“We have an agreement.
All 27 leaders agreed on
an additional support package of 50 billion euros for Ukraine within the EU budget
. This ensures constant, long-term and predictable financing for Ukraine. 'Ukraine. The EU is taking on leadership and responsibility for supporting Ukraine": this was announced by
the President of the European Council Charles Michel
.
For Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Šmyhal,
the agreement on EU aid to Kiev will help achieve a "common victory"
.
"On the basis of the Commission's annual report on the implementation of the aid package for Ukraine, the European Council - we read in a paragraph of the conclusions of the EU summit - will hold an annual debate on the implementation itself with the aim of giving an guidance. If necessary, in two years' time the European Council will invite the Commission to present a revision proposal in the context of the review of the community budget".
The formula allowed the impasse on macro-financial aid to Kiev to be resolved.
In the agreement between the 27 on the common budget and aid to Ukraine, a passage was added, particularly dear to Viktor Orban:
a reference to the conclusions of the European Council of December 2020 on the conditionality mechanism
, on the basis of which Brussels froze the funds for Hungary.
EU sources explain that, specifically, the warning refers to the fact that "the measures envisaged by the mechanism must be proportionate to the impact of violations of the rule of law".
Furthermore, that text regulates "fair treatment" between the 27 in the application of the conditionality mechanism.
Before the start of the extraordinary summit in Brussels,
there was
a
limited meeting to try to convince Viktor Orban on the agreement:
in addition to Orban, the meeting was attended by the President of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the EU Council Charles Michel, the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The summit is also marked by farmers' protests.
"I will work for a 27-member agreement" on aid to Ukraine,
German Chancellor
Olaf Scholz
said when arriving at the European Council.
"Everyone needs to do more."
For the Dutch Prime Minister,
Mark Rutte,
"There is only one show in town and that is to find an agreement among 27, including Hungary because any other solution is very difficult".
"There are no problems with the so-called 'Ukraine fatigue', now we have 'Orban fatigue' here in Brussels - said the Polish Prime Minister,
Donald Tus
k, upon arriving at the summit -. There are many aspects to resolve. What we have need today is to strengthen our unity on Ukraine against Russia and its aggressive policy."
"At the EU summit we will also talk about the
terrible humanitarian situation in Gaza
- said the high representative
Josep Borrell arriving at the summit
-: we cannot collectively punish the Palestinians, the work of UNRWA cannot be interrupted, there is no other alternative if we want keep the inhabitants of Gaza alive."
"The investigations must obviously continue but the funding to UNRWA must not be interrupted, the EU and the Commission have decided not to interrupt it", he specified.
Meanwhile there was a new conversation between Meloni and Orban.
The meeting, as far as we know, took place at the Europa Building, before the start of the summit.
The two leaders had already met during the night, in a hotel in the center of Brussels where Meloni is staying.
And it was a night of negotiations
: the common budget dossier was the subject of two key meetings, the one between Orban and Prime Minister Meloni and the one between the Hungarian Prime Minister and Emmanuel Macron immediately afterwards, both lasting about an hour.