The acting Prime Minister of Portugal, António Costa, defended this Saturday understanding between the member states of the European Union (EU) to avoid “new Brexits.” “We have to have the intelligence to understand each other,” he said in his speech after receiving the PSC European Values Award in Barcelona, with the participation of the PSC leader, Salvador Illa, and the socialist MEPs Laura Ballarín and Javi Lopez. Costa, who began his speech in Catalan to thank him for the award, considered that Brexit was “a mistake” for the United Kingdom, and regretted it as a loss for the rest of the Union. Costa presented his resignation on November 7 due to the suspicion raised by the Prosecutor’s Office that he incurred a crime of influence peddling in the ‘Influencer’ operation, and Pedro Nuno Santos will be the candidate of the Portuguese socialists in the parliamentary elections on March 10. AGAINST THE “SPEECH OF FEAR” In his speech, the acting Portuguese Prime Minister explained that the socialists defend a Europe that is united, supportive and open to the world, a vision that is “under attack by the populist right.” Given the challenges facing the EU, he has asserted that the answer is a Europe that strengthens its ties with the other continents, and “it is not the discourse of fear, which is the discourse of the right.” “This is the big difference between us and the right. Populists feed on fear, we, socialists, have to feed Europe with trust,” he added. WAR IN UKRAINE AND GAZA Precisely, Costa has cited the winner of the previous edition of these awards, the high representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, who has rejected that there are “two measures” in the defense of international law, in reference to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Costa, just as he has called for Russia to end the invasion of Ukraine, has defended the socialists’ position by calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all Hamas hostages and the recognition of both Israel and Palestine, ” living side by side in peace.” REJECTS “BEING ENCLOSED IN WALLS” Regarding immigration, he has supported that “the Europe that opens to the world in trade cannot enclose immigrants in walls.” To this end, he has highlighted the work of cooperation with transit countries or the management of the Union’s common borders to obtain “a successful integration of immigrants” into EU societies. A NEW ENLARGEMENT Costa has endorsed that “the time has come for a new stage” in which, with the next enlargement of the EU Member States, not only Ukraine will be included, but also the Western Balkans, countries among the which are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro or Serbia. He has stated that the EU must reform its institutional architecture to be a “common home” that reflects shared values between states. He has also highlighted the value of the Union in the future, which Costa predicts with an active role with partners on other continents, rejecting that “the world of tomorrow will not be a world divided between the United States and the Chinese, in which Europe is only a spectator.” “.
2024-02-18 13:18:52
#António #Costa #committed #understanding #members #avoid #Brexits
