Charles Michel: “it is a mistake to try to oppose the national level to the European level”

Euronews: “46% of voters say they want less influence from European institutions, the European Council, the European Commission and more power, particularly from national governments. Why does this happen? Is it due to a failure of institutions, a lack of perception?”

Charles Michel: “No, it doesn’t surprise me. But on the other hand, I know that many people, across the EU, know that, for example, in the case of Covid 19, the solution was found at European Union level, the same happens with the energy crisis, inflation, challenges related to climate change. We need more European cooperation and coordination. I think it is a mistake to try to oppose the national level to the European Union level. If we have strong Member States, if we have a strong European Union, that will be positive for all our citizens across the European Union.”

War in Ukraine: a danger for Europeans

Euronews: “On the issue of peace in Europe, you told us yesterday that if we don’t give Ukraine enough support to stop Russia, we will be targeted next. We’ve heard this many times over the last two years, but it’s something that is resurfacing. For example, the Spanish defense minister thinks that people do not realize the serious danger we currently find ourselves in. Why are you now warning us of this danger? What evidence do you have and what are you asking for?”

Charles Michel: “First, I have to tell people the truth. And we are facing a huge challenge with Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine. And it’s not just a challenge for Ukrainians, it’s a challenge for all of us, for everyone who believes in the fundamental principles of democratic principles. I am absolutely convinced that this is a serious threat. Therefore, I think we have done and are doing what is necessary. We decided immediately, and we are united, to support Ukraine and to sanction Russia, to put pressure on Russia. But this is not enough. We need to do more, to act quickly. So we are trying to take concrete steps to provide more military equipment to Ukraine, give more financial support to Ukraine and put more pressure on Russia. And this is necessary if we believe in peace, security and prosperity, which are the premises of the founding fathers of this European project”.

Charles Michel defends increased investment in Defense

Euronews: “But the EU is going further. It is calling for a war economy and the mobilization of all sectors of economies across Europe. It is a fundamental change in the structure of societies.”

Charles Michel: “Yes. You are absolutely right that I want the EU to do more. Because, if we look at the last few decades, the European Union was built on the idea that we have common values ​​and that we need to cooperate to achieve greater prosperity. We all understand that we have to adapt our economic model. We must invest much more in our defense industrial base to protect our stability and security.”

Euronews: “But why are you talking about a war economy? Is it because of the situation in Ukraine, which is at an impasse, will there not be significant gains predicted for Ukraine next year?”

Charles Michel: “On the one hand, I think it is very good that Ukraine was able to resist and retreat, but it is not enough that it was able to take greater control in the Black Sea. This is very important. We don’t talk about it much, but from a strategic point of view it’s important. On the other hand, nowadays everyone knows that Russia is in a stronger position from a military point of view, in terms of ammunition and military equipment. That’s why there’s this sense of urgency, we have to provide more military equipment. The idea is not to do it in two years. It would be too late. That is why we concretely support, for example, this Czech initiative. The decision taken by the Czech authorities is to be welcomed. Prague has proposed to many other countries to jointly purchase military equipment so that the equipment can be delivered very quickly to Ukraine.”

War between Hamas and Israel: Charles Michel denies “double standards”

Euronews: “Right now, we are seeing heartbreaking scenes in Gaza as a result of Israel’s response to Hamas’ brutal terrorist attack against the Israelis on October 7th. We are hearing things like starvation used as a method of warfare, as you said Josep Borrell, the monumental number of child deaths, the lack of basic medical supplies for amputations. Is the European Union being weakened by this situation? Is there not as much unity or sympathy for the Palestinians as there is for Israeli and Ukrainian civilians?”

Charles Michel: “Firstly, I see that we are increasingly united at the European Union level. But we must tell the truth. This happened exactly at the beginning, after this attack launched by Hamas. We were on the same line to condemn Hamas. There is no doubt that this was a terrible terrorist attack. But, on the other hand, it was more difficult to reach a unanimous position in the European Council. Why? Because our Member States have their own relations with Israel and Palestine. Your own story. But what is very important is the fact that we are making great progress. And I am confident that within a few days we will be united with a very strong message, based on two or three fundamental pillars. The first is humanitarian access. There are no double standards. The lives of every civilian matter. This has to be extremely clear. And all EU communications must be very clear on this subject if we want to be credible internationally. Secondly, we must do everything to avoid further regional escalation. In relation to Lebanon, the Red Sea, it is extremely important to do everything from a political and diplomatic point of view. Third, we fully support the two-state solution. 27 member states agree without any ambiguity on this important issue.”

Euronews: “But do you think there were double standards?”

Charles Michel: “I’m being very honest with you. In Covid 19, we did very well, as in the issue of climate change. We are setting the tone. We are setting the standards and others are following us. In the war against Ukraine, we managed to unite to have a strong position. Regarding the Middle East, I accept the criticism that it took more time to unite, because the starting point is that there are differences between the Member States. But in a few weeks, in a few months, we will be able to take important steps. The current trend is towards unity. It is true that the ambiguous communications from EU leaders were used by Putin, by the Kremlin, to feed the idea that there is Western hypocrisy. I have many contacts with African countries, South Africa, Latin America and Central Asia. And I can sense that these countries expect us on the EU side to be very clear in promoting international law, the rules-based order everywhere, including in the Middle East.”