Outcome of the European Council of 15 December 2016

Briefing 22-12-2016

As flagged up in the EPRS Outlook for the European Council on 15 December 2016, this European Council meeting concentrated on migration and internal and external security, as well as economic and social development. As events unfolded, EU leaders discussed external relations at greater length, in particular Syria, and found a solution for the Association Agreement (AA) with Ukraine. Martin Schulz, addressing the European Council for the last time as President of the European Parliament, called upon Heads of State or Government to ‘take proper ownership’ of their decisions and to involve the European Parliament, more closely in the ‘migration compacts, the Bratislava agenda and the UK withdrawal agreement’.