The foreign affairs council meeting on Monday focused on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East but most of the time was devoted to reporting without any crucial decisions.
The meeting, which was the last one before the summer break, was chaired by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. According to his press remarks after the meeting, “everybody wanted to talk about a whole range of things but the two most important issues, as always, were the situation in the Israel-Hamas war and the war against Ukraine”.
The almost only decision taken by the Council, or rather the High Representative because of the strong divisions among the member states, concerned the informal Defence and Foreign Affairs Ministers scheduled for the end of August. They were supposed to take place in Budapest but after the Hungarian Prime Minister’s uncoordinated trip to Moscow, Borrell decided that they will take place in Brussels.
He reacted in particular against Hungary’s allegations that the EU supports a pro-war policy. “I understood that we have to send a signal, even if it is a symbolic signal . . . Disqualifying the policy of the EU as the party at war has to have some consequences.”
“The only one who is pro-war is Putin, who is calling for Ukraine’s partition as preconditions for any talks and any ceasefire. And he sends reminders every day in the form of thousands of missiles, drones, glide bombs, and more military offensive. So, if you want to talk about the war party, talk about Putin, not about the EU,” Borrell said.
Majority critical of Hungary
“We analysed the statements and actions implemented by the Hungarian Prime Minister and the Foreign Affairs Minister of Hungary, and with only a single exception,“ he added. “I can say that all Member States, were very much critical about this behaviour.”
Borrell reminded the Member States of the duty of loyalty under article 24.3 of the Treaty on European Union. The article states that “The Member States shall support the Union's external and security policy actively and unreservedly in a spirit of loyalty and mutual solidarity and shall comply with the Union's action in this area”.
It is true that Member States are sovereign on their foreign policy, Borrell explained. “But as far as they are members of this club (the EU) they have to obey to the treaties and, in particular, this article which is asking for loyal cooperation and implementation of the common positions on foreign policy.”
The Council focused on EU military support to Ukraine, in view of the urgent need to strengthen its air defence against Russia’s attacks against among others energy infrastructure. Most of the EU support under the European Peace Facility (EPF) are still blocked because of the veto of one country (Hungary). Most Member States insisted that this is unacceptable.
On the positive side, Borrell said that the first payment of €1.4 billion of the windfall revenues from the immobilized Russian assets is expected at the beginning of August.
In his letter after the trips, Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán suggested to conduct high-level political talks with China on the modalities of the next peace conference. The Council raised the same issue and discussed the next steps following the Summit on Peace that took place in Switzerland last June. Borrell stressed that the EU must do more to engage global partners all around the world.
The summit in Switzerland was successful, with about 90 states signing the final statement, but this can be improved. The EU needs to reach out to more countries to counter the Russian propaganda which has taken advantage of the war in Gaza. In doing this, the EU has to clarify that Russia is the aggressor and that Zelensky’s Peace Formula remains the only real peace plan supported by the EU.
Pessimism about the Middle East
The Council discussed the situation in the Middle East but no decisions was taken – not on how the EU can contribute to a sustainable ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, not on the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip, not on a political peace process which will lead towards the two-state solution. It remains the only feasible solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the EU wants to keep it alive.
The EU Special Representatives for Human Rights, Olof Skoog, and for the Middle East Peace Process, Sven Koopmans briefed the Council on the situation. Skoog’s report has not been made public but Borrell referred to it in his remarks.
“After nearly ten months -290 days- the war in Gaza continues raging, and we witness new forced evacuations of exhausted civilians. There are more than 17 000 orphans in Gaza. And humanitarian access, which was always difficult, has now imploded. Virtually everyone in Gaza is dependent on aid to survive. You can say whatever you want, but this is a horror, unbearable, and we must do everything we can to stop it.”
The number of daily aid trucks entering Gaza has been reduced significantly recently, according to Borrell. Israel claims that hundreds of trucks are queuing at the Egyptian side of the border, either because Egypt does not allow them to enter since Israel took over the border crossing at Rafah or because aid organisations do not dare to enter the chaos in the Gaza Strip.
Furthermore, he does not see a positive outcome in the still on-going negotiations between Israel and Hamas, via the mediation of the US, Egypt and Qatar. A three-phase roadmap to an enduring ceasefire and the release of the hostages was disclosed by US President Biden on 31 June. In principle, the two sides have since then agreed on the deal.
But Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu’s has added new conditions, pressed by his far-right coalition partners, in a transparent attempt to justify the war until “total victory”. After Netanyahu’s speech to the US congress yesterday (24 July), Borrell’s pessimism is justified. The families of the hostages are disappointed and accuse Netanyahu of blocking the deal for political reasons.
Support to peace process
The foreign affairs council was also influenced by the advisory opinion last Friday of the International Court of Justice on the unlawfulness of Israel’s continued presence and policies in the occupied Palestinian territories. The occupation must end as rapidly as possible but this cannot be made unilaterally and requires negotiations on a comprehensive solution.
“Never before has the gap between the law and the reality been so wide,” commented Borrell and hinted at sanctions at next foreign affairs council against those extremist Israeli ministers that are inciting and supporting violent settlers.
“The EU has to do more efforts in order to support a peace process, starting with a ceasefire, humanitarian support, release of hostages, and a political prospect for the two-state solution,” he added. To jumpstart the peace process, an international peace conference has been proposed but he was vague about if the EU will initiate it.
Borrell calls on both sides to overcome the lack of empathy for the other side. The EU has the leverage to influence and support the peace process but lacks the political will to do it, he admits. It sends also mixed signals and is unclear on the conditions for its support.
One example is the recent reconciliation agreement (at a meeting in Beijing) between Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Fatah. The High Representative welcomed the news from Beijing as a step towards Palestinian unity without recalling the need for Hamas to renounce its terrorism and accept previous conditions.
The EU wants also to stabilize the economy of the Palestinian Authority and support its reform process. The European Commission signed last week a Letter of Intent with the Palestinian Authority on financial support. The funding, worth €400 million in grants (€224 million) and loans (€176 million), will be disbursed in three payments between July and September 2024. The Authority is required to adopt a number of actions already by end August.
Update: Asked about the Beijing meeting, a Commission spokesperson replied that, “the EU has long supported Palestinian reconciliation and unity as an important factor for any political process leading to a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution. We are now studying the outcomes of the meeting of several Palestinian factions and look forward to receiving more information from our Chinese partners.”
M. Apelblat
The Brussels Times
