Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – European Union leaders will discuss on March 20, 2025, to do more to make the EU more competitive with more military power in the face of U.S. tariffs and other economic challenges and suspicions over Washington’s future support in defence.
The leaders, with the exception of Hungary’s Viktor Orban, are also expected to reaffirm their financial and military backing to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, whose video-link address will start the discussion. The 26 EU leaders are expected to agree on a text which guarantees Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and demands Russia.
“show real political will to end the war”.
A two-day period has passed since Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal for Russia and Ukraine to halt their attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure but did not accept a blanket 30-day truce.
What will EU leaders discuss at the summit?
As reported by Reuters, EU leaders will discuss European Commission proposals to increase military spending, pool resources on joint defence schemes and purchase more European arms. France is the highest supporter of a buy-European approach. However, one EU diplomat highlighted it made no sense to eliminate non-EU suppliers in a globally interconnected defence industry.
“So those who say that we should cut out the non-Europeans are shooting themselves geopolitically and economically in the foot,”
The diplomat revealed.
#EUCO | EU summit, 20-21 March 2025
— EU Council (@EUCouncil) March 19, 2025
On the EU leaders' agenda:
📌Ukraine
📌Middle East
📌competitiveness
📌European defence
📌next MFF
📌migration
📌multilateralism
More info 👉 https://t.co/STPqZHFkug
The leaders will also talk about situations in which the EU will fall behind the United States and others in the global technological race without rapid conclusions and massive investment. On competitiveness, goals are broadly agreed upon, but discord on certain key details. The draft conclusions of the summit set numerous deadlines for improvement in three areas – cutting red tape, energy security and climate neutrality, as well as getting consumers to invest in the real economy rather than putting their money in a bank.
It is part of a planned integration of fragmented financial markets, known as the capital markets union, which has been discussed for a decade. One issue presented by many EU diplomats is whether maintenance should be centralised, as some larger nations want and smaller governments oppose.
“We are determined to make progress,”
Stated one EU diplomat.
“But let’s not pretend that it’s easy.”
Moreover, trade conflicts with the United States are not officially on the agenda but are likely to surface in meetings held just a week after Trump set tariffs on steel and aluminium. That initiated EU retaliation, Trump’s threat to strike EU wine and spirits with 200% tariffs and cautions he could announce more tariffs in early April.
