00:00Good morning, it is Monday the 15th of December. I'm Maeve McMahan and this is Europe Today,
00:21your news' daily live fix of European news and analysis. Coming up today, after spending his
00:28Friday on the front line in the embattled city of Kubiansk that Moscow claimed to have captured,
00:34Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has moved on to Berlin. On his agenda, face-to-face talks with
00:40American officials, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law,
00:45Jared Kushner. The Ukrainian president has hinted that Kyiv could drop its long-held ambition
00:50of joining NATO in return for Western security guarantees. For more on the talks and the latest
00:56attempts to end the ongoing war, I'm joined here in the studio by Maria Tadeo, our EU news editor.
01:01Good morning, Maria. Great to have you with us. So look, marathon talks taking place in Berlin.
01:06Any movements? Well, marathon talks because we understand they went on for more than five hours
01:12yesterday, Maeve, and they will continue this morning. Of course, the German chancellor who,
01:16to his credit, has really taken the lead now in the negotiations when it comes to the Europeans
01:21hosting the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a U.S. delegation, which, as you alluded to,
01:27included Steve Witkoff, of course, as a special envoy, but also Jared Kushner, who is the son-in-law
01:33to President Trump. And the two men, we should note, were instrumental, remember, in negotiating a
01:40ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. Now, in terms of the details, we have not heard from the Ukrainians.
01:46They argued they will only brief after the talks are completed today, but we did hear from the
01:52Americans, and hopefully we can put it up on the screen. Steve Witkoff yesterday saying we had
01:57in-depth discussions regarding the 20-point plan for peace, economic agendas, and more. Remember,
02:04initially, this plan was 28. It was deemed to be two in favor of Russia. The goal now for Ukraine and
02:10the Europeans is to sway it in Kyiv's favor. As I say, not a lot has officially been confirmed.
02:17There has been speculation, however, that Ukraine could be prepared now to drop its ambition to join
02:22NATO if it can get NATO-like security guarantees. There has also been talk about fast-track
02:28EU membership. Of course, one of the dates that was floated was January 1, 2027. The Ukrainians have
02:35not officially confirmed this, but I can tell you the diplomats I spoke with over the weekend said
02:40this is really not an option. It's not real. Ukraine cannot join in a year. But of course,
02:47you understand the logic here. The US would offload some of the NATO responsibility to the EU and the
02:52Ukrainians keep that momentum and that pressure to accelerate their talks. But as I say, diplomats
02:57telling me this is not feasible. We've got to be realistic.
03:00We've got to be realistic. And of course, this week, Maria's crucial week for the European Union,
03:03for Brussels as it strives to strike a deal on Ukraine's funding. What are the chances?
03:08What are the chances? Very difficult. We've talked about make or break current time. This is really
03:12now crunch time and decision time. Two things just very quickly. On Friday, the European Union
03:17taking now steps to keep the Russian frozen assets, which are held here in Belgium by Euroclear,
03:23permanently frozen. But of course, we know that the Belgians continue to resist it. But also a new
03:28element, Italy also reaching out to the Commission and saying, well, perhaps this is now the time
03:33to push for a plan B. However, those who favour the frozen assets and the reparations loans say
03:39there is no time for a plan B. We should go ahead with this. At this point, flip a coin.
03:45Flip a coin. Well, stay tuned to Euronews to find out because, of course, that EU summit
03:48is taking place later this week. We have foreign affairs ministers gathering here today. So
03:53Euronews.com, of course, your source for all your news and analysis. Thank you so much,
03:56for all that. But coming up, we'll be joined by Laurence Tubiana, the French economist and climate
04:03diplomat who served as France's climate change ambassador for the 2015 Paris Climate Conference,
04:09making her the architect of the landmark Global Climate Act. At 74, Laurence Tubiana still works
04:16tirelessly to try to combat climate change as CEO of the European Climate Foundation. So Laurence Tubiana,
04:22thank you so much for taking time out to join us this morning on Europe Today. Hello. Nice to have
04:28me. Yeah, great to have you this early on a Monday morning. Laurence, look, mines are occupied,
04:34as you've heard there, with the ongoing war in Ukraine. So the climate emergency has kind of
04:37been politically parked here, if you like, in Brussels. But 10 years on from the Paris Agreement,
04:42are you confident it is still intact? It's not. Meaning it works, but not to speedy enough.
