EC Briefing — Monday, 18 May 2026

Key Points

• The EU Commission will adopt the Fertilisers Action Plan at tomorrow's college meeting in Strasbourg.
• A technical briefing on the Fertilisers Plan is scheduled for today at 4 PM.
• The Commission is investigating potential foreign subsidies benefiting Chinese company NewTek.
• The EU has €95 billion in budgetary funds available for energy investments yet to be utilized.
• Negotiations for Ukraine's microfinancial assistance are progressing, with the Memorandum of Understanding nearly finalized.
• The EU is monitoring Italy's request for budgetary flexibility regarding energy in light of defense measures.

Full Transcript

Transcribed automatically from EbS (Europe by Satellite) · English audio track · AI-generated · May contain errors · Verify before quoting

Opening Statement

Good morning. Welcome to our midday briefing. And we have a couple of announcements for you before taking your questions. So, as usual, the weekly meeting of the Heads of Cabinet took place this morning, and we can therefore share the agenda of tomorrow's college meeting, which will take place in Strasbourg, as well as the press events that we are preparing for you.

So, tomorrow, we expect the adoption of the Fertilisers Action Plan at the college meeting. And in this context, Executive Vice President Vito and Commissioner Hansen will present a plan in the press room of the European Parliament following the college meeting. We also organized already today for you at four o'clock in the afternoon a technical briefing on this Fertilisers Plan, and you will get further details as per our usual channels. And now, in French, before I open the floor, I would like to welcome to a group of national experts from French who are assigned here with the European Commission and the EEAS. This is part of a professional exchange program. I hope you enjoy your visit here to our press room and to the Commission in general. You are very welcome. That's all the announcements for today. Now we can take your questions. There.

EU-China relations and threats

Q (Euronews): Hi, Peggy Garner speaking for Euronews. Over the last weeks, China has threatened several times of retaliation because of some EU legislation. Now it bans Chinese companies from engaging with the EU over the use of foreign subsidy legislation. Isn't it time to react to China's threats? Thank you, and I'd call Siobhan to reply to this question.

Spokesperson: Good afternoon, everyone. I'm here with my Riccardo hat on today, who covers the foreign subsidies regulation from the DG competition side, whereas I cover it from the public procurement side. But very similar response I would give even if it were a public procurement case. So the Commission is indeed carrying out an in-depth investigation at the moment into whether certain Chinese measures that NewTek may be benefiting from, which is a company specialized in threat detection, whether those measures may constitute foreign subsidies distorting the internal market. So we have sent requests for information, which are standard practice in all Commission investigations across our competition instruments. So this is very standard practice. And the foreign subsidies regulation does not distinguish between companies based on their nationality or ownership. And it's, of course, inconsistent with the EU's international obligations. So very much an ongoing investigation and a normal part of our practice in the Commission. Thank you, Siobhan. And let me recall also in this context, and I know that there have been several questions in this regard, you may have seen that we will have the orientation debate on relations with China next week, actually, on the 29th of May. So this will be a discussion at the level of the College of Commissioners and several topics, including the type of issues that you've just raised, could come up in that orientation debate. Further questions to Siobhan? Also with her Riccardo hat today. Nope, then we can move on. Yes, please.

Italy's energy crisis measures

Q (AG): Hi, Simone Martuscelli from the Italian news agency AG. Yesterday, Prime Minister sent a letter to President von der Leyen asking to extend the national escape clause for defence to measures to tackle the energy crisis. So I was wondering, is it something that you're considering? Are you going to have dialogues with the Italian government in next days and whatever you can add on this? Thank you so much.

Spokesperson: Thank you. So I can confirm that the letter from Prime Minister Meloni was indeed received, addressed to President von der Leyen. I will not comment yet on the substance and not on our reply to the letter, but I would indeed ask Balazs just to recall where we are when it comes to budgetary flexibility and what's our line there. Balazs. Indeed, thank you. This gives me the occasion to recall some of the points that we've made in the past couple of weeks. Importantly, we would underline that the focus at this stage is on making a full use of the very significant EU funding already available. Now, as the President herself mentioned, after the informal EU call in Cyprus, around €300 billion has been made available already for energy investments under instruments such as NextGen EU, the Cohesion Policy, but also the Modernisation Fund, with approximately €95 billion still to be used. So you still have about €95 billion in the EU budget yet to be used in this area, and the main focus now is to ensure that Member States indeed use the remaining funds. Beyond public funding, we are also working to mobilise private investment. One additional and final point from me is that we've recently made the State Aid Framework more flexible as well to support exactly these types of investments, including in the context of energy scarcity and high prices. Thank you, Balazs. So now we have Balazs with us on the podium, and if you have any questions on defence or digital, these will be for Balazs today, stepping in for Thomas. Tatiana.

