Coordination of the COVID-19 response
The EU leaders will hold a general discussion about the COVID-19 situation in Member States. Various testing methods and work to produce and distribute a vaccine, as well as how it will be deployed, are issues that will be raised at the meeting.
EU climate targets for 2030
The EU must review its climate targets for the next few years to become climate-neutral by 2050. At the Summit, the heads of state and government will decide on tighter climate targets for 2030. The objective of the EU is net-zero emissions by 2050, and to achieve that the Government wants to see a more ambitious EU target for 2030.
The long-term EU budget
At the end of July, EU heads of state and government agreed on a proposal for a new long-term budget for the EU, as well as on a recovery package. Since the summer, negotiations on the long-term budget have been ongoing and have been concluded with the European Parliament. Some EU Member States are now having difficulty approving the agreement as payments from the EU budget are to be linked to the rule of law for the first time.
Future relations with the UK
Negotiations between the EU and the UK have been intense in recent weeks. Outstanding issues include the formulation of regulations for a level playing field and agreement on fishing, as well as the formulation of regulations for dispute settlement.
When the UK left the EU at midnight on 31 January, a transition period began that runs until the end of 2020. During the transition period, the EU and the UK are negotiating on the future relationship between the EU and the UK. High-level negotiations are now under way and the heads of state and government are likely to address the issue.
Euro Summit
On Friday, a Euro Summit will take place in an extended format. This means that EU Member States outside the euro area are welcome. The heads of state and government will discuss the banking union and the capital markets union during the Summit.
