“In a world of individual rising powers, Europe must step up its political ambition on defence and competitiveness”. This was stated by the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola (in the photo, with President Antonio Costa), as she opened the European Council taking place in Brussels. Several items are on the agenda of the 27 Heads of State or Government, the hottest one being defence and rearmament. Actually, some issues such as the funding of the ReArm plan submitted by the EU Commission need to be addressed. Items on the agenda include support to Ukraine, economic competitiveness, the Middle East, migration (rules on repatriation). Speaking of Ukraine, Metsola pointed out that “peace will always be top of our agenda”, though she warned that “peace must be genuine, otherwise it is just an illusion of peace”.

As to defence, President Metsola warned that “in a world of individual rising powers, we cannot afford to be crushed under by lack of political ambition. Simply put: Europe must place itself as a force to be reckoned with. This means being ready. This means taking our safety, our readiness and our competitiveness seriously”. As far as competitiveness is concerned, Metsola “welcomed the progress made towards a Savings and Investments Union”, but she added that “we really need to make great strides”. As to the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), another item on the agenda, the President pointed out that “it will give us the chance of a lifetime to align our portfolio with our strategic priorities. Here, the status quo is not an option”.