Ukraine financial assistance documents

Q (European Pravda Ukraine): Tatiana Vasilevska, European Pravda Ukraine. My question is on Ukraine loan. There are three documents which are under preparation, and they have to be finished soon to disburse the first tranche for Ukraine, and it's only less than two weeks left until the end of May. So on which stage are these documents? Because we've heard that the Memorandum of Understanding on Microfinancial Assistance is already ready, what is needed to be adopted, and also, will Ukraine have some extra requirements to make reforms to get this first tranche of microfinancial assistance, or it will be just on some old requirements? Thank you.

Spokesperson: Thank you. You are very well informed, as usual. So indeed, we still have three documents to finalise, and the most advanced one is the one that concerns the MOU, the Memorandum of Understanding. We are not quite there yet, but we've made significant progress, and just to recall in general, any MOU that underpins a microfinancial assistance programme builds on, let's say, three pillars. You have the need to have an IMF programme in place, which we have in Ukraine, you have economic reforms, and you have some political conditions. So this is kind of the backbone of what an MOU looks like, and indeed, the negotiations are going very well. Give us a little bit of time, and then hopefully very, very soon we can give you the final green light on this front. Thank you. Are there questions to Balazs and his various hats? Tommaso.

Q: Yes, good afternoon. It's just a follow-up on the question asked by my colleague Simone. It's always on Italy because, I mean, the focus of the letter written by President Meloni to President von der Leyen is political. She says, Meloni basically says that it would be very difficult for the Italian government to justify in front of the public, of the Italian public, that the EU allows flexibility for defence and not for other important topics, such as energy, which is, as you know, highly politically sensitive in Italy.

Spokesperson: Many thanks. Tommaso, as I said earlier, we'll not go into the details of the letter by Prime Minister Meloni and we'll of course reply as quickly as possible. Now, as Balazs said, we are monitoring the situation closely, also with regard to energy, and we'll be ready to look into the framework of existing flexibilities in the EU fiscal governance framework. Other questions to Balazs? No? Good. Thank you, Balazs. Jorge?

Sanctions on Russian oil

Q: Hello, Paula. It's more for you. Over the weekend, the United States decided that its sanctions waiver on Russian oil will expire, and it has expired already. We don't know what's going to happen yet, but I was wondering, do you see that this movement could give some traction to the full ban on maritime services that you're trying to impose on Russian tankers? Where are we with this, and what are the next steps on your behalf? Thank you.

Spokesperson: So, Jorge, as you know, the 20th package of sanctions did include also a ban on maritime services. This is part of the package of sanctions. We always said that we do our utmost to have also the support of other partners in emulating the sanctions that we have on Russia, and we continue with the work in that sense, because obviously that increases the impact of our sanctions. So, let's see also in this particular regard what can be achieved there. I'm looking at Siobhan to see if there's anything else to add from your point of view. Nope, not at this stage. Yes, Jorge, follow up.

Q: Yes, but obviously the discussions are ongoing, as you said, but the Commission's position right now regarding the full ban is that the G7 deal is desirable or mandatory. How do you see it exactly? Because it's not clear to me, even when you read the legal text of the sanctions, it's not clear if it's an optional thing, something that would be preferable, as you just said, or something that it's legally mandatory to have. Thank you.

Spokesperson: Good afternoon, again. So, to your question, Jorge, the way the Maritime Services Ban works is that we, as Paola has already mentioned, we hope to do this in full cooperation and coordination with our G7 partners. Of course, our sanctions legislation does not work this way. It would require, as with any sanctions, possible sanction would require unanimity from the Member States and the Council. So, that is how the legal part works. Of course, I think the political part, Paola has answered quite well. Thank you. To Siobhan again, we give it another try or go. No. So, we can change topics. Go ahead.

