From Arraiolos to Porto, touring Europe for two decades to consistently reflect on topical subjects of primary importance: this is the goal of this forum of debate that this Group of Heads of State, who are not members of government, profitably renews year after year.
I too would like to extend my thanks to President Rebelo, my friend Marcelo, not only for hosting us but also for having scheduled this day of work and for having introduced and drawn the conclusions to the two debate sessions so absolutely effectively.
Two very fruitful sessions.
We worked profitably, intensely, with honesty and great freedom as should be in a forum of debate.
I think it is reasonable to underscore that prevalence was given to Ukraine, which is still at the top of Europe’s agenda after the change of scenario that the Russian Federation’s deplorable aggression determined in our continent.
We all reaffirmed, as everybody – including myself – said, that the Union needs to keep up its support to Ukraine resolutely and compactly. And all of us present here said it at the meeting and are firmly expressing it again now.
Of course, we reaffirmed the wish to create the conditions for a peace process that must naturally be fair and therefore based on Ukraine’s sovereignty and abide by international rules of law.
We also talked about the future; of how to assure Ukraine perspectives for its reconstruction and its position in the future.
The condition of Ukraine is something that we all agreed upon: a condition of support that we all widely shared.
In the afternoon, we addressed different issues.
Some of the issues raised included climate change. Allow me to once again publicly thank our colleague the President of Greece for having promoted two months ago an appeal for the Mediterranean that some of us have referred to the Union and to the international community.
We also talked about migration flows. Allow me to underscore the importance of the agreement reached two days ago in Brussels.
Of course, we also talked about the enlargement to include the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova and, when the time comes, Georgia, convinced that this arises from the awareness that a growing membership to the European Union is a stabilizing factor of the international community that has worked successfully during these past decades.
This is what we discussed and focused on.
We also discussed the tension in Europe which is currently very high after the unfolding of past and still ongoing events.
We talked about the new positioning within the international community.
And this forms the backdrop to the forthcoming vote of more than 400 million European citizens in only a few months.
We discussed this and the perspectives that need to be pondered over. Why are we summoning more than 400 million European citizens to vote? To decide what? What is the fallout of this important exercise of democracy?
This important exercise of democracy must spill over onto a structured European Union effectively capable of being efficient, fast in decision-making, and of taking effective action in this changing world.
It is an ambitious goal requiring great commitment and great mutual cooperation.
After all, this is the European style: to act through difficulties and crises.
Thank you again Marcelo.
