On Tuesday 31 January, Prime Minister Māris Kučinskis, Prime Minister of Estonia Jüri Ratas and Prime Minister of Lithuania Saulius Skvernelis met President of the European Council Donald Tusk in Tallinn.
The Baltic Prime Ministers and the President of the European Council discussed the issues related to the upcoming Malta and Rome summits, the global situation, as well as the situation in Europe after the UK voters' decision to withdraw from the EU or Brexit, cooperation with the Eastern Partnership countries, and other topical issues.
Latvia believes that the Rome Summit to be held in March this year has to adopt a brief and clear declaration sending out three messages - citizens' concerns about the physical and socio-economic security have been heard, the European Union countries have a common platform for action, as well as a strong signal has to be sent to the outside, that the EU stands together and will continue to develop the Project Europe. In the future, there is the need to develop the areas, which provide economic growth and promote convergence between the Member States, as well as strengthen the EU's internal and external security.
Already at the beginning of February, the summit in Malta intends to address a number of issues, including the problems related to migration. "I have already stressed the need to work to stop migration flows, and there the cooperation with countries of origin and transit countries plays a significant role. I am delighted that in Malta we will focus directly on this aspect when deciding on a set of measures to reduce migration flows in the so-called Central Mediterranean route," says M. Kučinskis.
The parties agreed that NATO remains the cornerstone of our security. It is too early to say how the new US administration will affect NATO. There are grounds to believe that NATO will continue to play its central role in the politics of Europe. At the same time, further work is needed to strengthen capacities of the Member States despite the USA and the United Kingdom. "It is still essential for Europe to significantly strengthen its capabilities in the field of strategic communication," says M. Kučinskis.
During the meeting it was also noted that it is important to maintain the Eastern Partnership as the EU's foreign policy priority. There should be a focus on substantive preparation of the next summit to be held in autumn this year. It is necessary to encourage EaP partner countries to develop mutual cooperation, for example, by improving economic and trade relations. In the context of Ukraine - EU relations, it is essential to complete the ratification of the Association Agreement. The meeting of the Baltic Prime Ministers and D. Tusk was held within the framework of the Baltic Council of Ministers in Tallinn.
Andrejs Vaivars
Press Secretary to the Prime Minister
Phone: 29228678
E-mail: Andrejs.Vaivars@mk.gov.lv