"Europe needs unity now more than ever. The situation in Ukraine remains tense, Russia is demonstrating its military power in the region, and massive flows of refugees are pouring into Europe. This requires a unified and joint response from the whole EU," the President said.
Ahead of a special European Council summit, which as a matter of urgency will convene this Wednesday, the President and Federica Mogherini discussed the migrant crisis. The President pointed out that we were ready to accept refugees in good faith and on the basis of solidarity, but we did not approve of the mandatory and continued quota mechanism.
According to the President, the EU will not resolve the crisis only by sharing 120 thousand migrants. It is necessary to find solutions for protecting the EU external border and managing migration flows effectively. A massive influx of refugees has become an uncontrolled and spontaneous process; therefore, measures are needed to eradicate the causes of this crisis.
The President pointed out that the changed geopolitical situation required a thorough review and renewal of the EU security strategy which should also provide for a response to hybrid warfare threats and hostile propaganda. The European External Action Service has to draw up the first draft of the document by the end of this autumn, which would reflect real security challenges and geopolitical changes.
According to the President, fighting hostile propaganda, lies that are being spread about Europe and attempts to discredit European values is a top priority on the EU security agenda. The Commission has drawn up, on the initiative of Lithuania and other EU member states, a strategic communication plan which has the objective of raising EU citizens' awareness and resistance to propaganda, increasing the EU's capacity to respond to disinformation effectively and building up independent media.
The President pointed out that it was also essential to implement the commitments undertaken at the Riga summit – to introduce an EU visa-free regime for Georgia and Ukraine by the end of this year, to ensure that the EU-Ukraine free trade agreement enters into force from the beginning of next year and to keep to a strict non-recognition policy of the annexation of Crimea.
