This EPC Update and Post-summit Briefing will assess the discussions and outcomes of the European Council meeting held on 23/24 March 2023, the first formal summit of the year. The focus of the meeting – and thus of our Update – will be on three main areas: Ukraine; energy; and competitiveness, the Single Market and the economy.
What are the EU’s next steps on Ukraine, and will the summit take any new decisions? Can EU leaders finally agree on a long-term response to the energy crisis and how to prepare the Union for the next winter? Will they decide on a long-term strategy to boost competitiveness and productivity? And will they follow up on the conclusions of February’s extraordinary summit on how to make the Union’s economic, industrial, and technological base fit for the green and digital transitions? What will come out of the expected strategic discussion on EU trade policy? How will EU leaders address the reform of the Union’s economic governance framework?