04:50It works because we have seen a major transformation of the world economy,
04:55in particular in the green technology, the rise of China investment in renewable energy,
05:00the fact that almost all countries have a climate low now since Paris, and 88% of global emission
05:08are covered by a commitment to be net zero by the mid-century. So, and you see every day,
05:14even the public awareness is absolutely non-comparable. Even the media, I think, now understand the problems
05:20because, of course, climate change is now, unfortunately, really putting enormous stress
05:27on many, many countries and many, many societies every year these days.
05:31But we have a climate change denier in the White House, President Donald Trump. How does that impact
05:36your efforts?
05:37I think it's very damaging, more than probably the first moment when Donald Trump decided in 2017
05:45to withdraw from Paris Agreement. And you see the pressure, of course, on many countries,
05:50in particular small countries. And you see more aggressivity for the oil and gas producers that
05:56really want the Paris Agreement to be delayed or blocked. And so we feel the pressure. It's a very
06:02difficult geopolitical situation. But the interesting thing is, at COP30, you have 85 countries that decided
06:09to plan for a win out of fossil fuel, you know. So on one side, nobody minus the US has decided to withdraw
06:19from the Paris Agreement. The second element is now there are countries that more decided than never to get out
06:24of the dependence from fossil fuel, including Brazil.
06:28So you think that was a success? Because many would have considered that a failure, the COP30 this year in Brazil.
06:34It is not. It's complex, of course. Again, it's more violent and aggressive than it has never.
06:39I haven't seen since my whole life working on climate, I've never seen such aggressivity from
06:44the US, including, as you know, the pressure in particular on Europe. And that's so important
06:50that Europe stand up and don't decide to go, you know, for more import for fossil fuel and LNG even
06:57from the US. We have to be independent. And economic security is energy security these days.
07:03And just finally, the EU wants to be carbon neutral by 2050. Do you think that's still achievable?
07:09I think it's achievable if we continue the good work that has been done all over the fight last
07:14year. If we go, we increase renewable energy. If we now decarbonise, of course, the industry,
07:22we can be there. And we will be in time for 2030, minus 55 percent, which was already enormous.
07:30And then I think we are in a good shape.
07:33OK. On that positive note, we can bring that conversation to an end, Laurence Tibiana.
07:37Thank you so much for joining us here this morning on Europe Today.
07:42But now, moving on, it is time to reflect on the deadly attacks on Bondi Beach this Sunday
07:47during Hanukkah celebrations that took the lives of at least 16 people.
07:50It was Australia's worst shooting since a massacre almost 30 years ago that saw the country then
07:56introduce some of the world's toughest gun laws. Political leaders across the European Union
08:00have sent condolences to Australia, expressing solidarity with the victims and their families.
08:06For more on this story, we're joined by Euronews' political correspondent, Stefan Krobe.
08:09Good morning, Stefan.
08:10Good morning, May.
08:11Thank you so much for being with us here. Tell us what we know so far.
08:14Well, what happened was that at least two gunmen opened fire at a crowd that was at Bondi Park,
08:22as you said, about a thousand people. Many of them were participants of the Jewish Hanukkah festival.
08:29So the suspects opened fire at the crowd, sending panic crowds running in all directions.
08:36The attackers, by the way, were father and son, as police later said, 50 and 24 years old.
08:41One of them was killed in a shootout with law enforcement.
08:45The other one was shot and is in life-threatening condition in a hospital as we speak.
08:50Police also removed explosive devices found in a nearby vehicle.
08:56Police also said that there might be a third suspect, but they cautioned against any speculations
09:01as investigations, of course, continue.
09:04Australian authorities declared it an anti-Semitic terrorist attack and an act of, you know, brutal force.
09:14Eyewitnesses reported that the gunmen were deliberately pushing aside bystanders who visibly were not participants of the Hanukkah festival.
09:23So that leads us to assume that it was a precise targeting, targeted attack on the Jewish community here at Bondi Beach.
09:31Australia's Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, condemned the attack sharply, saying an attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian.
09:40Take a listen.
09:41This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, an act of evil anti-Semitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation.
