Good morning from Brussels.

European member states have taken initiatives to ensure they will be involved in talks over a potential ceasefire in Russia’s war against Ukraine before incoming US President-elect Donald Trump takes over, Euractiv has learnt ahead of today’s EU summit.

“Everything that is decided should always involve Ukraine and should always include Ukraine [...], and the same should be true with Europe,” Estonia's Prime Minister Kristen Michal told Euractiv in an interview, which will be published later today.

Similarly, one EU diplomat told Euractiv that Europe’s role needs to be a message “we will need to stress also to Washington”. 

Practically, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte hosted an informal dinner last night with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders. The dinner focused on the need for continued EU support for Ukraine in the coming months, particularly strengthening air defence. 

The idea is to increase Ukraine’s leverage if Trump seeks an immediate ceasefire.

Alexandra Brzozowski and Aurélie Pugnet report that various formats and initiatives have started to examine Europeans' future contribution to Ukraine, which is expected to expand in the coming weeks.

In parallel, capitals are testing the waters for sending European peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, but positions remain far apart.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy admitted in an interview with the French journal Le Parisien that his forces currently “do not have the strength” to reclaim land taken by Russia.

In Strasbourg, following lengthy negotiations between the three centrist groups, the European Parliament voted on Wednesday to upgrade its subcommittees on defence and health to full-standing ones and establish two new special committees on housing and democratic resilience.

Moreover, in a Wednesday debate on farmers’ well-being, Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen said linking farm subsidies to labour standards was a step forward but acknowledged the mechanism's limitations.

“Farming is not a job that scores well on work-life balance,” he said.

In Brussels, the European Commission warned on Wednesday that skills shortages risk becoming entrenched in the EU economy.

Lastly, in the digital world, the European Center for Digital Rights filed a complaint on Thursday with Italy's data protection authority (DPA) against the Irish-based low-cost carrier Ryanair for its facial recognition-based verification process.

BERLIN

Berlin to abolish controversial gas transit fee with support from CDU leader. A controversial German gas tariff contested by central European countries will be abolished on Friday, following a plea by would-be German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Euractiv has learnt. Read more.

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PARIS

France's Sarkozy must wear electronic tag after losing graft case appeal. France's highest appeals court on Wednesday confirmed a verdict against former president Nicolas Sarkozy for corruption and influence peddling, ordering him to wear an electronic tag for a year, a first for a former head of state. Read more.

ROME

Germany and France's economic struggles could negatively impact Italy, Italian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani said on Wednesday, stressing the need to boost Italian industry. Read more.

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LISBON

European Commission highlights Portugal’s ‘strong budgetary position’. The European Commission on Wednesday highlighted Portugal's "strong budgetary position", adding that it found no weaknesses in the country's social convergence. Read more.

PRAGUE

Russian nationals will have a harder time getting Czech citizenship following an amendment approved by the lower chamber of the Czech parliament on Wednesday, sparking accusations of discrimination. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA

Slovak minister: 3% GDP defence spending ‘unimaginable’. Slovakia raising its defence spending target to 3% of its GDP is “unimaginable”, Slovak Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák (Smer-SD/NI), a figure suggested in an expert interview for Euractiv Slovakia. Read more.

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WARSAW

Tusk announces new asylum rules, renewed border control. Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government on Wednesday adopted a package of migration and asylum draft laws, including the possibility of temporarily suspending asylum rights, sparking controversy in Poland and abroad. Read more.

SOFIA

While Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will be praised for his role in Bulgaria's full Schengen membership when he meets President Rumen Radev on Friday, Russian gas is expected to take centre stage. Read more.

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BUCHAREST

Romania calls for fiscal, budget consolidation after Fitch downgrade. Romania needs fiscal and budgetary consolidation measures, Finance Minister Marcel Boloș announced on Wednesday, the day after Fitch Ratings downgraded its long-term debt outlook from stable to negative. Read more.

• EU: European Council convenes to discuss Ukraine in the presence of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Middle East, resilience and preparedness, migration, and more;
• Trade and Economic Security Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič holds video conference with Minister of Commerce and Industry of India Shri Piyush Goyal;
• Economy and Productivity Implementation and Simplification Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis attends 6th G7 meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG);
• Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Šuica holds phone call with Foreign Affairs Minister of Tunisia Mohamed Ali Nafti.

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Martina Monti, Alice Taylor-Braçe]