Plenković says that the Rome Declaration is realistic and balanced.
The text of the Rome Declaration, which the leaders of 27 EU member states signed in Rome on Saturday, is realistic given the current circumstances, but it is ambitious in terms of the further development of the European Union, said Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, reports tportal.hr on March 25, 2017.
“I believe that the text is realistic, but at the same time ambitious. We would like, as the European Council and as leaders of the European institutions, to give a new impetus to the development of the European project”, said Plenković after he signed the Rome Declaration together with 26 leaders of other EU member states and the leaders of the European institutions.
He also noted that “the text is balanced, it clearly speaks about the role of national parliaments, the role of member states, the principle of subsidiarity, and the development of the project with the participation of all”.
According to Plenković, the text of the declaration in a symbolic way demonstrates unity and readiness for further development of the European project, both in terms of internal security, combating terrorism, and in terms of economy, development, prosperity, and education of young people.
“The EU remains open to future members, stays open to closer cooperation between the participating countries on the principle of equality”, said Plenković. He pointed out that closer cooperation with different speeds among individual member states did not represent a threat that EU could be turned into a narrower group of countries that would make decisions for all.
Creation of an inner circle of member states “has been clearly identified as a potential threat to the equal role of all member states, and therefore we have sent a message of unity. The fact that such a position has been presented by the president of the European Council Donald Tusk, who has to balance among everybody, in my opinion is a sign of sympathy for those who are smaller and less financially powerful. I think there is no such threat at this point, and those who want to go ahead have that option”, said Plenković.
