Appointments, growth, flexibility. And then Ukraine. Heads of State or Government of the European Union will discuss mainly about these topics during the special meeting to be held today and tomorrow. It will be special because of its formula: first day of work in Ypres, then back to Brussels.
An itinerant meeting, given by anniversary: the 100th anniversary of the Great War will be commemorated in Ypres, the Flemish city 120-km far from the Belgian capital. The triggering event of WWI dates back to 28 June 1914, with the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Heads of State or Government will pay a visit to the Ypres cemetery in the afternoon, one of the symbols of that war. In Ypres in fact some of the bloodies battles of WWI were fought, and the city was burned to the ground and then rebuilt in forty years – and the new European Union needs to be rebuilt as well.
Impressive security service, maximum warning. Thirty leaders (the twenty-eight representatives of EU Member States, plus the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council) around a little city, already locked down, already under siege – still, a siege very different from the one the city experienced one-hundred years ago. At the door of the city, PES and EPP will hold as usual a pre-summit meeting for government leaders. Adjusting to the special occasion, socialists are to meet in Elverdinge, populars in Kortrijk. Then, Heads of State or Government will gather in Ypres for a commemorative ceremony and a working dinner in the unusual seat represented by the Town Hall. Priorities and agenda for the next five years will be the core of the discussions, with growth and employment as main points. There will also be the occasion for reiterating that reforms need to be maintained (Germany will underline this necessity for sure) and to couple reforms with wider margins of flexibility (and here Italy will be leading actor).
Then, association agreements EU – Georgia and EU – Moldova, Ukraine, Lithuania joining the single currency, energy, appointment of the European Commission next President: Friday to
be filled with these discussions. In all likelihood, Member States will express their support for Jean-Claude Juncker, even though the UK is expected to fight its battle against him. Perhaps, it will be necessary to vote about it: rules established that if a country ask for a vote, it should be allowed. The working session of the meeting is to be held at 12.50, according to the indication given by the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, in his letter of invitation. The discussion on Ukraine with President Petro Poroshenko will take place soon after.