09:54There is no place for this hate, violence and terrorism in our nation.
10:00Let me be clear.
10:01We will eradicate it.
10:04Prime Minister Albanese there.
10:05Meanwhile, Stefan, one brave man actually put his life at risk trying to stop the killer.
10:10Tell us about Ahmed.
10:12Absolutely.
10:12Ahmed, a 43-year-old father of two and an owner of a fruit shop.
10:17And so a pretty much regular guy.
10:21And you see him here attacking, tackling one of the attackers, bringing him down and then pointing the gun at him.
10:29You see here on the right, the gunman now getting up back on his feet and moving, slowly moving away.
10:37So this, of course, half the firepower of the two gunmen, Australian authorities, calling this an unusual act of bravery and calling him a hero.
10:50He certainly saved probably a lot of lives here.
10:55As I said, one was killed and one was severely injured.
11:00Ahmed, I think, is doing well.
11:02He's recovering in hospital.
11:03Stefan, what has been the reaction here in Europe and also among Jewish communities?
11:07They must be rather on edge this Monday.
11:09Yeah.
11:09Well, the European leaders condemned almost immediately the attack.
11:14French President Emmanuel Macron saying in Sydney, an anti-Semitic terrorist attack struck families gathered to celebrate Hanukkah.
11:23France extends its thoughts to the victims, the injured and the loved ones.
11:27We share the pain of the Australian people and will continue to fight relentlessly against anti-Semitic hatred, which hurts us all wherever it strikes.
11:37And further to the east in Germany, Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying the anti-Semitic attack at Bondi Beach during Hanukkah leaves me utterly shocked.
11:47My thoughts are with the victims and their families.
11:49This is an attack on our shared values.
11:51We must fight anti-Semitism here in Germany and around the world.
11:55And, of course, France and Germany having had sad experiences with anti-Semitism.
12:00Indeed, Stefan Grobe.
12:01Thank you so much for that update.
12:03But now coming back to Brussels news.
12:05As you heard earlier, EU heads of state and government are poised for a major gathering in Brussels this week.
12:10The most important, perhaps, for years.
12:12Because on the table, a loan for Ukraine to keep the country afloat for the next two years.
12:16Our Jakob Yanis has a little refresher for you on the frozen Russian acids earmarked to foot the bill.
12:24Day, called Europe, week.
12:28Well, Brussels just locked down 210 billion euros of Russian central bank cash.
12:35Most of it sits right here in Euroclear.
12:38Think of it as the world's most nervous piggy bank.
12:41Until now, keeping it frozen required a unanimous vote every six months.
12:48That made the cash a hostage to vetoes, especially Hungarians.
12:54So, last week the EU pulled a legal trick and an emergency clause.
12:59In times of crisis, it allows for majority voting to bypass unanimity so no single country can veto.
13:07Now, the assets are frozen indefinitely.
13:11And to unfreeze them, you would need another majority vote in favor of Russia.
13:17Good luck with that.
13:20Moscow has already sued Euroclear, but the EU calls it speculative.
13:25And Belgium is nervous about the legal risks, but the clock is ticking.
13:32Why the rush, you ask?
13:33This first day, the EU leaders meet for a make-or-break summit.
13:39They need to raise 90 billion euros to keep Ukraine from collapsing.
13:44And with Russian sabotage already hitting Europe, we could be next.
13:49Viktor Orban, a well-known practitioner of veto power, calls the move a Brazilian dictatorship.
13:55But for others, it's a preview of a stronger EU.
14:00One that finally stops letting a single country, in times of emergency, turn off the lights.
14:07Yeah, I could be honest reporting there.
14:13And just speaking of Hungary, I don't know if you noticed, but this weekend, tens of thousands took to the streets of the capital, Budapest,
14:19to protest against the Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, and call for his resignation.
14:23For more on that story, do visit Euronews.com.
14:26But that does bring this edition of Europe Today to an end.
14:29Thank you so much for tuning in.
14:30Join us again tomorrow morning.
14:32We'll bring you all the latest from Strasbourg, where MEPs are gathering for their last session before the Christmas break.
14:38Thanks again for watching.
14:39See you soon on Euronews.
15:00Euronews.
15:01Euronews.
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