High on the agenda is the consideration of redirecting profits from Russian central bank assets, currently frozen within the EU, to aid Ukraine, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
A critical discussion point will be the potential initiation of membership negotiations for Ukraine, an issue that has seen resistance from Hungary.
Hungarian officials argue that Ukraine has yet to fulfill all prerequisites for membership discussions, specifically concerning respect for the rights of national minorities, including the Hungarian minority.
Despite this, there is optimism that negotiations could commence by the end of June, pending unanimous consent from all member states.
The summit is also poised to tackle widespread agricultural protests across Europe, highlighting the broader implications of the proposed duty-free trade agreement with Ukraine.
A group of countries including Poland is advocating for more stringent import restrictions.
This initiative gained momentum following the European Parliament's adoption of an amendment proposed by Polish MEP Andrzej Halicki, leading to recent negotiations and modifications to the trade agreement, the IAR news agency reported.
However, these adjustments have been deemed inadequate by some nations, which are now pushing to expand the list of products under import restrictions. Notably, Poland and France are among the countries arguing for the inclusion of wheat alongside products such as corn, oats, groats and honey.
The EU's new duty-free trade agreement with Ukraine is scheduled to come into force on June 6 and last for one year.
(jh/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP