Informal EU summit today

Today, EU leaders meet in Brussels for an informal European Council. On the agenda is the fight against terrorism (in the wake of the Paris attacks) with a discussion of the EU Passenger Name Record (PNR) after MEPs voted on a resolution to reach an agreement on the bill by the end of the year. Parliament president Martin Schulz will discuss the issue at the summit this afternoon. The revision of the Schengen borders code will also be discussed, with France aiming for a revised code to enable systematic border checks on foreign fighters. The Commission however feels Member States should make better use of existing tools.

Strengthening economic coordination and the functioning of the Economic Monetary Union is also on the agenda, as well as the latest developments in Ukraine. Yesterday, Merkel and Hollande organised peace talks in Minsk with presidents Putin and Poroshenko. An agreement might be close. They will brief the Council on the latest developments.

Last, though not on the official agenda, the Greek debt situation will be discussed as well. Newly elected Prime Minister Tsipras will attend the European Council for the first time.