Earlier this month, after our informal meeting in Copenhagen, I said today would be decision time. And we delivered. On all fronts. I would like to start by thanking Ursula von der Leyen and the Commission for the excellent cooperation, once again, in the preparation of this European Council. Starting with Ukraine. We have said many times that we will support Ukraine as much as necessary for as long as it takes. Today, we reached three important agreements: First, European Leaders committed to ensure that Ukraine’s financial needs will be covered for the next two years. We have asked the Commission to put forward ‘options’ as soon as possible, so that Ukraine has the resources it needs to continue defending itself and fight for a just and lasting peace in 2026 and 2027, if it’s necessary. Russia should take good note of this: Ukraine will have the financial resources it needs to defend itself against Russia’s aggression in the foreseeable future. Now the technical, legal and financial aspects of Europe’s support need to be worked on, and we will return to this issue in the December European Council. Second, we adopted the 19th sanctions package, which will increase our pressure on Russia and further damage its war machine. Third, member states agreed to strengthen measures and coordinate actions to disrupt Russia’s shadow fleet. To sum up: we continue to use all means at our disposal to put Ukraine in a position of strength if and when negotiations with Putin start. We hope this moment comes soon. But no matter the circumstances, our message is clear: Europe will not let Ukraine down. Second area where the European Council delivered today: defence. Today we have closed a cycle that we opened last February, when I convened a brainstorming devoted to this topic. In less than a year working closely with the European Commission we outlined the foundations for the Europe of Defence. We defined our priorities, capabilities. We approved new financial tools to develop these capabilities and in full coherence with NATO. Our priorities now are clear, starting with anti-drone and air defence. And we are looking, naturally, at our Eastern flank. Our timelines as well: - step 1 will be to finalise by the end of this year the “capability coalitions” that will drive these projects forward;
- step 2 will be to launch and advance on concrete projects in early 2026.
Member states will be in the driving seat to push our join efforts forward, with a bigger role for the Ministers of defence and the European Defence Agency. Europe’s defence is not just about spending more. It’s about spending smarter, working together and delivering for our citizens. This is how we build Europe’s sovereignty. And the Roadmap on Defence Readiness that the European Commission and the High Representative presented today was a decisive building block for that. Third: competitiveness and climate. Europe is at the forefront of climate action. Turning this challenge into economic opportunities. Positioning itself as a leader in the technologies of the future. Today we reaffirmed our commitment to the Paris Agreement and also agreed that we need to be pragmatic and flexible in our strategy. To make sure that Europe’s climate ambitions and the competitiveness of our economy, of our industries, go hand in hand and leave no one behind. Looking ahead to 2040, we are setting a clear and realistic path to achieve our climate targets: - by making sure our transition is just, and affordable for citizens and businesses;
- by supporting the modernisation and decarbonisation of our industries;
- by following the principle of technological neutrality, to make sure that we achieve our objectives in the most cost-efficient way;
- and, by guaranteeing that the transition contributes to a strong European industrial base.
At the same time, we will encourage innovation. We will invest in clean and digital tech, ensuring Europe stays ahead in the global race. This is what our discussion was about. And I believe that today's meeting, together with Ursula von der Leyen’s recent letter, have helped create the right conditions for a 2040 EU climate target to now be decided in the Council. As Mario Draghi’s report showed us a year ago, Europe needs to become more competitive to secure its future. The clean and digital transition, along with our simplification efforts, which we have decided to push forward decisively, are key parts of our agenda to ensure Europe’s international competitiveness. Last but not least, to be stronger externally, we need to be strong internally. And the Leaders also need to be focused on European citizens’ daily concerns. Housing affordability and accessibility are among the most pressing, concrete issues for millions of Europeans. While in this area competences remain at national, regional, and local level, I wanted European leaders to come together and discuss how the European Union can complement and support their efforts. And our debate was very useful, and it was concrete. And it has offered political guidance for the preparations of the European Affordable Housing Plan by the European Commission. The European Union institutions are fully engaged in helping address this crisis. We must do everything in our power to tackle it. It is what our citizens expect from us. In conclusion: today, the European Council delivered concrete measures on Ukraine, defence, climate and competitiveness. And we opened a new cycle for housing policy. And we will keep delivering. For our citizens, for our future, and for our place in the world. Thank you.
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