European coordination on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the adoption of a European vaccination certificate, the migration issue and EU-Turkey relations ahead of the EU General Affairs Council meeting of 23 March and the European Council meeting of 25 and 26 March were on the agenda of the videoconference held today between the Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, and the State Secretary of the Slovak Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Martin Klus. The response to the economic repercussions of the pandemic and the Conference on the Future of Europe were also discussed.
Mr. Varvitsiotis promoted the Greek proposal for the adoption of a common European vaccination certificate, noting that Europe cannot return to normalcy without restoring mobility and stressing that action should be taken quickly in this direction on the European level.
Regarding EU-Turkey relations, which will be discussed at the upcoming European Council meeting, the Alternate Minister underscored that the EU must present the path of cooperation while maintaining the option to take measures to protect its interests and the interests of the member states.
Regarding the migration issue, Mr. Varvitsiotis stressed that the new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum should be governed by solidarity and expressed his support for the work Frontex is doing as the European border protection service.
Finally, the Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasised the social dimension of the EU, which is a priority of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council. He also stressed that there should be no delays in disbursing recovery funds in order to ensure a timely response to the economic repercussions of the pandemic.
