The first day of the EU's informal summit concluded shortly after midnight in the coastal Cypriot town of Ayia Napa. Leaders are set to reconvene in Nicosia on Friday morning.
Discussions on Thursday focused on Ukraine, the Middle East conflict, the resulting energy crisis, a proposed EU toolkit to address this issue, and the mutual assistance clause under Article 42.7 of the EU Treaty.
Discussions around Article 42.7 aimed to reach a "common understanding" of its implementation, EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said earlier this week. The Cyprus Council presidency presented a plan to leaders, according to Politico. The clause came under indirect scrutiny in March, when a drone landed on a UK military base in Cyprus during the Middle East conflict. Cyprus chose not to invoke Article 42.7 at the time.
Details of the discussions remain thin, but one source indicated consensus among leaders to advance negotiations towards Ukraine's EU membership. Outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had vetoed earlier efforts, but his electoral defeat and forthcoming replacement, the centre-right EPP's Péter Magyar may shift the dynamic. Meanwhile, several leaders called for increased bilateral military support for Ukraine.
EU heads of state will hold their first high-level talks on the bloc's next long-term budget (2028–2034) on Friday. These discussions will aim to reconcile the EU’s ambitions with its financial constraints and could involve proposals for new revenue streams.
Later, the leaders will meet with representatives from Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and the Gulf Cooperation Council's secretary-general. These talks will address the ongoing Middle East conflict and the crisis in Lebanon.
