The European Council in 2023 : overview of dynamics, discussions and decisions

Ukraine, migration, and the economy were uppermost on the agenda of the European Council in 2023 as EU leaders sought to maximise support for the victim of Russia's military aggression, cope with a rising number of refugees and asylum seekers and halt the EU's declining global competitiveness. Towards the end of the year, events in Gaza preoccupied EU leaders as Israel responded forcefully to the horrendous terrorist attack by Hamas on 7 October. EU leaders met seven times in 2023, including via videoconference on 17 October, as events in Gaza unfolded. Two of the meetings, in February and March, lasted only one day, not the planned two days. The relatively fewer and shorter meetings of the European Council in 2023 hints at the institution's greater efficiency rather than declining importance. The European Council was fully engaged throughout 2023 in tackling a host of critical issues and planning a new Strategic Agenda, despite the increasing obstructionism of one of its members.