Brussels braces for summit week: foreign ministers, Hungary and EU leaders
EU foreign ministers discuss Russia's war and hybrid threats on Monday, and Hungary's Article 7 procedure is on Tuesday's agenda. EU leaders meet on Oct. 15–16.
Archive image · Photo: Christian Lambiotte / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
The EU faces a busy week. On Monday (Oct. 12), the Foreign Affairs Council will discuss Russia's war against Ukraine and hybrid threats to the EU, the Middle East, the impact of enlargement on EU security and current affairs in Georgia. The same day, environment ministers meeting in Luxembourg will discuss the proposed review of the emissions trading system (ETS) and adopt EU positions for the COP31 climate and COP17 biodiversity conferences.
On Tuesday (Oct. 13), the General Affairs Council in Luxembourg will prepare the summit and hold a policy debate on the next multiannual financial framework for 2028–2034. The agenda also includes an update on the Article 7 rule-of-law procedure against Hungary. Péter Magyar's government secured the release of €16.4 billion in frozen EU funds in late May, tied to reforms including anti-corruption and judicial measures. A Tripartite Social Summit is scheduled for Wednesday.
On Thursday and Friday (Oct. 15–16), heads of state and government meet in Brussels. Topics include competitiveness, Ukraine, the next long-term budget, the Middle East, European defence and security, migration, and enlargement and reforms. An EU–Gulf Cooperation Council summit is also scheduled for Oct. 24.