Switzerland's trade measures

Q (Neue Zürcher Zeitung): Hi. Antoni Fomagali for Neue Zürcher Zeitung and ZZ. I have a question for Olaf or whoever substitutes him today. It's about the steel safeguard measures from which Switzerland is not exempted so far and also the planned reform of the cross-border social security rights, which also would prove very costly to Switzerland. So, over the weekend, the Swiss President gave an interview that caused quite some turmoil in Switzerland because he accused the EU of undermining a joint declaration of 2025 that foresees a close cooperation in good faith. So, my question is, the first question, would you like to give an answer to the Swiss President? And secondly, more specifically regarding the steel measures, where are the negotiations exactly at this time with Switzerland? Thank you.

Spokesperson: Thank you. So, Olaf is Paola today, so you'll be hearing from me. Now, I won't go into the interview by President Parmelin, but let me indeed recall the overall context of the steel safeguards and the context in which the Commission has put forward a proposal. And you will remember that the Commission's proposal in this regard was aimed at replacing the existing steel safeguards, which expire in June 2026. And therefore, the idea is to have some continuity after the expiration of the existing measures and to ensure the necessary protection also of the industry. Now, and again, to recall in this context that in order to ensure the effectiveness and the level playing field of these measures, the steel safeguards should apply to all EU partners, including FTA partners. And for the context, the FTA partners are responsible for over 80% of the steel imports to the EU, and only the EEA countries, whose market is already closely integrated with the EU single market, will be partially exempted from the measure. Now, we are discussing the implications of our proposal with all our trading partners, and therefore also with Switzerland, and are working towards finding a collective solution, which is aimed at solving one problem, which is a common problem to many of our trade partners, which is the global overcapacity. So we are engaging with our trading partners in good faith, explaining the measure and what are possible implications, and discussing the way forward. And this happens notably in the context of the WTO, as you know. So we are preparing an implementing act on the specific country allocation of the quotas by a trading partner, and ensuring, of course, that what we're doing is in full compliance with the WTO. So the process is ongoing. We are engaging with our partners, including Switzerland, and of course the exact level of quotas is under discussion, is under negotiation, so we won't go into details on that. Do you have a follow-up?

Q: Yeah, just a quick follow-up about the timeline. These measures will take, or go into force on 1st of July, so can we assume that the negotiations will be, with all the other partners, will be finalized by then? Where exactly are you at this point? We are working against the clock, so the objective is to have the implementing act ready by the 1st of July, when the current steel safeguards expire. So that's exactly the objective towards which we are working right now. David. Yeah, in terms of the implementing act and the timeline, so if we don't get the implementing act by the 1st of July, I was wondering, are there any elements of legal uncertainty there, or how long can that continue though? We don't have the exact quotas divided up by country. Thanks.

Spokesperson: Thank you, David. So, as said, the objective is to have a concrete implementing act which will specify the quotas by the 1st of July. That's the objective, that's plan A and B for the moment. If ever we don't get there, well, let me not put it this way, let's speak again on the 1st of July, and I'm confident that we will have the issue solved by then. Other questions, please?

Ukraine's steel quota concerns

Q (Kyiv Independent): Thanks, Paola. Chris Powers, Kyiv Independent. So, just on this, there's a fear from the Ukrainian side that they'll be damaged by these new quota allocations as well. Financial Times kind of raised an alarm about it over the weekend. I'm wondering... by anything on your side and if the Commission is planning to make use of the wording to make allowances for a candidate country facing an immediate security situation. Thank you.

Q: So Chris, I can tell with regard to the Ukraine, which is also indeed concerned by these measures, we have offered compensations to the largest suppliers. These include Ukraine, and as I said before, these are being discussed in the process or in the context of the famous Article 28 of the WTO agreement in Geneva. And of course we acknowledge that despite the war, Ukraine remains an important exporter of steel to the EU. And so what we are working towards is to seeing that Ukraine receives a country-specific quota, guaranteeing that its steel exports to the EU can continue, even if it may be at a level lower than in the past years. And we will, in the discussions and in the decision regarding the exact quota, obviously take into account the very specific and challenging situation of Ukraine. Yes, please.

UK rejoining the EU discussion

Q (Sky News): Hi, Alistair Bunkle from Sky News. Apologies, I don't know what remit this fits into, possibly foreign affairs again, so sorry if Siobhan has to come back on stage. You might have seen comments by Wes Streeting, one of the leading candidates to potentially become Britain's next Prime Minister over the weekend, saying that Britain should rejoin the EU. I was just wondering whether you had any thoughts on that, and whether you would welcome it?

