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Europe Today: aggiornamenti in diretta su guerra, negoziati e allargamento Ue
Dai risarcimenti all’Ucraina ai negoziati di pace, fino al vertice sui Balcani occidentali: l’agenda europea al centro di Europe Today su Euronews
ALTRE INFORMAZIONI : http://it.euronews.com/2025/12/17/europe-today-aggiornamenti-in-diretta-su-guerra-negoziati-e-allargamento-ue
Abbonati, euronews è disponibile in 12 lingue.
Dai risarcimenti all’Ucraina ai negoziati di pace, fino al vertice sui Balcani occidentali: l’agenda europea al centro di Europe Today su Euronews
ALTRE INFORMAZIONI : http://it.euronews.com/2025/12/17/europe-today-aggiornamenti-in-diretta-su-guerra-negoziati-e-allargamento-ue
Abbonati, euronews è disponibile in 12 lingue.
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00:00Good morning, it is Wednesday the 17th of December, I'm Maeve McMahan and this is Europe Today,
00:21your news' daily live fix of European news and analysis.
00:26Coming up today, at a meeting in The Hague, 35 countries signed up to an international
00:31commission to compensate Ukraine for hundreds of billions of dollars in damage from Russia's
00:36ongoing war. This, as Ukraine's President Zelensky says, proposals negotiated with US officials
00:43in Berlin this week to end Russia's war in Ukraine could be finalised within days.
00:48For more on this, I'm joined here in the studio by our Ukraine correspondent Sasha Bakalina.
00:52Good morning Sasha.
00:53So Ukrainians are sounding a little bit hopeful, but what have been the reactions from the Kremlin?
00:58There's been great progress and development on the side coming from Berlin, talks from Ukraine and the
01:03European partners, but from Moscow we've heard some radical rejection on some of the points,
01:07including those commitments that were revealed Monday by the European nations, specifically when
01:12it comes to the European-led multinational force Ukraine made up from willing countries to assist
01:18to secure Ukraine's skies and seas. Now, this one caused lots of criticism from Moscow. This is what
01:24Russia's deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said about it. He said that the coalition of the willing
01:30is the same thing as NATO and perhaps even worse because such a decision can be implemented even without
01:35the standard NATO procedures for such cases. You can see they are not taking it and not accepting it. And of course,
01:42one of the most important things that's been here from the very beginning of Russia's full-scale
01:46invasion against Ukraine is the territories of Ukraine. Russia still wants to have full control
01:51of five regions, even the territories it's never controlled.
01:55So it feels like we could be back to square one here because, of course, territorial concessions,
01:59still the major sticking point, Sasha. Same as for Ukraine maybe, because Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
02:04when he was in the Hague, he also said that Ukraine is not willing and is not going to accept
02:09any possibility of Russia controlling east of Ukraine, specifically the region of Donbas. This is
02:15two regions, Luhansk region and Donetsk region. Let's take a listen.
02:19Russia has invaded our home. It's destroying our cities, our villages, killing Ukrainians,
02:28our children, and at the same time demanding that we give up parts of our land they haven't even
02:36managed to conquer. According to the latest poll, 63% of Ukrainians said that they continue to be
02:44willing to endure Russia's war against Ukraine for as long as necessary, instead of accepting
02:49territorial concessions and practically, you know, giving it up.
02:52Indeed. Okay, Sasha Vakilina, Ukraine correspondent, thank you so much for all those details and
02:57bringing us up to speed. Well, ending Russia's war in Ukraine is top of the wishlist of MEPs
03:03gathering this week in Strasbourg. And that's where we can go now, as our Maria Tadeo is standing
03:08by for us this morning. Good morning, Maria. Great to see you. Very busy schedule in Strasbourg.
03:13What do we need to know? Well, it's a monster day and it was a monster day yesterday in the
03:19European Parliament. It's a monster week of decision making in Europe too, with that European Council
03:24scheduled for yesterday. In terms of the vote, well, three major topics were debated yesterday.
03:30We did see new safeguards for Mercosur. Remember, that is that major trade deal with Latin America,
03:35including Brazil. New safeguards were approved, but this is now a deal that depends entirely
03:41on the member states. And we should note, in particular, in the hands of the Italian Prime
03:44Minister, Giorgia Meloni. Of course, there was also that scrapping on the combustion engine cars
03:50by 2035. That was a big win for the German car makers. And then, of course, housing. But let me now
03:57turn to the Housing Commissioner, Dan Giorgisant, because we are going to debrief with you live
04:02yesterday. Commissioner, you're putting now measures forward to make housing more available and more
04:08affordable for Europeans. It's a big concern. But what can you really do? This is, for the most part,
04:13a national competence. Well, yes, it is true that it is a big concern. We are in a housing crisis and
04:19thereby a social crisis. So we've put forward a whole range of different measures that we will
04:25introduce in the months and years to come. One is, for instance, short-term rentals. So not that short-term
04:32rental as such is a bad idea. They can be good. But some places we've seen how they push the prices up
04:39on housing and sometimes even crowd out normal people from their homes. And we need to do something
04:44to remedy that. And, of course, is there speculation when it comes to both rent and buying houses?
