President at EU council meeting, MED9 to present letter on climate change

President Nikos Christodoulides will on Friday participate in an informal summit of the European Council in Granada, Spain, which will focus on the future of the EU and the external dimension of migration.

During the discussion on current affairs, the countries of the MED9 group will present a letter to European Council President Charles Michel requesting further assistance and financial resources to be allocated to countries most affected by the impacts of climate change and natural disasters. The text of the letter was agreed during the recent MED9 summit in Malta.

The summit will focus on launching the debate on the EU’s strategic agenda for 2024-2029, which should be finalised in the next six months during the Belgian Presidency of the council. In parallel, leaders will begin a broader discussion concerning the future of the EU given the prospect of its enlargement and the need for internal reform.

The summit’s agenda also includes migration, particularly as regards the external dimension of migration and relations with countries of origin and transit. The discussion is expected to focus on concrete measures, such as the implementation of the aspects of the Memorandum of Understanding with Tunisia.

Issues related to the new immigration and asylum package could also be raised by member states, given the disagreement of Poland and Hungary on qualified majority voting in this area of policy.