Europe Today: Luxembourg's Prime Minister joins us ahead of European Council meeting

Name: Europe Today: Luxembourg's Prime Minister joins us ahead of European Council meeting
Uploaded: 2025-12-18T07:46:28+00:00
Duration: 15 min 2 s
Channel: euronews (in English)

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Europe Today: Luxembourg's Prime Minister joins us ahead of European Council meeting

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00:00Good morning, it is Thursday the 18th of December. I'm Maeve MacMahon and this is Europe Today,

00:21your news's daily live fix of European news and analysis. Coming up today, the countdown is up,

00:28EU Summit Day is here. EU leaders are in Brussels this Thursday and Friday for what's being dubbed

00:34a make it or break it summit. From saving face on Ukraine to stopping the Mercosur trade deal

00:40from falling off a cliff, big decisions on key issues will have to be made today. Ahead of these

00:46talks, the Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen warned of a new international order in a world

00:51full of predators. For more on why this December summit is so crucial for the EU, we can cross

00:57straight over to the EU Council building where Euronews' correspondent Shona Murray is standing

01:01by for us on the very red carpet where leaders are arriving. Good morning, Shona. Tell us what

01:06is up for discussion today and why is this summit so important?

01:13Well, good morning, Maeve. As you mentioned there, just behind me here on the red carpet,

01:16we'll have EU leaders from all EU countries, all 27 member states. They'll be joined by Ukrainian

01:22President Vladimir Zelensky for what could be the most historic, the most consequential EU leaders

01:28meeting of all time. What's at stake? What's at the agenda? Well, what's on the agenda is

01:33funding, urgent funding for Ukraine for the next two years. What's on the agenda? Whether or not to

01:38utilise 210 billion euros of frozen Russian state assets to pay for that. Now, EU leaders will be

01:45discussing this. They're basically saying that why should Europe be paying for the Russian invasion

01:51of Ukraine? 185 billion euros of those Russian assets are here in Euroclear in the Belgian repository.

01:57And the Belgian government is very concerned about the unintended consequences for this.

02:02Legal ramifications, the threat to Euroclear, the threat to their credibility as a financial services

02:08hub. So basically the majority of EU countries would like this to pass, in particular the German

02:14government. But the Belgians need to be reassured. What I've heard is that EU leaders won't be

02:19leaving here until there is a solution. Maeve? And what if there is no solution? What if there is

02:24no deal? Well, what we're hearing is it's the only game in town. There had been other options,

02:32but they require unanimous support. There is no unanimous support for any other agreement.

02:37This use of frozen Russian state assets required unanimous support. So there could,

02:42we could see that materialize. But what we've heard from the president of the European Council,

02:47President Antonio de Costa, he's basically saying that we will be here for Thursday, for Friday,

02:52for Saturday, until there is a deal. Because as we'd also heard from Chancellor Mertz,

02:56the EU's credibility on the line really is on the line. The future of the European Union is on the line.

03:02Europe can't be seen to allow itself to be used by Russia. And they need to use the leverage of

03:07these frozen Russian assets to pay for Ukraine to show that Europe means business,

03:12that Europe has leverage and Europe has skin in the game. So we could be here for the next 24 hours.

03:17I could be talking to you from this exact space with the same clothes on, because there may be no deal.

03:22But honestly, what we're hearing is EU leaders will say until there is one. Maeve?

03:27Okay, Shona Murray, whatever happens, you'll report it for us. Thank you so much

03:30for that live update from the red carpet. And as Shona said there, President Zelensky will be

03:35physically attending today's gathering and the stakes could not be higher, in fact,

03:39for Ukraine's president. He's under brutal pressure of late to concede territory to Russia.

03:44For more on President Zelensky's expectations for today's summit, I'm joined here in the studio by

03:48our Ukraine correspondent. That is, of course, Sasha Vakilina. Good morning, Sasha. Tell us,

03:53what are the expectations of President Zelensky today in Brussels?

03:56As you said, the stakes could not have been high. In fact, the confirmation that Zelensky is going

04:01to be in town came just a few hours before the meeting, and he will be there a little bit later

04:05compared to the other leaders. Now, he said himself that the outcome of the meeting and the result that

04:11Europe produces must make Russia feel that its desire to continue Russia's war against Ukraine next

04:17year is pointless, because Ukraine will have the support. Now, when it comes to this support,

04:23the one that Kyiv now needs, this is, of course, a few pillars. The security measures are needed.

