H.E. Ms Karen Van Vlierberge:

Those are very interesting questions that go straight to the heart of what Europe is about. The Deputy asked about the rule of law and democracy. That is one of our top priorities because it is a cornerstone of what our Union is about. It is about the respect of those values. The Deputy pointed out that it is not only about, for instance, expecting and asking candidate countries in the framework of the Copenhagen criteria to implement all the legislation in respect of the rule of law. It is also important that once a country becomes a member of the European Union, we continue to respect those fundamentals.

As the committee knows, I referred to the annual rule of law dialogue, which is expected to happen in June. We will take that seriously, as Belgium always has done. We will continue the Article 7 procedure. The Deputy referred to some member states and will know that some member states are the subject of that procedure. It is still definitely on the agenda. The conditionality mechanism is still there. Yesterday in the European Parliament, a proposal to unfreeze Erasmus funding for Hungary was blocked. I would be less pessimistic. I think the European Union has the instruments and they are implemented. Of course, there are some tendencies but budgets are frozen, procedures are implemented and we will definitely continue to do that. There is also the new defence of democracy package that the Commission presented in December. We will try to go as far as possible.

The Deputy referred to it as an ambitious programme. We are working in a very specific environment, with the upcoming European Parliament elections. We will only have three and a half months to get as many files as possible through the machinery because by halfway through April, while the European Union will not stop working, negotiations and dialogues between the Council and the Parliament will end because MEPs will start to campaign. We have, therefore, a small timeframe but we will do our utmost. We are only in the second week of our presidency and a lot has been done in the meantime.

Related to this package, the Deputy also referred to the funding of Ukraine and the Ukraine facility. It was indeed blocked in December by the European Council when a member state vetoed it. We will have a new European Council on 1 February and it looks quite good and interesting. The President of the Commission referred to the possibility of adapting the review of the multi-annual financial framework, MFF, with 26 of the member states. Of course, our top priority is to do that with the 27 member states as it looks now. Our ambassadors in Brussels are discussing the issue. Hungary had the idea of agreeing to the €50 billion that Ukraine needs desperately. On a yearly basis, it is a no-go. It is not a good idea. The idea that is now floating is to insert a kind of emergency brake, as was done with the funding in the framework for NextGenerationEU. I think we will get there with 27 member states. That is the information I hear from our colleagues who are negotiating in Brussels on a daily basis.

Of course, there is still a long way to go until 1 February. It will be of the utmost importance for the future of the European Union that the decision is taken by the 27 member states. It is not only a decision around the review of the MFF. It is not only about Ukraine. It is also about more money for migration, more money for the western Balkans and more money for funding to promote the development of new technologies. It is very important that we get this done by the 27 member states. With regard to energy and transition, it is of course crucial for competitiveness, as the Deputy referred to and as I said. We need to remain an economic powerhouse on the international stage. Of course, we have the European Green Deal and the legislation that comes with it. It is not always easy. With the geopolitical situation, it is of the utmost importance that we become less dependent on other powers for our energy. The development of an internal energy market will be the future of what Europe is about. That energy market will be inclusive and will envelop all the member states. Ireland, of course, has one interconnector with the UK. In 2026, it will have a new interconnector with France.