EU foreign affairs will gather in Luxembourg on Monday (14 April), with Ukraine, the Middle East, EU-Africa relations and the Western Balkans on the agenda.
There is growing momentum among 26 EU member states — all except Hungary — to begin preparing the next round of sanctions against Russia. However, serious doubts hang over the renewal of the whole sanctions regime (due to expire in July and September), as unanimity is required and Budapest has repeatedly used its veto in the past to secure the removal of Russian individuals and entities from the blacklist.
On Ukraine, ministers are expected to discuss contributions to the so-called 'Kallas Plan', which involves spending €5bn on two million rounds of large-calibre artillery ammunition this year.
Talks on the Middle East will range from the situation in Gaza to Syria, where a new transitional government is now in place. The first-ever EU-Palestinian Authority high-level dialogue will follow the foreign affairs summit — a meeting that resembles previous conversations with Israel in February.
EU-Africa relations will be discussed ahead of the ministerial meeting in Brussels in May, which will bring together over 80 governments from the African Union and the EU. The conflict in Sudan, which has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises with more than 15 million forcibly displaced individuals, will also be on the table.
EU ministers are set to discuss possible sanctions against Bosnia’s Republika Srpska, including Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik — but efforts are unlikely to fly due to opposition from Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and the unanimity requirement for EU sanctions. With EU-wide action stalled, some countries are going alone. Austria and Germany are set to slap travel bans on Dodik and two other top officials earlier this month, while other countries are considering potential entry bans.
The discussion on the Western Balkans will focus on security and defence cooperation as well as EU integration. This will follow a Sunday (13 April) dinner hosted by EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas and the leaders of the region's six countries.
Also on Monday, the Polish EU Council presidency is organising a meeting with Albanian ministers to discuss further reforms needed for its EU’s membership bid.
In Warsaw, an informal meeting of ministers for social affairs will take place on Monday and Tuesday (15 April). Talks will cover the impact of algorithms and digital technologies on the labour market and active integration policies.
Right after, on Wednesday (17 April), ministers responsible for gender equality will meet in the Polish capital. During the meeting, Poland, Denmark and Cyprus (the last two due to follow Poland as the next host countries of the EU Council presidency) are expected to sign a declaration on gender equality.
On Monday, European trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič will be in Washington for talks with US officials aimed at reaching a deal on tariffs.
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni will meet US president Donald Trump in the US on Wednesday for an official working visit.
According to an EU diplomat, such trips are not seen as problematic so long as the Italian PM not only delivers her national message but also the official line from the EU.
Meloni’s visit follows Washington’s announcement of a 90-day pause on tariffs, prompting Brussels to also suspend its €22bn counter-tariffs, which were originally set to take effect on Tuesday. But the negative reactions of the markets are still evident.
Meloni is in a tricky spot because while she is a close ally of Trump, she also has to defend Italy’s economy, which is already feeling the hit from US tariffs.
While the pause buys time for Brussels to negotiate, the EU still faces Trump's new standard 10-percent import tariff. "We want to give negotiations a chance,” said EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen last week on social media.
But different member states have different strategies, while France has advocated for a more aggressive response targeting US tech, others like Ireland, Italy or Spain are urging caution and continued dialogue to avoid escalating the dispute.
Italy’s foreign affairs minister, Antonio Tajani, said last week that Europe should avoid “uncontrolled reactions that would cause damage" to both sides of the Atlantic.
The meeting with Trump this week will allow Meloni, who has previously portrayed herself as a bridge-builder between Brussels and Washington, to showcase her diplomatic abilities and position Italy as a key player in transatlantic relations.
Meloni was the only EU leader at Trump's inauguration in January.
Elena is EUobserver's editor-in-chief. She is from Spain and has studied journalism and new media in Spanish and Belgian universities. Previously she worked on European affairs at VoteWatch Europe and the Spanish news agency EFE.
Elena is EUobserver's editor-in-chief. She is from Spain and has studied journalism and new media in Spanish and Belgian universities. Previously she worked on European affairs at VoteWatch Europe and the Spanish news agency EFE.