EU leaders clashed over various issues, including climate regulations, migration policies, and long-term financial aid for Ukraine, during a two-day summit in Brussels. Despite calls for immediate action, the primary outcome of the European Council summit was the postponement of key decisions.
With upcoming elections in Spain and France, and seemingly entrenched positions among leaders, no substantial agreements were finalized. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who attended the summit, received expressions of support but little concrete commitment.
Zelenskyy addressed journalists, urging European leaders to establish a financial plan to prevent a potential migration crisis involving "20 million Ukrainians" fleeing to Europe. He stated that the war would cost €155 billion next year, with an additional €70 billion needed from European partners for defense, weaponry, and resilience, emphasizing that this support would help contain Russia.
However, two diplomats indicated that member states would continue to explore various options for assisting Kyiv, including potential further loans from the EU.
Luc Frieden and Emmanuel Macron speak ahead of a round table during the EU summit in Brussels on Oct. 15, 2026. | Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images
The debate surrounding the potential mobilization of approximately €300 billion in frozen Russian assets for Ukraine's benefit serves as an example. Although EU leaders rejected this option nearly a year ago due to objections from Belgium, France, and Italy, several countries have requested its reconsideration. High Representative Kaja Kallas had indicated that frozen assets would be discussed at the Brussels meeting.
Despite extensive discussions on Ukraine, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated that "nothing has changed" and that the assets remain available but unused. He asserted that "money to support Ukraine must come from other sources than the frozen assets" in the short term.
Two EU diplomats revealed that the European Commission and EU capitals are investigating alternative financing methods. These include seeking contributions from Ukraine's non-EU allies, utilizing untapped EU funds, and arranging another joint EU loan to supplement the €90 billion loan agreed upon last year.
European Council President António Costa mentioned that leaders did not dedicate significant time to formulating a funding plan for Ukraine in 2027, following Zelenskyy's projection of a €70 billion budget deficit for his country next year. He added, "We agreed immediately that we need to address the additional needs of financing Ukraine in 2027 and asked Commission to come up with concrete proposal."
Nevertheless, leaders refrained from endorsing any of these proposals during their closing press conferences.
Money talks drag on
The summit was also intended to resolve a months-long stalemate regarding the size and structure of the EU's long-term budget, valued at nearly €2 trillion.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who will leave office before the next presidential election in April and June, cautioned that he would lack the political mandate to finalize a deal if an agreement was not reached by the end of the year.
Despite lengthy discussions on Thursday, neither the fiscally conservative bloc led by Germany, advocating for a smaller budget, nor the "Friends of Cohesion" group, pushing for a larger allocation, made significant progress toward a compromise.
"I think [a decision] is possible by the end of the year," Macron stated at the summit's conclusion, adding that failing to reach a deal this year would be "not a good method from a democratic standpoint."
Instead, leaders primarily focused on gaining tactical advantages over rivals concerning EU climate regulations and migration policy throughout the two-day summit.
Trench warfare
A proposal led by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to weaken an emissions trading scheme known as ETS2 dominated discussions for hours on Thursday. Despite gaining broader support than at previous summits, the proposal was narrowly defeated by countries backing the existing scheme.
Donald Tusk and Peter Magyar shake hands before a round table during the EU summit in Brussels on Oct. 15, 2026. | Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images
Regarding migration, Denmark, Italy, and Poland spearheaded an effort to adopt a stricter EU stance. They proposed amendments to the summit's conclusions that would have explicitly linked irregular migration to crime rates and characterized it as a threat to the cohesion of European societies.
According to two EU diplomats, this proposal, which garnered support from approximately 10 countries including Hungary, also implicitly criticized Spain. This was in response to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's decision to regularize the status of about 1 million irregular migrants, a move that had drawn criticism from Italy's Giorgia Meloni and Denmark's Mette Frederiksen.
Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that the Commission would introduce an emergency response framework by the end of the year to enable EU countries to manage sudden mass movements of people, similar to the incident that caused disruption in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta over the summer.
However, the initiative led by Meloni and Frederiksen was unsuccessful. The proposed paragraphs were removed from the summit's final conclusions, which included only a condensed version.
Macron criticized the migration discussions, describing them as excessively "politicized."
"It was a bad debate because it has been highly politicized and it has been a major source of division around the table," the French president commented.
