Officials attend a press conference during an informal meeting of European Union finance ministers in Bratislava, Slovakia, September 9, 2016.
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Ahead of the forthcoming informal European Council meeting scheduled for September 16 in Bratislava on Europe’s future, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras hosted the EU-Mediterranean summit in a first bid to reach common positions to tackle the economic crisis, the refugee-migrant flows, security issues, and other key problems the EU faces as a whole.
As thousands protested against the government’s austerity policies, Tsipras opened the fair in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, by outlining a five-step plan that would see Greece “permanently exiting the program as we will have been able to obtain stable and sustainable growth”.
“At the time of Brexit, and while populism is on the rise in Europe, it is very important to send a message of cohesion and contribute to the dialogue from southern Europe”, French President Francois Hollande stressed.
Holding court in Athens, Tsipras with his counterparts from France, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Cyprus and a representative of the Spanish government, said priorities of Europe needed a re-think.
The 27 European Union leaders – the entire bloc, except Britain – will gather on September 16 to discuss the fallout from the British vote in June to quit the EU.
With Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in attendance, the gathering comes less than two weeks after rescuers saved a one-day record of 6,500 migrants making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean to Europe. “Europe can’t just continue reeling off rules, technicalities, fiscal (issues) and austerity”, he said.
Alarmed by rising xenophobic rhetoric in Europe, Greece will seek common ground at a mini-summit in Athens on Friday with fellow southern European Union states struggling with migration. The next meeting of the grouping was scheduled in Portugal, Tsipras said.
“Prime Minister Tsipras is up to his usual tricks again”.
The summit in Athens drew criticism from German lawmaker Manfred Weber who chairs the European Peoples Party Group in the European parliament.
The debt-ridden country is due to fulfill 15 reforms requested by its lenders, including privatization plans and energy sector changes, in September to get final Euro 2.8 billion (USD 3 billion) available in this tranche.
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Athens, facing a second bailout review entailing an unpopular loosening of labor laws in the autumn, is keen to show that painful tax rises and pension cuts as part of its 86 billion-euro bailout deal previous year will bear fruit.
