to explore and develop key regional and bilateral partnerships in the Middle East and Gulf region. With regard to the crisis in the Middle East, the Presidency believes that “the immediate priority will be to bring about a cessation of hostilities, respond to immediate humanitarian needs and address the direct aftermath of the events in Gaza”.
The Presidency also intends to work towards a consensus within the EU, in the region and beyond, to take steps to relaunch a political process.
It will also promote close cooperation between the EU and like-minded partners in foreign policy, including NATO, and champion a mutually beneficial partnership with the United States and Canada in the fields of defence, security and energy, environmental, economic and societal issues, “with a particular focus on defending the rules-based international order, democracy and human rights”.
More broadly, the Belgian Presidency is prepared to facilitate an “open discussion” on qualified majority voting in the area of the Common Foreign and Security Policy and a broader discussion on the future of foreign policy, in order to contribute to the development of the post-2024 strategic programme.
See the Presidency’s programme: https://aeur.eu/f/a4i (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)