Check against delivery! 

Good morning. 

This is the last Foreign Affairs Council before the summer break.

As always, Ukraine, Gaza [and the] West Bank will be on the agenda. Also, we will receive the new President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) [Nadia Calviño], in order to see how we can align better the resources that the European Investment Bank is managing with our foreign policy. In particular, our cooperation with third countries, and also how to fund our defence efforts. 

The EIB is a very important player, [it has] a portfolio bigger than the World Bank and it is good that the new President comes here to discuss with us about how we can use better their support. In particular, I think it has to be invested on supporting the Palestinian Authority with more loans, as it was already discussed at the European Parliament the past days. 

On Ukraine, there are two main issues today; to try to avoid the complete destruction of the electricity system. 70% of the power generation capacity in Ukraine has been destroyed. We are in the summer, but in the winter this will be much more difficult to bear.

So, I will call the Member States to provide more support to rebuild and substitute the electricity grid [to ensure] more power generation. 

And the second one is air defence. Just immediately after the visit of Prime Minister [of Hungary, Viktor] Orbán to Kyiv, and to Putin in Moscow, a children’s hospital was destroyed, hit by Russian rockets creating a lot of casualties among children in this hospital. 

So, more air defence and more electricity generation capacity. These are the two calls the Member States will have to look at. 

Certainly, we will discuss about other issues of the war in Ukraine. We will listen to Minister [for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro] Kuleba. Then, I will call for a restricted session – Ministers only – in order to discuss what has happened during the last weeks from the visits to Moscow, to Kyiv and to Beijing , from Prime Minister [of Hungary, Viktor] Orbán, [to] the speeches at the United Nations Security Council [by] his Foreign Minister [Péter Szijjártó], accusing the European Union to be the Union that pushes for war.

This is completely unacceptable. The European Union is supporting Ukraine and willing to finish this war on the basis of the United Nations Charter. We will discuss about how Member States evaluate this position by a country which is, at the same time, at the rotating presidency of the [Council of] the European Union. 

The European Union is not pushing for war; it is not in the war side; it is in the war defending Ukraine in front of an aggression. 

Secondly, we will discuss about the situation in the Middle East. 

The big news is the Advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), on Friday. They are stating clearly the position that the European Union has always supported; that the occupation of the West Bank - the Palestinian territories in the West Bank - is fully illegal, and it has to stop. 

Yes, it is an Advisory opinion, but it is the International Court of Justice, the highest legal body of the United Nations, with a very clear message. They stated: “This is illegal, it has to stop. Israel has to withdraw its settlements”. 

The answer from the Israeli - Netanyahu government – came immediately saying: “No, this is our land; historical reasons”. 

Well, you can interpret history [however] you want, but we are talking about international law. And you will respect international law. We will claim, every day, that we are abiding by international law.

We have to discuss what we do now. Which are the consequences of this opinion of the Court, how the European Union is going to take this Opinion inside our policy with respect to the Middle East.

It is not [a matter of putting] in one side history, and on the other side international law.

Unhappily, [there] has never been such a big discrepancy between international law, and reality in the ground. 

What do we see in Gaza is a humanitarian catastrophe, man-made, of unbearable dimensions; 17.000 orphans; almost 40.000 people being killed.

In order to rebuild Gaza [they] will need 10 years of taking rubble out.

Unhappily, the ceasefire that President [of the United States, Joe] Biden has been proposing, [has] not come. Humanitarian support is still stalled.

The difference between what the law says, according [to] the ICJ, and what is happening in the ground, has never been as big as today.

The Courts are coming to [fill] the vacuum of politics. Politics has been unable to look for a solution. But the Court is not there to implement the Opinion. The Opinion has to be implemented by the political powers.

The European Union has a special responsibility in this issue. So, I will put on the table again whatever we can do, apart from saying that we support the International Court of Justice, and we ask the Israelis not to continue settlements. Apart from saying what we can do.

I distributed a report done by our EU Special Representative for Human Rights [Olof Skoog] which is a compilation of everything [that] has been said by the United Nations international [agencies] about how this war has been happening and which are their consequences – the humanitarian consequences.

It is a compilation of all the assessments explaining all the circumstances, that we can regret a lot, but we have to know, and take a stock of it. 

This will be a good basis to prepare the Association Council with Israel. I distributed a tentative agenda to the Member States. This cannot be an Association Council business as usual.

Because business is not as usual. As [long] as the war continues, it is risking to spill over in the region. We are facing a catastrophic situation.

Yes, we have to talk about bilateral relations, but we have to talk about what is going on Gaza and in the West Bank. We have to talk about the economic restrictions of the Palestinian Authority, by cutting the tax revenues that Israel is doing. We have to talk about the extension of the settlements. We have to talk about how humanitarian support is not entering into Gaza.

But, for that, I need a unanimous agreement of Member States about our common position to go to this Association Council. It is not for tomorrow. 

Anyway, this Association Council will be chaired on the European Union side by the High Representative – not by the rotating presidency [of the Council of the European Union]. It is important that Israel’s government and in particular the Minister for Foreign Affairs know how it works.

This is, today, an important meeting. I hope that Member States will be ready to take their responsibilities, in both sides.

Q&A 

Q: Do you want to chair the Gymnich meeting at the end of August in Budapest?

Well, as I said, we will discuss about what has happened, the position taken by the Hungarian government – trying to make the difference between the Hungarian government and the country that holds the rotating presidency. And depending how Member States evaluate this, we also have to discuss how we will continue doing what is expected to be done. I do not know what Member States will say, and that is why I want them to express their point of view. This is my decision; the one who calls for the [Foreign Affairs] Council meeting is the High Representative. So, after listening to all of them, after discussing among us, I will have to take a decision. 

Q: What is your view on President Biden stepping down from running?

I know that President Biden has decided to step down. I wish the best for the Democratic appointee, the one who will take his place.

Q: [How will this] shape transatlantic relationships?

Well, the Americans have to decide who they want to have in the White House. Certainly, I am sure it will be quite an important difference for the transatlantic relations, depending on who is there. But it is for the United States’ citizens to decide. I do not want to interfere. I do not think it is our role to go and tell the Americans what they have to do, or to express preferences for one or the other. In any case, it is not my role.

Q: Mr. Borrell, why do you think it is a good idea to call in Ministers at the time of the Summit in Budapest in August? Is it democratic?

I already said it. We will discuss about it and I will take a decision.

Q: ¿ Qué tiene que hacer Europa sobre la situación de incertidumbre en Estados Unidos, sobre todo respecto a Ucrania? ¿Tiene que ser ahora más fuerte que nunca?

Nosotros tenemos que seguir ayudando a Ucrania. Los ciudadanos americanos están llamados a votar, pero tenemos que asumir nuestra responsabilidades - aquí y ahora. No podemos esperar a ver qué pasa en noviembre. De aquí a noviembre, el sistema eléctrico ucraniano estará completamente destruido si no se suministra una mayor capacidad de defensa aérea.

Q: Si può aver un commento, una reazione sul ritiro di Joe Biden? Sara l’argomento del giorno?

Si, ma su questo non ho un’opinione in particolare. Gli americani devono fare le loro elezioni. Cos’altro posso aggiungere? 

Q: Dalla parte dell’Unione Europea, un sentimento di gratitudine?

Abbiamo lavorato molto bene con il Presidente Biden, abbiamo avuto una relazione molto positiva. Ma se il Presidente Biden decide di ritirarsi perché pensa che un altro candidato possa avere più forza per vincere le elezioni per il Partito Democratico, noi rispettiamo la sua decisione.

Link to video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-259733