Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
At the closing press conference of the EU leaders' summit in Brussels early Friday morning, EU President António Costa said, "We focused on how to ensure a strong European position on the global stage.
First, by working on European defense. Yesterday, at NATO, 23 EU member states decided to increase their spending. Today, we worked on how to improve spending. Invest together. More rationally. More efficiently. As one team. Through pooling demand, joint procurement, standardization, and simplified procedures. Strengthening European research, European industry, and European jobs—for European security and prosperity.
We don't need to duplicate the same capabilities in every member state. We don't need to multiply all our defense investments by a factor of 27. What we really need is efficiency and a fair distribution of burdens. What we really need is to build a common European defense system that deters aggression.
We are implementing a first set of instruments: joint European investment under the SAFE mechanism; increasing national investment through the use of the exemption clause in the Stability and Growth Pact; and increasing private investment in support of From the European Investment Bank.
But this is not the end of the road. We must move forward and provide the means to meet our ambitions. That is why today we asked the President of the Commission, dear Ursula, and the High Representative to propose a roadmap, including financing, before our meeting in October.
Europe's security is linked to Ukraine's security. That is why we continue to strive for a just and lasting peace, paving the way for EU membership. In this regard, our objective remains unwavering and unwavering.
The Commission's assessment is clear: despite extremely difficult circumstances, the Ukrainian government is implementing reforms at an impressive pace. Now is the time to intensify our work and advance on the path to EU accession.
At the same time, we are maintaining pressure on Russia. We have adopted 17 sanctions packages, and work is underway to issue a new, stronger package. We have repeatedly emphasized that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine seriously undermines global security and the rules-based international order.
Respect for international law and the UN Charter—signed exactly 80 years ago—has been the foundation of our position on Ukraine, and it is also the foundation of our position on the East. The Middle East.
The ceasefire between Israel and Iran is an important step toward restoring stability to the region. Now, we must focus on effective diplomacy. And here, Europe has a role to play. It is to ensure—permanently and sustainably—that Iran is never allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon, through full compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Any comprehensive and sustainable peace in the Middle East requires a lasting solution in Gaza. The humanitarian situation there is catastrophic, and human rights are being violated. The review of Israel's compliance with the Joint Association Agreement confirmed this situation. It is unacceptable. Our foreign ministers will discuss the next steps in July.
In the meantime, we must engage in a frank dialogue with Israel to resolve this crisis and change the situation on the ground. And of course, we cannot forget that Hamas needs the immediate release of the remaining hostages. Our overall strategy is clear: to achieve genuine peace in the Middle East, it is essential to make the two-state solution a reality. We must make progress in this direction.
Finally, to strengthen Europe's position on the global stage, we are intensifying our internal efforts to improve our competitiveness. First and foremost, the good work being done by the European Commission to develop our network Trade. Our recent bilateral summits with like-minded allies, such as the United Kingdom and Canada, or other key partners such as South Africa or the countries of Central Asia, demonstrate that the world relies on the European Union to promote global stability and security. The prosperity of our citizens depends on global stability and security.
Upcoming summits with Moldova, Japan, China, Latin American and Caribbean countries, and the African Union in the second half of this year will provide us with additional opportunities to promote fair and reliable trade, economic security, and the shaping of a clean transition.
At the same time, the more competitive the European Union becomes, the more capable we will be of shaping the global economy.
He noted that the summit was the last European Council meeting during the Polish Presidency. The theme of the summit was "Securing Europe," and it delivered on its promises: through agreements on strategic issues, such as the SAFE instrument and the European Defense Industry Program; through two packages of sanctions against Russia; and through the implementation of an ambitious agenda on competitiveness and simplification of procedures.