Ahead of the 18 December Summit and the EU-Western Balkans Summit taking place a day earlier (17 December), European Council President Antonio Costa today sent a letter to EU leaders setting out the agenda for discussion.

The first issue the leaders will discuss is Ukraine, with Antonio Costa stressing that “they will have to decide” on the country’s financial needs. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will also participate in the discussion. “Recent developments underline the need for immediate EU action. At the October European Council, we committed to addressing Ukraine’s urgent financing needs for the period 2026-2027, including its military and defence efforts. At our next meeting, we need to decide, based on ongoing preparatory work, how to implement this commitment.” As he wrote in his letter, diplomatic efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine are ongoing, so an important element of this equation must be increased pressure on Russia.”

The next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) is the second major issue the leaders will discuss. As Costa stresses in the letter, “intensive work will be required to reach agreement by the end of 2026 on the next MFF and its financing. Meeting this timetable is important.”

In addition, he puts on the agenda a discussion on the progress made by some countries on their path to EU membership, noting that “given the progress some candidate countries have made on their accession paths, they may meet the necessary conditions for membership.”

In parallel, the leaders will exchange views on the geo-economic situation and its impact on the EU’s competitiveness, with him stressing that “it is important to discuss the pressures, but also the opportunities, that arise in a world of increasing geo-economic competition and where the rules of economic relations and traditional partnerships can no longer be taken for granted”. The questions that will be raised and debated, as posed by him, are “How can the EU better protect itself from external economic and political pressures? How do we accelerate our trade diversification agenda? How does the EU gain the necessary degree of strategic autonomy for our economies to remain competitive?”

In addition, the leaders will also discuss the situation in the Middle East, which “requires our continued attention”, the European Council president stressed.

Finally, at the December 18 summit, leaders will take stock of previous decisions on European defence and security, as well as assess previous conclusions on migration, building on the Commission President’s letter on the issue.