E. VENIZELOS: Good afternoon. The political portion of the Ministerial Conference held here in Thessaloniki by the Hellenic Presidency of the Council of the EU, with the participation of the EU member states and the countries of the Western Balkans, has come to completion.
I am very satisfied at the great response: Twenty-four countries were represented on the Ministerial level at the Ministerial Conference. Of these 24 countries, six were represented on the level of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.
The discussion was fertile, in good faith, and practical, and thus we arrived at a number of conclusions that comprise the content of the Statement of the Presidency of the Council – of the Hellenic Presidency – which has already been issued.
I would like to publicly thank the competent Enlargement and Neighbourhood Commissioner, Stefan Fule, all of my colleague Foreign and European Affairs Ministers who participated, and the representatives of the European Commission, the European External Action Service, and the other institutions and agencies who participated in the discussion or who are participating now in the technical portion of the Conference on connectivity issues in the energy and transport sectors.
The first political conclusion that I had the opportunity to draw and to underscore at the close of the political session, the first session, was that both the EU member states and the countries of the Western Balkans today confirmed in the most categorical manner our commitment to the Euroatlantic perspective of the whole of the Western Balkans.
In reality, today we remembered, celebrated and revitalized the Thessaloniki Agenda 2014, which was one of the main political achievements of the previous Hellenic Presidency of the Council of the European Union, in 2003.
We also had the opportunity today to refer to the 10th anniversary of the last major wave of EU enlargement. And it is true that all of the Hellenic Presidencies of the Council – this is our fifth Presidency since joining the then European Communities, in 1981 – are associated with major steps in the direction of European integration, and mainly in the direction of EU enlargement.
During Hellenic Presidencies, we had the move from the Europe of 12 to the Europe of 15, from the Europe of 15 to the Europe of 25 – now, with three more member states, the Europe of 28.
I had the opportunity, in my introductory speech, to stress that the European and Euroatlantic perspective of the Western Balkans is an exceedingly strong incentive for the domestic, institutional, political and economic modernization of all the countries.
And it is of very great significance that we said this here, today, in Thessaloniki, after the experience of the harsh, years-long crisis that hit at the heart of the eurozone. Greece had a very intense experience of the crisis, but other eurozone and European Union member states have lived through it as well. And this crisis had negative repercussions for the Western Balkans too, as well as for the EU Neighbourhood policies in general.
The crisis has made us more mature, however, and it is of very great importance that, following the crisis, and based on the lessons of the crisis, we are reaffirming our commitments to the European perspective of the Western Balkans.
The Western Balkans are a territorial break in the European Union. To bridge this break and to shape the real infrastructure for the enlargement, we pointed up the idea of connectivity in the salient fields of energy and transport.
I remind you that the so-called “pan-European networks” were decided upon at the 1994 European Conference of Transport Ministers, in Crete, during the 3rd Hellenic Presidency, the Hellenic Presidency of 1994.
During the luncheon, we had the opportunity to talk much more specifically about the energy problem of Europe and of the region. We had the opportunity to point up the geopolitical and practical dimensions of the issue, in light of the Ukraine crisis and the general crisis in the relations between the West and Russia, which we want to overcome so that we can return to normalcy – always within the framework of international law.
Everyone sees very clearly how important an advantage the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is for our region. Everyone sees very clearly the importance of the interconnecting hubs that complement the TAP. All of the countries of our region are interested in such interconnections.
Everyone sees very clearly what we had the opportunity to say a few months ago in Budapest, when the four Visegrad countries and the three European countries of the Balkans – Greece, Romania and Bulgaria – met. So we reaffirmed the idea of the central corridor, the Aegean-Baltic corridor, which can very easily, with interconnectors and at a very low cost, become a reality that offers security and alternatives throughout southeastern and central Europe.
And one advantage of this whole region, a regional advantage, is the natural gas terminal at Revithoussa. The practical value of Revithoussa is very, very great. And many countries stressed the need for Greece to move ahead as fast as possible with the construction of additional LNG terminals. And as you know, there are already such plans for Alexandroupoli and Kavala. Plans that can move ahead at speed.
Of course, what was of very great importance is that all the participants underscored the initiatives and achievements of the Hellenic Presidency, responding to our invitation to come here – not to reiterate the same old things, but because today’s Ministerial, as a political event, sends a very strong message to the countries, peoples and societies of the wider region, just a few days before the European elections, when we have need of a new narrative and proposal for Europe, in response to various forms of euroscepticism.