04:50There's a generation of Europeans, and you could argue this is a big societal failure, who believe
04:55I will never be able to buy a house. It's also the case, actually, unfortunately,
05:00that young people are not able to leave their parents' house. So I think the average age is more
05:05than 26 now. In some countries, it's more than 30. Sometimes it's because they want to buy a house
05:10and they can't. Other times it's because there simply is no renting available. So we need to
05:15build more houses. We need to also use the buildings that we have better. So in some cities,
05:19even cities where they're experiencing big problems with not having enough houses,
05:24there are also a lot of vacant houses and a lot of vacant buildings. So we need to
05:28find ways of using these buildings better, renovating them. And we're also telling countries,
05:33look at the rules that you have, because maybe you can actually regulate this yourself,
05:37so that indeed these buildings will be available for housing.
05:41And, Commissioner, just to help us understand, of course, Europe is very complex at times,
05:45and the situation in every country is different. But is this an issue of speculation in the market?
05:50Is this an issue of permits that are not given, a lack of construction stock?
05:55What is the issue now in this market?
05:57Yeah, well, it's many different things. And one thing certainly is that there's a lot of
06:01bureaucracy and red tape that we need to deal with. So permitting needs to be easier. We also need
06:06standardization for different types of goods and services in the building industry, so that the
06:13internal market will start working here also in the construction industry. And finally,
06:19speculation you mentioned. Well, yes, some are arguing, some experts are arguing that this is
06:23indeed a problem. Others are saying probably not so much. So what we'll do is we will start an analysis,
06:28and then we will present next year our take on that, because we do need more transparency
06:34if we are to deal with it.
06:35And this is the first time the Commission tackles this issue. Some argue it's very difficult to change
06:41things from the Commission's perspective, because this is really a national competence,
06:45and you're just trying to do politics. So how are you going to prove a critic's run,
06:49and what do you think is going to be achievable in the short term?
06:52Well, it is true that there are many things that need to be done on a local and national level,
06:57but what we can and will do on European level is, for instance, state aid rules. So today,
07:02they are blocking countries helping support affordable housing, the building of affordable housing,
07:08so that we will change. We can provide funding. So, for instance, a pan-European investment
07:15platform has been set up together with EIB. That will provide a lot of funding for building of
07:19new houses, renovating of old ones. And we are also allocating funding on our own budget to help
07:25boost the supply. Okay, so you say this is not just optics and politics. There will be changes coming
07:30from the executive. But I have to ask you now a final question, perhaps a broader politics and the
07:35geopolitics. This is a very important week for Europe, a very important European Council slated
07:40for tomorrow, reparations loan for Ukraine. What do you hope will come, and what do you wish
07:47to see from European leaders by the end of Thursday?
07:49We obviously hope for agreement. This is, as you say, a very turbulent time. It's also a time where
07:55we need to stand together in Europe to show decisive action.
08:00So, yes to reparations loan?
08:01We hope, of course, that what has been proposed by the European Commission will be supported.
08:06Well, thank you so much, Commissioner. And of course, Maeve, that was Housing Commissioner,
08:11and also Energy, it's a double portfolio. Dan Jorgensen joining us on Euronews. Of course,
08:15the session continues in Strasbourg, and tomorrow we take you back to Brussels.
08:19Indeed. Maria Tadeo, Euronews' EU News Editor. Thank you so much for joining us for that live update
08:24from Strasbourg, and of course, to your guest, Dan Jorgensen, the Danish Commissioner.
08:28But now, since the war in Ukraine and the geopolitical turmoil around us,
08:32EU enlargement is back on the political agenda. Today, Brussels is rolling out the red carpet
08:37for aspiring EU members from the Western Balkans. For the day that's in it,
08:42our Jakob Janus has been taking a look at European attitudes towards this expansion.
08:46Once, there were just six. Not long ago, there were 28. Today, there are 27. These are not lottery
08:57numbers. It is the story of our European Union. And that story is set to gain a new chapter. But
09:04should it? Europeans are cautiously supportive. The latest Eurobarometer shows 56% are in favour of a
09:12bigger union. Nine countries are in the queue, including Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkan
09:18states. For them, it means locking in democracy and prosperity. For us, it means growing our influence.
