EU Leaders discuss the Invasion of Ukraine
Informal Meeting of the European Council
On March 10 and 11, leaders of the European Union attended an Informal meeting of the European Council in Versailles, France where they discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine and the consequences for the European Union.
Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine dominated the agenda of discussions, as European leaders reiterated their position condemning Russia’s actions while also calling for the safety and security of civilians and nuclear facilities.
European leaders also discussed the European Union’s support for Ukrainian citizens and the Union’s relations with Ukraine. They stated that the European Union shall continue to provide political, financial, material and humanitarian support in addition to offering temporary protection to all war refugees from Ukraine. European leaders also recognised the European aspirations and choice made by Ukraine and undertook to further strengthen the bonds and deepen the partnership with Ukraine.
With respect to the consequences of the war on the European Union, European leaders discussed how the EU can bolster defence capabilities, reduce energy dependencies, and build a more robust economic base.
On bolstering defence capabilities, the EU leaders reaffirmed their commitment to take more responsibility for the EU's own security, pursue a strategic course of action in defence and increase its capacity to act autonomously. The leaders also agreed that the European Union must boost investment in defence capabilities and innovative technologies for the it to be able to better protect its citizens and to face fast-emerging challenges.
In light of the European Union’s dependency on Russian fossil fuels and increasing energy prices, the European leaders discussed how to ensure security of energy supplies. To this end, they agreed towards making the EU independent from Russian Fossil Fuels and called on the European Commission to put forward a plan to ensure security of supply and affordable energy prices
In protecting and supporting the European Union’s economic base, European leaders stressed the importance of reducing strategic dependencies, fostering industrial initiatives and a robust trade policy in critical sectors such as health, food and critical raw materials. European leaders also stated their commitment in fostering investment in the European Union by creating an environment that facilitates and attracts private investments.
The conclusions and outcomes of this Informal meeting have been formally gathered in the Versailles Declaration that was unanimously adopted by all leaders of the European Union.
The views of the leaders of the European Union expressed during this informal meeting were also reflected in a statement made by the leaders of the Group Seven (G7) on March 11.