Spokesperson: Well, certainly will not comment on the situation in Britain with regard to the ongoing discussions. When it comes to Britain and any prospects of rejoining the EU, you know that there is an ongoing forum. We have an annual summit where we are discussing how we can come closer together on a number of areas. And I would certainly not jump on many of the ongoing steps or take any conclusions at this stage. There are discussions on closer cooperation on a number of areas. That's where we are, and that's also what we are doing precisely in preparation of the next summit, is rather than speculating about big new or renewed issues, is to really take it very concretely, very specifically on the basis of sectoral discussions where we can come closer in what is the reality of the United Kingdom not being a EU member any longer.

Q: Could you, though, outline for the British public, in a hypothetical situation where Britain were to vote to rejoin the EU, what would be the Commission and Union's expectations of Britain, particularly vis-à-vis the single currency, freedom of movement, etc.?

Spokesperson: So if ever we are in that situation, I'll be glad to reply to it. In the back.

EU supply chain diversification proposal

Q (NHK): Thank you. Sachia from NHK, the Japanese TV station. There were reports that EU is seeking to propose to force European companies to buy critical components from at least three different suppliers to reduce the EU's reliance on China. Could you confirm this debate will be held on May 29th, and give us a hint of what the Commission's proposal will look like?

Spokesperson: Yes. So we don't have comments on that specific reporting, but you said it yourself. Indeed, this could be part of the discussions in the upcoming orientation debate next week. Other questions? Yes, please.

Serbia's EU relations and funding

Q: Yes, Paola, this is for you. President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, on Saturday announced he had a phone conversation with President von der Leyen. This was not confirmed by Madame von der Leyen in social media, although it's the same day when she confirmed she had spoken to Prime Minister of Singapore, for example. Could you confirm this conversation took place and what were the topics that were discussed on Saturday afternoon during the long weekend here in Europe? Thank you.

Spokesperson: Yes, thank you. I can confirm that indeed there was a phone call between President von der Leyen and President Vucic, and the discussion focused on the upcoming Western Balkans summit in June, as well as the current state of play of reforms in relation to the EU accession and the Western Balkans growth plan. And in this context, President von der Leyen reaffirmed our commitment to supporting Serbia in advancing along its EU path, and we remain fully committed and engaged in supporting Serbia's progress towards EU's accession. So that, in a nutshell, the outcome of the call this weekend. Yes, follow up.

Q: Sorry for the follow up, but usually President von der Leyen announces, or her team announces in the social media, the contacts that she does with various interlocutors, why this was missing. Also, were there any talks about confirmed backsliding in the area of rule of law in Serbia, which is the reason that Serbia is still not receiving the money from the growth plan? And the momentum when this conversation took place was very serious for the President Vucic himself, because of the heinous crime that happened in Belgrade, when his former advisor, a member of a criminal gang in a restaurant owned by brother of President of Serbia, executed him in the cold blood, removed the body, and in the same restaurant member of government just had lunch the day after, and his body has not still been found. It's the biggest news in Serbia since last Friday. What does this say about the momentum when President von der Leyen spoke to President Vucic about various reforms, accession, but I didn't hear from you that the issue of rule of law, crime, fight against corruption or organized crime was not tackled, or am I mistaken?

Spokesperson: So I gave you an indication of what was discussed in the telephone call. We don't go into details. So that's what I can report from the phone call that took place between the two presidents this weekend. Yeah. Thank you.

Q (Jutarnji list): Augustin Palokaj from Juternalist. Did President von der Leyen spoke with any other leader from the Western Balkans regarding upcoming summit in Montenegro, or this is just a privilege that President of Serbia Vucic has because of personal good relations with President von der Leyen? And is this conversation maybe in order to convince Vucic to come to this summit because Serbia boycotted the last EU Western Balkan summit, as well as Vucic boycotted the celebration of the anniversary of Montenegrin independence? Or is President von der Leyen planning to speak with other leaders from the region as well? Thank you.

Spokesperson: I would not exclude that the President will speak to other leaders of the Western Balkans in the run-up to the Western Balkans summit, indeed. Yeah. I have a question for Markus Valerijapashko, public broadcaster of Ukraine.

Temporary protection for Ukrainians

Q (public broadcaster of Ukraine): So EU Special Envoy for Ukrainians Ilva Johansson just said in her interview that the EU is considering to extend the temporary protection mechanism for Ukrainians for one more year. So could you please confirm that? Has the decision been made already, or is just her personal opinion? Thanks.

