BRUSSELS (AP) 鈥� European leaders have demanded the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a moratorium on strikes on water and energy infrastructure in the Middle East as they met in Brussels to grapple with caused by the war.
All heads of the 27 European Union nations known collectively as the European Council issued a joint statement Thursday calling for the stabilization of energy shipments and 鈥渄e-escalation and maximum restraint鈥� from warring parties.
鈥淭he European Council deplores the loss of civilian life and is closely monitoring the far-reaching impact of the hostilities, including on economic stability,鈥� the statement read. The leaders also asked Iran to stop striking neighbors across the Persian Gulf, sought international cooperation to prevent any large-scale refugee crises in the Middle East, and said some EU nations are exploring ways 鈥渢o ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.鈥�
from U.S. President to send military assets to , a key waterway for the global flow of oil, gas and fertilizer. However, rising energy prices because of the war and fears in Europe of have pushed leaders to make the Middle East a priority at the summit.
鈥淲e are very worried about the energy crisis,鈥� said Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever ahead of the summit. He said that energy prices were too high before the war, but that the conflict 鈥渃reated another spike.鈥�
鈥淚f that becomes structural, we鈥檙e in deep trouble,鈥� he said.
Leaders also discussed alternative funding Ukraine after they failed to convince for the cash-strapped and war-torn country.
European leaders have no 鈥榓ppetite鈥� for joining the war
European leaders were deeply critical of the Iranian government, but none have offered immediate help to the U.S. Britain is to be drawn into the war. France says the fighting would have to die down first.
Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said that Europe 鈥渨ill not allow itself to be blackmailed鈥� into joining the United States and Israel military campaign in the Middle East.
鈥淓urope 鈥� and Austria as well 鈥� will not allow itself to be blackmailed,鈥� he said ahead of of the leaders of the 27 EU nations. 鈥淚ntervention in the Strait of Hormuz is not an option for Austria anyway.鈥�
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said there was 鈥渘o appetite鈥� among leaders to expand a European naval force in the Red Sea to help secure the Strait of Hormuz or otherwise join the fray.
Four of the EU’s largest economies signaled a willingness Thursday to contribute to 鈥渁ppropriate efforts鈥� to ensure ships can pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz.
France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, alongside the United Kingdom and Japan, issued a joint statement welcoming 鈥渢he commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning鈥� for securing the key oil route, and demanding Iran 鈥渃ease immediately鈥� its drone and missile attacks and other attempts at blocking it.
Looking ahead to the war’s end
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the war must end before his country can help with matters such as keeping shipping lanes clear.
鈥淲e can and will commit ourselves only when the weapons fall silent,鈥� he said of potential German military support to secure shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz. “We can then do a great deal, up to opening sea lanes and keeping them clear, but we鈥檙e not doing it during ongoing combat operations.鈥�
He said that would require an international mandate, among other complicated steps, “before we can even consider such an issue.鈥�
While the EU isn’t a party to the conflict, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said he understood the U.S. and Israeli reasons for launching the campaign against the 鈥渂rutal鈥� Iranian government. He called for the EU to increase both sanctions on Iran and support for Iranian opposition groups
But others blasted the war as 鈥渋llegal鈥� and destabilizing.
鈥淲e are against this war because it is illegal,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S谩nchez said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 causing a lot of damage to civilians, of course, refugees and the economic consequences that the whole world, especially the global south, is already suffering.”
Trump had mentioned NATO support for clearing the Strait of Hormuz but has not officially requested it, said Evika Silina, prime minister of Latvia, one of the 23 out of the 27 EU nations that are NATO members.
鈥淲hen there will be some official requests, I think we always have to evaluate those requests,” she said.
No single fix for the EU鈥檚 diverse energy markets
The European Commission has told leaders it has a mix of financial instruments that member nations could deploy to lower energy prices, which will be up for discussion. No single policy will likely work to blunt the economic shocks from the war across the bloc鈥檚 myriad markets from Romania to Ireland.
EU leaders are hoping their experience weaning off of Russian energy in the wake of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and of building up the bloc’s military spending toward self-sufficiency will enable to them to do the same for energy independence.
While some European capitals have called for the suspension or scrapping of climate policies to stave off the worst of the recent spike in energy prices because of the war, others have argued that the EU’s long-term energy strategy should be home-grown sustainable energy decoupled from vulnerable fossil fuel markets.
Leaders from Italy, Austria, Croatia, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia asked Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to slow the rollout of the EU’s Emissions Trading System. They said it was “too steep and overly ambitious” in light of 鈥渇ragility of today鈥檚 economic ecosystems” in a letter seen by The Associated Press.
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Associated Press writers Pietro De Cristofaro and Geir Moulson in Berlin, Trisha Thomas in Rome, Jill Lawless in London, and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.
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