Outcome of the meetings of EU leaders on 7-8 November 2024

Table of Contents

• Outcome of the meetings of EU leaders on 7-8 November 2024 1
• On 7-8 November, the European Political Community (EPC) held its 5th meeting in Budapest. The event gathered 42 European heads of state or government, among them the EU leaders, and was followed, for the European Council members, by a dinner and an in... 1
• Amid Russia's continuing war of aggression on Ukraine and the escalating situation in the Middle East, the EPC summit, held on 7 November, focused on Europe's security challenges. The next day, members of the European Council discussed EU competitiven... 1
• General 1
• 1. The European Political Community meeting 1
• Figure 1 – European Council President's tweet 1
• The US election results set the tone of the two back-to-back meetings in Budapest. Considering the undeniable tensions in transatlantic relations under President-elect Trump's previous term, an exchange of views on how best to prepare for the next four years was deemed important. The European Parliament President, Roberta Metsola, said: 'Our mentality is not 'America elects and Europe reacts', but 'Europe acts'.' 1
• Two EU leaders did not travel to Budapest: the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, on account of the flash floods that ravaged Valencia, and the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, following the collapse of the three-party federal government coalition the night before. In the preamble to the Budapest Declaration, EU leaders expressed their deepest condolences to and solidarity with the people of Spain. The violence towards Israeli football fans in Amsterdam on 7 November was mentioned by the Dutch Prime Minister, Dick Schoof, and condemned by the European Council President, Charles Michel, during the press conference. 1
• As this informal meeting was the last for Charles Michel as European Council President, the participants thanked him for his dedication over the past five years. On 1 December, the former Portuguese Prime Minister, António Costa, will take the helm of the European Council. 1
• The fifth EPC meeting took place on 7 November at the Puskás Arena in Budapest. It was attended by 42 European leaders, among them the EU leaders. The EU was represented by President Michel and the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen. The European Parliament President, Roberta Metsola, also attended the EPC. The former Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, took part in his capacity as NATO Secretary-General. Noteworthy was the attendance of the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who had only attended the first EPC meeting in Prague. 1
• The overarching theme of the day was addressing the major security challenges facing Europe, with two important aspects being the ongoing Russian war on Ukraine and the escalating conflict in the Middle East. The outcome of the US elections had a significant impact on the security discussion. Just ahead of the elections, the Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, had tweeted that 'the era of geopolitical outsourcing is over'. President Metsola echoed these words at the opening of the EPC meeting, capturing the sentiment expressed by many leaders. 2
• The morning session focused on security challenges and was followed by breakout sessions on migration and economic security. After the opening remarks by the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, delivered a speech emphasising the importance of 'peace through strength' and not through concessions. Interestingly, Chapter 10 of the 2024 US Republican Party platform reads 'Return to peace through strength'. The session on migration, co-chaired by the Austrian Chancellor, Karl Nehammer, and the UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, covered irregular migration and its instrumentalisation, building on discussions during the fourth EPC meeting. The session on economic security, led by the Latvian Prime Minister, Evika Siliņa (in place of Chancellor Scholz, originally planned as co-chair), and the Norwegian Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, addressed connectivity-related issues such as energy, transport and global trade. 2
• Originally, it was the French President, Emmanuel Macron, who on 9 May 2022 proposed establishing a forum for political dialogue among European countries. At the first EPC meeting in Prague in October 2022, it was agreed that this informal platform would aim to foster discussions among peers at the highest level and build cooperation on issues of concern for the European continent. Due to the informal nature of EPC meetings, no declarations are adopted at their close. Instead, their value lies precisely in their informality, allowing for strategic discussions, roundtables and bilateral meetings between leaders of European countries – within the EU and outside it – to take place. The talks held between Erdoğan and the Cypriot President, Níkos Christodoulídis, demonstrate the unique bilateral opportunities provided by the EPC. Those talks were also attended by the Greek Prime Minister Kyriákos Mitsotákis and the Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama. 2
