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Press material Tuesday 8 March 2022

● European Council   08/03/2022 19:54 | Press release | Invitation letter by President Charles Michel to the members of the European Council ahead of their informal meeting of 10 and 11 March 2022   Russia has brought war back to Europe. This unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine grossly violates international law and undermines European security. Russia is inflicting unspeakable suffering on the Ukrainian population. We commend the people of Ukraine for their courage in defending their country. Together with Ukraine, we stand firmly on the side of freedom and democracy. Ukraine is part of our European family. In response to Russia's aggression, the European Union has shown unity and strength. We have imposed on Russia the strictest sanctions ever adopted. The European Union and its Member States are providing coordinated humanitarian, political, financial and material support to Ukraine. Member States are also showing immense solidarity in hosting countless people fleeing the war. This conflict and its consequences will be at the heart of our informal meeting in Versailles on 10 and 11 March, which President Macron will kindly host. Over the past years, faced with multiple crises and challenges, we engaged together on an ambitious strategic agenda. In the light of recent events, it is more urgent than ever that we take decisive steps towards building our sovereignty, reducing our dependencies and designing a new growth and investment model. Consequently, at our informal meeting, I would like us to focus on three particular issues, namely: bolstering our defence capabilities; reducing our energy dependency, in particular on Russian gas, oil and coal, and building a more robust economic base. Our meeting will start on 10 March at 5:30 pm with an exchange of views with the President of the European Parliament. Our objective on the first day is to focus on the situation in Ukraine, as well as on defence and energy. On 11 March, our morning session and our working lunch will be devoted to our new growth and investment model in the presence of the President of the European Central Bank and the President of the Eurogroup. I look forward to seeing you in Versailles.

Press material Tuesday 8 March 2022   ● Council of the EU   08/03/2022 20:39 | Press release | Presidency press release - Informal Meeting of Ministers responsible for Culture, Media and the Audiovisual Sector   On 7 and 8 March, Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, the French Minister of Culture, welcomed her European counterparts in Angers for an informal meeting of EU Member State ministers responsible for culture and the media, held under the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The French Minister proposed a discussion on the situation in Ukraine. Oleksandr Tkachenko, Ukrainian Minister for Culture and Information Policy, spoke during a videoconference, after which the European ministers responsible for culture and media expressed their solidarity with Ukraine. Following their discussion, and in the presence of the European Commissioners, they adopted a declaration of EU ministers responsible for culture and media, to express their support to Ukraine and its people, in particular its artists, journalists and professionals of culture, and the Ukrainian media. Through this declaration the ministers also expressed their great concern about the threats and serious damage to Ukraine’s rich heritage of museums, monuments and cities. Read the full text of the press release in EN, FR and DE.

