European Council
The President
Brussels, 23 June 2021
Dear colleagues,
It is my pleasure to invite you to our European Council meeting on 24 and 25 June,
which will start with an exchange of views with UN Secretary-General António Guterres
on global challenges and geopolitical issues.
Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, both in the EU and worldwide, will be a key
topic. The successful vaccination campaign that is well underway across the EU,
together with the launch of the Digital COVID Certificate, will facilitate free movement
over the summer months and beyond. However, we need to keep a close eye on variants
and contain their spread in a coordinated manner. As agreed in February, we will also
engage in a first exchange on lessons learned from the pandemic so far, so as to best
prepare for future crises. We will discuss how the EU can continue to lead efforts to
vaccinate the world through exports and donations and how to increase the worldwide
supply of vaccines.
On migration, we will take stock of the situation on the various routes. Our aim
continues to be to prevent loss of life and to reduce pressure on the EU's borders. We will
therefore focus on the external dimension, with the aim of strengthening our cooperation
with countries of origin and transit. We should mandate action that will deliver results
rapidly.
As regards international issues, we will return to the EU's relations with Turkey, as
announced in March. We will discuss relations with Russia, following our in-depth
debate in May and the Commission and High Representative's report. We will review the
implementation of our recent decisions on Belarus. I expect us also to adopt conclusions
on Libya, the Sahel and Ethiopia.
Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 175 - B-1048 Bruxelles/Brussel - Belgique/België
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/european-council/
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