EU close to Ukraine aid deal as Poland’s Duda calls for beyond 2% NATO target

Good morning from Brussels,

Following months of negotiations, EU member states are set to close a deal on Wednesday on a €5 billion Ukrainian military aid fund, several EU diplomats told Euractiv.

Meanwhile, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda – political rivals at home – showed a united front during a meeting in Washington with US President Joe Biden.

The US offered to sell Warsaw 96 Apache helicopters, while Duda said the current NATO’s 2% defence spending target was“enough 10 years ago”.

Last but not least, next week EU leaders are expected to call for new sanctions targeting Belarus, North Korea, and Iran over their support to Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine.

EU countries systematically underestimate the speed at which renewables will be added to grids in their development plans – making the investment gap larger than thought, new research seen by Euractiv shows.

In Strasbourg, a large majority of MEPs approved on Tuesday the controversial buildings law, while EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides warned lawmakers about some “difficult political decisions” related to health budget cuts.

Moreover, EU lawmakers rejected MEP Eva Kaili’s immunity defence in the ongoing Qatargate probe.

PARIS

French parliamentarians are sharply divided on whether or not to ratify the EU-Canada free trade agreement, following farming protestors’ heavy condemnation of trade measures that they argue create unfair competition. Read more.
French MPs vote in favour of Franco-Ukrainian security deal, RN, LFI oppose it. In a non-binding vote on Tuesday, a majority French MPs supported the bilateral security agreement between Paris and Kyiv. Far-left winged La France Insoumise (LFI, The Left) voted against, while the far-right party Rassemblement National (RN, ID) abstained. Read more.

EU elections: French far-right exceeds 30%, widens gap with Macron’s Renaissance – polls. France’s far-right Rassemblement National (RN) surpassed 30% in the latest polls for the European elections, moving further away from its main rival – President Emmanuel Macron’s fading Renaissance party – while its far-right rival Reconquête! slipped and the Socialists clawed back some ground. Read more.
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BERLIN

Germany mulls reintroducing conscription. Germany should return to conscription starting in 2025, the country’s armed forces commissioner said on Tuesday, as the defence ministry is working on a new model inspired by Nordic countries. Read more.

STOCKHOLM

Swedish liberals want defence spending beyond 2% NATO target. The liberal Centre Party called on Tuesday for Sweden to increase its defence spending from the NATO-recommended 2% to 3% of the country’s GDP less than a week after joining the alliance. Read more.

MADRID

Madrid regional president’s partner faces tax fraud probe. Spanish tax authorities are investigating Alberto González Amador, the partner of the president of the Madrid region, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, for alleged fraud. The accusations involved false invoices and front companies being used for medical supplies and equipment during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. Read more.

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LISBON

Outgoing Portuguese PM calls for stability of legislatures. The next government should serve its term to the end, said outgoing Prime Minister António Costa, calling for ‘legislative stability.’ Read more.

PRAGUE

Ammunition bought in non-EU countries under the Czech initiative could reach Ukrainian battlefields as early as June, Tomas Pojar, the Czech national security adviser and the prime minister’s advisor, said on Tuesday. Read more.

BUCHAREST

Romanian president announces bid for NATO job. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced on Tuesday his decision to enter the race for the role of NATO secretary-general, adding that Romania needs to take on “even greater responsibility” within the alliance. Read more.

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ZAGREB

Croatian MEP awaits opening of accession negotiations with Bosnia. Croatian MEP Željana Zovko, who was Bosnia’s ambassador to Italy, France, and Spain, believes that the European Council will make a positive decision on Bosnia’s desire to join the EU, he told Euractiv ahead of the European Council’s meeting next week. Read more.

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PRISTINA

US official Escobar underlines dialogue commitment ahead of Pristina visit. The US State Department’s Special Representative to the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, stated that the US is committed to continuing dialogue on normalisation of Kosovo-Serbia relations ahead of his visit to Pristina. Read more.

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson]