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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Lili Bayer in Brussels

Europe live: EU heads meet as Belgian and Czech leaders condemn Russian meddling in elections – as it happened

European Union Europe the Middle East European Council Simon Harris Ukraine Economy Charles Michel Gaza Brussels
Belgian prime minister, Alexander de Croo (left) welcomes France’s Emmanuel Macron (centre) as Belgium’s King Philippe (right) and European Council president Charles Michel look on, ahead of a special meeting of the European Council in Brussels.
Belgian prime minister, Alexander de Croo (left) welcomes France’s Emmanuel Macron (centre) as Belgium’s King Philippe (right) and European Council president Charles Michel look on, ahead of a special meeting of the European Council in Brussels. Photograph: Olivier Hoslet/Reuters

Summary of the day

  • Leaders from the EU’s 27 member states began a two-day meeting in Brussels to discuss economic competitiveness, Ukraine and the Middle East.

  • The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said that “for us, it is important that this moment is now also used for further de-escalation and that Israel ... does not respond with a massive attack of its own.”

  • The Belgian prime minister, Alexander De Croo, brought up concerns that there is a “serious allegation” that Russia has played an “active role in trying to influence our democracy.”

  • Roberta Metsola, the European parliament president, stressed the need for providing assistance to Kyiv more quickly.

  • Gitanas Nausėda, the Lithuanian president, said he is “concerned that we are losing the focus on Ukraine.”

  • The new Irish prime minister, Simon Harris, said he intends “to continue my engagement with European counterparts about the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the need for, of course, the release of hostages, but also the need, I believe, for a number of European states to now move ahead and recognise the state of Palestine.”

  • Petteri Orpo, the Finnish prime minister, said that when it comes to the Middle East it is “important” to ask Israel “not to attack because we have to de-escalate this very difficult situation.”

  • As the leaders went into the room on Wednesday evening, draft conclusions for the summit stated that “the European Council calls on Iran and its proxies to cease all attacks and urges all parties to exercise the utmost restraint and to refrain from any action that may increase tensions in the region.”

  • The draft conclusions also stated that the council “reiterates its commitment to work with partners to end the crisis in Gaza without delay and implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 2728, including through reaching an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages, as well as providing full, rapid, safe and unhindered access to humanitarian aid at scale for Palestinians in need.”

  • Israel Katz, the Israeli foreign minister, called on Germany and its partners to “designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization and impose sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missile program.”

  • Earlier in the day, the Nato secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, spoke with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy. “My message to Allies is clear: Send more to Ukraine,” he said.

  • David Cameron, the UK foreign secretary, urged G7 partners to step up support for Ukraine amid fears of a deteriorating situation in the country.

As leaders hold talks, the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has called for a change in Brussels.

Summit begins

The leaders have officially started their meeting.

Meanwhile, David Cameron, the British foreign secretary, said he visited Israel to “show solidarity” following the Iranian attack.

“Any response must do as little to escalate this conflict as possible,” he said.

Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, has also said that he was very “saddened” by the continuing destruction of Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine.

Asked what he thought of the city mayor’s remarks that it was at risk of becoming “a second Aleppo”, he said the situation was “extremely saddening”.

“I was in Kharkiv myself on the 1 of March. A rocket from Russia takes one minute to get there and .. the alarm systems take more time to go off than the time it takes for that particular rocket to reach Kharkiv.

“It is extremely saddening and I was impressed when you see the teachers giving the classes in the subway stations and how they try to run that system as normal as possible,” he said.

Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister and lead candidate to take over as secretary general of Nato later this year, said the need to get surface to air missiles to Ukraine is urgent with fresh efforts to persuade countries “sitting on large piles of patriots” to release them to help it stop Russia’s war.

Earlier, he said he and incumbent Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg called on allies to dig deeper into their stockpiles and release the air defence systems for Kyiv.

“We know that many countries are sitting on large piles of patriot systems, maybe not wanting to deliver it directly.

“We can buy it from them, we can deliver it to Ukraine, we have the money available. It’s crucial,” he said on arrival at the EU leaders summit.

In its budget two days ago, the Netherlands pledged €4bn in military aid over the next two years to Ukraine and has already promised a number of patriots though Rutte would not confirm how many.

Asked about Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s complaint that Israel’s allies were able to come to the rescue immediately and it is not a member of Nato but Ukraine still does not have sufficient air defence support he said “Ukraine needs all the air defence we can get for them and needs all the shell capacity.. we need to make it happen.”

Leaders are now greeting each other, and the meeting will soon get underway.