Press material Wednesday 9 March 2022   ● Council of the EU   09/03/2022 13:54 | Press release | Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine: EU agrees new sectoral measures targeting Belarus and Russia   Following up on the restrictive measures adopted on 2 March in response to the involvement of Belarus in the unjustified and unprovoked Russian military aggression against Ukraine, and in view of the continued gravity of the situation, the Council today adopted additional sectoral measures targeting the Belarusian financial sector. "With these additional sectoral sanctions, we are sending a strong message: the unprovoked and unjustified military aggression waged against Ukraine by the Putin regime with assistance by Lukashenko comes at a high price. We are closing the loopholes of our existing sanctions and imposing further measures on Belarus’ financial sector." Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy The agreed measures will: restrict the provision of specialised financial messaging services (SWIFT) to Belagroprombank, Bank Dabrabyt, and the Development Bank of the Republic of Belarus, as well as their Belarusian subsidiaries; prohibit transactions with the Central Bank of Belarus related to the management of reserves or assets, and the provision of public financing for trade with and investment in Belarus; prohibit the listing and provision of services in relation to shares of Belarus state-owned entities on EU trading venues as of 12 April 2022; significantly limit the financial inflows from Belarus to the EU, by prohibiting the acceptance of deposits exceeding €100.000 from Belarusian nationals or residents, the holding of accounts of Belarusian clients by the EU central securities depositories, as well as the selling of euro-denominated securities to Belarusian clients; prohibit the provision of euro denominated banknotes to Belarus. Furthermore the Council introduced further restrictive measures with regard to the export of maritime navigation goods and radio communication technology to Russia. By virtue of this decision it will be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer or export, directly or indirectly, maritime navigation goods and technology to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Russia, for use in Russia, or for the placing on board of a Russian-flagged vessel. The Council also expanded the list of legal persons, entities and bodies subject to the prohibitions related to investment services, transferable securities, money market instruments, and loans. Lastly the Council clarified the notion of “transferable securities” so as to clearly include crypto-assets, and thus ensure the proper implementation of the sectoral restrictions in place. The European Union condemns in the strongest possible terms the Russian Federation’s unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine, as well as the involvement of Belarus in this aggression. The European Union demands that Russia immediately ceases its military actions, unconditionally withdraws all forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine and fully respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence within its internationally recognised borders. The European Council calls on Russia and Russia-backed armed formations to respect international humanitarian law and stop their systematic information manipulation, including disinformation campaign and cyber-attacks. The use of force and coercion to change borders has no place in the 21st century. Tensions and conflict should be resolved exclusively through dialogue and diplomacy. The EU will continue cooperating closely with neighbours and reiterates its unwavering support for, and commitment to, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia and of the Republic of Moldova. It will continue strong coordination with partners and allies, within the UN, OSCE, NATO and the G7. The relevant legal acts will soon be published in the Official Journal. EU restrictive measures in response to the crisis in Ukraine (background information) European Council conclusions, 24 February 2022 Ukraine: Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the invasion of Ukraine by armed forces of the Russian Federation (24 February 2022) 08/03/2022 19:00 | Press releases Informal Meeting of Ministers responsible for Culture, Media and the Audiovisual Sector On 7 and 8 March, Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, the French Minister of Culture, welcomed her European counterparts in Angers for an informal meeting of EU Member State ministers responsible for culture and the media, held under the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The ministers were joined by Věra Jourová, European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency; Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market; and Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. On 7 and 8 March, Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, the French Minister of Culture, welcomed her European counterparts in Angers for an informal meeting of EU Member State ministers responsible for culture and the media, held under the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The ministers were joined by Věra Jourová, European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency; Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market; and Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. The French Minister wished to modify the meeting’s programme in response to the Russian Federation's unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine, and she proposed a discussion on the situation in Ukraine. Oleksandr Tkachenko, Ukrainian Minister for Culture and Information Policy, spoke during a videoconference, after which the European ministers responsible for culture and media expressed their solidarity with Ukraine. Following their discussion, and in the presence of the European Commissioners, they adopted a declaration of EU ministers responsible for culture and media, to express their support to Ukraine and its people, in particular its artists, journalists and professionals of culture, and the Ukrainian media. Through this declaration the ministers also expressed their great concern about the threats and serious damage to Ukraine’s rich heritage of museums, monuments and cities. Declaration of the European ministers responsible for culture and media on the situation in Ukraine The informal meeting also provided the opportunity to reaffirm the ambition shared by all the EU Member States to take action at European level to reinforce European policies to support the future of the media and diversity of online cultural content, on one hand, and to promote heritage, on the other. On the first day, the ministers and Commissioners were therefore able to discuss their vision for the future of the media in Europe and the means of enhancing cultural diversity online. On the second day, they addressed the new policy challenges for protecting and promoting cultural heritage. The future of the media and strengthening cultural diversity The digital revolution has changed citizens’ relationship to information and access to cultural content, creating opportunities in terms of the content available but also posing economic, social and political challenges. Addressing these considerations during an initial working session, the ministers exchanged views on the future of the media, as well as how to strengthen cultural diversity. They discussed the role that the Member States and the European Union can play in strengthening the economic model of the media, keeping in mind the goals of media pluralism and independence. They agreed on the importance of restoring public trust in the media through various actions, such as increasing media ownership transparency and promoting media literacy. In light of the hyperabundance of cultural content available online today, the ministers discussed ways to boost the discoverability of European cultural content, in terms of their availability online and how easily they can be found. These measures will contribute to strengthening European cultural diversity online. New European challenges concerning policies for protecting and promoting heritage During the second working session, the ministers turned their focus to heritage issues, from two angles: the fight at European level against the illicit trafficking of cultural goods, and issues related to promoting heritage. The ministers agreed on the need for more effective concrete means, at European level, to better combat the illicit trafficking of cultural goods, in particular through the interoperability and pooling of technical resources, creating a criminal justice component to effectively combat organised crime, and enhancing cooperation between all parties involved, including museums, the art market and public authorities. The ministers also addressed the issues linked to highlighting the value of European heritage, especially thanks to digital technology. This issue must be based on quality digitalisation offering a rich variety of content that is accessible to all. They agreed on the importance of creating a shared space for cultural heritage data, based on the digital library Europeana. They also had the opportunity to discuss ways to enhance the European Heritage Label, whose purpose is to contribute to strengthening citizens’ sense of belonging to the European Union and awareness of their shared history, heritage and values. During this working session, the ministers affirmed their commitment to safeguarding Ukrainian cultural heritage, in collaboration with international organisations.