European Parliament Press Kit for the European Council of 21 and 22 March 2024

In this press kit, you will find a selection of the European Parliament’s press releases reflecting MEPs’ priorities for topics on the summit agenda.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola will represent the European Parliament at the summit, address the heads of state or government at 15.00, and hold a press conference after her speech.

When: Press conference at around 16.00 on 21 March

Where: European Council press room and via Parliament’s webstreaming or EbS.

At their meeting in Brussels, heads of state or government will focus on Russia’s war against Ukraine and the EU’s continued support for the country, the war in the Gaza Strip, European security and defence, enlargement, the EU’s response to the current concerns in the agricultural sector and on economic coordination.

Russia’s war against Ukraine

In a joint statement issued on 23 February, the Presidents of the EU institutions stressed that “the European Union will always support Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.

Russia and its leadership bear sole responsibility for this war and its global consequences, as well as for the serious crimes committed. We remain determined to hold them to account, including for the crime of aggression. (…)

The European Union will continue its strong and unwavering political, military, financial, economic, diplomatic and humanitarian support to help Ukraine defend itself, protect its people, its cities and its critical infrastructure, restore its territorial integrity, bring back the thousands of deported children, and bring the war to an end.

We will continue to address Ukraine’s pressing military and defence needs, including deliveries of urgently needed ammunition and missiles. (…) We are also working on future security commitments which will help Ukraine defend itself, resist destabilisation efforts and deter acts of aggression in the future.”

In a resolution adopted on 29 February, MEPs took stock of the two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Highlighting how the war has fundamentally changed the geopolitical situation in Europe and beyond, they say the main objective is for Ukraine to win the war, warning of serious consequences if that does not happen. MEPs say that other authoritarian regimes are watching how the conflict develops to assess their own leeway for enacting aggressive foreign policies.

For Kyiv to win the war, there should be “no self-imposed restriction on military assistance to Ukraine”, with Parliament reaffirming the need to provide the country with whatever is needed to regain full control over its internationally recognised territory.