EU leaders met in Brussels in March to discuss the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Single Market, industrial policy, digital transformation and the economy, the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, and relations with Russia.

They took stock of the roll-out of vaccines and the epidemiological situation and pursued the coordinated response to the pandemic crisis. They discussed the key priorities for the single market, industrial policy and the digital transformation. The High Representative and the Commission submitted a report on EU-Turkey relations ahead of the meeting, following the conclusions of the European Council in December 2020. The EU leaders held a strategic debate on the relations with Russia. The European Parliament discussed the outcome of the EU Council and of EU and Turkey meeting during April plenary session.