In a joint debate, Members of the European Parliament will discuss preparations for the June European Council summit, as well as the future of economic relations between the European Union and China, together with representatives of the European Commission and the Council Presidency.
MEPs are expected to focus on the EU’s continued support for Ukraine and the latest developments in the Middle East. They will also discuss the next long-term EU budget, known as the Multiannual Financial Framework, and the wider economic challenges facing the Union.
Other topics likely to be addressed by EU leaders include European defence and security, migration, the fight against illicit drugs, and the coordination of economic and fiscal policies across the EU through the European Semester process.
The second part of the debate will turn to EU–China economic relations. These have become increasingly complex in recent years, both economically and politically. Concerns have grown over unequal access to each other’s markets, China’s export controls on critical raw materials and certain technologies, and industrial policies that some argue create unfair competition.