In the face of an increasingly unstable world, President Costa reiterated the European Union’s “support of multilateralism, international law and the United Nations”. He said that the Middle East crisis and its impact on global energy supply confirm “the path we have chosen is the right one”, advancing decarbonisation and the acceleration of home-grown energy sources, as they contribute to limiting the EU’s reliance on external sources of energy and will lower energy prices in the long term.
In President Costa’s view, the current geopolitical context is a catalyst for the EU’s competitiveness push, while also “putting our values to the test”. He praised the determination of EU leaders to pursue an ambitious economic agenda with clear targets, including the completion of the single market and the savings union, simplification measures, and the 28th regime for businesses, while making sure there are also tangible benefits for European citizens. He insisted that the EU will support Ukraine for “as long as it takes”.
Speaking on the war in Ukraine, Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said the EU is Ukraine’s largest donor and that it will continue to support the country. On the Middle East, he called for de-escalation and urged Israel to ensure humanitarian access to Gaza. He reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to support the affected regions financially, while highlighting security concerns, including for Cyprus. Commissioner Dombrovskis said the Commission would work on energy costs and present proposals to tackle the energy supply situation, referring for example to state aid measures and lowering tax rates on electricity. He also underlined the importance of simplifying single market rules and highlighted Europe’s need to strengthen European defence capabilities.
MEPs interventions
The leaders of the political groups focused on support for Ukraine, the war in Iran, strengthening the single market, and lowering energy prices. They called for greater EU competitiveness and welcomed the “28th regime,” which would replace 27 different national legislations, enabling the EU to achieve a truly single market and better “compete with the giants.”
Several MEPs criticised Hungary for blocking the EU’s financial support for Ukraine and called for greater unity, arguing that the rule of unanimity leaves the Union vulnerable to external influence. Others condemned the war in Iran as a breach of international law that has yielded no positive results, stressing that its consequences extend beyond the region and affect the EU, particularly through rising energy prices.
While some called for accelerating the green transition, others criticised the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), claiming that it imposes more costs than benefits.
You can watch the debate here.
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