European Council
The President
Brussels, 20 October 2021
Dear colleagues,
I would like to invite you to our European Council meeting on 21 and 22 October.
During our first working session, we will address the current hike in energy prices which
is challenging the post-pandemic recovery and severely affecting our citizens and
businesses. Building on the Commission’s recent communication, we will look closely
into what can be done at the EU and national level, both in terms of short term relief for
those most affected as well as measures for the medium and long term.
We will also discuss the current COVID-19 situation. The pandemic is not over yet and
figures are on the rise in several Member States. Vaccination has brought significant
progress in the fight against COVID-19 but more still needs to be done, especially
regarding vaccine hesitancy and disinformation. We will touch upon international
solidarity, to ensure the speedy delivery of vaccines to countries most in need. We must
also take action to ensure we are better prepared for pandemics in the future.
We will also touch upon recent developments related to the Rule of Law during our
working session.
Over our working dinner we will have a strategic discussion on trade. When it comes to
the EU's global influence, trade remains the most effective instrument in
our toolbox. We will discuss how to best make use of this instrument, both in terms of
the objectives we seek and in terms of the process for the involvement of Member States,
in light of experiences over the last few years.
Another topic will be the preparations for important upcoming summits such as COP 26
and COP 15 on biodiversity. Looking ahead to the COP 26 summit, we need an ambitious
global response to climate change. All major economies should set ambitious targets and
meet their commitments on climate finance. We will also prepare the upcoming ASEM
and Eastern Partnership Summits.
On Friday, we will come back to the topic of migration, to follow up on the
implementation of the June European Council conclusions on the external dimension of
migration, in particular when it comes to financing. Our external borders need to be
effectively controlled. We should also sustain our efforts to reduce secondary movements.
Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 175 - B-1048 Bruxelles/Brussel - Belgique/België
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/european-council/
1/2