Spokesperson: Yes, Markus. Thank you very much for the question. So what I can say is that discussions are ongoing. You know that we have... at the March Justice and Human Affairs Council. So discussions are ongoing at the moment. We think that this is a necessary discussion. This is about the support of Ukraine and refugees from Ukraine. So this is something that's taking place, but there is no decision at this stage.

Q: Follow up. So basically, there was no changes since, I don't know, many months ago. But I'm just wondering, is the EU special envoy authorized to say something on behalf of 27, or is she just like saying something on behalf of herself? I mean, Ilva Johansson just said that, and I don't understand if this is the EU decision, opinion, or it's just her opinion. Thanks.

Spokesperson: So I understand that she actually said that the process is continuing, and this is what I can also say. To Marcus, let me see. First, we have still colleagues who haven't asked any question. Wait, this is for Marcus. Okay, go ahead. You're the only one in the room for Marcus.

Q: Yeah, so it's just to follow up on that. I'm a bit confused on who has to act next, because I heard that the Commission has to propose something, but I've also heard that the member states have to discuss something. Can you just confirm what the next step of the process would be? Thank you.

Spokesperson: Thank you very much. So you will remember that roughly one year ago, we did propose the next steps for the next year, which was then adopted by member states. So for the temporary protection, for temporary protection prolongation, this would be the process as well. But as I said, discussions are ongoing. There is indeed a debate on how the current status will be taken further, and this is what's happening at this stage. Good, thank you. I have online, David, a question for Marcus. Yes, thank you. Thank you very much, Paola. David Carretta, Radio Radicale.

Schengen internal border controls

Q (Radio Radicale): Marcus, I've seen that you have published the Schengen report today in the daily news, with a lot of positive news, let's say. But if I remember well, when the last Schengen reform was adopted in 2024, the reform foresees an obligation from the Commission to publish a report on internal border controls after 18 months of border controls by one member state. And I didn't see immediately some news on these reports, on the report you published today. So I'm wondering why you are not acting on that. Thank you. For the question. I'm already looking into the daily news today. Very good. Go ahead.

Spokesperson: Yes, David, I can confirm the Commission has today published the state of the Schengen report for the years 2025 and 2026. This is the fifth such report. The state of Schengen report looks at developments in the Schengen area over the past year, and it also sets the priorities for the year ahead. What we can see is that the Schengen area continues to demonstrate resilience, thanks to our collective efforts at both EU and national level. The report highlights in particular a number of significant achievements over the past year. To name just a few, we have a 26% drop in illegal border crossings. We have more effective returns now, with the highest return rate in the past 10 years, last year. And not to forget something we've been talking about a lot here is the full launch of the entry-exit system, which is already delivering with many million entries so far. At the same time, the report shows that challenges remain and that some of these challenges have actually increased, also due to the current geopolitical environment. This is why the next cycle will focus on consolidating achievements, addressing remaining gaps, and enhancing preparedness. So now the report lists a number of priorities, including on the external dimension of the Schengen zone, effective returns, internal borders, and the Schengen governance. Now, David, on your precise question, it's very good that you've already had a look. If you look, I don't remember which page exactly this is, but we do actually say something on the upcoming opinions. We say that they will come soon. Okay, thank you. Other questions to Marcus? Yes, Alexandra. Yes, thank you, Paola, for the floor. Marcus, Alexandra Voudouri with Kathimerini.

Q (Kathimerini): Since you've mentioned the entry-exit Schengen system, I was wondering whether this functions properly in all member states, and have you received any requests from any specific member state for any exemption for citizens of any third country? Thank you.

Spokesperson: Thank you very much. The entry-exit system is fully operational across all Schengen countries. You will remember the core purpose of the new system is to make our borders more secure and to protect our EU citizens, and we do see very good results. We have, since October 2025, almost 66 million entries and exits registered, as well as over 32,000 refusals of entry. This is actual proof of the efficiency of the system, and we also have over 800 persons that have been identified as posing a security threat to the Union. So this is why we are doing this, this is why we have the entry-exit system, this is about the security of the EU. Now, we've discussed this several times here, the Schengen area is the world's most visited destination, with over 40% of global international travel crossing our external borders. We see that in most member states, processing time of the entry-exit system is extremely quick, we are a bit over one minute. Of course, when you introduce such a new system, there are always things that need to be looked at that can be improved. We've seen this in a couple of member states. Those issues have been worked on and are continuously being worked on, and this is what's going to be continued. Thank you. Other questions to Marcos? Yes, Maria, go ahead. Hello again, Maria Psara with EFSIN newspaper Greece.

