Facts: EU meetings in Prague
This week, the defense and foreign ministers of the EU countries are holding informal meetings in Prague in the Czech Republic, which is the country holding the autumn presidency of the EU Council of Ministers.
The defense ministers – including Sweden’s Peter Hultqvist (S) – will meet on Tuesday to discuss the consequences of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Russian pressure on Africa, the EU’s support for Ukraine and what shortcomings exist in the EU countries’ defense investments.
The foreign ministers – including Sweden’s Ann Linde (S) – will meet on Tuesday evening and Wednesday. There, too, discussions about the war in Ukraine are on the agenda, as well as the wishes for EU membership in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, as well as the future of the EU’s Eastern Partnership. The ministers will also talk about relations with Africa and how Russian disinformation can be countered there.
Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine will once again dominate meetings held today and tomorrow at a convention center in the Czech capital.
Ukraine also participates through both Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov.
Almost all the talking points have to do with the war. Among other things, the defense ministers will discuss the setting up of an EU effort to train the Ukrainian military. The issue was already raised a year ago, but has not yet become a reality.
Weak, thinks the EU’s foreign affairs chief Borrell.
— I cannot understand why we can send training efforts to the army in Mozambique but not to the Ukrainian one, he said acidly last week, according to the Politico Europe news site.
Bonsai defense
Borrell will also speak to ministers about the analysis presented last spring of what is missing in terms of defense investment in the EU.
In a blog post ahead of this week’s meetings, Borrell warns of the consequences of many years of defense cuts. He compares the armies that many EU countries boast today to Japanese ornamental trees.
“We cannot continue to face an increasingly threatening strategic environment, including adversaries using high-intensity warfare, with bonsai armies,” Borrell writes.
“If we pool our resources, we can achieve results. If we cooperate, we can carry out specialized efforts. Or we deceive ourselves and continue as before, ignoring how the world is changing around us,” writes the EU’s foreign affairs chief.
Visa freeze?
In Prague, discussions are also expected between the foreign ministers about tougher measures against Russian tourists. In several EU countries, not least the Baltic ones, there is great irritation at seeing Russians vacationing at European sights, while Russian soldiers are anything but vacationing in Ukraine.
— We cannot continue with the current visa policy. Tourism is not a human right, an EU diplomat told the AFP news agency ahead of this week’s meetings.
However, a total stoppage is not expected at the moment. For the time being, it is only proposed to remove the simplified procedures that apply, which will make the visas significantly more expensive and take longer to obtain.