- 30 minutes ago
اروپا امروز: گفتوگوی شارل میشل با یورونیوز همزمان با نشست اضطراری سران اتحادیه اروپا در قبرس
برنامه صبحگاهی اصلی یورونیوز «اروپای امروز» را ساعت ۸ صبح به وقت بروکسل تماشا کنید. تنها در ۲۰ دقیقه از مهمترین خبرهای روز باخبر میشوید.
لب بیشتر : http://parsi.euronews.com/2026/04/24/europe-today-charles-michel-speaks-to-euronews-as-eu-leaders-hold-crisis-talks-in-cyprus
مشترک شوید: یورونیوز به یازده زبان دیگر در دسترس شماست
برنامه صبحگاهی اصلی یورونیوز «اروپای امروز» را ساعت ۸ صبح به وقت بروکسل تماشا کنید. تنها در ۲۰ دقیقه از مهمترین خبرهای روز باخبر میشوید.
لب بیشتر : http://parsi.euronews.com/2026/04/24/europe-today-charles-michel-speaks-to-euronews-as-eu-leaders-hold-crisis-talks-in-cyprus
مشترک شوید: یورونیوز به یازده زبان دیگر در دسترس شماست
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NewsTranscript
00:14Good morning, it's Friday the 24th of April. I'm Marit Gwynn and you're watching Europe Today,
00:21your daily dose of news and analysis broadcast live here from Brussels. Coming up on today's
00:28show, EU leaders are gathering in Cyprus to talk Ukraine, Iran, energy and mutual defence.
00:35They arrive fresh off a major win, having unblocked a crucial loan for Ukraine and sanctions on Russia.
00:43Leaders from Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Jordan and the Gulf are also flying in for talks on the situation
00:49in the Middle East. And as world leaders gather at the Delphi Economic Forum in Greece,
00:54we speak to former European Council President Shave Michel about Europe's role on the global stage
01:01and his deeply critical stance towards the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
01:07And US President Donald Trump has said that Israel and Lebanon have agreed a three-week extension to
01:14the ceasefire in Israel's war on Hezbollah. It came after direct talks between the Israeli and Lebanese
01:20ambassadors to the U.S. the second such talks in recent days.
01:25They like each other. I found that out today and I've sort of heard about that. They actually
01:30like each other, Lebanon and Israel. They've agreed to an additional three weeks of, I guess,
01:37no firing, ceasefire. No more firing. Let's see. We hope that happens. It's not going to happen
01:42between them, but they do have Hezbollah to think about.
01:47But first, for our top story today, we're taking you to Cyprus, where EU leaders are holding an
01:53informal summit against a fraught geopolitical backdrop. Last night, over dinner, leaders discussed
02:00plans to revive the EU's little-known defence clause amid deepening cracks in the relationship
02:06between the U.S. and its European allies. Today, they'll tackle the EU's long-term budget,
02:11and they'll also lunch with leaders from the Middle East. For more, we can cross over to
02:17Cyprus now and to our correspondent, Jorge Liborero, who's there for us. Great to see
02:22you, Jorge, this morning. Listen, this should have been Viktor Orbán's last summit, but he's
02:28decided to skip, and that really seems to be defining this gathering.
02:36Kalimera Maret, indeed, the longest-serving member of the European Council, is not making
02:41his way to this summit. It would have been his farewell summit, so to speak, after 16 years of
02:47uninterrupted power. But as we remember, Viktor Orbán was defeated in the polls earlier this month,
02:53and opposition leader Peter Magyar took over with the promise of restoring ties between Budapest
03:00and Brussels. Leaders yesterday, as they made their way to the dinner, were noticeably relieved
03:06by the change in power, because Viktor Orbán has been a figure of disruption and obstruction
03:12for 16 years, and now everybody wants to bring back a sense of normalcy into the collective
03:18decision-making.
03:20And, Jorge, the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, was also there, joining the leaders
03:26over dinner yesterday. And he had some very interesting comments on Ukraine's bid to join
03:34the European Union.
