The leaders of the European Union began this Thursday, December 15, their last summit of the year, focused on support for Ukraine, the energy crisis and security and defense issues. An event marred by the scandal of the former vice president of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili, accused of having received money from Qatar to influence the decisions of the institution.
The European conclave would take place in a single day and will have two strategic debates on the southern neighborhood and transatlantic relations regarding US subsidies with its anti-inflation law.
It is “a summit with many serious and difficult points on the agenda. We will work to make it a unity summit,” said the president of the European Council, Charles Michel.
One of the most complex issues to discuss is the bloc of economic issues, where the leaders arrive without having previously resolved the cap on the price of gas and whose next release is expected by the majority of the heads of State and Government.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek prime minister, was “optimistic” that if they do not reach “an agreement today, it will be reached next Monday” in a regular Energy Council.
What will be the response to the United States and its IRA law?
A hot debate will be about the response that the European Union will give to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) at the beginning of 2023 and that this Thursday the leaders participating in this summit will debate.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who recently visited the United States, urged a “strong” response to this subsidy law, which the bloc views as discriminatory due to its selective subsidies, simplifying community rules on public aid but also seeking “common” funding. for green projects.
“That means going faster, simplifying the rules, having a macroeconomic response that, at the level of European and national aid, allows us to respond in an equivalent way to what the Americans do,” Macron said.
What European leaders do know is that the response to “pressure” from the US IRA must be “urgent” to “preserve” the European common market, according to Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
“We know that some of our Member States have more fiscal capacity. It is important to show our solidarity and guarantee the proper functioning of the single market, which is in the interest of all,” Michel emphasized about German tax aid.
The Council must decide on the promotion of an ambitious and supportive European industrial policy to achieve the ecological and digital transitions, and thus reduce strategic dependencies, according to the draft conclusions seen by EFE.
Support for Ukraine, at the center of European concerns
The Council will invite the Commission to present proposals in early 2023 to mobilize resources in this regard, as well as to improve the framework conditions for investment.
The Twenty-seven are also expected to reaffirm their financial, military and humanitarian support for Ukraine as the Russian-initiated war is about to turn ten months old, as well as condemn missile attacks against Ukrainian civilians, civilian targets, energy infrastructure and other public services. in Ukraine.
To try to alleviate this suffering, the leaders intend to urgently intensify the delivery of humanitarian aid and civil protection, and help restore Ukraine’s critical infrastructure to help this country overcome the winter.
Another of the delays came from Poland, which blocked the agreement on a minimum corporate tax and, by extension, a loan of 18,000 million euros to Ukraine.
Member states previously agreed that this item would form part of the same package, but Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, arguing the impact of the minimum tax, said bundling it with aid to Ukraine, which he supports, was “blackmail.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged leaders to approve the aid his country needs almost 10 months after the start of the war. “I strongly urge you to ensure that our fight for peace for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe does not depend on misunderstandings and disputes between some EU member states,” he declared.
A European summit amid the ‘Qatargate’ scandal
The summit is taking place under the shadow of the corruption scandal that erupted in the European Parliament last week. The president of Parliament, Roberta Metsola, commented that the files related to Qatar are being reviewed to see if any kind of pressure was exerted on the legislators.
The investigation reviews an agreement to allow Qataris with biometric passports to have short stays without a visa in the European Union.
Metsola commented that doubts were raised about another EU-Qatar air deal on which the European Parliament should be consulted. Even, he said, there are talks with the European Commission, the executive body of the EU, to assess whether the agreement should be suspended.
The agreement signed in October 2021 would allow all EU airlines to operate direct flights to Qatar from any airport in the 27-country bloc and give Qatari airlines equal access to European capitals.
“We will investigate everything. We will investigate any pressure or undue influence that we see being exerted,” Metsola said after meeting EU leaders in Brussels.
The Belgian Prosecutor’s Office charged four people with corruption, participation in a criminal organization and money laundering, suspected of trying to buy political favors in Parliament with money or gifts.
Among those involved is the former vice president of the European Parliament and her partner: Greek lawmaker Eva Kaili was arrested and her mandate was annulled by lawmakers this week. Her partner, Francesco Giorgi, is a parliamentary adviser.
Metsola promised radical reforms in the coming months to end corruption and influence peddling in the institution.
With Reuters, AP and EFE
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