Q (EFSIN newspaper Greece): I would like to know the state of play of the internal borders controls, because I don't have the time to read the Schengen report, since I'm here. So, what's happening now with these internal controls, and how this influences the implementation of the Schengen freight circulation area? Thank you.

Spokesperson: Thanks very much for the question. As a matter of fact, the report addresses this quite extensively, so I really invite you to have a look at the report. What I can say more in general is that reintroducing temporary internal border controls is possible under EU law. It's subject to certain conditions, as set out in the Schengen borders code. Now, the Commission monitors all notified border controls and control reintroductions, and we are maintaining a close dialogue with the affected member states. So, this close dialogue is really important. In these dialogues, we emphasize the need to minimize disruptions to cross-border travel and to regional economies, and we also highlight alternatives to such internal border controls, because we think that there actually are more efficient and effective alternatives and solutions available. You will find a number of those outlined in the report. So now, where checks are, however, being carried out, measures must be put in place to limit their impact to a minimum. This, again, requires close coordination at EU level and also between the member states concerned. What's very important here is the work of the Commission's Schengen coordinator. The Schengen coordinator is in close contact at technical level with the authorities of all Schengen member states concerned, and our goal, the goal of the work of the Schengen coordinator, the goal of the Commission overall, is to work towards the progressive lifting of internal border controls. Maria, a follow-up.

Q: Can you just say on the record where there are controls in the borders of the EU? Thank you.

Spokesperson: Thanks. I don't have the overall list with me, but you can find it both in the report, and you will also be able to find it online on the Commission's websites. Thank you. And a question still on the topic? Thank you.

Q: How do you define temporary? Because those measures, if I remember, I was traveling through Slovenia, Austria, Germany, they are there for four years now. So those cannot be called the temporary measures. Do you have any questions on that?

Spokesperson: Thanks, Agustin. Yes, this is actually set out in the Schengen Borders Code, which has been reformed in 2024. There is, as a general rule, a member state can notify internal border controls for two years. They can be prolonged under certain circumstances and the Commission is also issuing opinions after a certain amount of time. Good. Let me see if we have other questions for Markus. No, doesn't seem to be the case.

EU trade commitments and clarity

Q: Thank you, Paula. The question is going to be for you because it's about trade. I follow Shevchikovich a little bit too much and he's a little bit media shy, but he does go to Parliament sometimes. And he had said, I think in February, we must also remain committed to our deal. He had wanted a vote in plenary in March. It must remain our target under the condition, of course, that we get more clarity from the US. It seems that we've got that and we've now reached the point that it's May the 18th. Since I can't pose this question to Mr. Shevchikovich, I'll ask the European Commission as an institution that would like to see this deal signed and done, if it has a message for the EU negotiators meeting tomorrow and whether it wants to tell them to get a move on and get the deal done.

Spokesperson: We don't have, well, let's put it like this. It's not me putting out a message to the committee tomorrow and to the negotiations tomorrow, but you know well what our line is. We're talking about the biggest trade relation that we have and for the matter that the US has, so the transatlantic trade relation between the EU and the US. So it absolutely makes sense for all of us concerned and all of us who can make a difference to do everything we can to strengthen and grow that relationship for the benefit of our citizens, for the benefit of our businesses. You know we struck a deal last August with the United States for fair, stable, balanced and mutually beneficial trade. We are committed to delivering on it and we've said it so often and the President said it herself, a deal is a deal. So we are ready to deliver on our part of the deal and we are now really at the very final stages of implementing our remaining joint statement commitments with the European Parliament, with the Member States in the Council. We've made very good progress at the last trilogue on the 6th of May and we are now confident that we will make now progress towards the final deal at the next trilogue which is taking place tomorrow. So really looking forward to that. Yes please, go ahead. Hi Angela Scujans from Euronews.

Women in peace negotiations

Q (Euronews): It's a question regarding comments made by the EU High Representative Kai Kalas yesterday in Tallinn. She was asked about peace negotiations and she highlighted studies that show when women are involved peace efforts last longer. I'm curious as to what data she's referring to and whether she wants to be the European envoy as part of the Russia-Ukraine peace talks. It would be great to have an answer. And thirdly whether she believes that Russia would want this, her a woman at the table. Thank you.

