Millions of Europeans don’t feel safe at the moment, European Council President Donald Tusk said after the informal EU summit here on Friday.
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He said national leaders had a responsibility to the EU, saying: “It also means refraining from the constant accusations aimed at the Union, which sometimes are justified, but more often than not they serve as an easy excuse for one’s own failures”.
But a Downing Street source said Mrs May did not specifically mention January or February at the meeting and that Mr Tusk’s comments were an interpretation of their conversation.
“We have to show with our actions that we can get better”, she said, noting a need for improvements in border security, the unified fight against terrorism and cooperation in defense and in job growth.
Mr Orban led a charge of those leaders wanting Brexit to be a turning point, with Brussels forced to hand back some powers to member states.
Little discussion is expected on the subject of Brexit, which leaders will touch upon during a boat ride along the Danube, the source said.
Britain made the decision following a recent referendum on whether to leave.
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said he could not “see any possibility of compromising” on the issue of not allowing Britain to restrict immigration from the EU if it wants to retain membership of the single market.
According to European Council President Donald Tusk the country could trigger talks by February next year. Other EU nations committed extra equipment and personnel.
Hollande is under intense pressure to come with some success as he is trailing in the polls ahead of next May’s French presidential elections. His far-right opponent from the National Front, Marine Le Pen, has already said she will call for an in-out referendum on European Union membership if she wins.
The EU already has 18 battle groups consisting of 1,500 troops each, forming the basis of an armed force, But even if those forces grow, leaders of nations most at potential risk from Russian Federation emphasize that the EU initiative is unlikely to match the military deterrence potential packed by North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
While the European Union seeks to create common cause, Europe’s economy remains weak. Greece remains in the zone of European Union nations using the euro after its third global bailout.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, whose country has been at the center of the region’s debt crisis and seen the arrival of hundreds of thousands of migrants, mostly from Turkey, over the past year, said things can not continue as they are.
Leaders of 27 nations have convened in the Slovak capital to assess the EU’s condition following the Brexit vote and develop a vision of its future: what kind of Europe do its citizens want, how to react more efficiently to their expectations, and how to defeat the problems faced by the continent.
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So while European Union leaders worry about how to handle the UK’s impending departure, it seems there is a less-than-united feeling across those countries who intend to stay in the bloc. “We are well prepared for negotiations and could even start tomorrow”.
