Debate: Preparation of the European Council meeting of - June , including the meeting with Western Balkan leaders on  June - Candidate status of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia
Date: WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Maroš Šefčovič
Language: EN

I also appreciate the support for the European Commission’s opinion that I think was very clear in the statements by Mr Kelly, Ms García Pérez, Mr Auštrevičius and Mr Bütikofer, who spoke just a few minutes ago, and indeed I believe history and the European family will, with these three countries and the countries of the Western Balkans, be stronger, our economy will be bigger and Europe will be an even more influential actor on a global scale. On our side in the Commission, I just would like to underscore and send a message to the peoples of these countries that we are ready to help. We are prepared to assist for the next steps, for opening, eventually, the accession talks, and to be ready for being the member of the European family. I would like to thank Ms Plumb and Mr Tudorache for acknowledging this readiness of the European Commission. Also, I think it is important to add to that this applies to Georgia as well as to Ukraine, Moldova and all the Western Balkan countries.  I also agree with the several of you who highlighted the importance – and Minister Beaune just said it a few minutes ago – to have to prepare also our Union to function more efficiently in the 21st century, and to be prepared for working in this enlarged family. I think it was one of the very clear messages we heard from the citizens in the Conference on the Future of Europe. It was coming very clear from the European Parliament, and you have seen already our first Commission reaction to the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe, how the Commission is intending to go further, and that more clarity will also come in the State of the Union address of our President, Ursula von der Leyen, and we want to put as many concrete measures as possible into the next the Commission Work Programme.  Ms Keller and Ms García Pérez have been also referring to North Macedonia and Albania, and here I would like to use the presence of Minister Beaune to thank the French Presidency, and the Minister himself personally for the important work the Presidency is doing right now to unblock the talks with these two countries. We all would agree that North Macedonia and Albania have been waiting for a long time and now is indeed the time, and we hope that will happen very soon, that they will be able to move to the next stage.  Several Members made reference to the food crisis – Ms Bonafè and Mr Tajani, and I think that we have to be absolutely clear here that the food and energy crisis is of Russia’s making. Weaponising energy supply led already last year to an increase of energy prices, but blocking Ukrainian ports, bombarding grain storages and destroying the agricultural infrastructure of Ukraine – even stealing Ukrainian grain and then charging an export surcharge on agri—exports – is a deliberate push to create an artificial food crisis and tension in the world, for which Russia is entirely responsible.  We must be very vocal and explain this not only to our citizens, but also to our partners in Africa, in Latin America and other countries in the world.  What we are doing on our side is that we are looking for different possibilities how to transport Ukrainian grains and cereals, especially to countries in Africa. We have introduced so-called solidarity lanes, we are using our railways, we are using European ports, to get the grain to the customers. And we are, of course, supporting the efforts of Secretary General of the UN in his talks to unblock Ukrainian Black Sea ports so we can also resume using shipping lines for transporting the grain to existing customers.  Several of you made very pointed, and very understandable, points on the economic situation, on energy prices and on high inflation. As you know, these issues will be discussed by the leaders on Friday. On the side of the Commission, reflecting on the economic uncertainties of today, we have proposed to extend the general escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact for the next year. We have to learn the harsh lesson that dependencies cost a lot – be it in energy or in critical raw materials and we just have simply to rely more on our indigenous renewable sources and we have to diversify much more our supplies so nobody can threaten us with cutting supplies to us any more in the future.