03:37Yes, indeed. At first, we didn't know if Zelensky was going to make it in person to the summit
03:43here in Cyprus. But after the vetoes on the 90 billion loan and the package of sanctions
03:48against Russia were lifted earlier this week, he decided to show up in person, and his message
03:53was unmistakable. He was pushing to really speed up the accession process of Ukraine, which
04:01has been blocked by Hungary for almost two years now. The frustration of Zelensky was very
04:06palpable as well. He said that he needs a clear date for accession, and he wants to speed
04:12up the process as soon as possible. However, other leaders like the prime ministers of Belgium
04:17and Luxembourg were more cautious. They said that they don't want any shortcuts, they don't
04:22want any fast tracks for Ukraine's accession. So my short analysis here in Cyprus is that
04:28after the end of the urban era, EU leaders will have to finally face head-on the complex
04:35issue of Ukraine's accession with no easy answers. And yesterday, I got to talk to one of these
04:40leaders, the Estonian prime minister, Kristian Mihal, and we talked about accession, but also other
04:46topics that are hot on the agenda right now. Take a listen.
04:50We'll see, because always there's a chance at least for a fresh start. So it will mean that you can
04:58start
04:58again. And to be honest, I cannot see any other way that Ukraine's future is in the Europe. That is
05:07definitely so. That will mean that the question is only when, not if and how.
05:15Now, I know you've been working on initiative to introduce an European-wide ban for Russian soldiers who have
05:22taken part in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Why are you pushing for this measure now? And
05:27why is it so important to you?
05:29It's not even important to me, but it's important to everybody living in Europe, because to put it very
05:37simple terms, that before the war and at the start of the war, Russia had less men under the arms
05:45than
05:45right now. So we have more men under the arms right now than at the start of the war. And
05:50we would
05:52imagine for a moment that the war would stop. There will be ceasefire, peace and some, but hopefully just
05:58lasting peace. Fine. But what will those people do? Most of them are criminals, but they have to be treated
06:05as heroes inside Russia. So once again, I would ask everybody that do you want these guys near to your
06:11home?
06:11No, you don't. So that's why you have to ban them for life from Schengen.
06:16Ideally, you think it could happen this year or do you think it needs more time?
06:21Ideally, it could happen, it should happen before the summer, but this is ideally.
06:27I have this kind of feeling that we will be talking about it before the summer already, but I don't
06:33know if
06:33enough decisions will be made before the summer, but I hope so.
06:37Another issue here for this informal summit is mutual assistance. We know that the European treaties
06:43have an article of mutual assistance, 42.7. It hasn't been explored until now, but we also know that
06:49many member states like yours are also part of NATO, which has an Article 5 of collective defense.
06:54Do you see a possible contradiction between these two articles or can they coexist?
06:59They are coexisting because for example, NATO Article 5 has been invoked only once from the United States and European
07:09Article 42.7 has been also invoked once by France. So the question is about the need and they can
07:19exist together, I would say, because
07:23usually it's pretty much overlapping what we're doing because you need certain assistance, you need your allies to act with
07:30you.
07:31So I would say this is working well, but also we should talk about European capabilities, because as we can
07:37see,
07:38President Trump's message is also that Europe should bear more burden in own defense.
07:43Trump has also threatened to withdraw the United States from NATO. He's been saying this several times.
07:49We don't know what's going to happen. But do you think that because of these threats that he's making so
07:54publicly,
07:55the value of Article 5 has been decreased, that it's not so powerful anymore?
08:01I would say no to that because, for example, when we had Russian MiGs in our space a little bit
08:10before that, certain Russian drones were in Poland's airspace,
08:14which were shot down first time in NATO's history at that moment. At that moment, Trump's message was quite clear
08:19that America is standing to protect Baltics Poland and so on.
08:24So I would say that the messages have been quite clear that NATO's working. And also in Hague, we had
08:30NATO summit there.
08:31And Trump said that if Europe is sharing the burden, he will commit to NATO.
08:38Yes, I can understand that there's a lot of political messages, but the military side is working absolutely as well.
08:48That was the Estonian Prime Minister Kristian Michal speaking to our correspondent Jorge Liborero.
08:54And we'll, of course, keep an eye out for Jorge's reporting throughout the day from those talks in Cyprus.
