03/22/2023 22:29 (act. 03/22/2023 22:30)
EU summit returns to talks about war in Ukraine ©APA/AFP
The EU’s 27 heads of state and government, including Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP), will meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday for a regular summit. The focus is mainly on economic policy issues. Last week, the EU Commission presented legislative packages aimed at making Europe more competitive with the US and China. However, the dispute over the predicted end of new combustion cars from 2035 may be the order of the day.
In fact, negotiators in the European Parliament and the EU states had already agreed in the autumn that only zero-emission new cars could be registered in the EU from 2035. But the planned confirmation by the EU states failed because of Germany. Other countries, including Austria, joined the lockdown.
The summit kicks off Thursday afternoon with a joint working session with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on, among other things, Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. The war in Ukraine will also occupy EU heads of state and government later. The topic of energy, trade and migration will also be discussed at the meeting. A euro summit will take place on Friday.