COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,update

 

Press material Thursday, 11 September 2025

● European Council   11/09/2025 15:05 | Press release | First ever EU-Egypt summit to take place in Brussels on 22 October   The President of the European Council, António Costa, together with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will represent the EU at the first EU-Egypt summit taking place in Brussels on 22 October 2025. President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi will represent Egypt.  The summit will focus on bilateral relations and further deepening the political and economic partnership, as set out in the EU-Egypt Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership, with the aim of fostering their shared stability, peace and prosperity. Leaders will also discuss today’s global challenges, including the situation in the Middle East, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, multilateralism, trade, migration and security. “Egypt is a strategic partner for the European Union. Our longstanding ties are rooted in shared history, geography, and culture, as well as the strong bonds between our peoples. The EU deeply values Egypt’s stabilising role in the Middle East region and its mediation role in the Gaza conflict. Our first bilateral summit will be an excellent opportunity to further deepen our partnership, cooperate in addressing our common challenges and unleash the full potential of our relationship.” — António Costa, President of the European Council Background  In March 2024, the EU and Egypt mutually agreed to elevate their relationship to the level of a Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership, covering six pillars of cooperation and common priorities: political relations, economic stability, trade and investments, migration and mobility, security and demography and human capital. Advancing in these areas will unlock the full potential of the EU-Egypt relationship. As part of the commitment to intensify the bilateral political dialogue, it was then decided to hold an EU-Egypt Summit once every two years, on top of the annual Association Council.  In 2024, the EU was Egypt’s largest trading partner, accounting for 22% of Egypt’s total trade. The EU was also the main destination for Egyptian exports (26.5% of the total) and the largest source of Egyptian imports (19.9% of the total). The Strategic Partnership is to enhance co-operation between the EU and Egypt to fully implement and unleash the full potential of the Free Trade Area of the Association Agreement agreed in 2004.   Visit the website

● European Council

11/09/2025 14:34 | Statements and remarks | Press remarks by President António Costa following the meeting with Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico   Dear Prime Minister, dear Robert, first of all, thank you very much for your warm welcome and frank discussion. These meetings are very important for me. First of all, because it's important to keep European institutions close to the European citizens. Secondly, because it's very important to engage directly with all the leaders. Because in the European Council, all the voices count. All the leaders have the same role in the Council, and we need to listen to all of them. Only by listening to each other, we can build unity coming from different points of view.  I'm here less than a week after our meeting at the border with Ukraine. I was on my way back from Ukraine, exactly on the same day you also met President Zelenskyy. And I was pleased to hear that, “relations between the Slovak Republic and Ukraine are destined for a better and stronger character”.  I warmly welcome this new atmosphere in the relations between Slovakia and Ukraine, based on good neighbourly relations, an urgent ceasefire, a fair and just peace, and a European perspective for Ukraine. Dear Robert, I know how much you value peace, and the European Union is precisely a project of peace and prosperity. On this important topic, I want to commend your personal engagement, your loyal cooperation and your personal commitment to contribute to a unity and compromises between different opinions.  We learnt painfully that peace without defence is an illusion and that's why we need now to invest more in our own defence. And the Russian invasion of Ukraine has a huge impact beyond Ukraine, namely on our economic security. The security of our energy supply to Slovakia is a priority for the European Union. This is a very good example of how security and competitiveness go hand in hand, especially in such an industrialized country like Slovakia, a pillar of the car industry not only in Europe, but at the world level. In fact, our strategy to diversify suppliers and develop clean, homegrown energy makes full sense geopolitically and economically.  Today, we also discussed the need of having a European long-term budget fit for purpose. We have an ambitious agenda with clear political priorities in place. Now, we need a European long-term budget that will match this agenda, our ambitions. We need to work with determination to secure an agreement on a budget which allows us to deliver on our shared priorities, namely defence and in competitiveness. This is how we will ensure Europe’s strength and future prosperity. Dear Robert, thank you very much once again for your hospitality, for your open talks and your European spirit.   Visit the website ● Council of the EU   11/09/2025 13:12 | Meetings | General Affairs Council, 16 September 2025   Background brief - General Affairs Council of 16 September 2025   View meeting page ● Council of the EU   10/09/2025 22:50 | Statements and remarks | Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the unprovoked violation of the EU’s airspace by Russia   We condemn in the strongest terms the intentional violation of the airspace of an EU member state by Russian drones, which took place on 10 September. This aggressive and reckless act is part of a serious escalation by Russia. It threatens the security of EU citizens, regional stability and international peace. This serious violation of European airspace only reinforces our resolve to support Ukraine and its people in their defence against Russia and their pursuit of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. This is the latest in a series of violations of EU member states’ sovereign airspace that have occurred since 2022. We will raise the cost for Moscow further by ramping up sanctions significantly on Russia and its enablers. We will also work with our international partners to put pressure on Russia to end this war. We express our full solidarity with Poland and are continuing to offer the support that Poland needs in protecting its Eastern border. We are in constant close contact with the Polish authorities.   Visit the website