EU summit October 2017

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The October 2017 EU Summit took place from October 19-20, 2017 in Brussels , Belgium . It was chaired by EU Council President Donald Tusk .

subjects

The European leaders discussed at the summit the issues of migration , digitization and foreign and security policy . Central topics of the summit were also the reform of the European Union and Brexit .

Future of the EU

Leading EU representatives were critical of the EU's ability to act. There was broad agreement on the fundamental need for reform, but not on the future direction resulting from this. Council President Donald Tusk advocated more frequent meetings of the heads of state and government in a work program called "Leaders Agenda" in order to be able to come to an understanding on contentious issues. French President Macron spoke out in favor of a multi-speed Europe. Chancellor Merkel stressed that Europe wanted to "take its fate into its own hands".

Brexit

The British Prime Minister Theresa May made the representatives of the remaining Member States during the summit, no concrete deals in matters of exit costs, the border regime to Northern Ireland and the rights of EU foreigners in the UK. The other summit participants rejected an extension of the negotiations to include questions of the political situation after the exit.

Foreign and Security Policy

Because of the imprisonment of German journalists, the German government demanded a reduction in "EU pre-accession aid" to Turkey . These were payments totaling around 4.45 billion euros in the period from 2014 to 2020. Merkel also expressed criticism of the overall development of the rule of law in Turkey. The participants at the summit spoke out in favor of a cut.

Other foreign policy issues were the nuclear deal with Iran . The heads of state and government warned US President Donald Trump against terminating the agreement. At the same time, the leaders condemned North Korea's behavior and described it as "unacceptable". The participants also discussed Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) in the field of defense .

migration

According to the heads of state and government, the agreement on the expansion of the Libyan coast guard has been a success, as the number of refugees arriving in Italy via the central Mediterranean route has decreased.

digitalization

At the suggestion of the Estonian government , which was presiding over the Council at the time of the summit, the participants discussed the issue of digitization. An initiative by Germany to tax the income of US Internet companies more heavily was also discussed .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ No "business as usual" in the EU. EU Council President Tusk has made the reform of the Union a top priority. tagesschau.de, October 20, 2017, accessed on March 11, 2018 .
  2. ↑ How the EU should change. sueddeutsche.de, October 19, 2017, accessed on March 11, 2019 .
  3. ↑ a b Turkey, Brexit and the future of the EU - the most important topics of the summit. 28 heads of state and government discuss. spiegel.de, October 19, 2017, accessed on March 11, 2019 .
  4. ↑ a b Take Europe's fate into your own hands. Future agenda. bundeskanzlerin.de, October 20, 2017, accessed on March 11, 2019 .
  5. ↑ EU summit: Smile away your worries. Catalonia crisis, Brexit or right-wing populism. dw.com, October 19, 2017, accessed March 11, 2019 .
  6. ↑ EU summit: May hopes for December. Is the European Union finished? dw.com/, October 20, 2017, accessed on March 11, 2019 .
  7. ↑ EU rejects expansion of Brexit negotiations. EU lets the British down. manager-magazin.de, October 17, 2017, accessed on March 11, 2019 .
  8. ↑ EU wants to cut financial aid to Turkey. sueddeutsche.de, October 20, 2017, accessed on March 11, 2019 .
  9. ↑ EU cuts accession aid for Turkey. No majority in favor of breaking off EU accession negotiations with Turkey. tagesspiegel.de, October 20, 2017, accessed on March 11, 2019 .
  10. ↑ Merkel wants to cut Turkey's accession aid. Help should be restricted. rp-online.de, October 19, 2017, accessed on March 11, 2019 .
  11. ↑ EU wants to cut financial aid for Turkey. EU reacts to the "absolutely unsatisfactory human rights situation" in Turkey. spiegel.de, October 20, 2017, accessed on March 11, 2019 .
  12. ↑ EU wants to start new asylum system in 2018. Asylum system decided by the summer. zeit.de, October 20, 2017, accessed on March 11, 2019 .
  13. ↑ What is the EU summit in Brussels about for Merkel and Co.? Brexit, migration, defense. nzz.ch, October 19, 2017, accessed on March 11, 2019 .
  14. ↑ Turkey, Brexit and refugees - What is being disputed at the EU summit. Reduction of aid money for Turkey. shz.de, October 19, 2017, accessed on March 11, 2019 .