EU unity and solidarity is crucial now and for the future reconstruction of Ukraine!

In a debate with French Minister Delegate Klinkert and President von der Leyen, MEPs said internal EU unity and solidarity is crucial now and for the future reconstruction of Ukraine. MEPs say solidarity within EU is key to helping Ukraine and ending the war. On Wednesday morning, MEPs discussed the social and economic consequences for the EU of Russia’s war in Ukraine. They applauded the sixth packet of sanctions against Russia and the Ukraine recovery package, both outlined by Commission President von der Leyen. MEPs underlined the need to also support EU citizens and businesses affected by the war, calling for unity among member states. They also demanded support for countries facing the brunt of the effects of the war, whether as a consequence of their dependence on Russian gas and oil, or because of their hosting of a large number of Ukrainian refugees. French Delegate Minister for Integration Brigitte Klinkert and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen opened the debate. You can watch their opening statements here. Most MEPs stressed the need to defeat Putin but also underlined that the best way to do this was to minimise the costs faced by the EU itself. This would allow unity to be kept among member states, cushion the effects on households and businesses, and allow the EU to better help Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction. MEPs underlined the plight of those in the EU having to choose between buying food or heating their houses and also asked the Commission to consider on a case-by-case basis whether to go ahead with new legislation that could add additional burdens on already-struggling businesses. #eudebates the unique initiative aiming to promote debate, dialogue, knowledge, participation and communication among citizens. #Ukraine #Russia #Energy #Putin #Embargo #sanctions #Putin #OIL #Rubles #Klinker Embargo on Russian oil and its derivatives. It is the proposal that the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, presented to the European Parliament this Wednesday, without providing details on an issue that has been delaying the expansion of sanctions: how to solve the veto of countries such as Hungary and Slovakia , perhaps through exceptions that have not yet been officially announced. This Wednesday the 27 ambassadors to the EU will meet to discuss the sanctions package before its final approval by the governments. “Today we are presenting the sixth package of sanctions”, said Von der Leyen before the plenary session in Strasbourg: “First of all, we will make a list of high-ranking military officers and other people who committed war crimes in Bucha and who are responsible for the inhuman siege of the city of Mariupol. This sends another important signal to all the perpetrators of the Kremlin war: we know who they are and they will be held accountable.” “Secondly”, he continued, “we removed Sberbank, by far the largest bank in Russia, 37% of the sector, and two other major banks from the SWIFT system. With that, we hit banks that are systemically critical to the Russian financial system and Putin’s ability to undertake the war effort. This will cement the complete isolation of the Russian financial sector from the global system.” “Third”, added the head of the Community Executive, “we are vetoing three large Russian state chains from our waves. They will no longer be allowed to distribute their content in the EU, in any format, be it via cable, via satellite, the Internet or mobile phone applications. We have identified these television channels as mouthpieces, aggressively amplifying the lies and propaganda of [Vladímir] Putin [presidente ruso]. We must not let them spread these lies. In addition, the Kremlin has consultants and advisers in Europe. And this will now end. We are prohibiting those services from being provided to Russian companies.” The President of the European Commission also explained: “When the leaders met in Versailles [a mediados de marzo]They agreed to phase out our dependence on Russian energy. In the previous sanctions package, we started with coal. We are now addressing our dependence on Russian oil. Let’s be clear: it won’t be easy. Some Member States are highly dependent on Russian oil. But we have to work on it. Now we propose a ban on Russian oil from Europe. This will be a total import ban on all Russian oil, by sea and by pipeline, crude and refined.” In this sense, Von der Leyen has stated: “We will make sure to do it in an orderly manner, in a way that allows us and our partners to secure alternative supply routes and minimize the impact on global markets. That is why we will phase out Russian oil supplies six months from now, and refined products by the end of the year. Therefore, we maximize the pressure on Russia while minimizing collateral damage for ourselves and our partners around the world. Because to help Ukraine, our own economy has to stay strong.”