EU summit: Leaders to address wars, US tariffs, migration – DW – 06/26/2025
"Europe is facing crucial weeks and months," Merz said.
"I support the European Commission in all its endeavours to reach a trade agreement with the US quickly."
US President Donald Trump initially imposed high tariffs on many countries, including EU member states, before temporatily suspending the measures. But the suspensions ends on July 9.
Meanwhile, Merz also underlined the imporance of the EU-Mercosur trade deal with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The EU summit will kick off at 11 am CET. Working sessions of the European Council are scheduled throughout the day.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to hold talks with the European leaders through video conference later in the afternoon.
The war in Ukraine is set to remain a pressing concern for the EU, as members discuss an 18th round of sanctions against Russia. Talks will also be held on whether a price cap on Russian oil needs to be maintained — steps that some nations have opposed as it could cause energy prices to rise.
Meanwhile, leaders are expected to inform the European Commission if they want a quick trade deal with Washington, which would mean the US getting better terms, or to escalate the dispute in hopes of something better.
US President Donald Trump has given a deadline of July 9 for a deal.
Officials and diplomats have hinted at a quick deal being the preferable option for most.
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European leaders will also address the wars in the Middle East amid concerns about the fallout from the escalation that risks the stability of the region.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza will be a key focus.
The EU is also making the push to bring back negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.
European defense and security, migration and internal security will also be on the docket for discussion.
"We will address several issues that must be tackled together to advance our common ambitions: to build a more competitive, safer and more autonomous Europe for our citizens, and to ensure that the European Union can be an effective, predictable and reliable global actor," Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, said in a statement.
Leaders of the European Union's 27 member states are meeting in Brussels on Thursday for a one-day summit.
Discussions on imposing stricter sanctions on Russia and ways to resolve the US tariffs conflict rank high on the agenda.
Most heads of state and government will go into the European talks straight from a NATO summit, where they pledged a landmark defense spending boost, brushing aside some of their differences with US President Donald Trump.
Stay tuned as we get you the latest news and analyses from the EU summit.
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WTO: EU, Germany push for new world trade body – DW – 07/04/2025
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Can Denmark keep the EU green? – DW – 07/07/2025
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The political challenge that lies ahead became evident last week when the European Commission proposed a new legally binding stepping stone on the EU's path to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Under the latest proposals, the EU must cut greenhouse emissions 90% by 2040 compared to 1990 levels. "As European citizens increasingly feel the impact of climate change, they expect Europe to act," Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said recently. However, Italy, Czechia, and Poland have been critical of the bill, which still requires approval from EU states and lawmakers. "Our country is not yet ready to implement such ambitious plans," Poland's environment minister, Paulina Hennig-Kloska, told news channel Polsat last week. "The EU's reduction target must be realistic, and the contributions of individual countries toward achieving it must be varied," she said. Climate campaigners, meanwhile, were disappointed that the draft legislation allows states to include carbon credits gained through investments in environment projects outside Europe in their climate accounting. "Most international offsets aren't worth the paper they're written on and have done nothing to cut emissions. They're also a waste of taxpayers' money," Michael Sicauld-Clyet of the World Wildlife Fund said last week. Researcher Jens Mortensen saw the compromise as a means to an end. "We have to give in on certain issues," he said. "It's controversial, but it was necessary to convince skeptics." Convincing skeptics will be Copenhagen's daily business through the rest of 2025. Asked whether he expected to get Czechia and others on board with emissions-cutting targets, Minister Lars Aagaard said: "Time will show." "I know that there are short-term concerns in a number of European countries that climate change politics can be a challenge to economic development," he added. "But I also think that it's important for all of us to remember that meeting our climate targets is part of what should make Europe competitive in the longer run." Lecturer Jens Mortensen says Denmark can only hope to keep countries talking about climate policies, rather than turning political tides, due to the limits of its role. "It's really about trying to reframe current challenges and the mess we're in to say: 'Don't forget the green transition.' We are aware it's lost its top priority."
