EU leaders meet in Brussels with energy prices at the top of the agenda
The two-day European Council starts in Brussels on Thursday, 15 October, and runs to Friday, 16 October. A European diplomatic source expects few decisions, with the meeting mainly meant to pave the way for later ones.
Two days, few decisions
The European Council opens in Brussels on Thursday, 15 October, with leaders due to arrive from 08:30 and the session set for 10:00. It runs through Friday, 16 October, a break from the one-day format that António Costa usually prefers, according to Adnkronos. A European diplomatic source quoted by the same outlet expects no decisions on the items listed, describing the meeting as a step toward future decisions. Competitiveness comes first, with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola addressing the leaders. The afternoon of the first day covers the 2028-34 multiannual financial framework, followed by a press conference, and dinner is reserved for a strategic discussion on enlargement and the internal reforms the EU needs before admitting new members.
- Leaders due to begin arriving in Brussels
- Session opens with an address by Roberta Metsola on competitiveness
- Discussion of global macroeconomic imbalances, centred on China
- Multiannual financial framework 2028-34, followed by a press conference
- Strategic discussion on enlargement and internal EU reforms
- President Volodymyr Zelensky briefs leaders on Ukraine, followed by debate
- Migration discussion after recent events at the Ceuta border
Energy and Italy's push for flexibility
Energy prices are expected to dominate, and the sources describe a split over strategy rather than over urgency. Italy will call for short-term measures to tackle the inflation effect of the energy crisis, while the Nordic countries, Germany and Spain, according to ANSA, argue that dependence on fossil fuels is the core problem. The Commission does not want to back away from phasing out fossil fuels, but Ursula von der Leyen is expected to bring options, including extending the temporary framework for energy-intensive industries. Italy and Greece are the only countries that have formally asked for more flexibility, ANSA reports. Giorgia Meloni is set to push a six-point proposal on the Emissions Trading System, drafted with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, that includes postponing Ets2 and the EU methane regulation. Before the summit, the Commission in principle cleared Italy's energy bills decree, which moves the Ets cost for gas-fired power producers onto consumer bills, ANSA says.
Il Sole 24 ORE puts Italy's year-end inflation estimate at 3.3%, against the 1.8% programmed when the 2024 structural budget plans were agreed, and notes that pensions and the single family allowance rise through automatic indexation.
- Year-end inflation estimate
- 3.3 %
- Programmed rate in 2024 plans
- 1.8 %
Budget and the frugal bloc
The Commission puts new own resources at 450 billion euros, which AGI says should become operational already in 2028. The positions of the frugal countries and the Friends of Cohesion look fixed, and Costa's hope for a deal by year-end is fading, AGI writes. Il Sole 24 ORE reports that frugal governments are cold on inflation-related flexibility, fearing it would set a precedent before every shock. Il Messaggero reports that Italy has secured seven billion euros of flexibility for 2027 for energy spending, within a horizon that does not exceed two years, and that Meloni hopes at least for an opening on using extra VAT revenue from inflation to aid families and firms. Germany under Friedrich Merz, Il Messaggero writes, is unwilling to grant further exemptions from European budget rules.
Ukraine, the Middle East and China
On Friday, 16 October, the second day opens at 10:00 with President Volodymyr Zelensky briefing leaders, followed by a debate among the 27. Rai reports that a recent US-Russia agreement on diesel and Belgium's persistent veto on using frozen Russian assets shape the support for Kiev. Still open are a proposed European special envoy for peace, floated in the Senate by Meloni, and tighter tourist visas for Russian citizens. Il Sole 24 ORE says escalation in Iran and the Gulf, along with Houthi incursions in the Red Sea, offers no short-term solution for the Strait of Hormuz or Bab el-Mandeb. The lunch on global macroeconomic imbalances on the first day centres on China, where Rai reports a record deficit of one billion a day and a deal on hybrid cars struck by Maroš Šefčovič.
Migration closes the summit
Friday's lunch covers migration after recent events at the Ceuta border, where AGI reports that about 80,000 Moroccans broke through the enclave's frontier at the end of July. Rai reports that two restricted meetings are also planned for Friday, one in a 19-country format on migration and returns and another on cohesion.