09:00Now, when he was president of the European Council, Charles Michel had a notoriously strained relationship with commission president Ursula
09:09von der Leyen.
09:10Those tensions have resurfaced in recent weeks. Our Europe editor Maria Tadeo caught up with Michel earlier today at the
09:18Delphi Economic Forum.
09:20She began by asking him about von der Leyen's leadership style, often described as highly centralized,
09:27and whether sufficient checks and balances exist to keep that approach in check.
09:34All of us, we know what we have to do, but I'm observing that it seems that it's difficult to
09:39make decisions that are urgent and that are needed.
09:43I trust the European Council. I think that by nature, the European Council is the right body to decide what
09:51are the main orientations
09:52and also to make the most difficult decisions because, you know, the European Council is the guardian of the European
09:59unity.
10:00And this European unity is something that's not easy to achieve. It requires a lot of work, a lot of
10:05preparation.
10:06It requires a lot of collective intelligence. It requires to listen to each other.
10:11And I'm confident that sooner or later, the European Council will make additional decisions to clarify some of the orientations
10:20that we have to decide in the near future.
10:24Are we to understand, therefore, that the Council's stance, it should be stronger? It should have a louder voice? It's
10:31not as strong as it should be the message now?
10:32You know, in my opinion, it's not a question of voice. It's a question of decisions that have to be
10:39made.
10:39And what is a bit frustrating for all those like me who are absolutely convinced that this project is more
10:45needed than ever,
10:46the European project, the European dreams, the European principles, the European values, the European coexistence,
10:51what is frustrating is the fact that all of us, we know what we have to do. We know exactly
10:56what we have to do.
10:57Everything is on the table. They are observing that there are always good reasons to procrastinate.
11:01There are always good reasons to waste time. And that's regrettable. And again, I don't want to blame anyone in
11:12particular.
11:12Let's be clear. That's not my point. When I want to blame someone, I'm very clear. You know me.
11:17Here, that's not my point. My point is, let's look at the future. And we have tools, we have capacities,
11:24we have capabilities,
11:25we have great companies, we have great structures. We have a lot of strength within the EU. And there is
11:31a crisis.
11:32There is chaos across the world. And by experience, we know when it's difficult in the world, in general, the
11:39EU is able to learn lessons fast.
11:43Let's act faster and let's learn our lessons.
11:47Some would argue the weakness at times of the Council goes back to the idea of unanimity.
11:51And that has been dragging the action and certainly the peace and the speed around it.
11:56Viktor Orban obviously has been crushed in the defeat. Viktor Orban now is gone from the Council.
12:02Is that going to make things better? Or actually would you argue the dynamics are more profound?
12:07Even with the Hungarian Prime Minister gone, this issue will remain.
12:10I hope that it will help the European Council to be more united in the future.
12:16Are you relieved that Viktor Orban lost?
12:18I wouldn't say that. Because I will tell you why.
12:20Because I think that based on the experience I have on some topics,
12:25in which some in the European Council were hiding behind Viktor Orban, point one.
12:31And point two, in some of the European countries, you can have tomorrow some national leaders
12:38who are not so far from Viktor Orban's ideology and some topics included on Ukraine, for instance, point one.
12:44Point two, does it mean that unanimity is a problem?
12:48For sure, unanimity is a challenge. There is no doubt.
12:50But I think you should think carefully before making a decision not to use unanimity anymore.
12:58Because if you stop to try to involve every country in a state decision,
13:04the risk is that you will weaken the weight of the EU at the international level.
13:11And that's why I think the priorities should be different.
13:14In my opinion, we should fight against the abuse of this veto right.
13:18Because if you follow the philosophy and the principle of the Lisbon Treaty,
13:23the idea was really that the veto right was supposed to be used when your vital interests are at risk.
13:30And the problem is that today, too many countries are tempted too many times
13:35to use this veto right as a kind of tool to blackmail and to get something in the other side.
13:40And that's the problem, the one I think.
13:42It seems to me, however, listening to the leaders just finally on this point,
13:45that they would agree a larger needs to happen as soon as possible and complete the union.
13:49But they would also say we need to reform and there is no fast track for Ukraine.