• EPC summits are held on a bi-annual basis, hosted alternately by the EU country holding the EU Council Presidency and a non-EU country. Albania is to host the sixth EPC summit in the first half of 2025, followed by Denmark in the second half. 2
• 2. The informal European Council meeting 2
• Foreign policy and transatlantic relations 2
• Georgia 3
• Middle East 3
• Competitiveness 3
• Budapest Declaration on the new European competitiveness deal 4
• Ahead of the 8 November informal European Council meeting, EU leaders met for dinner and discussed a range of topics, including transatlantic relations, Georgia and Israel. Having missed the EPC meeting, Chancellor Scholz joined the EU leaders for dinner. The strategic debate on transatlantic relations focused on three main aspects: (i) bilateral relations; (ii) security and geopolitics, with a special focus on Ukraine; and (iii) global challenges and international cooperation. 2
• EU leaders congratulated Trump on his election victory on X, in press statements and over the phone. Even if relations between the new US administration and the EU were centre stage, many EU leaders seemed to focus more on bilateral relations between their own countries and the US than on a joint approach, prompting von der Leyen to tweet that, 'The EU and the US are more than just allies. We are bound by a true partnership between our people, uniting 800 million citizens'. Some EU leaders, notably Germany's and Portugal's, also mentioned their countries' partnerships with the US within NATO. At the door, the Luxembourg Prime Minister, Luc Frieden, stated that 'we will stick to our principles but we want to have a friendly partnership with the United States'. 2
• When it comes to Russia's war on Ukraine, there was much speculation about the new US administration's plans, particularly in relation to what point 8 of Trump's 20 core campaign promises meant for Ukraine in practical terms: 'Prevent World War 3, restore peace in Europe'. When interviewed, EU leaders were keen to avoid hypothetical discussions about what would happen if Trump cut funding for Ukraine's defence. Dick Schoof stated, 'We should only talk about the stop of the American support at the moment that that is the topic'. However, it is likely that EU leaders considered various scenarios when discussing the impact of Trump's election on EU security and geopolitics. Siliņa underlined that the European Council had already emphasised the importance of defence, which is now a core priority in the Strategic Agenda 2024-2029, as indicated by the nomination of a European Commissioner for defence. Despite this, several EU leaders, such as the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, and the Finnish Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo, pointed out that the EU needed to do more for its own security and defence. 2
• Concerns were also raised about the Trump presidency's potential impact on international efforts to tackle climate change. The Irish Taoiseach (prime minister), Simon Harris, for instance, emphasised the importance of the EU and the US remaining actively engaged in global issues, notably climate. 3
• Georgia was on track for EU membership in 2023. However, in recent months the ruling (pro-Russian) Georgian Dream party has been steering the country away from the EU path. EU leaders have expressed concerns about acts of intimidation against civil society representatives, political leaders, civil activists and journalists in Georgia. They have also called on Georgia to reverse its adoption of the transparency of foreign influence law. In October 2023, the Commission noted that 'the level of constructive political dialogue [has been] significantly reduced' since the adoption of this law. Georgia's accession process is now de facto halted. Following Georgia's recent parliamentary elections, thousands protested over alleged election fraud, yet the ruling party claimed victory. Election observation missions raised concerns about several shortcomings. Before the informal dinner, the leaders of Germany, France, and Poland released a joint statement on the situation in Georgia, which fed into discussions amongst EU leaders on the way forward. 3
• In October 2024, the European Council emphasised the crucial role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and condemned any efforts to revoke the 1967 agreement between Israel and the agency. However, the Israeli Parliament approved two bills that would impede UNRWA's humanitarian aid work in the occupied Palestinian territories. Ireland, Norway, Slovenia and Spain issued a joint condemnation of the legislation, while France, Belgium and other European countries expressed concerns about its potential consequences. EU leaders discussed how this move would affect EU-Israeli relations. 3
