EU leaders meet to discuss booster jabs, energy prices and Russian aggression
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EU leaders are back in Brussels for a one-day European summit with a busy agenda that promises discussions around booster shots, energy prices, migration routes and Russia’s military build-up along the Ukraine border.
The debate will see new faces in the European Council’s meeting room: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov all make their debut as head of government of their respective countries.
For his part, Czech PM Andrej Babiš will bid farewell to his colleagues before the next premier, Petr Fiala, takes over.
The gathering in the Belgian capital comes at a fragile moment for the European Union: following a period of optimism marked by decreasing coronavirus cases and accelerating economic growth, the bloc is once again in deep uncertainty as the Omicron variant spreads and new restrictions stunt business activity.
Making matters worse, inflation in the eurozone reached an all-time high in November – a whopping 4.9 per cent – as a result of persistent supply chain disruptions and skyrocketing electricity bills.
Germany, Europe’s economic powerhouse, is on the brink of a winter recession that many fear could reverberate across the whole continent.
The summit will kick off Thursday morning at 10:00 CET, with introductory remarks by European Parliament President David Sassoli, who’s nearing the end of his term. Right after, leaders will get into the top-priority issue on the agenda: COVID-19 and vaccination.
The debate is expected to centre on Omicron and booster shots, whose roll-out has accelerated after the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said vaccine protection wanes after the first six months. The push for a third dose underlines the deep gaps between member states: while Belgium has already made booster shots available for all adults after inoculating three-thirds of its population, Bulgaria is stuck with a 26% vaccination rate.
Leaders will also touch upon travel and COVID passports.
Photo – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gets in to her car in Brussels, Belgium. EPA-EFE/Olivier Matthys / POOL
