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Scholz: German Chancellor in favor of EU enlargement to include Ukraine

Europe is our future and our future is in our hands” pointed out on Monday (29/8) o Olaf Solz from Prague while at the same time he was in favor of the further enlargement of the European Union to include the countries of the Western Balkans and eventually also Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. At the same time, the German chancellor brought back the request for a gradual transition to majority decision-making and proposed coordination of the defense capabilities of the member states and a common anti-aircraft defense.

The chancellor, during his speech held at Charles University, entitled “Europe is our future”, repeatedly emphasized Germany’s commitment to strengthening Europe’s sovereignty and autonomy. He was directly in favor of the enlargement of the Union, warning at the same time that in an enlarged Europe “the differences between the member states, in terms of political and economic interests and social systems, will grow and, where unanimity is currently required, with each state – member will also increase the risk that one country will use its veto, preventing the others from moving forward.

“I have, for this reason, proposed a gradual transition to majority decision-making in the common foreign policy, but also in other areas, such as taxation – knowing full well that this would also have consequences for Germany,” added Olaf Scholz as broadcasts the Athens News Agency.

Όλαφ ΣόλτςΌλαφ ΣόλτςOlaf Solz

Solz on war in Ukraine: It is an attack on the European security order

The chancellor also emphasized that war in Ukraine “it is also an attack on the European security order” and called for greater military cooperation between member states, as, as he said, today there are many and often incompatible weapon systems in Europe, which leads to a limitation of effectiveness and an increase in costs maintenance. “A jointly built air defense system would be a security gain for all of Europe,” he noted, adding that it would also be cheaper than when each member state has to build its own, expensive and highly complex air defense.

Germany will invest significantly in its air defense, he continued, and emphasized that its planning should be done in a way that takes into account neighboring countries, such as the Netherlands, Poland, the Baltic states, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Scandinavian countries.

“The aim of the EU was to prevent war between its members again. But today the Union must further develop this promise of peace in order to guarantee its security, independence and stability, even in the face of external challenges (…) Any of our weaknesses will be grist to Putin’s mill,” Olaf pointed out Soltz, clarifying at the same time with emphasis that “NATO remains the guarantor of our security“, and assuring that Germany’s defense capabilities, which are expected to increase in the near future, will be available to NATO at all times.

“Our help will be reliable and for as long as needed,” Soltz says of Ukraine

Referring to Ukraine, the chancellor highlighted the need for European countries to coordinate in order to be able to support its struggle in the most effective way and announced that on October 25 a meeting on the reconstruction of the country will be held in Germany, in cooperation with the EU Our help will be reliable and for as long as needed, he declared.

The chancellor called for even greater economic autonomy for Europe, pointing out that dependencies like the one on microchips seen in the past should not be repeated. “European answers are needed at this turning point,” he said characteristically and mentioned that raw materials such as lithium, cobalt and nickel are also available in Europe. On fiscal policy, he underlined the need for common rules in the eurozone and added that citizens need a strong currency that can withstand times of crisis, while praising the solidarity framework created during the pandemic.

From Charles University, Mr. Soltz also referred to the Velvet Revolution and pointed out that Europe will not tolerate violations of the rule of law, phenomena of racism and anti-Semitism.

Source: News Beast

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