This news item shows extracts from the presentation of MEPs demands and expectations ahead of the European Council meeting in a debate with the Commission and the Council. At their meeting in Brussels, the Heads of State or Government are set to focus on the latest developments in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the EU’s continued support for the country, the revision of the EU’s 2024-2027 long-term budget and the economic situation in the EU summit on 26-27 October.

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

REINTKE, Terry (Greens/EFA, DE)

ŠEFČOVIČ, Maroš (SK, EC)

RANGEL, Paulo (EPP, PT)

AZMANI, Malik (Renew, NL)

BISCHOFF, Gabriele (S&D, DE)

NAVARRO RÍOS, Pascual Ignacio

European Council meeting 26-27 October 2023 (T)

Preparation of the European Council meeting of 26-27 October 2023: extracts from the debate

SOUNDBITE (English), Pascual NAVARRO R&Iacute;OS Council The Council will reconfirm the Union's resolution to keep providing aid to Ukraine and its population across different areas. For whatever time it takes. It will be very important, furthermore, that we bolster our humanitarian support and civil protection support to Ukraine in order to support the country and its population in facing the second winter at war

SOUNDBITE (English), Maro&scaron; &Scaron;EFČOVIČ, Vice-President of the EC in charge of Interinstitutional relations and Foresight, With the new pact on migration and asylum, we can build a long lasting framework to manage migration instead of just reacting to it. On the EU side, an agreement on the pact is closer than ever.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maro&scaron; &Scaron;EFČOVIČ, Vice-President of the EC in charge of Interinstitutional relations and Foresight, Our goal is a new kind of cooperation that addresses the reasons that make people leave their homes in the first place. And at the same time we have to fight smugglers and the criminal organisations. The better we are in building legal opportunities to reach Europe, the stricter we can be with irregular movements.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maro&scaron; &Scaron;EFČOVIČ, Vice-President of the EC in charge of Interinstitutional relations and Foresight, The second topic I would like to address is competitiveness and in particular its international dimension. Many of the challenges that our companies are facing are global in nature, from bottlenecks along the global supply chains, including because of export restrictions to unfair trade practices. And addressing all of these, these issues will be a central theme for the rest of the mandate. We are aiming to complete ambitious trade deals with Australia, Mexico and Mercosur by the end of this year, and we have an intense season of summits ahead of us, for example, with China,

SOUNDBITE (English), Paulo RANGEL (PPE, PT) All hostages must be immediately released without any preconditions and we must also step up humanitarian aid. We must open a humanitarian corridor between Gaza and Egypt and make sure that people who are in need of assistance in the Gaza Strip can move via that corridor and then, of course, Israel must be allowed to defend itself against Hamas attacks.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gabriele BISCHOFF (S&amp;D, DE) People feel great insecurity and they expect from Europe that will be able to focus on the issue. But they also expect that Europeans, men and women will be treated in the way that they ought to be in this environment of unsecured lack of security, inflation, difficulties, great concerns indeed in dealing with quotidian issues as well, and the fact that we have so many different problems and that there is a lack of that particular dedication,

SOUNDBITE (English), Malik AZMANI Renew We need European unity on the Middle East in order to have a role in preventing further human tragedy, but also to be part of a long term solution. And we cannot leave the Americans to do that on their own. We have also a responsibility.

SOUNDBITE (English), Malik AZMANI Renew We need to complete the migration pact before the elections and we need to keep the external dimension in mind. It is crucial that we engage with third countries to reduce the flow of irregular migration.

SOUNDBITE (German) Terry REINTKE (Verts/ALE, DE) It's only by working together as a European Union that we will be able to fight on the international stage. And that is why we need joint European investment and we need to send out a signal to industry as well as to the economy and to citizens at large.