The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has called for the behaviour of Iran, a long-time supporter of Hamas, to be monitored. At a NATO meeting in Brussels, attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, defence ministers seek to increase support for Ukraine. Brussels warned the online platform Meta of a rise in false information.
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg urges EU candidate North Macedonia to accept constitutional changes in order to advance its EU accession process. The government of Morocco seeks a partnership with the EU in the fisheries sector. The European Parliament criticises Austria for vetoing the Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria.
German MEP and EPP group leader Manfred Weber rules out cooperation between far-right AfD and other German conservative parties. Denis Zvizdić, Chair of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), calls on NATO to deploy soldiers on the territory of the Brčko district to prevent secession. French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire is convinced that the EU could have its own generative AI within the next five years.
Kiev, backed by NATO allies in Eastern Europe, has demanded a commitment at next week’s NATO summit in Vilnius that Ukraine will join the military alliance once the war with Russia is over. The military alliance is still considering an appropriate response to Kiev’s demands.
Tirana hosts the largest European military event, led by the US European Command, with 29 countries participating in the joint exercise. A group of ten EU member states advocates qualified majority rather than unanimity in foreign policy decision-making. The European Commission and Parliament condemn the vandalism of its offices in the Bulgarian capital Sofia.