In a joint letter to Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, the leaders of the three Central European countries asked for support to care for Ukrainian refugees. They told the head of the bloc’s executive body that their countries’ capacities were already stretched. “More than 50 percent of Ukrainian refugees who have come to the EU live in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. The unequal challenges faced by EU member states are also evident in relation to the current size of the population,” they wrote in the letter.
Stephen Hebstreit, the German government's press officer, said in a press conference during a break in the European Union summit that the issue had already been discussed at the current European Council meeting, but the discussion about it may take a long time. He explained that The three countries concerned are hoping for joint European support, and now the ball is in the Commission president's court to explore the possibilities. However, the minister made it clear that no decision is expected in the coming weeks.
The focus is therefore not on immediate financial reallocation, but on identifying the problem and exploring the possibility of joint European support if the crisis lasts longer than expected.
In response to a question from Portfolio, he explained that according to German expectations, there will be no problem in electing the most prominent candidates, which will be discussed at the joint dinner of heads of state and government of member states. According to him, Ursula von der Leyen is expected to be nominated to head the Commission for another term, while Roberta Mezzola could remain President of the European Parliament. The European Council will be headed by deposed Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, while Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas will assume the position of diplomatic representative of the European Union, succeeding Josep Borrell. Nor do they expect Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to significantly disrupt the discussion about senior positions.
Cover image source: European Union
