A meeting of European Union Mediterranean country leaders ended in Athens on Friday with the signature of the Athens Declaration and joint statements by all attending heads of state and government to the press, led by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
Both the Summit and the adoption of the Athens Declaration mark “our joint will for the unity of Europe,” Tsipras commented, while also announcing a decision to hold the next EU Med meeting in Portugal.
“We have an obligation to submit our own approach to handling and overcoming the challenges we face, replying to the forces of nationalism and xenophobia. We are not and do not aspire to be yet another initiative that divides Europe. We are and will continue to be an initiative for dialogue,” Tsipras said.
The Greek prime minister’s statement was followed by those of the other participants in the summit, starting with French President Francois Hollande, who also stressed the need for unity and cohesion and said that Mediterranean countries could contribute to the launch of a dialogue that was useful for Europe, contributing to its security and prosperity.
“We need a programme for growth and it is important to send a message of cohesion at a time of Brexit and the rise of populism in Europe,” Hollande said.
Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades said the meeting was not an effort to create a group within the EU and noted that Mediterranean countries had much to contribute to dialogue in Europe.
“It is time to take specific and substantive decisions to deal with the causes of the alienation our citizens feel,” he said, noting the need to adapt policies to tackle the challenges in security, migration and growth.
The real challenge
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said the real challenge presented by the meeting was to outline Europe’s future at the upcoming Bratislava summit of ’27’ member-states – excluding Britain. He stressed that the future Europe must be a social Europe, a Europe of ideals, and that the Athens Declaration was an added value toward a “different Europe”.
Portugal’s Prime Minister Antonio Costa called for greater support of the EU’s relations with Africa and also greater sharing of responsibility for refugees arriving in European territory. He said terrorism must be fought through the cooperation of the coast guards and border police and social integration, while calling for investments to boost growth and employment.
Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said the summit had arrived at solutions on how to move forward, while expressing support for the European Commission and the Juncker Plan.
“The idea of ‘social Europe’ was forgotten for a long period of time and we say that we will support the development of the Union toward the return of this idea,” he added.
Spain’s acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was represented by the country’s State Secretary for the European Union Fernando Eguidazu, who said Rajoy had wanted but been unable to attend. He described the summit as an important initiative and said that Spain is “an inseparable part of the Mediterranean Sea and will always support such meetings that address common problems.”
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