The summit is taking place in the exact location where the peace agreement was signed following the First World War 103 years ago. Now Europe is at war once again, confronted with the largest wave of refugees since World War II.
The top priority is to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine as soon as possible. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, issued an appeal to the heads of state and government to stand together.
Upon arriving in Versailles, Luxembourg’s prime minister Xavier Bettel said it was important to emphasise the commitment of the population, who have shown great solidarity towards the Ukrainian people, rather than just applauding governments. However, he said sanctions may well help to establish a dialogue.
Bettel added it was important to keep communication going in light of the conflict, saying that he himself had been in daily contact with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. He also plans to make phone contact with Vladimir Putin in the coming days. Talking would be one of the only ways to achieve a solution, he added. “At the moment, people are dying every day. That is unacceptable,” he said.
As for the impact of the war on European citizens, in Luxembourg, the prime minister said a tripartite meeting would be convened shortly. He said citizens’ and companies’ wallets should not suffer as a result of the conflict.
Europe needs to become less dependent on fossil fuels, oil and gas as soon as possible, but such change does not happen overnight, Bettel continued. The future role of nuclear energy as part of the “Green Deal” could take years, whereas people need answers now, he said.
According to Bettel, nuclear power is not the solution, due to safety concerns. He said it was “unsustainable” and pointed to the bombing of Ukraine’s power plants as proof. Renewable energy could be a better solution, but this again takes time, he said.
Another topic at the summit is European defence. Bettel said the various states needed to work more closely and the money should be better deployed, without 40 different systems. He warned against purchasing material that would go unused, as with previous governments, and expressed the desire to work more closely with Belgium once again. Luxembourg would also work on joint projects with France.
Bettel said he had also had a conversation with new German chancellor Olaf Scholz on defence in the future and indicated Luxembourg would spare no expense if required.
RTL video report below in Luxembourgish:
