Leaders of Visegrad Group and Benelux countries debate EU future, migration issues

Record ID: 896116

  • Title: Leaders of Visegrad Group and Benelux countries debate EU future, migration issues
  • Date: 19th June 2017
  • Summary: WARSAW, POLAND (‪JUNE 19, 2017‬) (REUTERS) ‪VARIOUS OF POLISH PRIME MINISTER BEATA SZYDLO WELCOMING DUTCH PRIME MINISTER MARK RUTTE‬ ‪SZYDLO AND RUTTE WELCOMING BELGIUM PRIME MINISTER CHARLES MICHEL‬ ‪VARIOUS OF SZYDLO AND RUTTE WELCOMING LUXEMBOURG'S PRIME MINISTER XAVIER BETTEL‬ ‪SZYDLO AND RUTTE WELCOMING SLOVAKIAN PRIME MINISTER ROBERT FICO‬ ‪VARIOUS OF SZYDLO AND RUTTE WELCOMING CZECH PRIME MINISTER BOHUSLAV SOBOTKA‬ ‪VARIOUS OF SZYDLO AND RUTTE WELCOMING HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER VICTOR ORBAN‬ ‪PRIME MINISTERS APPROACHING PODIUM‬ ‪(SOUNDBITE) (English) DUTCH PRIME MINISTER, MARK RUTTE, SAYING: "‬Naturally as Benelux and Visegrad countries we don't always agree, for example the Visegrad four and the Benelux hold very different views on migration. We should not hide this, but give the challenges facing the EU now and the years ahead, it is vital to keep talking." RUTTE SPEAKING AT NEWS CONFERENCE ‪(SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER, VICTOR ORBAN, SAYING: (ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL TRANSLATION): "‬It will be hard to accomplish a common position. We can agree that we can converge on some elements, but saying that we will have one, common, consistent migration policy - I have doubts about this and I do not think it will ever happen. Regardless of this Hungary is open for negotiations." ORBAN SPEAKING AT NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS BETTEL SPEAKING AT NEWS CONFERENCE ‪(SOUNDBITE) (French) LUXEMBOURG'S PRIME MINISTER, XAVIER BETTEL, SAYING: "‬We talked about all the issues, there were no taboo topics. We explained that for we Benelux countries the rule of law, journalists' rights, the rights of associations, minority rights, opposition rights are part of our DNA, which we defend on a European level too." SZYDLO SPEAKING AT NEWS CONFERENCE ‪(SOUNDBITE) (English) DUTCH PRIME MINISTER, MARK RUTTE, SAYING: "‬Finally there is one thing we all agree on, that the problems facing the European Union moving forward can only be resolved by all countries working together." ‪PRIME MINISTERS‬ SHAKING HANDS AND LEAVING
  • Embargoed: 3rd July 2017 17:22
  • Keywords: V4
  • Location: WARSAW, POLAND
  • City: WARSAW, POLAND
  • Country: Poland
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016LY1B21
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Monday (June 19) urged leaders of the Visegrad Group and the Benelux states to keep discussing the challenges the EU was currently facing, even though the involved countries held some different views on issues like migration.
    Rutte's statement came as prime ministers from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary met their counterparts from Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg in a summit co-hosted by Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo and Rutte in Warsaw.
    Rutte said all participants agreed that structural reforms were needed to lead the European Union into the future, but migration policy remained a controversial topic.
    Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban pointed out that it would be difficult to work out a common position on migration policy.
    "I have doubts about this and I do not think it will ever happen. Regardless of this Hungary is open for negotiations," he said.
    The European Commission launched a legal case on Tuesday (June 13) against Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic for refusing to take in asylum seekers, ratcheting up a bitter feud within the 28-nation bloc about how to deal with migration.
    The eurosceptic, nationalist-minded governments in Poland and Hungary have refused to take in anyone under a plan agreed by a majority of EU leaders in 2015 to relocate migrants from frontline states Italy and Greece to help ease their burden.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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