EU to regain trust in new roadmap

NDO—The leaders of European Union (EU) member states demonstrated solidarity and unity on a new strategic roadmap aimed at regaining trust from the European people during a summit of the bloc held in Bratislava, Slovakia on September 16.

EU leaders during the bloc’s first summit held since the UK voted to quit, in Bratislava, Slovakia on September 16, 2016. (Credit: Reuters)
EU leaders during the bloc’s first summit held since the UK voted to quit, in Bratislava, Slovakia on September 16, 2016. (Credit: Reuters)

Despite much effort, the EU has yet to fully heal internal rifts at a time when the common house has been engulfed in the whirlpool of the migrant crisis and the implications of the UK’s vote to leave the bloc.

Though only an informal event, the summit bore special significance as it discussed the future of the Old Continent in the post-Brexit (British exit from the EU) period. This is also the first time EU leaders have met without the participation of the UK.

Meeting only for one day, EU leaders discussed a wide range of priorities for the EU post–crisis recovery, including protecting the EU’s external borders and controlling the coast, strengthening defence cooperation between EU countries and creating new momentum for Europe’s development.

After the meeting, the 27 leaders of the EU member states agreed on a roadmap to rebuild public confidence in the bloc after the UK’s divorce. A draft plan for the commitments mentioned above will be announced next March, on the occasion of 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which established the European Economic Community.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Brexit had left the bloc in a serious situation; that’s why European leaders in the next six months should have an action plan to address each issue.

One of the greatest successes of the EU summit is that the union’s leaders have expressed solidarity during a turbulent period for the bloc. The host country’s Prime Minister Robert Fico claimed that the EU had demonstrated its internal unity and restored stability and hope to an alliance shaken by multiple crises. He praised the “Bratislava roadmap” reached at the summit, saying that it was the shared political will of the EU leaders for the coming months.

Meanwhile, France and Germany, who were the force behind the bloc’s foundation, demonstrated their solidarity and responsibility. At a joint news conference with French President François Hollande, Chancellor Merkel stressed that Germany and France would assume a strong role in the coming months to revive the EU post-Brexit.

The EU leaders also reached consensus on a number of key issues, such as support for Bulgaria in controlling the flow of immigrants to the EU and urging the UK to facilitate Brexit negotiations soon. Regarding Brexit, President of the European Council Donald Tusk stated that London could start formal negotiations concerning Brexit early next year, but that the EU was ready and could begin immediately.

Though the EU leaders reached several agreements and expressed solidarity, there are still disagreements, especially on the migration issue. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that the conference had failed to change the EU’s migration policy, which he called “self- destructive and naive.” He is expected to promote a plan concerning the issue at a meeting of the Balkan countries on September 24.

Meanwhile, analysts said that the move by the EU member states before and during the recent summit revealed trends of internal division within the European common house. Prior to the Bratislava summit, the leaders of Greece, Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, Cyprus and Malta held in a meeting in Athens aimed at forming a strategic alliance to expand their influence over the EU’s agenda.

Meanwhile, the Visegrád Group, which includes Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, has stated its aim of strengthening its role in the EU post-Brexit. In recent meetings, the leaders of these countries have repeatedly asked for significant reforms of the EU. This has provoked international commentators to pessimistically judge that the formation of such factions risks causing the EU to disintegrate.

In addition to the disagreements and threats mentioned above, the EU also faces a series of other difficulties in the context of weak economic growth and increased social insecurity, as the influx of migrants into the Old Continent still shows no sign of easing. Moreover, more and more European voters are throwing their support behind parties opposing the EU.

The challenges mentioned above are pressuring EU leaders to effectively implement plans for reform, especially the strategies laid out at the Bratislava summit to restore trust in the bloc.