On Monday 14 October, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said that the Member States were close to reaching an agreement on the ‘European Peace Facility’, by moving from compulsory contributions to voluntary contributions, in order to lift Hungary’s blockade (see EUROPE 13502/18).
“There is a consensus to break the deadlock, we are almost there. I cannot say that there is 100% [agreement], but I am sure that you will reach agreement on my latest proposal”, announced Mr Borrell at the end of the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg. He hoped – but could not guarantee – an agreement for his last EU Council as High Representative, in November.
A proposal supported by Hungary. “The High Representative has put forward a proposal for voluntary contributions. This is exactly what we have been asking for over the last 2.5 years... I told the High Representative that we support contributions on a voluntary basis”, explained the Hungarian minister, Peter Szijjártó, after the EU Council meeting.
Mr Borrell is said to have welcomed this unblocking, to the dismay of several delegations, according to a European source, who pointed out that Hungary had been blocking €6.6 billion for a year and a half.
“Hungary is willing to find a solution. It will try to release the fund in the next few days, if possible”, explained the Croatian minister, Gordan Grlić-Radman, as he left the EU Council meeting.
Despite the end of the Hungarian veto, an agreement has not yet been reached, with some Member States hesitating. Others will need to have this contribution validated by their Parliament, a step that is not yet a foregone conclusion.
“I’m always a little hesitant when we say at European level that we can’t reach an agreement with 27 and now we are abrogating an agreement at 27 and proceeding to take a decision at national level, so to speak”, explained Austrian Minister Alexander Schallenberg publicly.
Asked about the risk of Member States not honouring their voluntary contributions, Mr Borrell dismissed the possibility out of hand. He explained that it was a question of “re-qualifying the process” so that progress could be made without Hungary’s agreement.
The High Representative also announced that the EU would be extending the mandate of the European Union military assistance mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM) by two years, hoping that it would also be possible to reach a consensus on adapting the mission’s mandate.
Speaking to the media, Mr Borrell reiterated that military support went hand in hand with peace, “which cannot be confused with capitulation”, while the new Ukrainian minister, Andrii Sybiha, presented his counterpart with President Volodymyr Zelensky’s victory plan. He himself will present it to European leaders at the European summit on 17 and 18 October.
“We must put an end to the cycle of ‘the Russians destroy, we repair’, we must avoid the destruction”, stressed the High Representative. He pointed out that there had been a sharp rise in civilian casualties and that Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, as well as on ports and ships containing cereals, were on the increase. “Once again, exports are under military threat from Russia. We cannot allow food safety to be put at risk”, warned Mr Borrell. And he added: “Putin plans to plunge Ukraine into darkness and cold. That’s why he’s targeting energy. He failed last year and must fail again this year”.
The High Representative, like a number of ministers, has therefore called for additional sanctions, notably against the Russian fleet of phantom ships and, again, in relation to energy and access to technology. While “progress has been made” in combating the circumvention of sanctions, “much remains to be done”, said Mr Borrell. “This starts at home, not just in the country where the circumvention is taking place. We need to increase companies’ due diligence”, he said. “Unfortunately, at our external borders, we see many European companies still exporting things to Russia that do not necessarily comply with European sanctions”, confirmed the Latvian minister, Baiba Braže. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)