As part of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, a summit dedicated to the European Political Community, as well as another informal summit of heads of state and government of the European Union, are organized on Thursday 5 and Friday October 6 in Granada. Immigration, tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan – negotiations between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian under Western mediation are expected during this summit -, Ukraine’s accession to the European Union… The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, received several European media, including L’Express, to take stock of these burning subjects.
L’Express: In Slovakia, pro-Russian populist Robert Fico has just won the legislative elections. Is this a sign that European unity around Ukraine is crumbling?
Charles Michel: You know, since the first day of the war in Ukraine, I have been asked these questions about the risks of fragmentation of our unit. At the time of the elections in Italy, I heard the same suspicions. However, we see that at the European Council, the dynamic and the cooperation still work. We will work with the future democratically elected Slovak government, whoever it may be. We will take its concerns and expectations into account, as we do for other governments. And even if the question is legitimate, there is one thing that should be recognized, which is that, for 18 months, our unity has taken the rest of the world by surprise!
Ukraine is awaiting commitments on its path towards membership of the European Union. What signal will you send during the summit of heads of state and government this weekend in Grenada?
We have already given clear signals in recent months by granting Ukraine and Moldova candidate status. In Granada, at the highest level, we plan to discuss the future of the European Union in connection with this upcoming enlargement. This is another powerful signal about the seriousness of our intentions. But the moment of decision will be in December when it will be necessary to decide on the opening of accession negotiations.
Do you still think that the entire EU enlargement process should be completed by 2030?
Of course, I keep this goal. It’s almost a little late in fact. Personally, I would have preferred that we accelerated sooner, but before the invasion of Ukraine, our public opinion was not ready for it. We must maintain their support. 2030 is ambitious, but it is realistic. This should make it possible to encourage efforts for the candidate countries, but also within the EU. Without a clear horizon, it is too easy to procrastinate and delay reforms. The candidate countries are still skeptical, particularly in the Balkans. We must show them that our will is real.
Concerns are growing about the future of the common agricultural policy or support for the regions. Are the Member States really ready for this enlargement?
We are not going to resolve everything in Granada, it is a starting point. Everyone agrees that we must not only make the European Union bigger, but also stronger and more efficient. We must do our homework: what is our plan? What do we want to do together? How will we finance our future policies? We must prepare for this discussion politically now. But even if it is a big country, let’s not be afraid of Ukraine joining! Whatever happens, its reconstruction will have to be financed in the future. If it enters the European single market, the positive dynamic will allow it to be modernized more quickly and at lower cost by involving the private sector.
On the migration issue, how can we move forward when the Asylum Pact has still not been adopted and the Tunisian president is calling into question the agreement concluded in June?
The discussion on migration will be the most difficult in Granada, because it is a very ideological subject for some. But I see themes of convergence. First, let’s unite against the smugglers! This requires better cooperation between the intelligence services and the justice system. We need a global approach. In recent months, we have seen an influx of irregular migrants from West Africa: Ivory Coast, Senegal, Burkina Faso and Benin. However, Tunisia has liberalized visas with these countries, which cannot prevent their nationals from leaving…
The adoption of the asylum pact is on hold because the Italian Giorgia Meloni denounces the role of NGOs, some of which are financed by Germany…
This is a sensitive point, let’s try to have a pragmatic debate. Rule of law rules apply to everyone, including NGOs. Some are doing a fantastic job, but for others, there are questions about the legality of their actions. We do not want smugglers to decide who enters the European Union. Only the authorities have the democratic legitimacy to decide who can come.
On the sidelines of the meeting of leaders of the European Political Community on Thursday October 5, a meeting is planned between the Azerbaijani president and the Armenian prime minister. What do you expect?
First, I would like to say how extremely disappointed and shocked I am by the military operation launched by Azerbaijan, while several mediation processes were underway. But we are fully committed to continuing diplomatic efforts. The prosperity and stability of the South Caucasus is fundamental to our security. In Granada, we will have a meeting following on from the one we had in Moldova six months ago. I am the only one who managed to bring these two leaders to the table. It is about once again obtaining mutual recognition of each other’s territorial integrity. We must continue to work on the peace treaty as well as on the security and rights of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.
In France, some have the feeling that Europe is letting Armenia down. Are her hands tied by the gas she buys in Baku?
This has no impact. This is a subject for only three or four countries in the European Union and there are alternative supply solutions. The obvious lesson of this crisis is that Russia betrayed Armenia. From now on, Armenia is looking towards us and expressing a desire for engagement with the European Union. I think we need to get involved in this rapprochement. We have made promises of 2.6 billion euros of investment to the Armenians, it is urgent to make this a reality.