Spokesperson: Anita, regarding the HRVP comments and are women better at ensuring peace? Well we have a lot of practice back home. Exactly, she has a lot of practice and she's a feminist as so we are. That's on this. On Russia will not be commenting on what Russia is doing either than seeing how they are sending missiles and bombs and drones on innocent lives. And then on the needs of talks and participation, this was also discussed at the last FAC and this will be also a topic for discussion at the upcoming Gimnich in two weeks. The issue as such is what to talk about with a country, with a state that is launching and violating ceasefires day in, day out. So this will be also a matter of discussion in gathering the unity of the member states towards our asks and what to be discussed. You have a follow-up?

Q: So just to clarify to make sure I'm hearing right, the matter of whether or not this should be a woman will be discussed, that's not even on the table because that's going to be, the format will be discussed at the Gimnich. Is that just to make sure that I'm reporting correctly?

Spokesperson: No, so what will be discussed is what our position in terms of the demands and the asks and what unity we will have in demanding our lists of asks from Russia. This is something that we will be looking into, into the what and not into the who. Thank you, Anita. So we are now on foreign affairs. Yes, Vitaly.

Q: Thank you. Just to follow up previous questions, yesterday President Zelensky had conversation with Antonio Costa and as a result he said that it's very important to find a suitable negotiator and it sounds like there is already some processes is going on. Do you know something, is there any selection or I don't know pitching of who could be this negotiator, at least from European Commission? Thank you.

Spokesperson: Yeah, Vitaly, on this one the best is to ask that question to my colleagues on the other side of the street, the spokes for President Costa. Other questions, external affairs? Hi, thank you. I'm Gabriel for Doce Vele Africa Service.

EU's role in Horn of Africa peace

Q (Doce Vele Africa Service): It's also on peace deal but on Africa, Horn of Africa. You know, the peace agreement that was signed to stop the war in Northern Ethiopia is now in danger because the provisional government which was established by the agreement was now paralyzed. So there is danger there the war could come again. So what is the EU doing because EU was one of the mediators and Ethiopia is a partner to the EU. I wonder what EU is doing to avoid the upcoming war. And secondly, there is election also in Ethiopia to be held on 24 May. I just want to know if EU is asking to observe and if it has decided to send also delegation to observe the election. Thank you.

Spokesperson: Good, that is external affairs indeed but it will be for Anwar. So let's call Anwar up and then see if there's anything else for you, Anita. We'll be in standby. Anwar on Ethiopia. Good afternoon. Thank you for the question. On the second angle, I will not speculate as you have yourself pointed to an event that is taking place in the days or even weeks to come. So no further comment from our side at this stage. Then in terms of the situation in the Tigray, we as European Union we are following the developments in the Tigray regional state and this with great concern. We call for immediate de-escalation and avoidance of any actions that jeopardize the permanent cessation of hostilities agreement that has been signed in Pretoria and this in November 2022. We believe that it is imperative that another devastating conflict is avoided and that the differences between the parties are resolved and this via political dialogue. So this is our position on the matter for the time being. Thank you. Other questions to Anwar? I don't see any. Other questions to Anita? Yes.

Bosnia and Herzegovina high representative

Q: Yes, Anita. It's on Bosnia and Herzegovina. Madam Callas, last week, hope that in June you will have the agreement on appointing the successor of Mr. Christian Schmidt. What is the opinion of European Union considering the future competences of the high representative? Should he, she maintain the bomb powers as it used to be? How difficult or easy will be to appoint a successor? And also, how do you comment on the calls by politicians of Republika Srpska that Mr. Schmidt? Thank you very much.

Spokesperson: Thank you. On the resignation of Christian Schmidt, we have taken note of his intention to step down and this will be now the task of the Peace Implementation Council to implement a successor. And any candidate to the office should be able to support Bosnia and Herzegovina stability, functionality and also the EU path. And related to that, we have seen the verbal, the personal attacks that we condemn that were targeting the High Representative but also the Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos and also our EU ambassador and the head of the delegation, a new special representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Luigi Soreca. And the message is that at the time when the country needs reforms and constructive cooperation, this divisive language moves away the focus from the work required to advance on this path. Any other questions to Anita? No. Let me see, I have one online, Caterina Mazzantini.