09:26Combine that with some delicious borscht and Ivar, and it's a richer table for everyone. But it's not
09:32that simple. EU citizens are concerned, demanding candidates should first tackle corruption and uphold
09:39the rule of law. These are critical conditions that cannot be ignored. At the same time,
09:45leaving these countries in grey zone risks seeding influence to Russia or China. And while Ukraine is a
09:52large nation, most other candidates are small, like Montenegro with its 600,000 people, which can be
10:00compared to the size of Anthrop. But as they say, it's not always about size. It's about securing the
10:07European family. The question isn't if the EU will grow, but how it will manage it. And you, would you support it?
10:15Do let us know your view. You can write to us at europetodayatyournews.com or reach out to us on
10:25social media. But now, coming up, we'll be joined by Vyosa Osmani, the President of Kosovo. Elected on
10:31a promise to tackle corruption and normalise relations between Kosovo and Serbia, President Osmani has been
10:37in Paris since 2021. And she's in Brussels today for the EU Western Balkan Summit. Good morning,
10:43President. Good morning. Lovely to have you with us here on Europe today. So, of course,
10:47Kosovo is not yet a candidate country for EU membership. It's not recognized by five EU
10:52countries. Will it ever be a member of the EU, do you think? Absolutely. It's our destiny. It's
10:58something that we've worked for for a very long time. And while, practically speaking, we've only
11:04applied a few years ago, and we're hoping for our application to be on the table of the members of
11:09of the Council very, very soon. In fact, as an identity, as a country, as a nation, we've been
11:15contributing to the values on which the European Union stands for centuries. And so, we strongly
11:20believe that while it's a very complex process, if the merit-based criteria is used, Kosovo actually
11:26would have been a front-runner by now. But it's complex in our case, additionally, because of
11:30the five non-recognizers, who we truly do hope will understand that having Kosovo as a member of the
11:36Union, it's not just at the benefit of the people of Kosovo, but it's a strategic imperative. It's a
11:40security imperative for the entire continent. As you say, it's a very complex process. How would you
11:45rate, perhaps, your progress towards getting in line with EU standards and making sure that reforms
11:50are done, the most urgent ones? Well, if we look at what the EU says about that progress, Kosovo is
11:56right now at a 100% alignment with the common foreign and security policy of the European Union. Every
12:02single decision in these areas is completely aligned, whether it's sanctions against Russia
12:07or against other adversaries of the Western world and what the EU represents today. In terms of values,
12:13Kosovo is also entirely aligned. In terms of rule of law reforms, we are a front-runner. And based on
12:20international indices, such as Gallup International, which was recently published, Kosovo is actually
12:27number one in Europe in terms of the rule of law index. It's stopping all of the European countries,
12:32and it's third in the world when it comes to fighting crime and corruption. This has been
12:37the top priority of our institutions. And right now, in terms of the corruption perception index,
12:42we have the lowest in the region. So these are some of the issues that we've worked on hard.
12:46In terms of economic reforms, again, according to the European Union reports that we get yearly,
12:53we are the best in the region. In terms of administrative reforms, we're the best in the region.
12:58Obviously, there are still some things and some homework that we have to complete. But I think
13:02if there were no political complications that have nothing to do with reforms,
13:06we would have absolutely been the top country in the region so far.
13:10Because now, of course, Ukraine is the top, if you like, because, of course,
13:12the situation there, it was speedily given candidate status. How does that make Kosovo feel?
13:17Well, we do support Ukraine's membership in the European Union. As I said,
13:22this is beyond just the internal reforms in a certain country. If we want Europe to be whole,
13:28free and at peace, which was the dream of the founders, we need to understand that we need to
13:34be given a chance to move forward. And while, of course, we would want Ukraine to complete all of
13:39the reforms that are required of the rest of us, too, it is a security imperative as well. Look,
13:45adversaries such as Russia, China and Iran do not leave any space without having it used. So there's
13:54no vacuum. If the European Union, if the transatlantic relationship is not, of course,
14:00having its influence in the Western Balkans, someone else will come, not for charity, but because they
14:05have strategic interest there. So we need to make sure that whether it's Ukraine or the Western Balkans,
14:10again, on a merit-based process, move forward.
14:13Okay. That is your destiny, as you say. President Osmani, thank you so much for coming
14:16into us today on Europe Today, and all the best for your long, busy day here in Brussels. But that,
14:21in fact, does bring this edition of Europe Today to an end. Thank you so much for tuning in.
14:25For more on those votes in Strasbourg today or the EU Western Balkans summit,
14:29do visit our website, euronews.com, for longer reads. And join us again tomorrow morning
14:33as the EU summit gets underway. We'll be joined by the Prime Minister of Luxembourg,
14:37Luke Frieden. So don't miss that. See you soon on Euronews.
14:43We'll be right back.
14:46We'll be right back.
14:49We'll be right back.
14:53We'll be right back.
14:57It's been a while.
14:58We're running away.
15:00We'll be right back.
15:01We're going to be right back.
15:04Thank you.
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