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| Martin Klus, Completes the First Bilateral Consultations with Czech Partners in Prague |
| Bratislava, 16.07.2020 |
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| On Tuesday, 14 July 2020, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic (MZVEZ SR), Martin Klus, took part in his first bilateral working visit to the Czech Republic since taking office. It was also his very first bilateral trip to one of the countries of the Visegrad Group (V4) and/or the neighboring states and closest partners.
In Prague, he met and held talks with Václav Hampl, Chairman of the Committee on the European Union Affairs of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Aleš Chmelař, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, and Štepán Černý, Director of the European Policies Coordination Department of the Czech Government Office.
The main topic of all three consultations of the State Secretary Martin Klus with his Czech partners was the possibilities for the further enhancement of regional cooperation in the established V4 platform or the more recent Slavkov format (S3), and particularly the currently topical issues of the European agenda and the economic challenges that have been caused by the new coronavirus pandemic. Three days before the planned summit of the leaders of the member states of the Union, the partners mainly discussed the draft of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 and the Next Generation EU instrument.
“The effects of the corona crisis will be felt by all EU countries without exception, and we will be able to mitigate them only through a good agreement based on compromise. We don’t have time for quarrels; we need to agree as soon as possible and share our homework. Slovakia views the draft of the future EU budget and the economic recovery plan positively, but we consider problematic the setting of some of the criteria. Nevertheless, we wish to contribute constructively to a fast agreement,” said the State Secretary Martin Klus. At the same time, he assured the Czech partners that in order to effectively draw the highest possible amount from the European funds, Slovakia is also open to proposals for possible joint neighborhood infrastructure projects with the Czech Republic and Austria under the S3 format or with other neighboring countries from the V4 regional platform.
In the context of the new German Presidency of the Council of the EU, the partners also touched upon the forthcoming Conference on the Future of Europe. According to Martin Klus, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, this conference should be used for an open discussion with citizens and not for unnecessarily dealing with the institutional issues that may result in the fragmentation of the European unity.
“At the same time, I agree with our Czech partners, who recall that the countries of the Western Balkans which are applying for EU membership must also be involved in the Conference on the Future of Europe. In this way, we will show them that we are serious about them and support their pro-European direction,” said Martin Klus.
The issues related to the “post-Brexit” development of negotiations on future relations with the United Kingdom were also a subject of bilateral consultations in Prague. The partners agreed that the negotiations have not yet gained the necessary momentum to reach a fair agreement. “On the contrary, the positive thing is that the EU 27 has managed to speak with one voice from the beginning. We must maintain this unity, and we must not be afraid to broach topics that concern us essentially, such as the protection of the rights of citizens or investments,” added Martin Klus.
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Address : Euro-Brew Ltd., Hlboká 22, 917 01 Trnava, Slovakia
Tel. : +421 33 53 418 53, Fax : +421 33 53 418 52, E-mail : info@eurobrew.sk |
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