European Union

“It is our moral obligation to create what I would call a European Political Community”. The words used by Emmanuel Macron as President of the Council of the European Union, to wrap up one year of work of the Conference on the Future of Europe (COFOE) confirms that a profound reform of the EU is becoming a moral imperative.

Japan scrambled jets after Russian and Chinese warplanes neared its airspace on Tuesday (24 May), when Tokyo was hosting the leaders of the Quad grouping of countries that includes the United States, Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi said.

Hungary will not drop its opposition to an EU embargo on Russian oil any time soon, and so EU leaders should not discuss the issue at next week’s summit in Brussels, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told European Council President Charles...

If EURACTIV were a sensationalist tabloid, the headline would have written itself: “EUROCRATS GIVE CHEAP FLIGHTS THE KISS OF DEATH”. It has the twin tabloid virtues of being grabbing and not entirely true.

Russia is deliberately weaponising food and hunger to wield global power, according to European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen, who warned that it is the world’s most vulnerable who will bear the brunt of its actions.

A Portuguese project on cross-border cooperation through music has won the 2022 European Charlemagne Youth Prize.

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

A Portuguese project on cross-border cooperation through music has won the 2022 European Charlemagne Youth Prize.

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, currently on a trip to South Africa on Tuesday (24 May) will likely have a hard time discussing cooperation on vaccine production as South African leaders have been making strong calls for the release of vaccine patents. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he no longer recognises the prime minister of Greece— Nato ally and neighbour — Kyriakos Mitsotakis, whom he accused of seeking to block the sale of American F-16 jets to Turkey. "There's no longer anyone called Mitsotakis in my book," Erdogan told reporters in the US . The row comes amid Turkey's threat to block a proposed expansion of Nato, to Sweden and Finland.

The European Central Bank (ECB) said on Tuesday cryptocurrencies may pose a risk to financial stability if the market maintains its rapid growth of the last two years and financial institutions become increasingly involved with crypto-assets. The significant volatility of crypto-assets could put capital at risk — with financial institutions facing reputational and climate-transition risks, the ECB warned. EU regulation on cryptocurrencies has not been agreed yet by co-legislators.

Western countries should not trade security for economic profit, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned on Tuesday (24 May), pointing to the risks of leaving close economic ties with Russia and China unchecked.

British prime minister Boris Johnson is facing renewed questions after photos showing him drinking at an event during a Covid-19 lockdown in November 2020 were released by ITV News. BBC reported that at least one person who attended was fined, but the prime minister was not. Asked earlier in parliament whether a party had taken place on that date, Johnson said "no", adding that "I'm sure...all the rules were followed".

Written by Sebastian Clapp.

In a united response to Russia’s war on Ukraine, which started on 24 February 2022, EU Member States agreed to supply Ukraine with military equipment, including equipment designed to deliver lethal force. As of 16 May, Member States had agreed to make available €1.5 billion through the European Peace Facility (EPF) to fund assistance measures aimed at supporting the capabilities and resilience of the Ukrainian armed forces. A further €500 million in assistance was proposed on 13 May 2022 and is likely to be adopted very soon, bringing the amount up to €2 billion. Accordingly, the EPF will pay for some of the equipment Member States have provided or will provide to Ukraine. This is a first in the EU’s history, which has never jointly financed the provision of weapons to a third country.

Weapons and military aid pledged or delivered bilaterally by EU Member States: the issue of whether to supply Ukraine with heavy weapons (e.g. tanks) or light weapons (e.g. machine guns) or no weapons at all has sparked fierce debates in capitals across Europe. While countries such as Czechia, Poland and Slovenia have reportedly delivered heavy weaponry including T-72 tanks, others such as Austria and Ireland have decided to provide exclusively non-lethal equipment, in line with their policies of neutrality. So far, only Hungary, Malta and Cyprus have decided not to supply Ukraine with any military equipment at all. In addition to military equipment, many Member States have provided significant military aid. The graphic (Figure 1) and table (Annex I) below seek to provide an overview of the weapons and military aid (other than weapons deliveries) pledged or delivered bilaterally to Ukraine by Member States.

In order to coordinate supply and demand, the EU Military Staff within the European External Action Service have set up a clearing house mechanism, which coordinates supply and demand. Ukraine submits requests to this clearing house for the equipment needed. The requests are then checked, validated and matched with supply. Subsequently, each Member State delivers the available equipment and arms individually. These are predominantly taken from existing stocks, due to the urgent nature of the deliveries. Some of the military equipment that EU Member States have delivered to Ukraine may be eligible for reimbursement through the European Peace Facility – a new off-budget fund of €5.69 billion in current prices, operational since 1 July 2021. However, the process of validating Member States’ requests for reimbursement has not yet been finalised. Therefore, for the time being, it is not possible to establish the extent to which Member States will be reimbursed – through the EPF – for the military equipment/weapons they have delivered to Ukraine. Even if only some weapons will be reimbursed, the fact that they will be is groundbreaking, as it is the first time ever that the EU is financing the provision of weapons to a third country from a joint fund. According to EU High Representative Josep Borrell, this represents the breaking of a taboo.

