Tuesday

30th May 2023

Leaders gather at Versailles after atrocity in Ukraine

  • Despite the pomp, and the grandness of the setting, no major breakthroughs were foreseen at the EU leaders' summit in Versailles (Photo: Council of the European Union)
Listen to article

EU heads of state and government gathered in the formal splendour of the French palace of Versailles on Thursday (10 March) while nearly 3,000 miles away, in Mariupol in Ukraine, a clean up was underway, after a Russian forces bombed a children's and maternity hospital, killing three people.

Earlier in the day, EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen underlined the gravity of the attack, calling the atrocity at Mariupol a likely "war crime," on Twitter.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

And arriving at Versailles, she sought to make the response to conflict part of European collective responsibility, suggesting that the EU's future and its citizens' freedoms are at stake too.

"It is a moment where we see Putin's war is also a question of the resilience of democracies," said von der Leyen who, like dozens of other dignitaries, arrived at the palace to be welcomed by French president Emmanuel Macron and the sound of a French military band.

Yet, despite the pomp, and the grandness of the setting, no major breakthroughs were foreseen.

EU leaders were expected to agree to increase military spending and cooperation, and to agree to phase out dependence on Russian fossil resources, as they've been discussing for days.

They also were scheduled to discuss possible new bond issuance to finance energy and defence spending — but without taking a final decision.

Nor was any decision expected on cutting imports of Russian fossil resources, or on speeding up Ukraine's accession to the European Union because of the depth of division among member states.

On Ukraine's dramatic appeal for a form of fast-tracked membership last week, EU leaders were instead expected to state in a final declaration that, "Ukraine belongs to our European family."

The summit in the French royal palace had been planned before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.

Even so, the location has stirred some discomfort among observers who recall how it was the setting for the peace treaties signed in 1918 that laid the groundwork for the second world war, which followed two decades later.

The meeting at Versailles comes against the background of the Russian invasion of Ukraine that has threatened to unravel the post-war security order for the European continent.

These days, the positions of EU member states suggest there may be no quick and simple way the Russian challenge.

Most eastern and central European leaders, who have been warning about the Russian threat for years, back harder sanctions and cutting Russian gas and oil imports.

Germany, however, along with Italy, Hungary, Austria, which are among those most exposed to Russian energy imports, are not keen on a quick phase out Russian energy despite the dependencies they create and the large sums of money that flow to the Kremlin as a result.

"We should not only isolate but cripple Putin's economy, we have to make sanctions much harder, much faster," said Latvian prime minister Krišjānis Kariņš, who called for a full stop to EU energy imports from Russia.

"What do we have to lose?" Kariņš asked. "We have to defend democracy, and stop Russian neo-imperialism," he said, explaining that Europe was relying on Ukraine to fight on its behalf to safeguard democracy.

No fast-track

States like Latvia also back Ukraine's swift EU membership, but there is no immediately clear path forward there, either.

Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte, was among those on Thursday to tamp down expectations that Ukraine would be an EU member state any time soon.

"The Netherlands stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, but there is no such thing as fast-tracking accession," said Rutte. "I want to focus on what we can do for Ukraine tonight," he said, but "accession is for the long-term."

EU leaders were expected to say in their final declaration that Russia had "grossly" violated international law and to call for the country to "be held to account for" a "war of aggression."

Moscow should cease its military action and withdraw from "the entire territory of Ukraine immediately and unconditionally," they were expected to say.

EU leaders were also expected to refer to a part of the EU treaty, which says that if "a member state is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other member states shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power."

That is far from a military assistance of the kind shared among Nato members, where all come to the defence of any member subjected to an attack.

Even so it was a nod to the concerns of Finland and Sweden, which are outside the military alliance, but have been seeking greater reassurance of European support in the event of a spillover of the Ukrainian war.

EU leaders also pledged to increase defence expenditures — but they will not give a specific amount during the summit, or make an overall pledge to reach the level of 2 percent of GDP long sought by the United States and Nato.

The EU would "take more responsibility" for Europe's security and "contribute positively to global and transatlantic security and is complementary to NATO," the leaders were expected to say.

As for joint projects involving preparations for hybrid warfare, strengthening cyber-resilience, and enhancing military mobility and space projects, leaders were expected to task the commission with identifying investment gaps — by mid-May.

Lobbyists and lawyers start split from Moscow

Some consultancies, such as Brunswick or Kreab, were already refusing Russian clients well before the invasion in late February. Law firm Covington represented the Ukrainian government on a pro-bono basis in its case against Russia at the Hague this week.

Opinion

How the EU's money for waste went to waste in Lebanon

The EU led support for the waste management crisis in Lebanon, spending around €89m between 2004-2017, with at least €30m spent on 16 solid-waste management facilities. However, it failed to deliver.

Latest News

  1. Germany unsure if Orbán fit to be 'EU president'
  2. EU Parliament chief sat on MEP abuse case for 30 weeks
  3. EU clashes over protection of workers exposed to asbestos
  4. EU to blacklist nine Russians over jailing of dissident
  5. Russia-Ukraine relations the Year After the war
  6. Why creating a new legal class of 'climate refugees' is a bad idea
  7. Equatorial Guinea: a 'tough nut' for the EU
  8. New EU ethics body and Moldova conference This WEEK

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  2. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable
  3. World BankWorld Bank Report Highlights Role of Human Development for a Successful Green Transition in Europe
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic summit to step up the fight against food loss and waste
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersThink-tank: Strengthen co-operation around tech giants’ influence in the Nordics
  6. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. InformaConnecting Expert Industry-Leaders, Top Suppliers, and Inquiring Buyers all in one space - visit Battery Show Europe.
  2. EFBWWEFBWW and FIEC do not agree to any exemptions to mandatory prior notifications in construction
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic and Baltic ways to prevent gender-based violence
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Economic gender equality now! Nordic ways to close the pension gap
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Pushing back the push-back - Nordic solutions to online gender-based violence
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: The Nordics are ready to push for gender equality

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us