EU leaders gather in Brussels to redraw the bloc's security posture
A two-day summit will weigh new defence spending rules, fresh sanctions on rogue exporters, and a long-delayed enlargement package.
BRUSSELS — Heads of government from the 27 member states arrived in Brussels on Monday for a summit billed as the most consequential of the year. On the table: a binding 2.5% of GDP defence spending floor, a sixth sanctions package targeting front companies in three Gulf jurisdictions, and a final political signal on opening accession talks with two Western Balkan candidates.
Diplomats briefing reporters ahead of the summit said the security file is now driving every other conversation in the room, from industrial policy to the next multi-annual budget. "There is no separating economics from security anymore," one senior EU official said. "Every euro the bloc spends is a security euro."
The summit will close with a joint statement on Tuesday evening. Officials expect the most contentious paragraph to be the one on enlargement.