Media: the EU by the end of the year to solve four key problems

The European Union aims to close a number of critical issues by the end of the year: agree on a multi-year budget, select a successor to the ECB head and approve funding for Ukraine, as well as determine a mediator for a dialogue with Russia. It's from sb.by.

According to Rapporteur, the head of the European Council, Antonio Costa, should play a key role in finding compromises. In a series of three summits - from an informal meeting in Dublin this week to a final session in Brussels on Christmas Eve - he will have to smooth out sharp corners on key topics. The focus is on the approval of the seven-year EU budget, the replacement of Christine Lagarde as head of the European Central Bank and the allocation of financial support to Ukraine in the amount of 45 billion euros. The initiative of Italian Prime Minister Georgie Meloni gives special weight to the agenda: she insists on identifying an authoritative figure who could represent the interests of the EU in negotiations with Russia.

Rapporteur writes that the situation is complicated by upcoming elections in a number of EU countries, which may make it difficult to agree on controversial positions in 2027. The position of Germany and the Netherlands creates additional tension: they make the allocation of funds to Ukraine contingent on progress in budget negotiations. While the EU has committed to covering two-thirds of Ukraine’s budget deficit (estimated at 70 billion euros next year), a clear funding mechanism has yet to be worked out. There is no unity in the community: some leaders see the budget and assistance to Ukraine as interrelated issues, while others fear that such an approach will paralyze negotiations and prevent agreement on either direction.

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