04:28He said financial measures are needed, including actions on Russian assets. Political measures

04:34are needed. And the courage of all partners is required. And he also said that these rests entirely

04:40with Europe, and Europe must make this choice. Also, of course, after the first time, a couple of days

04:46ago, we saw those commitments from the European leaders that they put on paper promising to support

04:51Ukraine. And what happens to Ukraine if EU leaders do not find a deal over the next two days or three

04:56days in Brussels? Ukraine will struggle with the financing its military needs and financial needs.

05:02The first next injection is needed as soon as next April, May. And this is the second time when

05:07the Europeans are trying to make this decision on Russian frozen assets. Now, we heard also from

05:13German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who pointed out the importance of today's decision when he said,

05:20we intend to use Russian assets to finance the armed forces of Ukraine for at least two more

05:25years. This step is not about prolonging the war, but about bringing the war to an end as soon as

05:31possible. This is, of course, the argument to all those critics who are speaking against using Russian

05:37frozen assets. But at the same time, it's a great indicator of the fact that the European leaders,

05:42including Merz, are not expecting Russia to stop anytime soon.

05:45Indeed. Sasha Vecchelina, thank you so much for that update. Well, ahead of the High Stake

05:50Summit taking place today, a number of political groups have been meeting together for breakfast

05:54in various locations across Brussels. Our EU news editor, Maria Tadeo, has joined the European

06:00People's Party pre-summit gathering, which is taking place in the Sofitel Hotel here in the EU

06:05quarter of Brussels. Good morning, Maria. So it's a historic day for the EU. There's no more time

06:10to postpone key decisions. What are you hearing there where you are?

06:16Well, good morning. And yes, there is no more time because this is the big one. Big decisions

06:20will have to be made from Ukraine to international trade deals. And whichever way they go, they will

06:26have consequences for the European Union. The European People's Party, of course, is meeting

06:30right before the summit starts. We have seen the head of the European Commission already here. And now

06:35to debrief what you say could be and will be a make or break moment for the European Union. I'm very

06:40happy to say we are joined by Luxembourg's Prime Minister, Luke Freedom. Sir, thank you very much

06:46for joining us on Euronews. I want to start with a question that may seem trivial, but on a day like

06:52today, it's important. How are you feeling? Nervous? Anxious? Concerned? No, you can't be nervous if

06:57you're our Prime Minister. I think what matters is that we stay focused on our objective, and that is to

07:02provide Ukraine with necessary financial means to survive in this war, because it's a war against Ukraine.

07:09It's a war that jeopardizes everything that we have built up after the Second World War.

07:14Borders cannot be changed by force. And so we want to support Ukraine. And we are looking for the means

07:20to continue on a sustainable path to support Ukraine. You just said something incredibly

07:26important, which is this is not just about Ukraine, but it's really about the future and the fate of

07:31Europe after the Russian invasion. What happens if today there's no solution? Would you argue

07:36Europe will also be in jeopardy? No, I don't think so. But I think we will find a solution. We have two

07:42options on the table to support financially Ukraine. One is to use funds out of the EU budget or to make

07:50sure that the assets, sovereign assets of Russia that are with European banks can be used to guarantee

07:58a loan to Ukraine. This is extremely complex because it has never been done in the past. But I think we

08:04can find ways to organize that in a way that makes sure that it works without jeopardizing also the

08:12financial stability of the eurozone and making sure that Belgium, where most of those assets are located,

08:17in Euroclear, will not be the target of retaliation measures or court cases in the future.

08:25And who's the biggest headache today? Because a lot will depend on Giorgio Menoni and Italy. Is it

08:31Orban today the biggest headache? Or maybe do we find ourselves in a strange situation where it's

08:35actually the Italian prime minister that you need to convince?

08:38We need to be supportive of Belgium, which is the main place where these sovereign assets are located.

