The European Council in agreement on the next institutional cycle
- Prime Minister Robert Abela delivers a consistent position on various themes
In a Summit of the European Council, which was attended by the Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela, the European leaders agreed on the next institutional cycle with the nominations of the highest positions in the European institutions, primarily the President of the Council European, the Presidency of the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The leaders also discussed the European Union’s strategic agenda for the next five years.
On the discussion table were many themes including Ukraine and the Middle East. Regarding Ukraine, the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council signed an agreement with the Ukrainian President on security. An agreement in which our country had safeguards that reflect its policy of neutrality and non-alignment.
In comments during the Summit, Prime Minister Robert Abela claimed that Malta was clear about its position and the agreement with Ukraine actually mentions these safeguards clearly twice. At the same time, in the conclusions of the Council that Malta mentioned, the provisions of the agreement cannot be changed without the unanimous agreement of the European Council. The Prime Minister claimed that then our country will continue to push a consistent position in favor of peace. Dr. Abela said that in the discussions about security, even in the background of the theme of Ukraine, the Maltese Government continued to deliver a consistent position with full protection towards neutrality where in fact even the conclusions of this the Summit included the safeguards of full respect for the policy of each Member State.
Dr. Abela said that Malta continues to unreservedly condemn the Russian aggression against Ukraine and provides humanitarian support to the Ukrainian people. Regarding Ukraine, the European leaders also spoke about the developments of negotiations related to Ukraine’s membership in the European Union and welcomed the fourteen package of sanctions adopted on Russia.
Regarding the Middle East, the leaders reiterated their appeal for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza and the unconditional release of hostages following the Hamas attacks in Israel on 7 Last October. Prime Minister Robert Abela pointed out that our country continued to be an important voice that consistently advocates for a permanent cessation of hostilities in the Middle East. He said that the order of the International Court of Justice for Israel to end the military operation in Rafah should be respected in full. With the European leaders, the Prime Minister said that our country remains in contact with the services of the European Commission and the World Health Organization to contribute to medical evacuation efforts.
Competitiveness was another important theme in the discussion, with Malta continuing to convey the importance of working in favor of benefiting from the full potential of the Single Market. Here the Prime Minister Robert Abela stressed the need to implement without further delay a legal framework that looks after fair access to crucial products such as medicines. Also on the topic of competitiveness, Dr Abela explained that even the priorities of the strategic agenda of the European Union for the next five years talk about competitiveness and this against the background of environmental and digital hearts. In this context, the Prime Minister defined small and medium businesses as the main catalysts that must continue to be incentivized in favor of the competitiveness of the Member States.
The European leaders also had, among others, a strategic discussion on immigration and foreign policy, mainly on the situation in Georgia and the position of the European Union in light of the law on foreign agents. The leaders also spoke about the continued support for Moldova to address the challenges resulting from Russia’s war against Ukraine and the country’s path to becoming a Member State.
Photo: OPM
