FM and Defence Minister on EU Foreign Defence Policy

Government Vice-President and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos was in Brussels on November 18, to attend the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC). Also attending the EU Council was National Defence Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos, as the FAC convened in its joint form, at foreign affairs ministers and defence ministers level.

Venizelos made a statement following the proceedings of the Council in Brussels, specifying that themanagement of migrant flows in the Mediterranean was one of the central topics discussed jointly in Brussels with the union’s defence ministers. He added that "  a key priority of the Greek presidency of the EU in the first half of 2014 will be the horizontal policy on the sea and the Mediterranean, which also includes security issues." "Migration flows are a humanitarian problem but also a security issue for Europe,” especially for southern European countries like Greece,” he added.

Other issues that were discussed during the FAC included: the significance of a European initiative on Libya, “Eastern Neighbourliness,” the situation in Syria, and the prospects of the Common Security and Defence Policy – a basic element of which is the European defence industry, and hence the Greek defence industry.

On his part, National Defence Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos said that the scope of the FAC was Common Security and Defence Policy, a top priority for the European Union. Faced with common risks, Europe is formulating its own policies, its own “firewall,” Avramopoulos remarked, listing the protection of sea routes against piracy, the development of cyber security, European defence infrastructure and dealing with illegal migration as the top sectors of interest.

Within the framework of the FAC, there will be a joint meeting of the EU Foreign and Defence Ministers, ahead of the December European Council.