In this sense, we are today mobilizing the European Commission, which is prepared to provide funding for the promotion of connectivity projects. These funds provide a kind of leverage. We are starting with €1 billion, which, however, will be targeted, so as to mobilize another €10 billion for selected projects, such as Corridor X from Zagreb to Athens, the Rail Corridor VIII, from the Black Sea to the Adriatic, the TAP and the Adriatic-Ionian pipeline, which was the subject of a meeting we held in Athens at the beginning of our Presidency.
But it is not just the European Commission that is being mobilized. There is also the European Investment Bank, the Regional Cooperation Council, as well as other agencies, such as the Energy Community that has been set up. Which will help us promote one of the central ideas of our Presidency, which I had the opportunity on many occasions to set out publicly, including to the competent Commissioner, Mr. Oettinger, before the outbreak of the harsh phase of the Ukraine crisis.
But now, with the Ukraine crisis, we have additional arguments for this move. It is the need for a single negotiation for the member states, via the European Commission, on energy issues, so that we can secure the best possible prices for everyone. Otherwise, we will be caught up in internal inequalities amongst the member states as regards natural gas prices. This is of very great importance, just like the differences in interest rates.
I remind you that bilateral meetings were held yesterday between the Foreign Ministers of Greece and Bulgaria, and Greece and Romania, followed by a trilateral meeting between Greece, Bulgaria and Romania – the first such meeting since November 2012.
We issued a joint statement – very important as a text, in my opinion, because this time we were not just three Ministers, but representatives of three different presidencies. The Hellenic Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Bulgarian BSEC Chairmanship, and the Romanian Chairmanship-in-Office of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP). So we had already made important headway as of yesterday.
I also had the opportunity for a bilateral meeting, as usual, with my Cypriot counterpart, Mr. Kasoulides. We talked about the state of play in the Cyprus talks.
And I had an official bilateral meeting with my Albanian counterpart, in a follow-up to our previous meetings and within the framework we announced during my recent visit to Tirana.
Naturally, I talked with all my colleagues who were here, within the framework and on the margins of the proceedings of the Conference.
So I express my real pleasure and satisfaction, because on a political level, on the level of a climate of shared perceptions, we have a very positive result, and also because we are seeing the beginning of practical initiatives that are fundable, viable, vital for the region.
Thank you.
JOURNALIST: Nikos Roubos, from APA/MPA. Certain aspirations were cultivated in 2003. Is the situation today above or below those aspirations? Where do we stand? And can we see what we are talking about, in the long term, when we say Euroatlantic perspective?
E. VENIZELOS: Eleven years have passed since 2003. We have a new member of the European Union in our region: Croatia. In our region we also have a country, Albania, that has already become a member of NATO – like Croatia – and we hope that Albania will gain EU candidate-country status by the end of the Hellenic Presidency – by the end of June, that is.
In our region, we had the opportunity and the pleasure of chairing the first EU-Serbia Intergovernmental Conference, in January, after the start of the Hellenic Presidency, in order to mark the opening of Serbia’s accession negotiations.
We have a country, Montenegro, which is well on with the screening of chapters in the framework of the accession process, and which has very clear aspirations with regard to NATO.
And we also have some problems, which we hope will be confronted within the familiar framework, and which we reiterate every time.
Moreover, it is very important to implement everything decided upon a the latest Foreign Affairs Council with regard to Bosnia-Herzegovina. It is vital that we contribute to the stabilization of the situation. And when I say stabilization, I do not mean confronting just the ethnic problems or the constitutional problems – which are to a very great extent both artificial and technical – but I am also referring to the confronting of the country’s social and economic problems.
Moreover, it is very important that we reiterate that these years also saw the opening of the Belgrade-Pristina talks. The opening of this dialogue is very important for Serbia-Kosovo relations. So there are many positive developments we can point to.
JOURNALIST: Dionysios Botonis, Greek Public Television. Mr. Deputy Prime Minister, you said about Ukraine that it is an issue that you discussed – all of these dramatic developments. Following the statements from Putin, as well as from Steinmeier, do you see us as having a de-escalation in the region? How optimistic are you about this process? And whether there are channels of communication; that is, channels through which all the sides can contribute to the stability of the region.
