<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The heads of state and government of the European Union will discuss this week in Copenhagen the development of joint defense capabilities, particularly following Russia's violations of the airspace of several of its member states, as well as ways to maintain economic, military, and political support for Ukraine and strengthen sanctions against Moscow.</strong></h4> The Informal Meeting of the EU-27 Heads of State and Government will be held on Wednesday, October 1, just one day before the seventh European Political Community Summit. Spain will be represented at both meetings, organized within the framework of the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The informal meeting—which will be chaired by the President of the European Council, António Costa, and hosted by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen—will precede the European Council meeting, which will take place on October 23 and 24 in Brussels, by three weeks. According to the EU, European leaders will discuss in Copenhagen how to strengthen Europe's defense, "also in light of recent Russian airspace violations over several EU Member States," provocations that "have once again demonstrated the need for the EU to accelerate and intensify efforts to build a Europe capable of responding effectively, autonomously, and jointly to common threats." In this context, the EU is "determined" to decisively increase its defense preparedness by 2030 and has taken swift steps in recent months to achieve this goal. This includes provisions to strengthen its defense capabilities, boost defense financing, develop its industrial base, and create opportunities for joint procurement, consistent with NATO action. In Copenhagen, leaders will focus on concrete steps to achieve the 2030 target. Discussions are expected to focus, in particular, on the rapid rollout of common capabilities, support for the eastern flank, and governance, including political oversight and coordination. The debate will provide guidance to the Commission and the High Representative for their roadmap on the next steps in implementing the EU Defense Readiness Goal. This roadmap will be presented and discussed at the European Council at the end of October. Regarding support for Ukraine, EU leaders will discuss how to continue supporting the country and achieve a just and lasting peace. To date, the EU and its Member States have contributed more than €173.5 billion in aid to Ukraine. At the Copenhagen meeting, leaders will discuss how to continue providing reliable and predictable economic, military, and political support. As a follow-up to the recent meetings of the Coalition of the Willing for Ukraine (the last one held on September 4 in Paris, in which Pedro Sánchez participated via videoconference), the leaders will discuss how to continue supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces as the main guarantee of the country's sovereignty and security, while increasing pressure on Russia, including through tougher sanctions. In addition, the leaders will discuss Ukraine's path toward the EU, including the country's reform efforts and steps toward accession. <h5><strong>European Political Community</strong></h5> Separately, on October 1 and 2, Copenhagen will host the seventh summit of the European Political Community (EPC). The event will begin on the evening of October 1 with a gala dinner hosted by the King and Queen of Denmark for European leaders at Amalienborg Palace. The following day, October 2, the summit will be held at the Bella Center, beginning with a plenary session focused on how to strengthen Ukraine, address the security situation in Europe, and make the continent stronger and more secure in the face of a new geopolitical reality. Several roundtable discussions will then address key topics such as traditional and hybrid threats, economic security, and migration, seeking to foster a strategic approach to addressing these challenges in Europe. The Summit, an initiative launched in 2022 by French President Emmanuel Macron to strengthen cooperation and alliance between all countries on the continent, brings together the leaders of the 27 EU countries and twenty other European countries, such as Ukraine, Armenia, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Serbia, Kosovo and Azerbaijan, for a total of 47. The first Summit was held in October 2022 in Prague, and subsequent ones took place in Moldova, Spain (specifically in Granada, in October 2023, within the framework of the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council), the United Kingdom and Hungary.
