The heads of state and government of the EU countries will meet today in Brussels to discuss the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine, energy prices and the single market in the EU, according to the agenda of the meeting.
Bulgaria will be represented at the meeting by acting Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov.
The participants in the meeting will discuss the EU's actions related to the geopolitical and economic consequences of the military actions in Iran, including energy security, the possibilities for protecting European citizens and companies, and efforts to reduce tensions. It is planned that they will also touch on the situation in Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank of the Jordan River. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been invited to join this part of the meeting.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to join the discussion of the war in Ukraine via videoconference. On the eve of the meeting, EU representatives expressed hope that the leaders would be able to reach an agreement for Hungary to lift its veto on decisions to provide a loan to Kiev, to start negotiations with Ukraine on its accession to the EU, and to extend sanctions against Russia. Budapest linked the decision to the possibility of restoring oil supplies from Russia, which were interrupted after the attacks on the "Druzhba" pipeline.
The agenda also includes talks on the next multi-annual EU budget, security, defense and migration, as well as European strategic autonomy. The European Council is expected to endorse the "One Europe, One Market" program with guidelines and deadlines for deepening the common market, further simplifying bureaucratic rules, providing energy at affordable prices and implementing the energy transition, renewing European production, reducing dependencies, attracting investment in the EU.