EU leaders to discuss funding for Ukraine at special meeting

Pedro Lourtie, Head of the Cabinet of the President of the European Council António Costa, presented plans for upcoming European Council meetings to EU ambassadors on 21 October, including a special meeting dedicated to the EU budget and funding for Ukraine.

Source: European Pravda, citing an informed EU official on condition of anonymity

Details: EU leaders will gather for a special meeting on 26-27 November, the main focus of which will be the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028-2034 and funding for Ukraine in 2027.

The European Pravda source said that EU ambassadors discussed the outcome of the European Council summit of 15-16 October on 21 October. During the Coreper meeting, Pedro Lourtie, Head of the Cabinet of the President of the European Council, presented plans for the preparation of upcoming meetings of EU leaders.

He stated that the next European Council meeting will take place in an informal format in Dublin on 13 November. The main topic of discussion will be artificial intelligence.

Quote from the EU official to European Pravda: "The special European Council meeting on 26-27 November will be dedicated to the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and funding for Ukraine."

Details: The European Pravda source explained that over the next few weeks, the team of European Council President António Costa will hold separate consultations with representatives of each of the 27 member states. Based on these discussions, an updated negotiating document on the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) is planned to be prepared and presented before the start of the November summit.

In addition, Costa plans to hold another informal meeting of European leaders in Alden Biesen, Belgium. It will be a continuation of two previous meetings in this format, during which EU defence and competitiveness issues were discussed. The preliminary date for the meeting, which is already being called Alden Biesen 2, is set for 5 February 2027.

Another initiative by Costa concerns the March European Council summit. The president of the European Council proposes holding it on 18-19 March 2027 in Rome rather than Brussels, timing the meeting to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome.

However, as the European Pravda source specified, moving the summit to the Italian capital is only possible with the unanimous support of all EU member states.

Background:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated at a summit in Brussels that the war will cost Ukraine €155 billion next year. He appealed to EU presidents and prime ministers to find another €70 billion to support Ukraine.
• The European Commission has acknowledged that the Ukrainian budget for 2027 indeed lacks €70 billion, which must be covered by international partners.
• The European Council has tasked the European Commission with preparing proposals to cover the €70 billion shortfall in Ukraine's budget for 2027.

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