The situation in the Middle East, on the agenda of the European Council

The situation in the Middle East after the recent air attack launched by Iran against Israel and the search for solutions to ease relations between the two states will be on the agenda of the extraordinary meeting of the European Council, which will take place in that days in Brussels and at which our country will be represented by the president Klaus Iohannis.

According to the information posted on the website of the European Council, the leaders who will be present today and tomorrow in Brussels will discuss the latest developments in the Middle East, including the situation in Lebanon. The cited source shows that at the previous meeting on March 21 and 22, 2024, European leaders called for an immediate humanitarian pause leading to a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, the unconditional release of all hostages and the provision of humanitarian assistance.

The European Council website states: "Following Iran's drone and missile attacks against Israel, the EU strongly condemns the attacks and declares that they represent an unprecedented escalation and a threat to regional security. In this extremely tense regional situation, the EU calls on all parties to exercise the utmost restraint and expresses its full commitment to contribute to the de-escalation and security of the region. To this end, the EU is in contact with all parties".

Regarding the foreign policy of the EU bloc, the European leaders will have a strategic debate on EU relations with Turkey, considering the report of the High Representative and the European Commission on the state of political, economic and trade relations.

The European Council will also discuss the current situation in Ukraine, in the context of recent Russian airstrikes against civilians and energy infrastructure.

On the agenda of the meeting is also the perspective of a new European Pact for competitiveness, a document that will be widely debated and which will include a number of essential aspects for the Union's economic future, including: the Single Market, the Capital Markets Union, the industrial policy of Union, energy, circular economy, digital aspects, trade policies, social aspects, innovation, reduction of administrative burden, as well as competitive, durable and sustainable agriculture.

We remind you that the first discussions regarding this pact for competitiveness took place at the European Council meetings in March and June 2023, when EU leaders talked about building a robust and future-ready economy that would ensure prosperity. In this context, they called for ambitious actions to complete the single capital market and to harness its full potential. At today's meeting, Enrico Letta, president of the Jacques Delors Institute, will present European leaders with an independent report on the future of the single market.