European Council – 20 & 21 March 2025.

The President of the Republic travelled to Brussels to attend the European Council on 20 and 21 March 2025.

During these two days of meetings, the Heads of State and Government discussed several key themes, including the EU's competitiveness agenda and the Commission's proposals:
•    Regulatory simplification
•    Energy
•    Industry
•    The Capital Markets Union
•    The next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).

Moreover, European defence remained the central focus of this Council. Indeed, the Heads of State engaged with President Zelensky on strengthening European support for Ukraine. This builds on the work of the extraordinary European Council of 6 March, aiming to give fresh momentum to European defence. This will be based on the Commission's White Paper on the future of European defence, along with concrete proposals for implementing the ReArm Europe plan.
 

This Council also provided an opportunity for the President and the Heads of State and Government to meet with the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres. Several topics were addressed, including the situation in the Middle East and preparations for the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), which France will host in Nice in June 2025.

Watch the press debriefing: