NICOSIA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- European Union (EU) leaders wrapped up a two-day informal summit in Cyprus on Friday in a relatively relaxed atmosphere. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who was recently ousted after 16 years in power and long seen as a frequent source of friction within the bloc, did not attend the meeting.
Yet despite approving a 90-billion-euro (105 billion U.S. dollars) loan for Ukraine and adopting a new sanctions package against Russia, leaders remained divided on key issues including energy, defense and the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), suggesting that the bloc's differences run deeper than any single political figure.
OVERDUE ENERGY MEASURES DELAYED, AGAIN
Energy prices were among the most urgent issues facing leaders in Cyprus, as the conflict in the Middle East has driven up energy costs and renewed concerns over Europe's dependence on imported fossil fuels.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU's bill for imported fossil fuels had increased by more than 25 billion euros (29.3 billion dollars) since the beginning of the conflict, without bringing in additional energy supplies.
The Commission came to Cyprus with proposals aimed at softening the impact of higher energy prices. But several leaders said the measures did not go far enough.
"Europe must have a lot more courage," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday. While she welcomed the proposals, which include cutting energy taxes and optimizing jet fuel distribution, she said it was "not enough of a step forward."
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Spain had asked the European Commission to show more ambition in shaping a joint EU response. He also called for a tax on large energy companies, looser fiscal rules to allow investment in the green transition, and a one-year extension of the recovery fund.
Nearly two months into the Middle East conflict, the EU still has no concrete energy package. Officials repeatedly say supplies remain secure, but analysts have warned that Europe could be only weeks away from aviation fuel shortages.
Discussion on the issue was again postponed. Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said leaders agreed to ask finance ministers to continue the discussion at two meetings in May, adding that he hoped a general approach could be reached by June.
MUTUAL DEFENSE MEETS RESISTANCE
The summit also put the EU's mutual defense clause, Article 42.7 of the EU treaty, firmly on the leaders' agenda.
The clause obliges member states to provide aid and assistance to any fellow EU country subjected to armed aggression. But its practical meaning remains unclear, especially in a bloc where 23 of 27 member states are also North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members.
"The treaty is very clear about the 'what,'" von der Leyen said, referring to the obligation for member countries to come to each other's aid. "The treaty is not clear about the 'how.'"
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called for a substantive upgrade and activation of Article 42.7. He said it was important that the issue be on the European Council's agenda, adding that Greece would use its EU presidency in the second half of 2027 to further elevate the discussion.
But the debate remains sensitive. Many EU members are cautious about any move that could be seen as turning away from NATO and its Article 5 mutual defense pact or encouraging the United States to withdraw from the alliance.
"NATO is our most important alliance if it comes to security," Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said.
"For me, it is an absolutely crucial thing that Article 5 is the key of our collective defense and collective security, and it will remain so," Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda said Thursday.
BUDGET FIGHT EXPOSES EU AT ODDS
Another contentious issue was the EU's next MFF, the bloc's seven-year budget covering 2028 to 2034. Meloni told reporters the budget is an "extremely difficult negotiation."
The Commission has argued that the EU needs a larger and more flexible budget to meet growing demands, including support for Ukraine, defense, competitiveness and repayments of debt raised under NextGenerationEU, the bloc's post-pandemic recovery instrument.
But some countries pushed back. Jetten told reporters on Friday that the long-term budget needed "modernization" and that its size should "substantially go down," a position at odds with the Commission's call for more funding.
Italian news outlet Eunews reported that Jetten said the Netherlands was not alone in calling for a leaner EU budget, warning that a "broad front" was emerging against the Commission's nearly 2-trillion-euro (2.34 trillion dollars) budget proposal, including the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Ireland, while Austria and Germany also view the proposal as too high.
The Cyprus meeting showed that Orban's absence could ease the mood, but not settle the bloc's deeper disputes on a variety of issues. As Politico Europe put it, "Europe's heads of state and government finally had to be honest with themselves: Their problems -- and their differences of opinion -- are a lot bigger than one man." ■
