EU tackles multiple foreign policy issues: defense, UK ties, Serbia relations, and enlargement strategy
Estonian PM warns deterring Russia costs less than dealing with aggression; EU seeks quick deal with UK; plans to reset ties with Serbia before elections; and offers candidate countries perks short of membership.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal warned EU leaders meeting in Berlin that investing in deterrence today is far less expensive than paying for the consequences of aggression tomorrow. He emphasized that failing to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin would cost more than defense spending.
Meanwhile, the EU is pushing for a speedy deal with the UK after the new prime minister took office. British EU Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds traveled to Brussels on Wednesday for talks aimed at keeping planned agricultural and trade pacts on track despite the transition of power.
The EU also plans to reset relations with Serbia as elections loom. Belgrade could get the chance to forge closer ties with the bloc after dropping laws that experts warned would undermine democracy.
Additionally, the EU has developed a new scheme to keep candidate countries close. Under the plan, candidate countries would receive EU perks before membership, but without the political rights that doomed earlier proposals.