Petteri Orpo, the Finnish prime minister, said that when it comes to the Middle East it is “important” to ask Israel “not to attack because we have to de-escalate this very difficult situation.”

The new Irish prime minister, Simon Harris, said he will be using the council to try and persuade other countries to join Ireland and Spain in officially recognising Palestine as a sovereign state and calling for immediate ceasefire and release of hostages.

I intend to use the opportunity of being here to continue my engagement with European counterparts about the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the need for, of course, the release of hostages, but also the need, I believe, for a number of European states to now move ahead and recognise the state of Palestine because ultimately, if you believe in a two-state solution, I think such positive momentum could be helpful and could be important.

Updated

The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said it was important that Iran’s attack on Israel did not cause escalation and that he was under the impression that this had been understood by the affected parties, Reuters reported.

“For us, it is important that this moment is now also used for further de-escalation and that Israel ... does not respond with a massive attack of its own,” he said.

The Belgian prime minister, Alexander De Croo, says now is not the right time to recognise Palestine as a state, although he is not opposed to the idea.

Asked if he would be joining Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and Malta who have said they plan to do so, he replied: “Not now, because I do not see it today as a lever to achieve a sovereign state. It’s a good thing, but it needs to be a sovereign state that can make its own decisions that it is not fully dependent on another on another state. “

He added that there would next week be a vote on full Palestinian membership of the United Nations

“I think all these are important important, discussions [that] have a high symbolic value.

However he added there was a leadership gap in the Middle East.

“What’s really needed is political leaders who get around the table. And for the moment, unfortunately, I do not see the circumstances to have …moderate and responsible people sitting around the table.”

Metsola calls for 'faster' aid for Ukraine, de-escalation in Middle East

Roberta Metsola, president of the European parliament, said that when it comes to competitiveness, “we talk a lot about energy union, defence union, capital markets union, health union – our message is, let’s not forget that what we really need is the European Union and a Single Market that works for all, in every single member state.”

On the issue of Ukraine, she stressed the need for more air defence and ammunition. “We need to be faster in procuring equipment for them to defend themselves,” Metsola said.

Speaking of the Middle East, she said that “after the unprecedented attack by Iran on Israel, the challenge now is how to de-escalate. At the same time, we will continue to call for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, the return of the hostages in order for us to allow for the much-needed humanitarian aid to go through.”

The parliament president also said she will appeal to the leaders to work on the campaign encouraging voters to participate in the upcoming European elections.

Updated

'I’m concerned that we are losing the focus on Ukraine', Lithuanian leader says

Gitanas Nausėda, the Lithuanian president, said when arriving at the meeting that “regrettably, since our last meeting of EUCO, the geopolitical situation has not improved – on the contrary, it has deteriorated.”

“I’m concerned that we are losing the focus on Ukraine,” he stressed.

“It’s really a pity to see that we are taking the decisions but we are not implementing them,” the president added.

Updated

Israel Katz, the Israeli foreign minister, has called on Germany and its partners to “designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization and impose sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missile program.”

Updated

Earlier today, the leaders attended a reception hosted by the Belgian king.

Arriving at the meeting, Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish prime minister, said it’s an “important” session.

Updated

As leaders meet in Brussels, the Greens have called for heads of government not to backtrack on the bloc’s green transition.

“The next five years will decide whether the EU comes out on top in the race for global competitiveness or whether the EU forfeits the global leadership role to China and the USA,” said Terry Reintke, the Greens group’s president.

The group, she said, “calls for a massive investment program to provide industries and companies with long term planning security.”

Reintke added: “The EU’s strategic agenda must reflect its commitment to energy sovereignty, energy security, climate protection and sustainable jobs. The EU cannot afford to backtrack on the Green Deal.”

The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has arrived for the meeting.

Updated

'Serious allegation': Belgian prime minister raises Russia influence concern

Arriving at the summit, the Belgian prime minister, Alexander De Croo, said that there is a “serious allegation” that Russia has played an “active role in trying to influence our democracy.”

“We have to be very clear on that, that attempts like this are non-acceptable. And that we have to do everything to defend our democracy.”

Speaking about the Middle East, the Belgian prime minister said “we clearly condemn” Iran’s attacks and that his position is that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard should be put on a sanctions list. “I think it would be a very important signal to give,” he said, adding: “we ask for restraint in reactions.”

Updated

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has arrived at the Council building.

Updated

Meanwhile, the Nato secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, has spoken with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

“Delays in aid have consequences on the ground every day,” Stoltenberg said.

“So my message to Allies is clear: Send more to Ukraine. We also agreed to convene the NATO-Ukraine Council this Friday,” he said.

