European heads of government meet today in Brussels for the last summit of the year. The war in Ukraine, the economy and the energy crisis are the main topics that will be covered. “They only have one day, so it must be a long day.”
“Most of the time will be devoted to military and economic support for Ukraine,” says European correspondent Stefan de Vries. “There are fears of a humanitarian disaster as Russia continues to carry out attacks on crucial infrastructure, leaving residents out in the cold.” The EU therefore wants to send generators and equipment to repair networks in Ukraine, among other things.
Winter of ’23, ’24
At the same time, the EU itself is also grappling with an energy crisis. ‘The heads of government will therefore also discuss how to reduce energy demand. And also on how to reduce the price of energy. We will manage this winter, but the biggest concerns are for winter 2023-2024,’ says De Vries.
At the same time, a new sanctions package for Russia is also being discussed in Brussels. “Hundreds more people will be added to the list, as well as the Russian army and a number of banks.” In addition, new export controls on products such as chemicals and electronics are to be introduced, as well as an import ban on drones and unmanned aerial vehicles, including parts for these products. “Not only to Russia, but also to Iran, that country still supplies drones to Russia,” says De Vries.
Gas price limit
Until now, the Netherlands was one of the countries, together with Austria and Germany, which did not see a European price cap for gas. But the Netherlands has turned around and is now supporting a roof, says De Vries. ‘The Netherlands feared that suppliers would sell their gas elsewhere than in Europe simply because they could make more money elsewhere. But a correction mechanism has been devised for this and, according to Energy Minister Rob Jetten, it is now enough to agree anyway.
Germany and Austria are not that far away yet, but there is movement. “A deal on the energy cap was supposed to be reached last Tuesday, but it hasn’t materialized since then, but according to Jetten, a compromise is being worked on.”
One day summit
Normally an EU summit lasts two days, but this time only today. ‘This has to do with the summit meeting with Southeast Asian countries yesterday, so just one day for European affairs this time. But there is a lot to discuss, so it will be a long day’, says De Vries, who follows the summit for BNR.
Source: BNR
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