An informal meeting of the European Council, that is, the 27 EU Heads of State and Government, is scheduled for 6 October in Granada, Spain. Ahead of the meeting, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, addressed a letter to the leaders. “This gathering holds significant importance: not only will we engage in a constructive dialogue on the most pressing issues that our Union currently faces, such as migration, but this meeting marks the start of an important reflection process on our Union’s future priorities. Starting in Granada, our discussions will allow us to collectively chart the course for the Union, defining its direction and goals for the years to come. The result of our reflection process in the next few months will shape the 2024-2029 Strategic agenda”. Michel went on to note: “When Russia launched its war of aggression against Ukraine over 18 months ago, we addressed the starkly changing reality at our meeting in Versailles. Beyond agreeing to provide unwavering support to Ukraine, we set a new strategic course of action to build our sovereignty, committing to jointly bolster our defence capacities, reduce our energy dependency and build a more robust economic base”. “Granada is the time to look back and critically assess progress in strengthening our European sovereignty, identifying our achievements as well as areas that still require our political action. It is also the time to look forward, identifying the future challenges we will have to face, and defining our strategy to seize all the opportunities that lie ahead to ensure the EU’s resilience and competitiveness in this changing geopolitical environment”.