13:53Are those three statements compatible?
13:55What you are mentioning is this agreed language, no fast track, etc.
14:01When we want to do something, but in parallel, we add a sentence,
14:08so that it is in fact more difficult to get the result.
14:14Let's be clear, there is no doubt that in those countries they have to do their homework
14:20and they know what they have to do.
14:22They have to put in place a reform, they have to guarantee the independence of justice,
14:26to fight against corruption, etc.
14:29On the other hand, let's be honest, in some of the European countries,
14:33it was very comfortable to use the argument of those countries not acting as fast as needed
14:43because there is, in some European countries, a difficult pension debate with this enlargement policy.
14:50And I think in those circumstances we could all win if we tell the truth to our people.
14:57Everywhere in Europe, the future will be more stable, more secure with them within the EU.
15:03And of course, there are some efforts, but there are also other efforts that are needed in terms of domestic
15:10reforms
15:10and in terms of what kind of policy we put in place.
15:17That was the former president of the European Council, Charles Michel, speaking to our Europe editor, Maria Tadeo.
15:24Now, the FIFA Football World Cup is just around the corner, happening this summer, of course, in the US, Canada
15:31and Mexico.
15:32And it's becoming deeply intertwined with global politics.
15:37The Trump administration is reportedly working behind the scenes to replace Iran, which did qualify for the tournament, with Italy,
15:46which painfully lost in the playoffs to Bosnia and Herzegovina, missing out on a spot in the World Cup for
15:53the third consecutive time.
15:55For more, our Jakob Yanis has this explainer.
16:01Could the 2026 World Cup see a team that failed to qualify take to the pitch?
16:06A plan is brewing in Washington to give Italy a wildcard entry by replacing Iran.
16:12Paolo Zampolli, a special envoy to President Trump, confirmed he has pitched the swap to both the White House and
16:18FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
16:20But wait a second, is this game-changer even in the rulebook?
16:26The Financial Times reports this is an attempt to repair ties between Trump and Italy's Giorgia Meloni after the Republic's
16:33spot over the Iran War and the Pope.
16:36And Zampolli argues Italy four world titles offer the pedigree to join the 2026 tournament hosted across the US, Mexico
16:45and Canada.
16:46Alright, but how is it legal?
16:48Article 6 of the World Cup regulations gives FIFA sole discretion to replace any team that withdraws or is excluded.
16:56And while Iran insists they plan to participate, FIFA has already set a precedent.
17:03Just last summer, they used the same powers to hand a spot at the Club World Cup to Inter Miami,
17:10enabling Lionel Messi to play.
17:13But football is not the only arena where the guest list is being rewritten.
17:16This February, Russia and Belarus were bards from flying their flags at the Milano-Kortina 2026 Winter Olympics in response
17:24to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
17:27Yet, when the Paralympics, which are governed by a different body than the Olympics, allowed these symbols back after a
17:34Swiss court ruling, the European Commission boycotted the opening ceremony.
17:37Sport Commissioner Glenn Mikalev called the return of the national banners unacceptable, while Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine continues.
17:46So if Italy does make it to Los Angeles this June, it could be the most historic wildcard in the
17:52history of the sport.
17:54They just have to hope their diplomatic pedigree is as strong as their footballing one.
17:59Especially after the brutal defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the qualifying playoff final.
18:09And that brings this edition of Europe Today to an end.
18:13Thank you so much for your company today and throughout this week.
18:17We will be bringing the latest from that meeting of EU leaders taking place right now in Cyprus.
18:23Our correspondent Jorge Liborero is there on the ground.
18:27Keep an eye out for his reporting throughout the day on Euronews and Euronews.com.
18:32You can also get in touch with us.
18:34Email us at europetoday at euronews.com with your tips, questions and feedback.
18:40We love to hear from you.
18:41We'll be back on Monday with more news and more analysis from Brussels and across our European bureaus.
18:48In the meantime, do have a great weekend.
19:00We'll be back on Monday with ₵ governor.
19:03We'll be back at a fall tonight and be well.
19:04We'll be back on Tuesday with 8 o'clock..
19:20…the secret meeting- we'll be back at and
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