The European Union adopted a joint statement in the Spanish city of Granada that includes a section on enlargement, but in which the issue of migration was not mentioned, reports Anadolu.
Ahead of the talks, there was palpable tension with Hungary and Poland over a key part of a migration pact agreed by EU member states earlier this week.
“Poland and Hungary were not satisfied with the proposal, but they pushed us, because we are legally violated. So if you are legally raped, forced to accept something you don’t like, how would you like to have a compromise and settlement? It is impossible,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told the media during the day.
On Wednesday, Spain’s interior minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, hailed the deal on migration crisis situations as a “big step forward”, saying it puts the EU in “a better position to reach an agreement on the asylum and migration pact as a whole with the European Parliament by the end of this biennium”.
But this appeared to be more of a sticking point that delayed talks on Europe’s broader strategic direction. Although migration was left out of the Grand Declaration, European leaders said it was a key issue.
The statement said EU enlargement is “a geo-strategic investment in peace, security, stability and prosperity” and called on aspirant countries to “step up their reform efforts in line with the merit-based nature” of the process. of acceptance.
Europe’s commitment to lay the necessary internal foundations and reforms to strengthen the union to “over 30 members”, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, was also highlighted in the statement.
The Granada Declaration also includes the EU’s commitment to continue building its military, energy security and partnerships with countries outside Europe.
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