Russia has pivoted as much as 30% of its GDP into the war economy, compared to 2% being put into the defence in Ukraine by western allies, a senior NATO official has said.

James Appathurai, deputy assistant secretary general for Innovation, hybrid and Cyber NATO, told the European Aerospace, Security and Defence (ASD) annual summit in Brussels on Wednesday that “factories are running around the clock”, with an estimated 2.5% of the 144m strong Russian population now in the weapons manufacturing industry.

The estimates come as the British foreign secretary, David Cameron, urged G7 nations to intensify defence efforts in Ukraine.

The Guardian’s Dan Sabbagh reported the local mayor in Kharkiv warning that the city was at risk of becoming “a second Aleppo” unless US aid was released.

Belgium and the Czech Republic bring up Russian interference

The Belgian prime minister, Alexander De Croo, and the Czech prime minister, Petr Fiala, have written a joint letter raising concerns about Russian interference in electoral processes in Europe.

De Croo is calling on fellow prime ministers to establish new restrictive measures against the Kremlin to “counter Russian malign activities” in the wake of the Czech discovery of alleged payment to MEPs.

In a two page letter to the presidents of the EU commission, council and parliament, he also wants leaders to examine whether the European anti-fraud office, OLOF, and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office have enough powers.

“If this were not the case, we should not rule out an expansion of these mandates to allow such prosecution in the future,” he said.

Last Friday De Croo revealed that the Belgian federal police had opened an investigation into Russian interference in the European parliament as a result of payments allegedly made elsewhere in Europe.

Updated

Leaders to condemn Iran's attack on Israel

The latest draft conclusions, seen by the Guardian, include strong language on Iran.

“The European Council strongly and unequivocally condemns the Iranian attack on Israel and reiterates its full solidarity with the people of Israel and commitment to Israel’s security and to regional stability.”

The leaders are expected to add:

“The European Council calls on Iran and its proxies to cease all attacks and urges all parties to exercise the utmost restraint and to refrain from any action that may increase tensions in the region. The European Union will take further restrictive measures against Iran, notably in relation to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and missiles. The European Union remains fully committed to contributing to de-escalation and security in the region.”

Updated

And another new face at today’s meeting: Portugal’s Luís Montenegro.

“Malta will continue to advocate for peace & equal access to the Single Market for all European citizens,” the Maltese prime minister, Robert Abela, said ahead of today’s meeting.

Ahead of the leaders’ meeting, the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, the Czech prime minister, Petr Fiala, the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, and the Nato secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, held a meeting about ammunition and air defences for Ukraine.

Earlier today, European home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson came close to tears as the spoke at a gathering marking the second anniversary of the imprisonment of Swedish EU diplomat Johan Floderus.

Recalling his disappearance and the confirmation he had been detained by the Iranian authorities, Yohansson said they found out he was “was in prison for imaginary crimes” that “he is kept in a small cell in inhumane conditions”.

“Johan was part of my cabinet, my team for almost two years and I can’t believe he has been in this prison for a longer time than he was a member of my cabinet,” she said.

She described him as “one of the brightest stars” in her office, someone who was able to “calm” others down in times of stress. When he left to go to the Afghan desk in the external services arm of the EU he was realising his dream.

“Now his dream has turned into a nightmare. In my team we talk a lot about Johan, we have done so now for two years, almost on a weekly basis, we miss him so much, we talk about a lot of happy moments, We laugh a lot when we talk about Johan, but we also cry because we miss him. We just want him to come back,” she said.

She said she was working closely with Sweden which is fighting for his release from Teheran. “We condemn his imprisonment and demand his release”.

Updated

Further restrictive measures against Iran following Tehran’s attack on Israel will be discussed over dinner tonight when the EU’s leaders meet in Brussels.

On the table are potential measures to impose sanctions on Iran’s missile and drone programmes as well as Russia-style sanctions on individuals or companies that support the Islamic Revolutionary Guard.

Sanctions on individuals, diplomats said ahead of the meeting, would be about making “life difficult” for Iranians involved but also their proxies whether in Iraq, Lebanon or Yemen or Sudan.

Also on the table is the mechanism - do they extend the Russia sanctions to cover Iran or do they start afresh?

Diplomats say sanctions could be politically agreed within “one and a half or two weeks” but that the purpose of tonight’s discussion is to determine the appetite for the two types of sanctions.

Germany, France and the UK have already backed a proposal to extend an existing sanctions regime.

The draft conclusions before the leaders is a declaration saying the EU is “ready to take further restrictive measures against Iran, notably in relation to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and missiles”.

If agreed it will also call on “Iran and its proxies to cease all attacks that may increase tensions in the region”.

