European Leaders' Summit Begins to Discuss JCPOA and Other Issues

The European Union leaders' summit began on Thursday morning, May 17, in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, to consult on topics including the continuation of the JCPOA. Several European leaders, prior to entering the summit, called for the preservation of the nuclear agreement and negotiations regarding Iran's actions in the region. This round of the European leaders' summit, titled 'EU Leaders and Western Balkan Countries Summit', will discuss the outlook of the EU's relationship with Balkan countries, as well as the continuation of the nuclear agreement with Iran and trade relations with the Trump administration. The three European countries, France, the UK, and Germany, have stated that despite the US withdrawal from the JCPOA, they seek to maintain this international agreement and find ways to protect European companies from US sanctions against Iran. Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, stated on Thursday morning before entering the summit venue: 'International companies that have interests in many countries make decisions based on their interests. These companies must continue to enjoy this freedom.' The French President also spoke about finding ways for medium-sized European companies that do not operate in the US market. Several large European companies, including the French company Total, have announced that they cannot continue operations in Iran until they receive exemptions from the US. Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, also discussed the JCPOA on Thursday, stating: 'Everyone in the EU agrees that this agreement is not flawless and that we must remain in this agreement and negotiate on other issues such as ballistic missile programs based on this.' In recent days, Merkel has also emphasized the need to preserve the nuclear agreement with Iran 'despite its imperfections,' stating that the differences between Europe and the US over the JCPOA should not undermine the relations between the two sides. Leaders from Sweden, Lithuania, and Finland have also stressed the importance of maintaining the nuclear agreement with Iran. Stefan Löfven, the Prime Minister of Sweden, stated regarding the JCPOA: 'We must adhere to the agreement, and the EU is also working to ensure that Iran adheres to this agreement.' Juha Sipilä, the Prime Minister of Finland, Dalia Grybauskaitė, the President of Lithuania, and Stefan Löfven were among other European leaders who emphasized the preservation of the JCPOA as a 'consensus issue' and discussed proposed mechanisms for the continuation of this agreement. Sebastian Kurz, the Chancellor of Austria, also emphasized the importance of the JCPOA for the security of Europe and the world, saying: 'We have a few weeks to save this agreement. We do not yet know whether we can or not.' Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal from the nuclear agreement with Iran on May 7, emphasizing that the JCPOA 'brought neither peace nor security' and that the Islamic Republic continued to expand its ballistic missile program and 'support for terrorism' after the JCPOA. Following this, Tehran announced that it would remain in the nuclear agreement if the Europeans guaranteed the 'preservation of Iran's interests.' The European leaders' summit is taking place a few days after Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian Foreign Minister, met and discussed the fate of the JCPOA with his French, German, and British counterparts, as well as Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief.