EU leaders summit starts on Thursday

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) – EU heads of state and government will meet on Thursday to discuss migration, economic affairs, and the bloc’s support for Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend the summit in person after the invitation of Charles Michel, president of the European Council, but his presence has not been officially confirmed due to security reasons.

The leaders will assess the situation in Ukraine and further measures to support Kyiv, an EU official said on the condition of anonymity.

Besides military aid, they will talk about how to use the €300 billion ($322 billion) worth of Russian assets that are frozen due to sanctions over its war on Ukraine.

They will also review further restrictive measures against Moscow since the bloc plans to impose the 10th round of sanctions before the first anniversary of the war on Feb. 24.

Economic affairs will be the second point on the EU leaders’ agenda, with a focus on a new strategy for supporting European industry in response to the recently announced Inflation Reduction Act in the US.

Brussels fears the new legislation, which aims to boost clean energy and reduce healthcare costs, gives American businesses an unfair advantage.

The leaders will also debate the highly divisive topic of migration management.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer threatened on Wednesday to veto the final declaration of the summit if EU members do not commit to strengthen external borders.

Earlier this week, Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Greece, and Slovakia asked in a joint letter the European Commission to present plans on enhancing border control and speeding up deportations of refused asylum-seekers.