David Cameron, the UK foreign secretary, is urging G7 partners to step up support for Ukraine amid fears of a deteriorating situation in the country.

He is currently travelling to Italy for the G7 foreign ministers meeting.

“Ukraine has our unequivocal support until it is victorious and achieves a just peace. It is vital that we agree a way forward to use sanctioned Russian assets to support Ukraine and ensure Russia pays for the destruction it has wreaked,” he said.

The foreign and commonwealth office in the UK said it would call for the G7 to pilot more ambitious efforts to undermine Russia’s defence industrial complex.

Ahead of the leaders’ session, the Finnish ministerial committee on EU affairs outlined the country’s position, calling for the bloc’s strategic competitiveness to “be based on further developing the Union’s strengths and implementing market-based solutions.”

“A well-functioning single market based on free movement and an effective state aid and competition policy play a key role in promoting predictability and ensuring a favourable investment environment. Finland stresses the importance of open, rules-based and responsible international trade for Europe’s competitiveness,” the committee said.

Addressing the situation in Ukraine, the committee said “Finland emphasises that the EU must continue and increase its strong political, economic, and military support and humanitarian assistance.”

Helsinki also “supports the proposal by the Commission and the High Representative to use the additional profits from frozen Russian central bank assets to support Ukraine.”

On the Middle East, the Finnish committee said “the EU should work to promote a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.”

It added:

Finland stresses that the use of military force must be necessary and proportionate from the perspective of international law.

Finland strongly condemns Iran’s strike and emphasises the critical importance of de-escalation in the current tense situation in the Middle East.

Finland and the EU are making efforts to influence all parties to refrain from actions that further undermine regional security.

Ahead of the leaders’ meeting, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, expressed the bloc’s support for Jordan.

Ireland’s Simon Harris is not the only newcomer at the leaders’ table.

Bulgaria will be represented by Dimitar Glavchev, its caretaker prime minister.

New Irish leader to reiterate call for 'urgent ceasefire in Gaza'

Simon Harris, Ireland’s new leader, said he will be repeating a “call for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of aid to the people of Gaza” during the European Council meeting.

“I will also continue to discuss the recognition of Palestine with like-minded partners,” he noted.

Harris added:

Ireland will use its voice to call for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza & restraint & deescalation in the region after Iran’s reckless attack on Israel.

Also look forward to engaging with counterparts on competitiveness & the single market

Updated

Time for 'new compass to guide the Single Market,' report says

At their meeting, leaders will discuss a report by Enrico Letta, a former Italian prime minister.

“It is time to craft a new compass to guide the Single Market in this complex international scenario. Powerful forces of change - spanning demographics, technology, economics, and international relations - necessitate innovative and effective political responses,” Letta wrote.

“Given the ongoing crises and conflicts, action has become urgent, particularly as the window of opportunity to intervene and relaunch the European economy risks closing in the near future.”

Von der Leyen calls for boosting European defence industrial capacity

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president and the centre-right European People’s party lead candidate in the European elections, has reiterated today her call for strengthening Europe’s defences – and “turbo charging our defence industrial capacity.”

Von der Leyen wants Europe to spend more on defence, and to spend it in Europe.

EU leaders to address economic competitiveness, Ukraine and the Middle East

Leaders from the EU’s 27 member states will meet in Brussels today and tomorrow.

In his invitation letter, the European Council president, Charles Michel, said “our upcoming meeting will centre on bolstering our competitiveness” but that “topics of foreign policy will also feature high on our agenda.”

“We must collectively bridge the growth and innovation divide vis-a-vis our global counterparts and safeguard our economic, industrial and technological base,” Michel said.

When it comes to Ukraine, he said leaders “will address Russia’s persistent attacks on Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure, including in the energy sector. These underscore the urgency of intensifying our delivery of military assistance, notably air defence capabilities.”

Addressing the situation in the Middle East, he said:

Our commitment to work with partners to end the tragic crisis in Gaza with an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages, as well as an urgent increase of unimpeded humanitarian aid at scale into Gaza, remains crucial.

Developments over the weekend have exacerbated an already highly volatile situation in the region.

We must condemn the recent attack by Iran against the people of Israel and unite in urging all parties to exercise the utmost restraint, respect international law, and avoid action that may increase tensions.

We must also address the situation in Lebanon, acknowledging the challenging circumstances it is facing, and reiterate our strong support at this critical time.

Welcome to the blog

Good afternoon and welcome to a special edition of the Europe blog.

Today we will be looking at a gathering of EU leaders in Brussels.

Sends tips and comments to lili.bayer@theguardian.com.

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