EU chiefs blame nations for refugee crisis
In a wide-ranging debate on the future of the European Union, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz discussed Europe's spiraling refugee crisis, while laying the blame at the feet of EU member states. The two chiefs asserted that Brussels is not the one that failed on the issue of refugees, but European national governments reluctant to find common ground to solve the ongoing crisis. Discussing how to encourage solidarity among EU member states, the two chiefs stated their concern over "renationalization" of EU politics as the union is at great risk of disunity. "We adopted rules and the member states are not applying the rules. The failure is at the national level," Schulz said during the debate televised on French TV station France 24. "Solidarity is a principle, not cherry picking, and if some countries put that principle in doubt, they put in doubt the basis of the European Union," he added.
"The EU is not in good shape because the member states are disunited, and they are disunited because of a lack of common European spirit." Pointing to Brexit, Juncker stated that he respects Britain's need to take its time before officially initiating divorce proceedings. "We know what we want; we are saying a country leaving but asking for free access to the internal market has to respect the basic rules of the internal market , including and mainly the free movement of workers, and we are prepared for that debate." Shaken by Britain's decision to leave the European Union, the leaders of its other 27 countries met on Friday in Bratislava, Slovakia, amid deep-seated divisions over migration and border security, military cooperation and economic policy.
The Brexit vote in June ended more than half a century of EU enlargement and closer integration. Long seen as a guarantor of peace and prosperity, the bloc is now in critical condition, as member states cannot find common ground to tackle problems, while struggling to convince its citizens that it remains a force for good.
"The EU is not in good shape because the member states are disunited, and they are disunited because of a lack of common European spirit." Pointing to Brexit, Juncker stated that he respects Britain's need to take its time before officially initiating divorce proceedings. "We know what we want; we are saying a country leaving but asking for free access to the internal market has to respect the basic rules of the internal market , including and mainly the free movement of workers, and we are prepared for that debate." Shaken by Britain's decision to leave the European Union, the leaders of its other 27 countries met on Friday in Bratislava, Slovakia, amid deep-seated divisions over migration and border security, military cooperation and economic policy.
The Brexit vote in June ended more than half a century of EU enlargement and closer integration. Long seen as a guarantor of peace and prosperity, the bloc is now in critical condition, as member states cannot find common ground to tackle problems, while struggling to convince its citizens that it remains a force for good.