08:46And I believe that if we take European decisions, we need to bear the consequence also together. We

08:52need to do some risk sharing here. And that is why I think we need to support Belgium and we need to

08:59find a group of countries that share the same risks. We should all support them. But we know that some

09:06countries are more favorable to Russia than others. Unity is also essential. We need to work for unity.

09:11We need to discuss the future of Europe, the security architecture of Europe. That is what is at stake.

09:17And I think that all countries, including those that you have mentioned, see that risk for the future.

09:22So you think the Belgian prime minister will be supported? You see him coming around because he's played a very tough game.

09:28I talked to him on many occasions, including yesterday. And I think we are moving into the right direction.

09:35But it will remain extremely complex. This is, as I said, from a legal point of view, this is extremely difficult because we don't want to do a confiscation of assets because we need to keep the rule of law.

09:48Financial stability also means that assets that are in Europe cannot be taken away by a political decision.

09:53On the other hand, we must find a way either to use EU funds, so the EU budget, or to use Russian assets to guarantee for the future the loans that we are giving to Ukraine.

10:06And that is a complex discussion that we will have to have. But I'm optimistic that we find a solution.

10:11And you spoke with the Belgian prime minister, which is very on brand for the Benelux. What does your political instinct say?

10:17Is this something that he can come around to and find a solution? How did you find this conversation? Constructive?

10:23Of course. I mean, Belgium is a country that is used to many compromises. But this is a compromise among all of us.

10:29Europe is a group of 27 countries. And we need to gather to find solutions. It's about the future of our continent.

10:37It's about whether we want a continent where force decides on how the future is decided or whether it's in a peaceful manner.

10:45And we want a peaceful manner. We know that we need to be more sovereign because America might not be there with us on all steps in the future.

10:53We have Russia, which is a permanent threat. And it's as a European Union for peace, prosperity and security that we need to stand together today.

11:01And, Prime Minister, I must ask you a final question, because along those lines of new relations that may emerge and new bridges that the European Union needs,

11:09is the Mercosur, a major trade deal with Latin American countries.

11:12The French say they want a delay to this vote. It seems the Italians too now.

11:16What happens if this gets delayed again? Will you be furious, disappointed? Is this the end of it?

11:21If borders around us are being closed or tariffs are being introduced, we need new markets.

11:27And I think Mercosur, like other free trade agreements, serve our economy, create jobs in our countries,

11:33because we produce goods that we need to export somewhere.

11:36And that is why, independent of when we sign, we should stick to what we have agreed to with other countries.

11:42And Mercosur is one of the examples, despite the fact that we need to take into account, of course, the concerns of our farmers.

11:49But that we can solve domestically or within Europe, at the same time opening markets for our industries in the rest of the world.

11:57Well, Prime Minister, thank you very much for joining us on Euronews.

12:00Of course, the coverage of this very important summit continues all day on Euronews.

12:06Thank you so much, Maria Tadeo there, Euronews' EU editor.

12:08And of course, to your guest, the Luxembourg Prime Minister, Luc Frieden.

12:11Now, how long the EU summit will last? Another big question on our mind.

12:15We're hearing the Danish ambassador has cancelled Christmas to make sure a deal for Ukraine is sealed.

12:20But beyond the politics of these EU summits, the logistics are also quite something.

12:24Our Jakob Janis has been taking a look at the behind the scenes.

12:30It's the most wonderful time of the year, but perhaps for a different reason.

12:37Today, we start the final European Council summit of 2025.

12:43Topics include enlargement, the EU budget and support for Ukraine.

12:48Or, to put it simply, love, money and war.

12:52Rumour has it only the sharpest students can tell the difference between the Council of the EU, the Council of Europe, and today's suspect, the European Council.

13:04And I am sure you know it.

13:07But let's have a recap.

13:08Today's summit runs for two days.

13:14Inside, they will need 30 chairs.

13:1727 for national leaders, plus three special seats for Antonio Costa, Ursula von der Leyen and Kaya Callas.

13:26We have 24 official languages.

13:29This creates over 500 possible language combinations.

13:32In reality, most negotiations happen in English, even though the English have left the building.

13:41Finally, up to a thousand journalists, including us, attend the summit.

13:46That makes for roughly 33 reporters chasing every single leader.

13:51This week, the noise isn't just inside.

13:56A major farmer's protest is waiting outside.