During his meeting with European Commissioner for budget and human resources Gunther Oettinger at the Maximos Mansion on Monday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras asked that there should be a strong budget for promoting growth.

According to a press release from the premier’s office, Oettinger briefed Tsipras on the EU Commission’s plans for the EU budget in coming months and the prime minister referred to the need for a strong budget that gives priority to financing convergence, growth, a social Europe and coping with challenges faced by the EU.

Tsipras said that Greece will “made a decisive and constructive contribution” to the discussion on the new EU budget.

President Pavlopoulos receives EU Commissioner Oettinger

President of the Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Monday received European Commissioner for the budget and human resources Gunther Oettinger, stressing the need to ensure respect for Europe’s borders.

“Respect of European borders, on the basis of international and European law, is a fundamental condition for a third country to become a member of the European Union,” Pavlopoulos said. Europeans had to let their neighbours understand – especially those neighbours that hoped to become EU members – that they cannot have ambitions to join the EU and not respect international and European law in its entirety, he added.

Pavlopoulos also emphasised that the Greek armed forces, especially in the Aegean, protect the borders of Europe, as well as the borders of Greece, and pointed out the need to strengthen the external security for the borders.

The president relayed Greece’s support for policies reinforcing social cohesion in the EU, especially those targeting youth unemployment, and for policies on the refugee crisis and migration that were based on solidarity.

He also stressed that Greece’s EU partners must understand the need to respect the principle of solidarity in the refugee and migrant crisis.

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