E. VENIZELOS: Allow me to say that Mr. Steinmeier said in his latest statements what I said yesterday, and what we said together with my Bulgarian and Romanian counterparts: that President Putin’s statements, following his meeting with the Swiss President, who is the chair of the OSCE, is a positive indication. Provided there is follow-through, naturally, this is a step towards de-escalation.
De-escalation is imperative. We need stabilization in Ukraine so that we can avoid a lapse into civil war. We need a solution that is based on a sense of security for all the citizens of Ukraine; a solution that is inclusive for all the political and social groups, all the regions, all the ethnic groups, all linguistic groups.
For us, moreover, there is always particular interest in the Greek-origin community. We are in daily, close contact with the associations, with the Federation of Greek Associations, through our Embassy and through our Consulates General in Mariupol and Odessa. We are prepared to provide any and all assistance.
The main thing is for there to be a climate of security and stability in the regions where our community resides, because no one wants to face a long-term crisis that paralyzes the economy. And the major problem for everyday citizens is always for there to be conditions for an essential quality of life and prospects for prosperity.
JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, what did you talk about with Mr. Poposki during your meeting yesterday? Was it a substantial discussion or a courtesy meeting? And a second question: will the momentum of the invitation of the Foreign Minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue following your Presidency, or will it stop?
E. VENIZELOS: Mr. Poposki and I didn’t have a one-on-one meeting this time. We met the last time in Athens, on the margins of the informal Foreign Affairs Council. We made a brief reference to the elections results.
The representatives of the two countries met the day before yesterday, in New York, at the UN, with Mr. Nimetz. We believe that this is the appropriate process. This process respects the resolutions of the UN Security Council. I had the opportunity to discuss this with Mr. Gruevski, as well, during my relatively recent visit to Skopje.
Greece’s positions are well known, in good faith and creative – we are awaiting a response. But we separate the role of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from the positions of the Greek government. As the Presidency, we refer to the latest Conclusions of the European Council and the EU General Affairs Council – the December 2013 Conclusions.
These Conclusions await specific, tangible steps on the part of our neighbouring country, with emphasis on two issues: the implementation of the Ohrid Agreement, which regulates the inter-ethnic issues. And the implementation of the 31 March 2013 agreement, which regulates the relations between the government and the opposition, between the governing party and the main opposition party.
JOURNALIST: Stavros Tzimas, from Kathimerini. From what I understand, Mr. President, a new deadline has not been set regarding the time horizon for the completion of the accession process for the countries of the Western Balkans – for their accession to the EU. And I say this because in 2003, 2014 was set as the time horizon. If I understand correctly, there isn’t one.
But I wanted to ask you on this, you said that you are closely monitoring – and, if I understand correctly, you are satisfied with – these countries’ course of implementing the criteria, their course towards the European Union, the criteria set by the European Union.
I want to ask whether you see in this process that there is a problem of nationalism in many of these countries, and whether you believe this is slowing their progress towards the European Union.
E. VENIZELOS: First of all, there was never a unified timeline, nor is there one. Each country follows its own timeframe, and each country is judged based on its own individual performance. The countries of the Western Balkans in relation to the European Union, and in relation NATO, are each at different levels of maturity in their perspectives.
For example, in 2005, with Greece’s consent, FYROM was granted candidate-country status, but the negotiations have not started, naturally. The negotiations have already started with Montenegro, and a number of chapters have already been screened. Serbia has candidate-country status, and the negotiations began in January with the convening of the Intergovernmental Conference. Albania is a member of NATO, but it does not yet have EU candidate-country status. And naturally Croatia became a member of NATO and the European Union, and Bosnia-Herzegovina needs to confront vital problems that are of strong concern to the European Union and the international community in general.
So every country has its problems. In many countries we have problems of rule of law, transparency, justice, protection of news media, respect for fundamental rights. We frequently have problems that have to do with the acceptance of other Copenhagen criteria, such as the debate regarding the implementation of the Sejdić and Finci decision in Bosnia-Herzegovina. And you can see that our efforts are aimed at all of these matters’ being confronted in a manner that is as productive and specific and possible.
Unfortunately, there is nationalism everywhere, not just in the Western Balkans. There are such movements in our Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods, as well as in the European Union itself. And when we refer to nationalist movements, I don’t mean just nationalism in the classic sense, because there is also the element of economic nationalism, which is extremely negative and counterproductive for the process of European integration.
May 8, 2014