On 1 March 2022, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for the EPF to be used to allocate significant additional funding to provide Ukraine with defensive military equipment and called for its immediate implementation. In a recent draft report, the Parliament noted that, on the follow-up of the adoption of the Strategic Compass, the EU must draw lessons from the use of the EPF in supporting Ukraine, increase its funding and build on the clearing house mechanism that was first implemented for Ukraine.

Disclaimer: The graphic (Figure I) and table (Annex I) below are non-exhaustive lists of weapons, non-lethal equipment and military aid delivered bilaterally to Ukraine by Member States, which have been compiled using exclusively open-source information. They do not in any way claim to represent a complete picture.

Figure 1: Weapons and military aid pledged and/or delivered bilaterally by EU Member States Member StateType of military equipment pledged or delivered to Ukraine Main source: Forum on the Arms Trade, if not specified otherwise AustriaNo weapons, but 10 000 helmets, fuel, protective equipmentBelgium200 anti-tank weapons, 5 000 automatic rifles/machine guns and fuelBulgariaNo weapons, but bullet proof vests, helmets and medical suppliesCroatiaRifles and machine guns, protective equipmentCzechiaT-72 tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, man-portable anti-aircraft weapons, 20 machine guns, 132 assault rifles, 70 submachine guns, 108 000 bullets, 4 000 mortars, 30 000 pistols, 7 000 assault rifles, 3 000 machine guns, sniper riflesCyprusNo weapons or military equipment, but medical suppliesDenmark2 700 anti-tank weapons, 300 Stinger missiles, protective vestsEstoniaJavelin anti-tank missiles, nine howitzers, €220 million military aidFinland2 500 assault rifles, 150 000 cartridges, 1 500 single-shot anti-tank weaponsFranceMILAN anti-tank guided missile systems, CAESAR artillery howitzers, plus unspecified defence equipmentGermany50 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks, 56 infantry fighting vehicles, 1 000 anti-tank weapons, 500 Stinger missiles, armoured howitzersGreecePortable rocket launchers, ammunition, Kalashnikov riflesHungaryNo weapons or military equipment, but medical suppliesIrelandNo weapons, but fuel, helmets, vests and medical suppliesItalyPending parliamentary approval – Stinger missiles, anti-tank weapons, heavy machine guns, light machine guns, counter-IED systemsLatviaStinger anti-aircraft missilesLithuaniaStinger anti-aircraft missiles and ammunitionLuxembourg100 Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapons, Jeep Wrangler 4×4 vehicles, non-lethal equipmentMaltaNo weapons or military equipment, but medical suppliesNetherlands200 Stinger missiles, 3 000 combat helmets, 2 000 fragmentation vests, 100 sniper rifles, ammunition, 400 rocket-propelled grenade launchersPoland200+ T-72 tanks, Piorun man-portable air defence weapons, pledges to supply ammunition, further air defence systems, light mortars, and reconnaissance dronesPortugalGrenades and ammunition, G3 automatic rifles, and other non-lethal equipmentRomaniaFuel, bulletproof vests, helmets, ammunition, military equipment and medical suppliesSlovakiaS-300 air defence systemSloveniaT-72 tanks (reported), undisclosed amount of Kalashnikov rifles, helmets and ammunitionSpain1 370 anti-tank grenade launchers, ammunition, light machine guns, medical supplies, helmets, flak jacketsSweden10 000 AT4 anti-tank weapons, helmets, and body shieldsANNEX I: Overview of type of military equipment pledged or delivered to Ukraine by Member States

Read this ‘at a glance’ on ‘Russia’s war on Ukraine: Bilateral delivery of weapons and military aid to Ukraine‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Sweden is recommending a fifth Covid-19 vaccine dose for people with an increased risk of becoming seriously ill, including pregnant women and anyone aged 65 and over, authorities said Tuesday. Officials said the country must "be prepared for an increased spread during the upcoming autumn and winter season," AP reported.

The portfolio of France's new "super economy ministry", while welcomed by tech, does not include a successor to Secretary of State Cédric O, creating uncertainty over whether such an appointment will be made. EURACTIV France reports.

Moldova on Tuesday (24 May) detained pro-Russian ex-president Igor Dodon on suspicion of treason and corruption, prosecutors said, as the conflict in neighbouring Ukraine has heightened tensions in the country seeking EU membership.

Russian forces were launching an all-out assault to encircle Ukrainian troops in twin cities straddling a river in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday (24 May), a battle which could determine the success or failure of Moscow's main campaign in the east.

As the war in Ukraine drags on, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is increasingly moving in the direction of negotiations: in an interview on the weekend he said that ultimately the war could only be ended through diplomacy. At the same time Italy presented a multi-stage peace plan to the UN. How acceptable would a compromise solution be?