Summary of the day
The EU’s 27 heads of state and government met for a second day in Brussels.
Their discussions focused on the future of the European economy.
Enrico Letta, a former Italian prime minister and the author of a report the leaders are discussing on the economy, said “there’s no time to waste.”
Charles Michel, the European Council president, told leaders that “the single market and the economic base is our best asset” and “we need to identify what we should do to make sure that this asset can be developed.”
Ulf Kristersson, the Swedish prime minister, said “we need simpler, better and less regulations, lower trade barriers for services and more trade deals.”
Ireland, Luxembourg, Sweden and at least a dozen other countries lined up against a French move to centralise supervision of financial markets amid fears it would lead to flight of capital and hard fought inward investment.
On the sidelines of the talks, some leaders continued raising concerns about the situation in Ukraine.
Donald Tusk, the Polish prime minister, said that “if all the words that were said in the last years here in Brussels about common defence, could be changed into bullets and rocket launchers, Europe would have become the strongest power in the world. And the safest place,” he said.
The Lithuanian president, Gitanas Nausėda, said the leaders spoke about concerns about Russia and Iran working together in the Middle East.
The Latvian prime minister, Evika Siliņa, said leaders last night said they would prepare further sanctions against Belarus.
“Ukraine needs our help now,” the Estonian prime minister, Kaja Kallas, said. “If you look away, it will cost more. Security and prosperity in Europe and the U.S. are tied. Giving Ukraine aid saves American jobs and tax dollars.”
Speaking to the BBC, the Ukrainian prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, warned of the possibility of a third world war.
The Turkish foreign ministry has issued a statement criticising the EU’s leaders for their conclusions on relations with Ankara as “yet another example of the EU’s lack of strategic vision on Türkiye and the global developments.”
The European Commission proposed opening negotiations with the UK to allow free movement enjoyed before Brexit to millions of 18 to 30 year olds in a major post Brexit concession.