• President Michel set the scene in his invitation letter by stressing that 'Over the past 20 years, the EU's share of world GDP has halved', and urging action to strengthen EU competitiveness. On 8 November, the former European Central Bank (ECB) President, Mario Draghi, presented to EU leaders his report on 'The future of European competitiveness', which had already been mentioned briefly at the October meeting. It provides a relatively grim picture of the EU's economy, and calls for urgent action. However, it creates divisions among Member States, notably as regards the proposed measures' funding. The idea of new common debt was, for instance, rejected by Germany. The Draghi report has already fed into the Commission's political guidelines, the Commissioners' mission letters, and seems to constitute a guiding document for the next 5 years. 3
• Considering the complexity of the current global setting, the discussion on EU competitiveness was particularly timely. The outcome of the US elections may indeed have far-reaching implications on transatlantic relations, especially on trade; the recent BRICS meeting in Kazan has also highlighted the changing dynamics. The BRICS countries, currently accounting for 37.3 % of global GDP, have plans to replace US dollar payments with a new system called the Brics Bridge. This could have major implications for world trade, financial systems and the global power balance between countries. The current ECB President, Christine Lagarde, also shared her views on the situation of the EU economy. The picture she presented follows the sobering statement on EU competitiveness issued by the Eurogroup meeting, held in an inclusive format, on 4 November. 3
• The Budapest Declaration follows the path set by the Versailles and Granada declarations, the April 2024 European Council conclusions and the EU's Strategic Agenda 2024-2029. It mentions how the Enrico Letta and Draghi reports are a wake-up call and underlines that 'business as usual is no longer an option'. One key request in the declaration is 'a new and comprehensive horizontal strategy on the deepening of the Single Market', with a roadmap indicating a clear timeline and milestones by June 2025. This request was already mentioned in April, but the details are now more specific. 4
• EU leaders also focused on moving towards a savings and investment union by 2026, making progress on the capital markets union and banking union. They called on the High Representative and the Commission to present 'without delay' options for public and private funding to increase EU defence readiness and capabilities. 4
• Regarding industrial policy, EU leaders went further than in April, asking the Commission 'as a priority' for a comprehensive industrial strategy, including both competitive industries and quality jobs. The current industrial strategy was last updated in 2021. The EU car industry is struggling, and potential US tariffs could affect it further. Furthermore, as a result of a trade dispute with China over green technology imports, the EU applies tariffs on Chinese EVs. 4
• Regarding research and innovation, EU leaders stated that closing the innovation gap with global competitors and putting 'Europe at the forefront of research and innovation globally' is an urgent priority. In that context, EU leaders reiterated that R&D should constitute 3 % of EU GDP by 2030 and voiced support for the idea of a fifth freedom of research, innovation, knowledge and education. 4
• Considering current high and volatile energy prices, EU leaders called for urgent measures to address them. They also called for the acceleration of the energy transition and for the establishment of a genuine energy union as 'a matter of priority'. 4
• Regarding trade and economic security, EU leaders reiterated the central role of the World Trade Organization and the need to pursue an ambitious, robust, open and sustainable trade policy to ensure a level playing field. Trade agreements remain a controversial issue, with France recently warning that the EU should not sign the Mercosur trade deal without French approval. 4
• The declaration also includes a request for a circular economy act (with no specific deadline) and for new Commission proposals on the digital economy by June 2025. Moreover, EU leaders request a 'simplification revolution' to ease reporting requirements, particularly for SMEs, 'by at least 25 % in the first half of 2025'. Finally, the declaration mentions the future of EU funding, with the next multiannual financial framework proposal expected in July 2025. 4
• DISCLAIMER AND COPYRIGHT 4
• This document is prepared for, and addressed to, the Members and staff of the European Parliament as background material to assist them in their parliamentary work. The content of the document is the sole responsibility of its author(s) and any opinions expressed herein should not be taken to represent an official position of the Parliament. 4
• Reproduction and translation for non-commercial purposes are authorised, provided the source is acknowledged and the European Parliament is given prior notice and sent a copy. 4
• © European Union, 2024. 4
• eprs@ep.europa.eu (contact) 4
• www.eprs.ep.parl.union.eu (intranet) 4
• www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank (internet) 4
• http://epthinktank.eu (blog) 4