Estonian Prime Minister Jüri Ratas said on Wednesday 5 July that solidarity among member states would be required in managing the migration crisis facing the European Union.
“No member state can deal with the refugee crisis on its own”, Ratas argued in the debate in the European Parliament on the priorities of the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The 28 member states must act in a spirit of solidarity, he added, with solidarity the cornerstone of every policy in this area.
On Thursday 6 July7, EU home affairs ministers will discuss the Commission action plan that seeks to assist Italy which is having to deal with a fresh influx of migrants from Libya (see EUROPE 11822). They will also give consideration to reform of the asylum system which is facing difficulty in making solidarity compulsory in the European legislation (see EUROPE 11805).
Ratas announced that Estonia would allocate €1 million to the Trust Fund for Africa. At the European summit in June, the Commission criticised the member states which had still not met their commitments in this area (see EUROPE 11815).
Ukraine. Ratas was critical of Russian “aggression” against Ukraine. “We cannot accept that a European country should be subject to aggression or illegal annexation of its territory”, he said.
During the debate, Tunne Kelam (EPP, Estonia) quoted European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans who said that the Baltic States would have suffered the same fate as Ukraine if they had not joined the EU. In the face of aggression by your neighbour, you understand why defence spending has to rise, noted Roberts Zīle (ECR, Latvia).
“I know what it means to aspire to freedom and democracy”, said the young Estonian prime minister. He recalled the days of the Iron Curtain, when borders were closed, when foreign travel was forbidden and when a special pass was required to visit certain islands on Estonia’s border. His parents listened to Finnish radio and to Radio Free Europe, he added.
5th freedom. Speaking about the priorities of the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the EU, Ratas highlighted his country’s wish for the free movement of data to be the EU’s “fifth fundamental freedom”. He urged that the opportunities offered by the digital economy be fully exploited, particularly in telecommunications and in the area of connected objects (see EUROPE 11820). He spoke of other priorities, such as cybersecurity and improved information sharing in tackling terrorism.
Speaking on behalf of the Commission, Andrus Ansip said that the EU draw inspiration from Estonia’s example in cybersecurity. He noted that 5G technology would be available in Tallinn as early as 2018. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)