At the European Council on 23-24 October, EU leaders aimed to turn the reflections shared at the recent informal summit in Copenhagen into concrete decisions on core issues – Ukraine, defence and security, the Middle East, and competitiveness.

After their discussions in Copenhagen on defence and support for Ukraine, will leaders now move to ambitious delivery? Can they agree on how to mobilise frozen Russian assets and overcome resistance from hesitant member states? On common defence capabilities, will they back the proposals by the European Commission and High Representative to develop strategic enablers and close capability gaps? Following the Trump-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, will the agreement withstand the coming weeks – and what role can Europeans play? On economic competitiveness, will the EU27 move beyond incremental reforms towards a fundamental revamp of the Union’s economy?

This EPC Update and Post-summit Briefing addressed how EU leaders answered to these questions and what this means for the Union’s strategic direction.

Participation is open to EPC members, the media and EU officials.