New York, 21 September 2022 (TDI): UN Secretary-General, António Guterres met with Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, and Charles Michel, the President of the European Council.

This meeting was held at the 77th session of UNGA in New York on the 20th of September 2022. They discussed the Ukraine crisis and its impacts on global peace and security.

In the meeting, they also talked about enhancing cooperation between the European Union and the United Nations.

The European Commission

It acts as a legislative and executive body of the European Union. There are 27 members of the Commission. And a President heads this commission. It also has an administrative body of 32,000 European civil servants.

However, the Commission has the right to create new legislation and its proposal is required to initiate new legislation. But it does not take the main decisions on EU policies and priorities. That authority remains with the Council.

The European Council

It was created in 1974. The Council has the responsibility of appointing high representatives of the European Union for Security Policy and Foreign Affairs. It plays a crucial role in defining the political direction and priorities of the European Union.

The Council meets in Brussels four times every year to discuss the upcoming policies and priorities of the European Union.

The European Union and Ukraine Crisis

The EU has been standing in solidarity with Ukraine since its invasion. It condemned Russia for its actions and imposed sanctions on it.

Apart from that, the European Union and its allies are supporting the displaced people and the host countries. The refugee relief activities are continued to date.

Also read: President of EU Commission visits Ukraine

The European Commission also proposed another €5 billion in macro-financial assistance (MFA) loans to Ukraine on the 7th of September. The commission announced the first part of the MFA package of €9 billion in May 2022.

In the meeting, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, and the Presidents of the European Commission and European Council, Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel talked about this issue. They discussed strengthening the EU’s ties with the UN to counter this challenge.