The safety of Europe, the refugee crisis and the economic growth are the issues that the Greek Prime Minister will seek to be talked at the European Council in Bratislana on Friday. The Athens Declaration adopted by the European Union’s seven Mediterranean countries, during last week’s meeting in the Greek capital, will form the basis of the Greek positions at Friday’s informal European Council in Bratislava.
Greece will also present additional positions of its own at the Bratislava summit, which is to be attended by 27 EU member-states excluding Britain, the sources said.
In statements about the Mediterranean leaders’ meeting last week, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said that the aim of the meeting was to arrive at a joint and constructive contribution to the dialogue that was now beginning about the future of Europe, so that the Bratislava summit could serve as “democratic Europe’s reply to populism, xenophobia and racism.”
The government’s impression is that all the countries that signed the Athens Declaration will use it as a basis in Bratislava, noting that this would be positive since a joint stance will strengthen the specific agenda within the meeting. Also welcomed by the government’s side were the statements made by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in his annual speech, which will also help to strengthen the specific agenda.