At their summit, EU heads of state and government agreed to expand sanctions against Iran. They also promised Ukraine further arms deliveries. Today we will focus on the actual reason for the meeting.
It is the last time that the 27 heads of state and government will meet before the European elections. The meeting was supposed to be about the election and the economy in the community. But Iran’s attack on Israel has shifted the focus. At dinner together, the focus was on the two trouble spots – Ukraine and the Middle East.
Council President Charles Michel then emphasized that the EU was united in its stance towards Iran: “We condemn this attack, we will impose sanctions and we want to do everything we can to protect civilians in the region.”
The new sanctions are intended to hit companies that produce drones and missiles. However, there are already significant delivery bans against the country, which have so far been circumvented quite successfully.
Appeal also to Israel
According to Luc Frieden from Luxembourg, Iran should be isolated and further escalation in the region prevented according to the will of the heads of government. “We believe that everyone should be called upon to exercise great prudence here, because the Middle East lies on the border with Europe and we want to avoid a conflagration for the entire region and for Europe.”
However, the EU countries were unable to confirm whether Israel would follow the call to refrain from retaliation. While the 27 heads of state and government agree on measures against Iran, the situation in the Gaza Strip remains unchanged. The countries here continue to demand a ceasefire and the release of the Israeli hostages.
Scholz says Ukraine is another “patriot”Anti-aircraft system to
The situation in Ukraine is apparently becoming more and more dramatic. The country needs more defense systems. It’s a matter of “days and weeks,” said the representative of the EU countries, Michel, literally.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Zelenskiy was on the scene in the evening. He sounded disappointed that his country does not have the same defense systems as Israel. “Every sky must be protected equally,” he said. Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to hand over another “Patriot” air defense system and called on other countries to also deliver more to Ukraine.
“It’s now about air defense, and everyone has to look at their stocks to see whether they can spare additional air defense systems because they are so urgently needed in this situation,” said the Chancellor in Brussels.
EU wants to exert limited influence
Concern is growing about the aggressive behavior of Iran and Russia in the EU. This also includes the fear that Russia could influence the European elections in a few weeks through false information.
The first day of the summit showed that the EU’s influence in the current crises is small, but there. It wants to take joint action against Iran, win Turkey as an ally and strengthen Europe’s defense capacity. But all of this requires money and a strong economy. What will be discussed today on the second day of the summit is how Europe can strengthen its competitiveness despite all the challenges.