As the European economy is facing currently a deep recession due to the pandemic, despite the swift policy response, on Friday, at the special summit in Brussels, EU leaders focused on how to strengthen the resilience of the Union.

The EU leaders meet in Brussels on Thursday afternoon at a Special Summit with a wide-ranging agenda, starting with foreign relations topics. At the last moment, the agenda was reshuffled and the session was kicked off with discussion on the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, and on Belarus. 

On Thursday afternoon the EU leaders meet in Brussels at a Special Summit with a wide-ranging agenda, starting with foreign relations topics. The sitting was initially planned for 24-25 September, but has been postponed as EUCO President Charles Michel was in quarantine.

This pandemic has increased our determination to transform our economies and societies tenfold, said European Council President Charles Michel in his speech at the UN General Assembly, outlining all the large-scale socio-economic measures and funding efforts that the EU has taken in response to the crisis.

European Council President Charles Michel postponed a summit of European Union leaders on Thursday and Friday until the start of October after going into coronavirus quarantine due to contact with an infected security guard, news wires reported.

The EU-China Leaders’ Meeting held online on Monday followed wide-ranging agenda, covering trade and investment, climate change and biodiversity, the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as international affairs among other topics.

Addressing the impact of the coronavirus crisis and for funding inter alia the vaccine strategy, the Council adopted on Friday draft amending budget No 8 for 2020 by written procedure.

European Union foreign ministers on Thursday sought sanctions against Belarus to pressure President Alexander Lukashenko to hold new elections as the country’s opposition appealed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel for help.

European Union leaders put on a show of support Wednesday for people protesting in Belarus. At an emergency teleconference they underlined their concern about the contested presidential election and ratchet up pressure on officials linked to the security crackdown that followed.

Children 6 and over and all adults will have to wear face masks on all European flights after EU transport ministers agreed new security measures to battle the spread of coronavirus.