The leaders, 28 minus British Prime Minister Theresa May, committed to have a clear roadmap of the way ahead and some practical results when they meet in late March to mark the 60th anniversary of the European Union founding Treaty of Rome in the Italian capital.
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But EU countries are deeply divided over how to bolster growth and respond to the influx of migrants.
The pair said the leaders had agreed in Bratislava on a roadmap for measures in defence, security and the economy that would eventually be approved at a meeting in Rome in March to mark the 60th anniversary of the European Union s founding treaties.
He said: “Prime Minister May was very open and honest with me”.
“All these countries have an interest in fighting terrorism, in a more secure Europe, in preventing uncontrolled migration, all have an interest in economic co-operation to create more jobs”, said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
Whatever priorities are identified, the leaders are expected to work on them at their upcoming regular summits in Brussels, but also during another informal summit in Malta before their Rome meeting.
There is also confusion over the nature of the the UK’s future relationship with the bloc, especially whether it intends to remain a member of the single market. “We want to work united”, he said after the first summit without the participation of Britain. In Germany, a new anti-immigrant party, the Alternative for Germany, is causing panic among Merkel’s conservatives before a national vote a year from now.
“Concerning the freedom of movement of workers and of persons. we are sticking to that position and this is not a game between prime ministers leaving and prime ministers remaining, this is about people in Europe”, Juncker said.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said: “Europe should stop sleepwalking in the wrong direction”.
Concerning internal security, EU leaders agreed to adopt measures to check people’s identity when crossing the union’s external borders.
The leaders touched on the looming divorce negotiations with Britain only briefly, with European Council President Donald Tusk leading a discussion over lunch on a boat on the Danube.
The Visegrad Four, which groups Slovakia with Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, largely holds the same view.
French President Francois Hollande, the other half of the EU’s “power couple” with Merkel, was equally blunt about the task ahead.
We need the European Union not only to guarantee peace and democracy but also the security of our people. Those differences came to a fore last week when Luxembourg’s foreign minister called for Hungary to be kicked out of the European Union for its authoritarian stance towards migrants who have arrived on the continent, many fleeing war in the Middle East.
Yet Fico himself has been a divisive figure on the migrant issue, refusing to allow in a “single Muslim” and taking the EU’s refugee sharing policy to court.
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Though Greece may have secured its euro future previous year after its third worldwide bailout, it’s still struggling to deliver on its promises to creditors.
