"A great many of the decisions shaping our lives every day are taken in Europe. Therefore, we can be neither indifferent nor disengaged in this dialogue on which Europe we want to live in. On the contrary, all of us who expect more from a stronger Europe, I think, should speak out", underlined the Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis in an event organized by Europe Direct ELIAMEP Attikis and held on Thursday afternoon at the City Hall of Haidari. He even made a special mention of West Athens, saying that it is "one of the urban areas that ought to have a stronger voice in European affairs."
The Alternate Minister stressed that "indeed our prospects are closely linked to the success of the European project", which defines key aspects of daily life, such as addressing the Covid-19 pandemic and financial support through the Next Generation EU fund. "What we achieved last year, I think, should be seen in relation to the future, to how much more Europe we want and what direction it should go. "For us, the dimensions of this dialogue that have to do, first and foremost, with the deepening of the EU itself in foreign policy and defence issues very important”.
Especially with regard to issues of common European defence, Mr. Varvitsiotis made special reference to the defence agreement between Greece and France, which is "a great weapon in Greek foreign policy, but also an agreement that shows how Europe should move regarding security issues. We wish mutual assistance clauses in previous European treaties and especially in the Treaty of Lisbon had been so clearly worded, as is the mutual assistance clause we signed with the French. Had that been the case, we needn’t have concluded bilateral agreements. "But we must definitely reach a common foreign and defense policy and there must be an EU guarantee on the issue of external threats”.
The Alternate Minister also referred to the issue of migration and the need for a common European migration and asylum policy and as he characteristically said, "Europe can neither turn a blind eye to humanitarian problems and refugees, nor can it be an area of free movement for anyone who wants to cross its borders, from any part of the planet, without any guarantee of security".
Finally, Mr. Varvitsiotis referred to the initiative for the adoption of a minimum guaranteed standard of living, saying that Greece is one of the countries that support such initiatives.
October 7, 2021