The issues to be raised at the Summit in Brussels on 20 and 21 March were set out by European Council President Antonio Costa in a letter sent today to European Council members.

Competitiveness, with simplification as a compass, energy, the issue of the Savings and Investment Union, but also action plans for the automotive industry and the steel and metal sectors are the topics included in the first part of the summit. At the same time, recent developments in relation to Ukraine and the next steps in the defence sector following the presentation of the White Paper on the future of European defence, ahead of the June European Council, are two important issues that will dominate the leaders’ meeting.

“Our continued support for Ukraine, the need to invest in our defence and our competitiveness are closely linked. A more competitive Union will be a stronger Union, better able to protect its citizens, its interests and its values on the world stage,” the President of the European Council stressed. “In the light of my consultations with you and the exchange of views we had at the informal meeting on 3 February, I have identified three priority areas for the debate on our competitiveness, on which we must now move decisively forward: simplification, energy and the Savings and Investment Union. Of course, building our competitiveness requires progress in other areas too, including improving the single market, promoting talent and skills and working on our industrial policy. We will specifically address action plans for the automotive industry, and the steel and metal sectors,” Costa says.

In addition, the latest developments in the Middle East, as well as the issue of illegal immigration, will be put up for discussion, just days after the presentation of the European Commission’s proposal to create a common European system for returns with faster, simpler and more efficient return procedures across the EU.

Working lunch with the UN Secretary General

On Thursday, the first day of the session, a working lunch will be held with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to discuss preparations for the third UN Conference on Oceans and the fourth International Conference on Financing for Development.

In parallel, issues related to the next Multiannual Financial Framework and new own resources will be discussed. With Costa stating in his letter that “we need a comprehensive approach to spending and revenues. Given the challenges we face, it is important that we all approach this debate with an open mind and a spirit of collective responsibility. My aim is to enable the Commission to take these suggestions into account in view of its proposals for the MFF package, which are expected before the summer. The questions on the issue to be raised are in particular: a) How will the main financial equation of the next Multiannual Financial Framework be addressed, i.e. how will we ensure that the budget has the necessary resources to enable the European Union to achieve the objectives it has set? b) What will be the role of the new own resources in the next Multiannual Financial Framework?