Prime Minister Ratas: A safe and secure Europe is one of the priorities of the Estonian Presidency

Prime Minister Jüri Ratas i met with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini i in order to discuss the EU foreign and security policy strategy, migration issues, Eastern Partnership and the upcoming Estonian Presidency of the EU Council.

Prime Minister Ratas said that a safe and secure Europe was one of the priorities of the Estonian Presidency. “During our Presidency, we will work towards increasing the military capabilities of the EU, including through jointly military missions. It is also important to support the Eastern partners of the EU and the Western Balkans countries, to maintain good trans-Atlantic relations and to communicate at a high level with the countries of Africa and Latin America, the Prime Minister said.

The discussion on the migration crisis mainly focused on the steps taken by the EU along the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in Libya and the African countries bordering the Sahara to halt the migration flows.

“The migration crisis has put the open borders of Europe and the Schengen Agreement under threat. The EU can only resolve the crisis by standing together, strengthening its border control and cooperating with the countries of origin, along with Turkey and Libya, which are the main entry points to Europe. At the same time, we have to find a balance between ensuring security and the freedoms of people,” the Prime Minister added.

Prime Minister Ratas and High Representative Mogherini also spoke about the Eastern Partnership Summit, which will be held in Brussels on 25 November.

The Eastern Partnership is a joint initiative between the European Union and six Eastern European partner states - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine - that enables the Eastern Partnership countries to approach the European Union by creating stronger political, economic and personal connections.

“We have to increase the visibility of the European Union in the partner countries and speak more of our common success stories, such as Erasmus+, student exchange and trade, and of problems, like that of the increased propaganda activities of Russia,” the Prime Minister said.

During the Estonian Presidency, several side events to the Eastern Partnership Summit take place. Three of them are being held in Estonia: e-Partnership Conference on 4 October, Civil Society Conference on 25-27 October and Business Forum on 26-28 October.