Q: Okay, can you hear me? We could. Yes, go ahead. Actually, I raised my hand when Anwar was on stage, so I don't know if I can ask to him. Maybe. Sorry if I've overseen it. Go ahead. We'll see if it's for him or Anita. I must say, it's for Anwar. I would like to know if the Commission has a comment on the suspension of the sanction imposed by Trump administration over Madame Albanese, the special rapporteur on the occupied Palestine and territories. And also, if the Commission has an opinion on the sanctions still in place against other European citizens sanctioned alongside Albanese, for a similar reason, for example, international criminal court judge, Betty Alter and Nicolas Grillo. Thank you. So we have here a tandem, Anwar, Anita, Anita Anwar. So this one will be for Anwar indeed, on the lifting of the sanction against Miss Albanese. Or, actually, we have different candidates to reply to this question. Let's see. Anwar, if we need a compliment by Siobhan, she's also ready to step in. Perfect.

Spokesperson: Look, on the US side, obviously no comment from our side,

but I would like to recall that we as EU, we support the international criminal court and the principles set out in the Rome Statute. We respect the court's impartiality and independence, and we are strongly committed to international criminal justice and the fight against impunity. In terms of the staff that you have referred to, let me recall here, loud and clear, attacks or threats against the court, elected officials, personnel and those cooperating with the court are not acceptable. And we as EU, we have been also engaging directly with the court and affected officials to discuss the current situation they are in, and we will continue to explore concrete measures in terms of seeing how we can protect the court and increase its resilience. But I also leave my colleague Siobhan to compliment on the other side of the spectrum on the ICC file. Good. So let's have Siobhan complimenting from the sanctions point of view.

Spokesperson: Good afternoon. Just to compliment what Anwar said, indeed, of course, the work of the international criminal court is very important, and the commission is conscious of the need to provide steady support to the court, both financially and diplomatically. And we continue, as Anwar said, to use the tools at our disposal to protect its operations. And we have explored and assessed concrete and feasible solutions to support the court and allow its staff to continue to work on a daily basis. And this is something that we remain in constant contact with the member states about. Good. Thank you, Siobhan. Yes, please. Let's see in what remit we fall.

Q (Slovenian Press Agency): Blas Mohorcic with the Slovenian Press Agency. Could you please elaborate on these measures of support to the judges? And also, are you going to propose the use of blocking statutes to which called Prime Minister Sanchez a few weeks ago? Thank you.

Spokesperson: So we indeed, we had questions recently about this as well. Beyond what I've just said, I don't really have anything currently to add. And this is, again, the work of the court is something that we are constantly looking to protect, to allow its staff to continue to be able to live and do their work. Thank you, Siobhan. If no other questions to Siobhan, I still have one question online. Mose, if you're still there. Nope, I think Mose is no longer there. Any other question? Please.

Q (Politico): Hi, this is Carlo from Politico. Thank you for taking my question. I don't know if this is trade or foreign affairs, but the Commission has proposed or implemented a number of policies that China has perceived as hostile, among them the IAEA, the revision of the Cybersecurity Act, and the clampdown on funding for solar inverters. I wanted to know if there had been any official change in the Commission's stance towards China, or if this is business as usual. Thank you.

Spokesperson: First, I would say you referred explicitly to a number of legal acts that we put forward, and I would not portray them as targeting any country in particular. They're targeting issues rather than countries. Overcapacities is an issue, which happens to apply to China indeed. So I wouldn't call, first of all, I would contest the fact that it would be targeted to any country in particular. And second, with regard to a shift of our policy towards China, it's well known what is our policy towards China is one of de-risking, meaning that, as with other partners, we do not want to be overly dependent on a single country. When it comes to China, we are overly dependent on a number of fronts. So we're working on that in the interest of the EU's resilience, in the interest of the EU's security. And I come back to what I said earlier. This and other topics will be on the agenda of the orientation debate, which is coming up already next week in the College of Commissioners. And if no further questions, then it's a good time to end our midday, the first of the week. Thank you for your participation and very nice afternoon. Transcribed by https://otter.ai Transcribed by https://otter.ai Transcribed by https://otter.ai A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesperson takes questions from journalists. A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines says the U.S. is not ready to accept a U.N. request for a U.N. summit. The U.N. has not yet agreed to a U.N. summit. The U.N. has not yet agreed to a U.N. summit. The U.N. has not yet agreed to a U.N. summit. The U.N. has not yet agreed to a U.N. summit. For more UN videos visit www.un.org For more UN videos visit www.un.org For more UN videos visit www.un.org For more UN videos visit www.un.org For more UN videos visit www.un.org For more UN videos visit www.un.org For more UN videos visit www.un.org For more UN videos visit www.un.org For more UN videos visit www.un.org For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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